wendelah1 (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
wendelah1) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
xf_book_club2013-02-18 02:05 pm
wendelah1) wrote in xf_book_club2013-02-18 02:05 pm
Rerun Request: "Oyster" by Jordan
This is a rerun, posted at the request of ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
estella_c, who loves it and wasn't a member when we discussed it back in 2008. I love it too, and think it's well-worth revisiting.
Like all great western religious stories, "Oyster" takes place in the desert, in the modern day stand-in for Sodom and Gomorrah, Los Vegas, a land of waking dreams, endless heat and unquenchable thirsts. In her author's notes, Jordan states emphatically that "THIS FIC IS REQUIEM FREE." This is rather misleading; in actuality, "Oyster" is a re-envisioning of the end of season seven, and to a limited extent, season eight. The parallels are multiple and striking. In both stories, there are deaths and multiple abductions. There is an investigation in which Skinner, Scully and, of course, Mulder are all major players. To say any more would spoil the story for new readers. While "Requiem" inspired a lot of fanfic, "Oyster" is one the best stories ever written for The X-Files fandom. I recommend it without reservation.
Read "Oyster". You can also find this story on her author's page at Gossamer. Please come back and let us know what you think.
estella_c, who loves it and wasn't a member when we discussed it back in 2008. I love it too, and think it's well-worth revisiting.Like all great western religious stories, "Oyster" takes place in the desert, in the modern day stand-in for Sodom and Gomorrah, Los Vegas, a land of waking dreams, endless heat and unquenchable thirsts. In her author's notes, Jordan states emphatically that "THIS FIC IS REQUIEM FREE." This is rather misleading; in actuality, "Oyster" is a re-envisioning of the end of season seven, and to a limited extent, season eight. The parallels are multiple and striking. In both stories, there are deaths and multiple abductions. There is an investigation in which Skinner, Scully and, of course, Mulder are all major players. To say any more would spoil the story for new readers. While "Requiem" inspired a lot of fanfic, "Oyster" is one the best stories ever written for The X-Files fandom. I recommend it without reservation.
Read "Oyster". You can also find this story on her author's page at Gossamer. Please come back and let us know what you think.
no subject
Maybe you want a sequel because you don't want Mulder to stay missing? You want Mulder and Scully to be reunited, to be together. If that's the case, I get it. Lucky for you, in canon, they are a couple now!
But if you want a sequel because you think Oyster is incomplete or even because you loved it and don't want it to end, I have to disagree. A sequel to Oyster could only take what she'd already written and negate it, just like Carter and Company took the first seven seasons of TXF and trashed them with season eight and nine.
A great writer knows when their story is complete. The ending of Oyster is perfect, as is, full stop.
no subject
(Anonymous) 2015-05-06 06:14 am (UTC)(link)I agree for the most part that the ending is great as it is... Without being overly explicit there is still an explanation about the central mystery, and there is enough to suggest that Mulder will return to the physical plane of existence in due time. Maybe an epilogue is what I'm after - just a glimpse as to the fallout from the knowledge that Mulder acquires, and how well Mulder and co handle the results of his "puppetry." But I suppose any good story will leave you wanting more... Here's hoping that the new season will conclude in much the same way.