Goblins (The X-Files, Bk. 1) [Mass Market Paperback]

Charles Grant (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 28, 1994

Opening the X-Files...

MeetMulder and Scully, FBI. The agency maverick and the female agent assigned to keep him in line.

Their job: investigate the eeriest unsolved mysteries in modern America, from pyro-psychics to death row demonics, from rampaging Sasquatches to alien invasions. The cases the Bureau wants handled quietly, but quickly, before the public finds out what's really out there. And panics. The cases filed under "X."

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Chris Carter is the writer and producer for The X-Files Feature Film, as well as the creator, executive producer, and frequent writer for the award-winning television series. Mr. Carter has received an Emmy Award Nomination, a Writers Guild nomination, and a nomination for directing from the Directors Guild of America. He lives in Los Angeles.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: HarperEntertainment; Mti edition (October 28, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061054143
• ISBN-13: 978-0061054143
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,257,772 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars GOBLINS a Spooky Treat, April 3, 2000

By 

clang_the_o (Alabama) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Goblins (The X-Files, Bk. 1) (Mass Market Paperback)

I was pleasantly surprised by this book. While it's not entirely terrific, it is in fact a mildly amusing read if solely due to its creativity and stealthy plot twists. I was also surprised by Grant's writing style, which is marginally better than what I expected, given the harsh reviews I've read in the past. GOBLINS is extremely easy to read, but at the same time does not insult the reader's intelligence by assaulting him with a barrage of simplistic discourse. I read the book in its entirety through the course of a day, off and on at a leisurely pace. Charles Grant holds the reader's attention, while not chaining him to the plot. In short, I rather enjoyed GOBLINS and I would definitely read more.

The ambience of GOBLINS is rather refreshing, painting a haunting backdrop for the story. Grant effectively uses rainstorms, dimly lit rooms, hidden government bunkers and quaint, small town charm to achieve the perfect setting. The environment of GOBLINS exudes "X-Files" and works wonderfully with the characters and their interplay.

Now, for what is wrong with the book. The characterization is a bit off, but not as off as Kevin Anderson's "GROUND ZERO"(Please, don't get me started on that one). I have to concur with other reviewers on the issue of Scully's compliance to Mulder's ideas. While it is a welcome change, it just isn't quite believable. Equally unbelievable are the new characters Grant introduces as "compliments" to Mulder and Scully's case. They seem to be nothing more than outlets for creative expression, a chance for Grant to showcase his descriptive talents. These two background characters create weak points in the story, especially when Grant tries to write them into the action.

As deft and entertaining as the plot twists and "dual action story line" are, cohesion becomes a problem. I believe Grant errs by keeping the reader in the dark for so long. Had I known what was going on in the adjacent story line, I might have been a bit more interested, rather than becoming distracted by too many unresolved situations. While the overall freedom of the plot is a virtue, it also serves as a curse, tethering the reader too loosely to the story.

There are a few more things that don't float my boat, but I won't nit-pick because I actually enjoyed this book. Grant does a nice job of pulling it all together, despite some shortcomings in fluency. While Goblins is no night on the town, it's infinitely better than a TV dinner and Nick at Nite.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars The first novel based on The X-Files, March 14, 2004

By 

Daniel Jolley "darkgenius" (Shelby, North Carolina USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Goblins (The X-Files, Bk. 1) (Mass Market Paperback)

Published in 1994, Goblins was the very first novel based on The X-Files television series, which at that time was relatively new, original, and growing in popularity. The action, in this case, takes place not long after the X-Files had been shut down and then reopened by the FBI (which basically puts it somewhere in the second season time period). This is a book that has its good points and its bad points. It is not a bad story in and of itself, but it doesn't fully capture the X-Files spirit; its primary weakness is the addition of two unknown agents working beside Mulder and Scully on the case at hand: Hank Webber, a gung-ho agent of the annoying type, and Licia Andrews, a cold and disagreeable person who certainly doesn't seem to be made of FBI material. Webber's association with Mulder's new supervisor Arlen Douglas (who is not Mulder's biggest fan) is used to cast a suspicious backdrop to the story, but this little subplot doesn't go very far.

The case that forms the framework of this novel consists of a series of brutal murders by an "invisible man" of sorts - witnesses, none of which are completely trustworthy, report seeing a hand and blade come out of nowhere and then disappear once the deed is done. An old reporter friend asks Mulder to investigate the first murder because the victim was his cousin's boyfriend, but Mulder has no real interest in the matter until Douglas sends him to New Jersey (alongside Scully, Webber, and Andrews) to investigate that very case; they soon meet with unexpected danger. There is basically a lot of running around talking to the locals, working with the local sheriff, and sniffing out the truth of a mysterious Department of Defense project associated with a nearby military base. Mulder comes up with his wild theory, Scully argues against it, etc. - the same drill you typically saw on the television series. Grant's characterization of Mulder and Scully is actually pretty commendable, but the other two agents are simply annoying, unrealistic, and a source of constant frustration for both Mulder and myself. Grant does keep the level of suspense at a nice level throughout the novel, largely by keeping the reader in the dark when it comes to the identity of the "goblin," and I think this makes the story much more entertaining than it would be otherwise. Looking back on the novel as a whole, the plot does hold together, but there are definitely some frayed ends and other imperfections evident in the craftsmanship. Goblins isn't likely to win The X-Files any new fans, but it makes for a fairly interesting diversion for those of us already devoted to the show and its characters.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A mostly decent outing with some bumps along the way, August 9, 2009

By 

She Reads and Dreams - See all my reviews

This review is from: Goblins (The X-Files, Bk. 1) (Mass Market Paperback)

For some reason I read book two (Whirlwind) before Goblins. I have to say that I preferred Goblins to Whirlwind, although I note that I am in the minority according to the Amazon reviews for both books. Goblins is a bumpy read, and by that I mean that there are parts of it that are interesting, well written and very descriptive. For instance, I loved the old lady with her spray cans of orange paint going Goblin hunting and I felt there were some good Mulder and Scully moments. The idea behind Goblins is something I could easily have seen in an episode of the X Files in the early years of its run, which was when this book was written.

Now for the bad news. The writing in some parts is pretty rough. For some reason Charles Grant felt the need to refer to Scully as Dana every so often and it seemed awkward and not quite right. I had a tough time following some of the twists and turns which seemed, quite frankly, to be put there for the amusement of the writers and didn't add much to the story. The last minute resolution could definitely be seen as lazy storytelling which is annoying, given that things looked quite promising up to that point. The two extra FBI agents the author felt compelled to tie down Mulder and Scully with did nothing but muddy the waters of the story. Since when, in the entire run of the X Files, did Mulder and Scully get stuck with two extra agents? Maybe that one episode where they're off to that conference to improve communication skills, but that only lasted a few minutes. It was annoying to have the two agents messing up the Mulder and Scully dynamic.

Ultimately I wouldn't really bother with this book. It is an okay read, and I imagine it would have been a better book if it were read in the early days of the X Files hype simply because people couldn't get enough of Mulder and Scully back then. But even then, remove the hype and you have a pretty ordinary book.