Hmmm. Although I love post-col stories, this didn't work for me, same as Negative Utopia never has. I do however have a hard time figuring out why exactly this is the case. I like the detail, and this story definitely fleshes out Negative Utopia in a way that complements them both. The world is described well and I find it quite believable. I have probably read and watched too many dystopian movies and books that I have a dim view of what would happen to the position and rights of women in such scenarios. So I did find Scully's position believable as well.
That being said though, I think it was Scully's lack of control in a post colonization world and her seeming acceptance of this. I suppose this is somewhat in contradiction to what I just said in the previous paragraph, but it does bother me. She relies on Skinner to protect her, and having to be labelled as "his" as a result, and she also requires Mulder's protection to an extent once she is reunited with him.
In general I agree that characters can (and probably should) be OOC in stories such as these, but this just one just seemed to take away Scully's fighting spirit a little too much. I know she exerted some authority as a physician back at the camp, but it almost seemed like an indulgence afforded to her, and this was proven when it became apparent that Skinner was actually preventing people like Byers from reaching her and he faked an injury just to come talk to her. (Incidentally, I agree with whithersoever that Byer's characterization was a pleasant surprise in this story, I very much enjoyed him). I suppose you could argue that this story picks up a long time after this new society has been going on, and that Scully would have had a long time to acclimatize herself, but I still think she could have had more agency. The best dystopian stories (in my opinion) feature strong characters that are trying to subvert the society in which they live. It seems to me there was an opportunity to give her more of an empowered role that the author didn't seem to want to take. I'm really glad the other reviewers are touching on this also, I agreed with most of what I've read here.
I also didn't really like that despite all the detail and building of this world, there really wasn't more to the plot than Scully wanting to be with Mulder, and Mulder wanting to be with Scully. I know it's not exactly that simple, but that is sort of what it boils down to. It misses out on the fact that the best thing about Scully and Mulder is that they have their commitment to each other, but also shared commitment to their work. The story sort of gives Mulder all the power and reduces Scully to a bit of a sidekick to him, the equality in their relationship seems to disappear in this world, which even if it's plausible given the circumstances, I don't like it.
I think I would have enjoyed the story much more had they been reunited earlier rather than Scully pining for him so much. The story then could have explored their relationship in a changed setting while simultaneously had them actually do something to learn more about the colonists, or fight back. Life during Wartime was an excellent example of this. So basically, I guess I just want a whole different story, haha.
Sorry also if my review is a bit vague and I may have also gotten some of the details muddled or even flat out wrong. I read this over a week ago and about halfway through found myself skimming more than actually reading. Which is unfair to the work, but I also didn't want to spend a lot of time reading something that really wasn't doing it for me.
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That being said though, I think it was Scully's lack of control in a post colonization world and her seeming acceptance of this. I suppose this is somewhat in contradiction to what I just said in the previous paragraph, but it does bother me. She relies on Skinner to protect her, and having to be labelled as "his" as a result, and she also requires Mulder's protection to an extent once she is reunited with him.
In general I agree that characters can (and probably should) be OOC in stories such as these, but this just one just seemed to take away Scully's fighting spirit a little too much. I know she exerted some authority as a physician back at the camp, but it almost seemed like an indulgence afforded to her, and this was proven when it became apparent that Skinner was actually preventing people like Byers from reaching her and he faked an injury just to come talk to her. (Incidentally, I agree with whithersoever that Byer's characterization was a pleasant surprise in this story, I very much enjoyed him). I suppose you could argue that this story picks up a long time after this new society has been going on, and that Scully would have had a long time to acclimatize herself, but I still think she could have had more agency. The best dystopian stories (in my opinion) feature strong characters that are trying to subvert the society in which they live. It seems to me there was an opportunity to give her more of an empowered role that the author didn't seem to want to take. I'm really glad the other reviewers are touching on this also, I agreed with most of what I've read here.
I also didn't really like that despite all the detail and building of this world, there really wasn't more to the plot than Scully wanting to be with Mulder, and Mulder wanting to be with Scully. I know it's not exactly that simple, but that is sort of what it boils down to. It misses out on the fact that the best thing about Scully and Mulder is that they have their commitment to each other, but also shared commitment to their work. The story sort of gives Mulder all the power and reduces Scully to a bit of a sidekick to him, the equality in their relationship seems to disappear in this world, which even if it's plausible given the circumstances, I don't like it.
I think I would have enjoyed the story much more had they been reunited earlier rather than Scully pining for him so much. The story then could have explored their relationship in a changed setting while simultaneously had them actually do something to learn more about the colonists, or fight back. Life during Wartime was an excellent example of this. So basically, I guess I just want a whole different story, haha.
Sorry also if my review is a bit vague and I may have also gotten some of the details muddled or even flat out wrong. I read this over a week ago and about halfway through found myself skimming more than actually reading. Which is unfair to the work, but I also didn't want to spend a lot of time reading something that really wasn't doing it for me.