I loved The X-Files: Perihelion. It took me right back to the TV series at page one. Claudia Gray has the characters of Dana Scully and Fox Mulder down to every little detail. The story starts off where the series leaves us. Mulder and Scully are still trying to figure out their relationship when Scully finds out she is pregnant. This brings up the old feelings and memories of their son William. Then the FBI brings them back to investigate two X-file cases that unfortunately aren't related to each other which is the only downside to the the story. It could have been more cohesive in that regard. However, I absolutely loved this story and hope she writes another one.

Thanks to NetGalley and Hyperion Avenue for the advanced copy of the book. The opinions are my own.

Claudia Gray reopens The X-Files with Perihelion, very clearly establishing a de facto season 12 in print that builds on the mythology of eleven televised seasons and two movies that came beforehand. Set soon after the eleventh season series finale, Perihelion quickly brings readers up to speed with the current status quo. FBI Agent Dana Scully is pregnant, presumably with conspiracy-minded Fox Mulder's child, and Walter Skinner, one of their last remaining allies within the Bureau, is left comatose in a care facility following a car accident. Mulder and Scully are brought back into the FBI's questionably good graces following an eruption of unexplained phenomena, while Gray works on giving this novelized reboot of the series a reason for existing.

Along the way, Gray draws from the usual tropes that kept series creator Chris Carter's clunky, convoluted conspiracy running. The shadowy Syndicate of the show, and its villainous front man, Cancer Man, have been replaced by their 2.0 versions in The Inheritors and Robin Vane, a merciless killer who can, at will, teleport in a burst of smoke. Mulder, meanwhile, is given a new mysterious informant in Avatar, a spunky woman with her finger firmly on the pulse of pulp culture and who may be as obsessed with geekdom as Mulder is with little green men.

Meanwhile, a serial killer is stalking the streets of D.C. and murdering pregnant women. At each scene is an unexplained electrical disturbance that causes lights to flash and explode, and melt cell phones. Needless to say, Scully is quickly drawn into the crosshairs of this killer's obsessions.

The A- and B-stories driving Perihelion are, unfortunately, the book's biggest weaknesses. The two cases never intersect in a satisfying way, particularly the B-story involving the killer Mulder dubs "Bright Eyes." This latter involves some very spurious revelations that never satisfactorily align with what has been presented and raise more questions than it answers. That, I suppose, is at least in keeping with typical X-Files investigations, but the loose threads Gray leaves dangling feel too inauthentic and incredulous. Some of the narrative gets bogged down a bit too much in comic book-like gimmicks, with Gray drawing parallels to our current Marvel-obsessed Hollywood machinations in a misguided effort to keep The X-Files relevant amidst the dominant pop culture of present-day America.

What she does get right, though, are the characters of Mulder and Scully themselves. With Perihelion's alternating viewpoints, we get to spend a lot of time in both agents' heads and their thoughts and words ring true to the characters we've spent many years obsessing over on television. In some segments, you can very clearly hear David Duchovny's off-screen narration, or picture Scully writing in her jounal while Gillian Anderson's voice reads off the words to us. Gray does a fine job capturing Mulder's wry sarcasm and Scully's incredulous indifference to his more oddball theories. These two characters have always been the most engaging aspect of The X-Files, keeping us glued to our screens even through less-than-spectacular investigations, and Gray understands this wholly, even if at times it feels like she's trying to shoehorn them into something that feels more like X-Men than X-Files.

It's a shame that Perihelion leans so far into comic book-like showiness given the very real-world actors and events that would allow for a deeper exploration of what makes The X-Files tick and why such government conspiracy-driven shenanigans are still relevant. We're living in an age of deep state, deep fakes, fakes news, and constant surveillance. Right-wing conspiracy theories have moved from the fringe and into the mainstream of American zeitgeist with its MAGA and QAnon whackadoo, PizzaGate, and Epstein lists. The distrust and paranoia surrounding the US government and its various actors is at an all-time high, and a clownish orange buffoon is headmaster of a parade of disinformation and outright lies. If ever there was a time for the resurgence of The X-Files, then the time is now, right now.

Unfortunately, Gray sidesteps a lot of these issues to focus on the well-worn and creaky mythology that all reads like a lot of been there, done that. It's not entirely dissatisfying, though, and Gray helps to reinvent the alien-government conspiracy in a more streamlined fashion than Carter's unnecessarily and increasingly complex mythology that continually defies resolution. It even posits an interesting and systemic reason for the continued existence of The X-Files, showing that Mulder and Scully's work isn't quite finished yet, and may never be. One thing she does get right to the heart of is the motivation of The Inheritors that parallels real-world groups of this nature, particularly in an era of climate change and rising Christofascism -- a shadowy group of rich people looking to bring about the end of the world in order to profit off civilizations collapse for little reason beyond money, money, money.

Gray also goes a long way to attempt some measure of course correction in Carter's regressive, tired old man-style plotting that caused so much uproar amongst X-philes during the eleventh broadcast season. She spends much of Perihelion walking back the continual victimization of poor, embattled Scully following the late-stage reveal that her previous pregnancy was the result of insemination from Cancer Man, who had drugged and knocked her up. It's clear that Gray intends for subsequent novels in this (presumably) newly established series to go a very different route than Carter's storyline for Scully, Mulder, and their son, William, and that's all for the better, in my estimation.

Perihelion makes for an interesting and intriguing set-up for The X-Files as a whole as this franchise moves from television to canon novelizations, but it's not without its rough patches. Gray takes some liberties with the property, introducing some flashier, showier aspects in print that would likely be beyond a television budget, but the story isn't any better for it, in my opinion. That said, I am eager to see what comes next and am hopeful we get a return to some classic Monster of the Week installments that are lighter on the, arguably weaker, mythology aspects. I, for one, welcome the return of The X-Files and still want to believe that the truth is, indeed, out there somewhere, even if it does feel farther away than ever.

I got to read the new addition to the X-Files, Perihelion by Claudia Gray. The X-Files: Perihelion acts as a continuation of the X-Files series as we follow Mulder and Scully after the events of season 11 with us seeing the consequences of the entire series. I will be open and admit that the reason I wanted to check this book out was as a Star Wars fan who has loved all of Claudia Gray’s books first as I’d never even watched a single episode of the series before checking this book out. I can say that as a new fan, I was able to engross myself in the lore still and have even now watched almost every episode of the show as well as the first movie and been able to retroactively notice the love for the series put into this novel. The mystery itself is also compelling as we learn that the work of the Syndicate is still in effect even if they are no longer in power with a shadowy killer removing most of the power players all while another serial killer is on the loose, going after pregnant women, all while Scully herself is pregnant once again. This book reads exactly like one of the lore heavy episodes of the show while also presenting a monster-of-the-week scenario and I think it’s balanced really well by Claudia Gray and I left the book satisfied with the answers we did get but also like any main episode needing more. Whether we get a continuation or not, however, I still highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys mystery, the supernatural, or The X-Files. Much like most of Claudia Gray’s work that I’ve reviewed I’ll be giving this a 9 out of 10.

I was on the fence about requesting this from Netgalley. On one side I love The X-Files and I'm acquainted with the author from our fanfic days. On the other, it's set in the parts of the X-Files that I actively dislike. I always hated chain smoking man and the alien arcs, especially disliked the ending of the second series and this is enmeshed in it. At the end of the day I wouldn't have jumped on this if it had been any other author. This was a 3.5 read for me but I rounded up because it was less the writing that I didn't like and more I didn't care for the setting.

Let me get this out of the way since it’s in the blurb, Scully is having a late in life pregnancy which is 95% of this story so of course William has to be brought into this. Here’s the thing, grief is tidal and large. Naturally they’re thinking about William but that’s all they’re doing, chapter after chapter. While this isn’t unrealistic it also slows the pacing to a crawl in many places, especially over who really fathered William and what happened to him in the end.

There are a couple of story lines. The three major ones are 1. A serial killer who is cutting fetuses out of their mothers and may be able to affect electricity, exploding phones, computers etc. He is also hunting very close to Scully’s location in D.C. (my preferred plot) 2. The Shadow Man who can turn into a mist and teleport and is killing former Syndicate members (my least favorite simply because it plays into that alien arc crap that bored me in the show itself ) 3. Someone is doing things to DNA (I don’t want to say more than that and be spoilery)

There is dovetailing of all three plots so that was good. The lagging pacing however made the endings feel rushed (and it’s open ended which I find personally annoying but I’m sure the powers that be wanted it that way to set up the next book). What I did love was how Gray worked in what Clyde Bruckman prophesized for Scully. It was very clever.

Overall, I enjoyed this in spite of the rather repetitive angst over the pregnancy and William.

Twisty plot and scary moments. Characters are related with good interaction. Have to say not as good as tv show.

The sinister plots continue in the latest, action-packed installment of the X-Files. Mulder and Scully are back, warily resurrecting the X-Files and tip-toeing around their complicated personal relationship. Claudia Gray does a nice job of weaving in previous plots and extending their saga in ways that feel right for the characters. She captures Scully's interior dialogues perfectly. and peppers in Mulder's acerbic wit throughout. I highly recommend this for all fans of the X-Files.

Probably more of a 4⭐️ or 4.5⭐️ book but I enjoyed revisiting Mulder and Scully so much that I upped my rating to 5. This author really “gets” the main characters. Their thoughts and verbal communication is spot on to the TV series. Their relationship reflects all of the seasons and troubles they experienced. I love how the novel moves in the same fashion as the scripts used to—multiple things going on at once; the main plot sort of out there but dealt with as if it is real; personal tension between Fox and Dana is still present; the ending sort of solves the problem but not really. This was a fun reminiscence of a couple of memorable characters.

Thanks to NetGalley and Hyperion Ave for the ARC to read and review.

I'm currently watching X-Files for the 3rd time and I applied for this book hoping I would get it. I absolutely adore X-Files and this book was a fantastic addition to the story. The voices and speech patterns of the characters very closely matches the show and I loved the story.

X Files fans, Mulder and Scully are back and trying to salvage their relationship after the death of their son, William. Scully is expecting again, and a serial killer is targeting pregnant women. The book's author Claudia Gray, is actually Amy Vincent, who has written several popular young adult novels. While Mulder and Scully team up again personally, they also team up with the FBI to look for the killer, who seems to have an otherworldly power over electricity. Soon, it's clear that this is bigger than the Washington, D.C. area where the killer has been lurking. The entire world is in danger. Recommended for fans of the TV series and movies and anyone else who wants to believe. The truth is out there. Somewhere.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I grew up watching The X-Files when I was too young to watch it. I was a fan then and I'm still a fan so I was excited to see that the series was continuing in novel form.

I haven't watched Season 11 since it first aired so I was appreciative that there was a quick summary embedded in the text that didn't feel out of place. However, I still think it would be wise to rewatch that season or even find a detailed summary before reading this book.

The plot moved slowly at times and there were pages (or what felt like it) of Mulder and/or Scully ruminating over William not being their son. (Don't get me started on how quickly everyone believed Cigarette Smoking Man when come on! it's Cigarette Smoking Man.) While this tension between them did get discussed at the right time, it felt like there were scenes upon scenes in which that was all they were thinking about.

During the show's heyday, some novels came out of different X-Files or Monsters of the Week. I remember enjoying those as a kid and still think about them from time to time. While this book has its own monster of the week, it does get overshadowed by the mythology portion. I'm still trying to decide if creating a mythology-focused book was the right move since it didn't feel like something that Chris Carter or the other writers would create. This isn't to say Claudia Gray is a terrible writer (I'm a fan), but there were moments where it didn't feel like Mulder and Scully, but two characters from an original Claudia Gray work.

In the end, this book has set itself up for a sequel and I may read it since there are a few plot threads that weren't complete and I need to know how it ends.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book is a must read for X-Files fans! I absolutely hated how the series ended, so this was definitely a welcomed “fix it” addition for me.

Claudia Grey did a great job writing Mulder and Scully. It was obvious she understands the characters pretty well, nothing felt disjointed.

I couldn’t get enough of Perihelion, so I definitely recommend it for any fans of the show!

The X-Files: Perihelion
By Claudia Gray


Summary:

Fox Mulder and Dana Scully are still reeling from the death of their son William as they struggle to find purpose away from the X-Files. Though their current relationship is tenuous, they hope to seize their second chance to be a family, despite the many questions surrounding Scully’s pregnancy.

Then the FBI asks for their help on a case that hits all too close to home: a serial killer in the Washington, DC area who targets pregnant women. The killer appears to possess a mysterious, uncanny power over electricity, which is enough for the Bureau to re-open the X-Files—if Mulder and Scully are willing.

They cautiously agree, concerned about the safety of their own unborn child yet committed to finding justice for the killer’s victims. But their return to the FBI sparks the interest of a shadowy cabal, the heirs to the now-dead Syndicate, and Mulder and Scully soon discover that what at first seems to be just another X-File is connected to a worldwide threat on an unprecedented scale . . . one with their own future at its heart.

Review:4 Stars

As a die-hard fan of the X-Files I really enjoyed this story, it felt like an old comfy blanket on a cold day for the most part, but it wasn’t a page-turner, I could set it down and get other things done and come back to it later The overall flow was great, The editing was spot on. If it had been a page-turner which I couldn’t walk away from it would have been a 5-star for sure.

Conclusion:

Would I recommend this book to others YES
Would I read other books by this Author YES

NetGalley

First and foremost, thank you to NetGalley and Hyperion Avenue for providing me with an eARC for an honest review!

I think that what this book really comes down to is being an incredible return to the world of the X-Files. If you like the X-Files, especially the pieces that are focused on relationships and trauma, you will love this book! I personally never got around to finishing the series or watching the renewal, but I was able to fall right back into the world (with a little bit of light Googling). This story has a good dose of the strange and supernatural, but also generally just provides a good look at Mulder and Scully as people and as partners, both romantically and in their work. It seems to pick up right where the renewal left off, and brings back what I think I loved most about the show to begin with.

I think outside of being a great X-Files story, this book is also well-written as a book on its own. I've read some of Claudia Gray's work before, and I think she has developed a very strong writing style that suits itself particularly well to science fiction. She is able to really make her characters feel grounded in the worlds they exist within, while still providing some of the weird and exciting that comes from the concepts she is working with! I highly recommend this book to anyone that is a fan of the X-Files.

I loved this! I suspected I would since I've enjoyed the author's other work and I love the X-Files. The characterizations of Mulder and Scully are spot on and the story is a good mystery. It has set up more books to come.

It's definitely for fans, you would be hard-pressed to follow if you aren't already familiar with the lore.

This book is fantastic for X-Files fans. It picks up shortly after the last episode, Mulder and Scully are dealing with a new pregnancy, moving in together, and what is next for them after the FBI. Then there's a new case that asks them to come back temporarily to the X-Files. The case is a killer who disappears into a puff a smoke. On top of that, there's a separate killer targeting pregnant women while electronics go haywire during the crime. With Scully being pregnant, is she next? The author is a diehard fan, as you can tell from call-backs and name drops from the history of the show. A great book, that ties some cliffhangers from the finale to new ones in a riveting book. A quick, fun read from this fan, and I hope this opens up more books in the future.

Thanks to Net Galley and Hyperion Ave Books for the advanced read, appreciate it!

#TheXFilesPerihelion #NetGalley#TheXFilesPerihelion #hyperionavebooks #mulder #scully #xfiles #thetruthisoutthere #iwanttobelieve

The X-Files : Perihelion was a fun read for anybody who misses the old series. It's up to date because Mulder and Scully are together as a couple now and mention of their son William is included. Although the book is well-written, my overall feeling when I finished was that I didn't like reading about the X-Files as much as I liked watching the series.

I thank Net Galley and Claudia Gray for the opportunity to review this book.

A very entertaining return to the world of Mulder and Scully! I liked how the author clearly knows her lore, and weaves many events we remember from the canon of the agents' past experiences into the story she tells here. She really captures the essence of the characters too, both leads and supporting cast (particularly good job on Skinner!) and crafts a plot that feels like you're strapped into a wildly careening vehicle racing through the craziness of their conspiracy-laden world.

If you love the “X-Files” series, or a good thriller, you’ll enjoy “x Files Perihelion”. It’s a real page turner that keeps you up late reading. Based on the TV Series created by Chris Carter, Perihelion picks up the story of Scully & Mulder after the last season of X-Files. A series of strange murders have the FBI calling Mulder & Scully back into action.
Unexplained phenomena is going on as well. The author has created excellent characters and kept the Scully & Mulder personas true to the TV series characters. This is a plot driven book. Thank you for the ARC. I hope the author will write a part 2 for this story.

Yes! Yes! Yes! I LOVED this. As a long time fan of The X Files I felt like Perihelion perfectly captured the vibes of the original show and all the characters we know and love while still being its own unique addition to the universe. I would recommend this to any X-Files fan who always wondered what happened after the series ended.

I was a big fan of "The X-Files" when it was on broadcast television, though definitely preferred the alien conspiracy episodes over the serial-killer-of-the-week episodes that all-too-often dropped into mundane police procedurals. There's a rumored reboot in the works that I'll watch, purely out of nostalgia if nothing else, but the characters Mulder and Scully were done once the show and films wrapped up production. Or were they?

Turns out that enthusiastic fans were writing their own The X-Files episodes and stories all along, known as "fan fiction" or just "fanfic". Author Claudia Gray got her start as one of these fan authors, sharing her own imagined storyline for the two FBI special agents. Years later her much more polished writing delivers the highly entertaining "The X-Files: Perihelion", which I quite enjoyed reading.

However, be warned, it isn't a standalone book. Much of the story consists of flashbacks to things that transpired prior to the narrative and an ending that isn't an ending at all. Nothing is resolved, there's no comeuppance for the antagonists and the one criminal who is captured turns out to be a side story that's quickly forgotten in the impetus of moving the main storyline forward.

As a result, I would categorize this as summer reading, a book that passes the time enjoyably and offers a chance to revisit agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully in their now modern life, with all its problems and challenges. It's the written equivalent of your first view being episode 5 of an 8 episode series.