Are you a fan of X-Files? if you are, then you need to read no further, just go read the book! If you are on the fence, then read on.
Mulder and Scully are trying to find a path forward, both personally & professionally. When Scully finds that she is pregnant, she & Mulder decide to try moving in together and go back to the FBI to reopen the X-Files. Their discoveries can lead to their death or they may break open a new cabal. What will happen.... it's an X-Files story after all.

If you are a fan of the X-Files TV series then you will love this book. I recently started binging the X-Files and am enjoying the adventures of Mulder and Scully again , especially since I had missed several episodes in various seasons. So when I saw this that book was available I immediately requested it and liked it! The author does a good job describing the two main characters and the dialogue between the two characters is similar to the tv show. If you never saw the tv show you may be a little lost reading this book. But if you are a fan of the show then get this book -- The truth is out there

It’s not over. The X-Files universe is still alive and well, and Claudia Gray provides the next steps forward with her entry in the series, “Perihelion”. Mulder and Scully are back, and, more important, they’re BACK IN THE FBI. And they have a new ally—maybe—called Avatar. Not exactly Deep Throat, certainly not X, but with at least as much a shadowy background, she (yes, SHE!) adds a new and uncertain twist to the series. As does Robin Vane, an enemy hired gun of sorts who has a unique ability of being able to transport himself from one place to another simply by willing it. Hey, this is the X-Files; you should be prepared to suspend belief. The backstory of “Brighteyes” and the murders of pregnant women at times seem only filler…entertaining filler, to be sure, but filler nonetheless. But that’s okay. “Perihelion” hits all the right notes and even gives Director Skinner hope for continued existence. I hope the series continues…I mean, the Truth is STILL Out There.

I’ll start with a confession:

I had no idea there were X Files books lol. I am also about a million years away from the television series. I mean, I loved it. And then it ended and I didn’t really think of it again.

I was happy to say that the author’s writing put me squarely back into a once-favorite show. Mulder and Scully are very Mulder and Scully and there are soooo many things that have happened since the show. I was fascinated.

The plot itself was a good one, though it did take me about 25% of the book to be fully invested, and there’s a lot of heart and sadness in the book.

I really enjoyed it and, yes, I’d like another!

• ARC via Publisher

Claudia Gray’s “The X-Files: Perihelion” adds another adventure to the lives of Agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully. I’m a huge X-Files fan, having watched the entire series two or three times straight through, seen the movies multiple time, and read a couple of other books from different authors as well. I really looked forward to this read.

Now working for an independent genetics clinic that helps children, Scully finds she is pregnant again. She and Mulder move in together in an effort to finally create a normal family. Both are still mourning the loss of their first son, and Mulder is somewhat adrift when it comes to his career. When a mysterious assassin, who can disappear in a cloud of smoke, attracts the attention of the FBI, Mulder and Scully are called back to the agency. At the same time, however, a serial killer is brutally murdering pregnant women, and Scully has caught his attention. While torn between tracking down the two killers, Mulder and Scully also must address their relationship, their grief, and the strange new ability Scully seems to have acquired.

This book hits all the notes when it comes to the X-Files mythos. A lot of things readers expect to happen in an episode or novel set in this world do occur. Claudia Gray started out writing fanfic in this setting, and it’s clear she has a strong understanding of the tropes. The ending, however, felt abrupt and seemed to lack a satisfying resolution. Perhaps this is in expectation of a sequel?

I generally enjoyed the story, though I think it could have used a little more finessing. I do look forward to seeing what Claudia Gray will do when she has the chance to spend some more time in this world of the X-Files. I received a copy from NetGalley.

I picked this up because I’ve watched a handful of X-Files episodes and really liked what I saw so I thought this would be an interesting addition to that. I figured if this is a good story I should be able to jump into it and enjoy it regardless of how much of the show I’ve seen. (We’ll talk about that assumption later.) The story sounded super intriguing and I couldn’t wait to get into it.

This has two storylines that intertwine toward the end of the book: a killer that can vanish into smoke and one that may or may not have electrical powers that is murdering pregnant women. Smoke Killer has a way more intriguing story than the may or may not electrical killer. His story is much more fleshed out and you really get to know him as a person. I like how it ended much more too. I do really like how they ended up coming together at the end of the book. There are several side plots that I can’t really get into without major spoilers for the book but I greatly enjoyed all of them.

I really liked the relationship between Mulder and Scully. Like I said I haven’t seen much of the show but I liked reading more about them in this. There is a fairly large cast of side characters in this and I liked all of them too. Im especially intrigued by the new informant and I really want to know more of her story.

Remember how I said I’ve barely seen any of the show? If you’re like me prepare to be confused for some of the story. There are a ton of references to the show that you’re not going to understand if you haven’t seen every episode and possibly read some of the books about the show before this one came out. One point especially kept coming up that I had no frame of reference to but the book does a decent job of explaining it. I think.

Also the way this ends makes me think that there is going to be at least one sequel. I hope there is and I look forward to reading any and all follow ups.

Overall I highly recommend this to fans of the show and give a tentative recommendation to sci-fi fans in general. I loved this and I know fans of the show will too.

I smiled and nodded all the way through the acknowledgements in this book because The X-Files was my first online fandom, and this book reminded me in all the best ways of those days of sliding through website rings, from one site to the next looking for fanfiction to tie you over on summer hiatus.

When I saw Claudia Gray was writing X-Files I smashed that NetGalley request button so instantaneously! And this book did not disappoint. The plot is weird in places, but that is X-Files, and it is weird in the ways that track with the all over the place mythology of the show, including the new seasons. Gray clearly knows her canon. But if we were always here for Mulder and Scully (and we were), both are so beautifully written. As Gray did with Leia in her Star Wars novel, I feel as if she reached into my mind and heart and wrote the Scully I both wanted and needed and frankly deserve. Mulder likewise. I also appreciated the way she tracked the changes between the nineties and now, and shifted them into the conversations around the Internet and conspiracy theories in a way that honestly felt more grounded than what the most recent seasons were able to accomplish.

How satisfying as an MSR fan, to read this book. It was as good as I hoped that it would be, and in some ways felt as if it threaded the needle between the 90s and right now even better than the most recent seasons, while still incorporating the events of all of the above. I will be highly recommending this to all my X-Files friends.

It was wonderful to be back with Mulder and Scully in a brand-new adventure. There was even an appearance of Cigarette-Smoking Man. Claudia Gray is an excellent author of media tie-in novels. She takes the time to understand the world and the characters and what attracted fans in the first place.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an Advanced Readers Copy in exchange for an honest review.

Well, that was a lot of fun, and a good balm for the frustrating elements at the end of Season 11. Perihelion is a promising new start into what I hope becomes a series of post-Season 11 X-Files books. Not everything is resolved at the end of Perihelion (there are just as many questions as answers), but I liked the direction Gray took the mythology plot.

Some things I really liked:

-Poor Scully has not been treated well in the show's canon, particularly Season 11 (which has always made me mad, as she's one of my favorite female characters ever). Gray does a lot to show her wrestling back some agency. Some of Scully's journal entries could be straight from the mouth of the fans, but they're also very character appropriate and work well.

-In Perihelion, Mulder and Scully are still figuring out what their relationship is and what it's going to look like going forward. No matter how much he wants to, is Mulder able to be a devoted partner if he doesn't have the X-Files to chase after? As much as my shipper heart would love for Mulder and Scully to go straight into happily-ever-after, it was worth it to see them go through this process.

-Gray really has down the characterizations of both Mulder and Scully. Some of the banter made me laugh out loud.

"The Truth Is Out There...But So Are Lies.

#1 New York Times best-selling author Claudia Gray extends the story of The X-Files beyond its eleventh season into thrilling new territory!

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."

If there's anyone I'd trust to continue The X-Files it's Claudia Gray. Heck, maybe if she'd been working on them longer we wouldn't have Scully pregnant. Again.

"The X-Files: Perihelion" is a new story for fans of The X-Files. This story picks up after the events of Season 11, with Scully pregnant and she and Mulder attempting to rekindle their relationship amidst all of their history. This is all while they are pulled back into their work directly with the FBI, and investigating a string of murders targeting pregnant women.

Let me say that this story was a welcome return to the Mulder and Scully we love, and with its medium, allows for more insight into both of their psyches as they navigate all of the above. Sometimes the plot seemed to drag, but I felt Perihelion tried to balance the old mythology with the latter seasons, along with posing The X-Files for newer canon. Overall, I enjoyed this, and would read more if this becomes just the first in a series of new X-Files installments!

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for the review.

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.