wendelah1: (all the leaves are brown and the sky is)
wendelah1 ([personal profile] wendelah1) wrote in [community profile] xf_book_club2016-08-03 11:54 pm

Story 267: "America's Games" by Sarah Segretti

I love angst and fix-it fics (and the writing of prufrock's love) but I'm ready to take a break from the post-series, post-IWTB setting, and read something set earlier in the series. This rec comes from last year's The Ten Greatest XF Fics You've Ever Read. Read what [livejournal.com profile] zinnia03 had to say about "America's Games":

America’s Games by Sarah Segretti. Author’s synopsis: “Assigned to the bioterrorism squad at the 1996 Summer Olympics, Scully tries to make sense of confusing evidence, her baffling partner and her uncertain place in a world where the X-Files don't matter.” Set just post-Talitha Cumi and Herrenvolk. Sort of a fish-out-of-water story with Scully temporarily assigned away from Mulder and the X-Files, though of course Mulder can’t stay away long. Scully tries to puzzle out the information from files they found at Strughold Mining, and Mulder wants to investigate ginseng farms in Canada. Both are frustrated by their lack of progress, plus there's an undercurrent that is making them snipe at each other. High tension story that fits the mid-series tone.


Read America's Games.

I'd love to know what you thought of the story. The nomination post is always open for your suggestions and I will get back to posting them soon. You can also read this fic at Sarah Segretti's Author Page at Gossamer.

[identity profile] infinitlight.livejournal.com 2016-08-14 05:37 am (UTC)(link)
Ahhh I'm always going to love Scully being righteously cranky, and I guess I've rewatched enough that I can pretty much remember where this fits (I think you just need to remember her being ditched by Mulder).

The date of writing (early 2001) was interesting to me, at first I'd assumed it was written later because of the interesting focus on terrorism at events (not that 9/11 was the first time people thought about terrorism).

Like [livejournal.com profile] bmerb, I liked the fountain scene. I thought (feared? lol) it was going to turn into a romantic scene, but in my opinion it was much better and more resonant than that. I loved her seeing her brothers in the two boys playing and her recognition/realization of what it is she's fighting for.

[identity profile] bmerb.livejournal.com 2016-08-17 06:11 pm (UTC)(link)
Righteously cranky Scully... Ahhh yes!

[identity profile] infinitlight.livejournal.com 2016-09-01 07:04 am (UTC)(link)
I didn't even think of the Munich Olympics, but of course you're right. I do remember reading about the challenges holding the games in Atlanta due to the heat of summer, so that was pretty accurately reflected in the story.

The Lone Gunmen: yes, the pilot episode has government-funded terrorists flying planes into the World Trade Center. I actually remember reviews discussing how outlandish the plot was :/

[identity profile] bmerb.livejournal.com 2016-09-04 02:17 pm (UTC)(link)
Wow never watched TLG, maybe I should have...