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stephen_arvidson's review
4.0
“Are we talking kung fu movies, Mulder?” – Agent Scully (p.50)
Control is a young-adult novelization of The X-Files episode titled “Pusher”, the script of which was originally penned by Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan. FBI Agents Mulder and Scully are asked by a fellow agent to assist in a bizarre case involving a man calling himself "Pusher", who claims to have committed over a dozen murders that were officially labeled suicides. “Pusher” seemingly possesses the psychokinetic ability to bend—or push—people to his will, thereby forcing his victims to harm themselves. The suspect uses his mysterious ability to manipulate Agent Mulder into a dangerous endgame.
A widely praised installment and often slated as the perfect gateway episode to the television series, author Everett Owens (which is a pseudonym for screenwriter/producer Robert J. Thomas) certainly had his work cut out for him in translating this fine hour of television to print format. After reading it for the second time in almost eighteen years, I'm inclined to say that Owens/Thomas did a respectable job in providing readers with a worthwhile pulpy delight. The character of Robert Patrick Modell (a.k.a. “Pusher”), an unremarkable guy with above-average intelligence who finds himself confronted with his own mortality, is deftly depicted in the pages of this book. Readers will be undoubtedly drawn to his tongue-in-cheek arrogance and roguish charm—much in the same reluctant manner as his victims. If that’s not enough, Modell’s origin story has a supervillain-esque quality that would make Doctor Octopus sympathetic.
My only complaint, really, is rooted in the book’s title. I cannot help but wonder why the author or publishers felt compelled to modify the episode title from “Pusher” to Control. I get it, the book’s principle plot involves mind control, but if you ask me the title is hardly compelling and unlikely to attract the attention of readers. However, the book’s front cover makes up for the unremarkable title with a riveting, eye-catching piece—major props to cover artist Cliff Nielsen, who has fashioned some incredible artwork for each installment in this Young Adult series.
Laden with suspense and a tense Russian roulette climax, pulp readers or fans of the series would do well to give this short and highly readable book a shot.
Control is a young-adult novelization of The X-Files episode titled “Pusher”, the script of which was originally penned by Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan. FBI Agents Mulder and Scully are asked by a fellow agent to assist in a bizarre case involving a man calling himself "Pusher", who claims to have committed over a dozen murders that were officially labeled suicides. “Pusher” seemingly possesses the psychokinetic ability to bend—or push—people to his will, thereby forcing his victims to harm themselves. The suspect uses his mysterious ability to manipulate Agent Mulder into a dangerous endgame.
A widely praised installment and often slated as the perfect gateway episode to the television series, author Everett Owens (which is a pseudonym for screenwriter/producer Robert J. Thomas) certainly had his work cut out for him in translating this fine hour of television to print format. After reading it for the second time in almost eighteen years, I'm inclined to say that Owens/Thomas did a respectable job in providing readers with a worthwhile pulpy delight. The character of Robert Patrick Modell (a.k.a. “Pusher”), an unremarkable guy with above-average intelligence who finds himself confronted with his own mortality, is deftly depicted in the pages of this book. Readers will be undoubtedly drawn to his tongue-in-cheek arrogance and roguish charm—much in the same reluctant manner as his victims. If that’s not enough, Modell’s origin story has a supervillain-esque quality that would make Doctor Octopus sympathetic.
My only complaint, really, is rooted in the book’s title. I cannot help but wonder why the author or publishers felt compelled to modify the episode title from “Pusher” to Control. I get it, the book’s principle plot involves mind control, but if you ask me the title is hardly compelling and unlikely to attract the attention of readers. However, the book’s front cover makes up for the unremarkable title with a riveting, eye-catching piece—major props to cover artist Cliff Nielsen, who has fashioned some incredible artwork for each installment in this Young Adult series.
Laden with suspense and a tense Russian roulette climax, pulp readers or fans of the series would do well to give this short and highly readable book a shot.
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