Fic Rec: The Bone Fiddle

[swissmarg]

Title: The Bone Fiddle plus Fanmix
Author: Vulgarweed, htebazytook
Pairing: John/Sherlock
Length: 57,547 words
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Non-canon character death
Verse: Sherlock BBC
Author's summary: Appalachian AU! In November 1973, Vietnam vet John Watson returns to his family's old home in Arthel County, West Virginia, deep in coal country. His low expectations include recuperation and boredom. Instead he finds a ruined landscape, a series of grisly murders, and one of the world's weirdest neighbors.

Reccer's comments: I'll admit, it took me a while to get the hang of 'hearing' the characters speaking in the local vernacular. Other than that, though, the transfer to this setting works remarkably well.

The world-building is fantastic in this, although it's not so much building as recreating. From the geography and plant life to the moral attitudes and religious sensibilities, the clothing styles and the economy, I felt as if I had been transported to 1970s Appalachia without so much as blinking. The authors also worked in a great deal of both local and national history, including the hippie movement, strip mining, and Watergate.

All of that, however, is incidental to the fantastic original case the story is built around. It's a clever premise, and I didn't catch on so I was duly surprised by the reveal.

I like that the authors didn't try to slavishly recreate any of the BBC episodes, although there are elements from many of them (probably more than I caught) as well as at least one major nod to the original ACD canon. For example, here is their version of Sherlock and John's famous 'not my area' conversation:

"So, you're not politically minded at all? Come on, that can't be true. You've gotta have an opinion about the war, at least, though I'll thank you not to be too loud about it, this very minute. Surprised you weren't in the war, actually, a guy your age." Well, Sherlock looked young.

Nonchalantly, "Oh I was drafted, but they wouldn't take me."

"Um, how's that?"

"I believe the official reason was 'psychologically unfit'."

"So . . . no kids? No family?"

"No."

"Me, too. I mean, me either," John said, then because it looked like Sherlock might've thought he was being sarcastic, he added, "Groovy," and immediately wanted to kick himself.

Sherlock raised another eyebrow. "None of that is really my area. And especially the hippie slang."

"No, I know, I just. You know. It's cool. Whatever . . . shakes your . . . boat. I'm gonna shut up now. "

"I think that's for the best," Sherlock said. "Man."

John's canon background as an injured veteran fits in perfectly with the Vietnam era, and Sherlock's eccentric persona plays in neatly to the reclusive mountainy man stereotype. What happens when the two of them get together is both predictable and fresh, leading them inexorably deeper both into each other's lives and into the eerie game going on around them. And oh, the smut. Hot and dirty, in every sense of the word.

Comments

[glos10.livejournal.com]

I loved it. simple as that. Sliightly more difficult to read for me (as a non-native english speaker) because of the different wording and dialogues, but so worth it!

[butterflyweb.livejournal.com]

I see this recced all over the place and one of these days I'm going to break down and give it a try. The writing looks great from the example, but as a citizen of the area the fic is set in...that culture is like, the last thing I want around my Sherlock, lol. Deer hunting and tobacco chewing and country and just...everything I really dislike about where I live haha.

[swissmarg]

Well, not everything is to everyone's taste. That's okay. There are plenty of other great fics to read. I don't think you need feel that this is a 'must-read'. I am also American (although not from Appalachia) and grew up there in the 1970s, and I enjoyed seeing references that I could relate to. I was also fascinated to see the melding of BBC Sherlock's canon culture and personality with the culture and era this fic was set in. Sort of like a study in cultural anthropology. Aside from all that, though, the case and the relationship aspects stand firmly on their own two feet. So even if you kind of close one eye to the coal dust and tobacco, it's a great story.

[fannishliss.livejournal.com]

I found it an interesting experience to read as a WV native. The conception and execution was very well done I thought. I guess as a native, it was for me a distraction when local details like WVU or the Greenbrier kept coming up. The best part is that it doesn't rely on stereotypes to tell a story, but actually tells a strong story supported by details of life in WV, c. 1973, very believably. I think they did a reasonably good job reimagining Sherlock and John in that setting.... but the best parts are where they are being Sherlock and John together, rather than the just slightly rough edges where their characters are reimagined in the Appalachian context.

[butterflyweb.livejournal.com]

That's a good point, and I think that's exactly what makes me keep hesitating--it's jarring, like you said, to see something so familiar and because of that, unremarkable, house very remarkable characters. A WVU reference would make me imagine Sherlock on the PRT and my brain would just blank a little :). Like I said, I think I will eventually give it a shot, because I can tell the writing is very good just from what I've skimmed, and I tend to try to let good writing convince me even if an AU is initially off for me. I'll probably end up skimming through some bits (the deer hunting at the beginning turned me off kind of quickly tbh) but the relationship stuff is what I'm there for in the end anyway, right? Thanks for your input~

[call-me-ishmael.livejournal.com]

This was a fucking amazing fic. Awesome AU.

[eris12.livejournal.com]

I've read this fic at least three times by now. Will most likely read it a few more times. I cannot get enough of it.