xf_book_club | Story 264: "Silver Cornet" by Bonetree

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Story 264: "Silver Cornet" by Bonetree

Is anyone in The X-Files fandom still reading this journal? If not, it's my own fault. I can't believe I let three months go by without posting a new story. (This is why having a co-mod would be helpful. Any volunteers?)

True confession: I never thought I would be saying this but my enthusiasm for the series has flagged following the huge letdown of season ten. I finished my season seven re-watch back in February (around the time I posted "Parabiosis," in fact) and I still haven't cracked open the brand new Blu-ray case for season eight. Well, I'm done wallowing in misery. Yes, season ten was even worse than I'd anticipated, but that doesn't negate what I loved about the original series. And, it certainly doesn't cancel out the great fanfiction. If anything, we need fic more than ever. (Is anyone working on an AU for season ten? Because we need one and we need it TODAY.)

Since most of what's sitting in the nomination queue is novel length, I decided to pick something from the Ten Greatest Fanfictions post. I chose "Silver Cornet" for two reasons: (1.) We haven't discussed much of anything by Bonetree, which is a huge oversight, and (2.) I've never read "Silver Cornet."

Silver Cornet (22641 words) by Bonetree
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: The X-Files
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Relationships: Fox Mulder/Dana Scully

SUMMARY: Set just after "Je Souhaite," Mulder and Scully take a ride on a mysterious train that's carrying more secrets than either can imagine.

The link is to AO3 so if you like the fic, you can hit the kudos button, even if you don't come back and leave a comment here. However, I'd love to know what you think of "Silver Cornet." Heck, now that there's a little bit of distance, I'd love to hear your thoughts on season ten. Don't forget to leave your suggestions for next time.

EDIT: The versions at AO3 and Gossamer are missing chapter four. Thanks to the sharp eyes and fic-finding skills of

drodrey, we have a complete version via the Internet Archive.

Read the complete Silver Cornet via the Wayback Machine.

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Oh, man. If any of you've never read any Bonetree, why the frak not?

::off to read again::

p.s. To answer the question, I will always be fannish about XF, because some of my most wonderful friends came from XF fandom, and I love to read ANYthing new being posted, and to revisit old works, but enthusiasm is in short supply.

Thanks for posting again! I was waiting for a new rec :)

I'm not that put off by S10. If anything doing the rewatch made me remember why I loved XF. Which made me want to write more, but I still prefer the early seasons, before things got so complicated.

Some of my favorite things about XF are fanfic, so I hope the fanfic well never completely dries up. Can't wait to read this one.

I'm not new to the X-Files (it was a weekly tradition in our family, back in the day), but I am pretty new to X-Files fanfic, and I've been using this group as a starting point for exploring fic, so I'm glad to see a new post :) *heads off to read*

As for S10, it was disappointing, but the rewatch in preparation for it reminded me again of why I love the show, so I guess I'm glad it happened?

What I like about "Silver Cornet" is the way Bonetree takes a very BIG story (about the end of the world) and makes it claustrophobic by setting it on the train. The fight becomes embodied by just a few people, and I enjoyed the opposing forces of Kever and Blue.

As for season 10, I had a similar reaction to "I Want to Believe." It killed my fannish feelings dead in two short hours, and it took five years to recover them again. So I was less than enthusiastic about the idea of season 10 to start with--I finally had remembered why I loved the show so much once upon a time, and here was CC and FOX to remind me of the bitter end. Only Darin Morgan lured me back. I watched his episode and "Home Again" and found them both...okay. They didn't make me want to throw things but neither did they light my fire the way the original run did back in 1999. But, to echo the theme of many here, they made me get out my DVDs and rewatch some of the classics. I felt relieved. I wasn't wrong! It had been an amazing show in its day and so it will be forever...in TV history. Despite the wistful title, you really can't go "home again."

Overall, I enjoyed this fic. There were a couple of sections that I didn't think were quite as good, but the story as a whole definitely kept my interest. One thing I liked about this story was that it acknowledged the existence of both true good and true evil, with humanity standing in the middle, free to choose a side, or to do nothing (which is still choosing a side). I also liked the fact that it was Mulder and Scully's beliefs that were at the core of the story.

My favorite part of this fic was definitely Blue. I come from a religious background, so the minute that his case with the special silver cornet came up in his discussion with Scully, I knew who he was supposed to be. I love the imagery of the seven angels with the seven trumpets in Revelation, and I really loved the way that was portrayed in this story. The idea of Blue being there each time the world might end, ready to open that case and play that silver cornet, really resonated with me. And yet he hasn't had to yet - the case is already battered at the beginning of the story, hinting at many close calls before, and the case gets just a bit more damage by the end, from yet another time the world almost ended but didn't, because of a couple humans who believed in each other, and in doing the right thing, no matter what. To me, that battered cornet case stands for the good in the world, because Blue has been waiting a long time, and hasn't had to blow that trumpet yet. Maybe I'm reading too much into it, but that's my thoughts on it anyway.

Also, I loved this line : "Stories are funny like that, ma'am," he said. "Sometimes it's the ones that are so strange and that seem the hardest to believe that have the *most* truth in them."

I'm new to the X-Files. Decided to binge watch in time for S10 (which wasn't really necessary, I'm in general agreement that most of it was a let down), but I don't think I have the same feelings of disappointment that most have though, as I had no chance to build up excitement.

Anyway this page has been an absolute lifesaver in terms of finding fic. In a fandom that's so spread out, and really relatively old in internet history, I had trouble finding good fic. Have been gradually working my way through, what I'm perceiving to be the "classics", but haven't got to any of Bonetree yet. Started reading this one on the train, and just picked it up again tonight and was mighty confused, thinking I'd skipped something somewhere, but nope, I'm pretty sure the ao3 version is missing a chapter around the middle.

Had to do some serious digging to find it, but found an older copy on Wayback Machine (http://web.archive.org/web/20091020134804/http://s88210564.onlinehome.us/bonetree/silvercornet.txt) and the whole fourth day (Chapter 4 I think it is?), is missing from ao3.

Will review once I'm done!

I love this story.

It's unsettling and creepy, and there is such a sense of urgency to the whole thing as it races towards the conclusion (much like a speeding train.) I also think it does a good job at playing with the religious themes and ideas of good vs. evil that the show so often flirted with.

Scully believes, and Mulder believes in Scully, so they are able to save the world.

Like Syn said, this is a big story that works well in its claustrophobic setting.

The scene with Scully and Kever and the hot cocoa is one of those things that has stuck with me through the years. It's funny how the brain will sometimes latch onto something like that, but I genuinely can't drink a hot beverage or watch someone carry drinks without thinking about his nail breaking the skin of the chocolate. There was something about that entire scene-- Scully's restlessness, Kever's persistence which fell just short enough of rude for her to continue humoring him, the way their whole interaction went from there-- that felt so real and unsettling to me.

Re: Season 10... I don't know. I've had some time to think on it, and I still can't really put my thoughts into words. I didn't really like the premiere, but I chalked that up to it having been too long since the show aired and needing time to readjust to the characters.

I liked the next three, particularly Darin Morgan's episode, and the William scenes in Founder's Mutation brought on surprise tears, but I felt the whole thing was kinda whiplash-y. There was no real continuity between episodes, no mention of aliens or the conspiracy again until the finale. Babylon was terrible. The finale was-- full of the kind of bad science that you can't really get away with on television anymore.

I liked the virus idea, but found myself wishing they'd done it on a smaller scale, because like... even if Scully could come up with a vaccine or cure, there's no way they'd be able to get that out to the entire world in time. If it was just contained to one city, maybe. I'm capable of suspending my disbelief to an almost ridiculous extent, but that just pushed it too far. And ending the series on a cliffhanger, with no definite plans to return was just unnecessarily cruel.

I dunno. I'm still mixed on the whole thing. It was really surreal sitting down to watch a new episode of the X Files on live television, and I was sad when it was over, because it felt like I'd just started to get used to having Mulder and Scully on the screen again.

Okay, finally finished! First time review here, yay!

This is my first bonetree, and overall, I really enjoyed her writing style. Characterisation was good and it was generally an engrossing read.

The first half of the story, in my opinion, was much stronger than the second. Starting off with Scully and Mulder in bed together on the train perfectly grounded their relationship and where it stood at this point for me. The conversation Scully has with Kever is wonderfully creepy and is still giving me the heebie jeebies 36 hours after reading it.

From around the point where the train-takeover starts, I think the pacing goes downhill. Full disclaimer: I read the second half very disjointedly, reading some, realising something was missing, going back, reading the missing part, then reading it in bits and pieces throughout today. This probably effected my enjoyment and view of the second half's fluidity. However, I definitely think some things were rushed through. The oncoming end-of-the-world virus, felt a little too convenient and easy (hey, Chris Carter, listen up), and I don't think there was really enough explanation or build up towards it. Mulder's section, although creepy, also felt a bit rushed through.

I did love the characterisation of Blue in the second half, and the overall arching idea that's already been stated; Mulder believed in Scully, and Scully believed, and together they saved the world.

Looking forward to checking out some more of Bonetree's stuff, as I really did enjoy her style!

Hey! I am new-ish here, but I've been reading through this for about a month now. I will comment more on this later, but I just wanted to say, some of us are out there still!

She made an...interesting choice by beginning with the sex and relationship scenes. The archive date at Gossamer is September, 2005, so it was written at least a couple of years after the series ended. Regardless of what Chris Carter wants us to think in 2016, it is fair to say that this ship was made canon no later than the end of season seven. However, in "Requiem," while Scully does come to his bed, it is clear that they have been maintaining at least the appearance of separate sleeping quarters while on duty. I just rewatched "Requiem" recently, so I know Mulder looks surprised when Scully shows up at his door, though he is quick to welcome her in. Maybe that's why it took me aback for them to be sleeping together and having sex while they're investigating a case. It doesn't feel in character and it doesn't add anything important to the story. Mulder and Scully were emotionally involved long before they were romantically involved. We already know that Mulder would literally go to the ends of the earth to save Scully. (We know, too, that the only thing Mulder can't believe in is God.) The thing is, if they're supposed to be looking for something suspicious on board the train, why aren't they doing that? They took the case--they should be working the case. Scully at the least should be worrying about that end of things, even if they do have sex.

It was well-written to be sure. I like many of the details she uses: Scully having a hard time leaving the shade up while making love, as an example.

How could she say what she felt like she could do? That she could finally feel for him what she had all this time, and show him those feelings, do with him what she'd always wanted to do?

Always? Really, Scully? It feels like the writer is reducing what they are to one another to the completion of the sex act. Am I supposed to believe they didn't know how they felt about one another before they fucked? That everything that had happened before was somehow less meaningful? Come on, people. If there is one thing we can all agree on, surely it's that sexuality doesn't define the Mulder/Scully relationship. It's about so much more than that.

Probably what I like best about the story is that it takes Mulder and Scully working together to save the world--and that in doing so, they have to break the unwritten rules of their partnership. Mulder has to be willing to let Scully go so that she can stand up to the Evil that has been watching him since season two's "The Calusari." Scully uses the power she gained from looking at the Angel of God in "All Souls" to wage spiritual warfare against Kever. As Father McCue explained, "To look upon the Seraphim in all his glory is to give up one’s soul to heaven." I love these carefully plotted callbacks to canon. Having the action take place on a train car seems inevitable given how many other significant events occur on them throughout the series. The way Bonetree successfully marries these disparate views of the war between Good and Evil into her story is effective and moving.

Once the missing fourth chapter got slotted back into place, the story made much more sense. I thought the pacing was fine, although I could have done with less hurt/comfort and Mulder torture in favor of longer descriptions of the action sequence at the end. Overall, I thought this was an original and successful story.

Edited 2016-05-15 01:52 (UTC)

yes, reading and there IS some great season 10 AU stuff out there, was reading it on AO3 but can't remember who the writers were at the moment...

Yes! I'm new, and I'm HERE! Love this place! Don't ever quit. 😄

As above!

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season 10 AU

Yes!

Don't the journal go - pleeeeeeeeeeease!