Scan barcode
zacochsner's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
dreezy's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
potahto's review
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
cammie_p's review against another edition
I love the X-Files. Now, I'm not old enough to have watched the show when it first aired, but I got into it through my parents. Episode one and I was hooked. So, because of this, I had high hopes for this book.
I was let down. Let me explain.
Unfortunately, I had to put this book down about 100 pages in. Less than halfway. Normally I don't DNF books, but once I find it difficult to keep my attention focused, or when I find myself skimming the pages in hopes of finishing faster, I know it's time to call it quits.
And that's exactly what happened here.
Truth be told, I didn't care much for the storyline. That's not to say I had no opinion on it; I think nulcear weapons should have never been invented, much less used, but that's neither here nor there. I found myself not caring much about the characters or the mystery. It almost read like a boring episode of the show, one that I might skip on a rewatch.
I love the characters of Mulder and Scully, so I just wish there was a bit more of them from the get-go. It felt like the book focused too much on the other characters, and there wasn't as much of Mulder and Scully's banter and interactions to really keep my interest. I understand we as readers needed some background on these other characters and needed to know how they were involved, but their chapters were boring to me. They were about 6 pages longer than they needed to be with much more character description than was necessary.
Another aspect that put me off, was the writing. Now, I'm not a writer, so I'm not anyone to critique someone else's writing, but it wasn't doing much to fully immerse me in the story. It felt almost juvenile, not in the sense that a kid wrote it, but more like it was someone's first time writing a story. That being said, I don't need beautiful metaphorical prose in every book I read, however, this book just lacked that bit of complexity a good book craves. There didn't feel like much in the way of syntax diversity, and everything was told to the reader: there wasn't much that was shown that, we as readers, would be left to decipher.
"Scully flicked down the mirror on the passenger side sun visor. She gave a quick glance at the lipstick on her full lips, checked the makeup on her large blue eyes, smoothed her light auburn hair. Despite her tiredness, everything seemed in place. Professional."
"Carrera wore a knee-length skirt and scarlet silk blouse that set off her dusky skin. Her lips were generous, embellished with a conservative lipstick. Her full head of rich brown hair the color of dark chocolate was pulled back on her head, held by several gold barettes and cascaded down her back in a glorious tumble of locks."
Most everything was described in this way: someone was introduced, a paragraph was given about their appearance, said character would take us to a new place, a paragraph was given about the description of that place, etc. All in all, it reads like a published wattpad story, like it started on wattpad, was picked up and edited a bit, then sent out to be published. Would have been 3 stars just for the X-Files alone, however, since I DNF'd, it is sadly only 2 stars.
I was let down. Let me explain.
Unfortunately, I had to put this book down about 100 pages in. Less than halfway. Normally I don't DNF books, but once I find it difficult to keep my attention focused, or when I find myself skimming the pages in hopes of finishing faster, I know it's time to call it quits.
And that's exactly what happened here.
Truth be told, I didn't care much for the storyline. That's not to say I had no opinion on it; I think nulcear weapons should have never been invented, much less used, but that's neither here nor there. I found myself not caring much about the characters or the mystery. It almost read like a boring episode of the show, one that I might skip on a rewatch.
I love the characters of Mulder and Scully, so I just wish there was a bit more of them from the get-go. It felt like the book focused too much on the other characters, and there wasn't as much of Mulder and Scully's banter and interactions to really keep my interest. I understand we as readers needed some background on these other characters and needed to know how they were involved, but their chapters were boring to me. They were about 6 pages longer than they needed to be with much more character description than was necessary.
Another aspect that put me off, was the writing. Now, I'm not a writer, so I'm not anyone to critique someone else's writing, but it wasn't doing much to fully immerse me in the story. It felt almost juvenile, not in the sense that a kid wrote it, but more like it was someone's first time writing a story. That being said, I don't need beautiful metaphorical prose in every book I read, however, this book just lacked that bit of complexity a good book craves. There didn't feel like much in the way of syntax diversity, and everything was told to the reader: there wasn't much that was shown that, we as readers, would be left to decipher.
"Scully flicked down the mirror on the passenger side sun visor. She gave a quick glance at the lipstick on her full lips, checked the makeup on her large blue eyes, smoothed her light auburn hair. Despite her tiredness, everything seemed in place. Professional."
"Carrera wore a knee-length skirt and scarlet silk blouse that set off her dusky skin. Her lips were generous, embellished with a conservative lipstick. Her full head of rich brown hair the color of dark chocolate was pulled back on her head, held by several gold barettes and cascaded down her back in a glorious tumble of locks."
Most everything was described in this way: someone was introduced, a paragraph was given about their appearance, said character would take us to a new place, a paragraph was given about the description of that place, etc. All in all, it reads like a published wattpad story, like it started on wattpad, was picked up and edited a bit, then sent out to be published. Would have been 3 stars just for the X-Files alone, however, since I DNF'd, it is sadly only 2 stars.
raoulgonzo's review
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
weirdfi's review against another edition
4.0
Compared to the other two Charles Grant written X-Files novels I read earlier this year, I think this one's plot captivated me more. I guess such a big conspiracy and the theme of (slight spoiler alert but not really because its from the start) nuclear weapons, raises the stakes and at least made me pay more attention to the minor details in case it was relevant later on.
However, other than Mulder & Scully- I don't think I was as interested in some of the characters as I was in the other two X-Files books I read. The humour almost made me laugh out loud in some parts which was nice.
However, other than Mulder & Scully- I don't think I was as interested in some of the characters as I was in the other two X-Files books I read. The humour almost made me laugh out loud in some parts which was nice.
beyondthesea's review
slow-paced
oh this was bad. not good. i will say thank you to the author for being the only one to remember mulders fear of fire and that’s pretty much it
lmau's review against another edition
3.0
This is the first crime related novel I’ve read, so I didn’t know what to expect from the X-Files, especially since I heard the series was pretty nostalgic, (especially to fans of the show) as well.
I’m not sure which from the two versions (book to movie adaption) is better though, but this one in particular was neither good (since the first few and last parts got me intrigued long enough) nor bad (my only concern would probably be some characters didn’t stand out much, so they end up not being memorable until the end) for my taste.
Similar to what other accounts posted on their reviews, I can understand their sentiment regarding its writing style, (a show, not tell method) and the character’s personalities (Scully and Mulder having opposite personalities, yet they still make a good team).
On the other hand, I like how the FBI agents unraveled the mystery, which was slow and suspenseful. Not to mention, how readers were given clues to make it look like we’re part of their team to figure it out on our own.
With that, I could say the entire novel was average and enjoyable on some parts, so I wasn’t entirely disappointed upon finishing it after a few days.
I’m not sure which from the two versions (book to movie adaption) is better though, but this one in particular was neither good (since the first few and last parts got me intrigued long enough) nor bad (my only concern would probably be some characters didn’t stand out much, so they end up not being memorable until the end) for my taste.
Similar to what other accounts posted on their reviews, I can understand their sentiment regarding its writing style, (a show, not tell method) and the character’s personalities (Scully and Mulder having opposite personalities, yet they still make a good team).
On the other hand, I like how the FBI agents unraveled the mystery, which was slow and suspenseful. Not to mention, how readers were given clues to make it look like we’re part of their team to figure it out on our own.
With that, I could say the entire novel was average and enjoyable on some parts, so I wasn’t entirely disappointed upon finishing it after a few days.
giant_bookstacks's review against another edition
5.0
As an X file fan this hit all the right buttons. I had no idea these books existed and now I want to get hold of them all.
ogik's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
1.0
While the initial concept of this sounded interesting, worthwile commentary on the moral repercussions of nuclear research in a novel about two cops cannot be executed with any grace. Especially when a major part of the story is genocide of indigenous people. Incredibly racist and ableist, haven't seen it mentioned in any other review. Not worth anyones time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Genocide, War, Suicide, and Suicide attempt