Customer Reviews

The Science of the X-Files

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I had this be in my "to be read pile" for months. I would pick it up, peak at it and instead pick something I thought was more ***important*** to read. Let's face it work, friends and other distractions get in the way of reading - - hence I am forever behind. Big mistake on my part. For one thing, the chapters in the book are strong enough to be read on their own. Secondly. this book is immensely enjoyable and intelligent. I had some reservations that the book may be dry and dense - - but I stand corrected. Reading this book is like listening in to wonderful conversation. Jeanne Cavelos is witty, imaginative and brings the science down to earth. Not only would I recommend this to fans of the X-Files, but to anyone who grooves on science or has a sense of humor. Read the book and discover the relationship between owls, people and grapefruit!

I couldn't have enjoyed this book more....well, maybe if it had been longer!

One of the most interesting and readable science works to come along in ages, this book is also one of the few books connected with "The X-Files" to actually get *every* reference to The Show correct....something that not even the massive "X-Files X-cyclopedia" managed to do (I wrote so many corrections in the margins of that book that I might as well have re-written it).

I came away from the reading experience of "Science" with an enhanced respect for CC & Co. They're doing a lot better than a lot of philes give them credit for. I also felt that I got insight into the mythology, which, as all philes know, is something to treasure.

I recommend this book not only to phellow philes, but also to anyone who wants to read about the latest scientific developments in genetics, etc. Really an outstanding book. (The only negative review I have ever seen looks like it came from someone who got a bad grade in class.....)

In this illuminating book,Jeanne Cavelos carries you far, far beyond the distorted and spacey feelings that some get from actually sitting too-still through the soma-like flow of the "X-Files". The book leaps and vibrates beyond the limits of the screen with a more immediate and gritty intellectual presence. Sometimes I watch the X-files...to relax. This book is much more exciting than I expected because she helps you to believe that many of these bizarre things...can actually happen. I'ts a lot scarier, and vastly more interesting when you are shown that very much of what you thought was science fantasy(or science fiction)--is, more accurately embodied in the single root word...SCIENCE.

This book is a must-have for any X-phile, who likes science. The author, Jeanne Cavelos, makes these very intriuging science questions easy to understand. However, since it is the X-Files we're talking about, some of the issues are very controversial. For example, one chapter is only on aliens! It's hard to make something factual, out of something that doesn't have that many facts.

But other then that, the book is very good, and, from an X-phile's point of view, answers questions to the show.

Also, to fully understand this book, you probably need to know somethings in biology and the X-Files before you buy this book.

Talk about crack smoking...the guy that gave this book one star must have been smoking it himself. (Talk about a biased review). Anyway, this book was great. I would suggest that any fan of the show pick this one up.

This was an interesting read, and yes, I'm a fan of the show, but really this book is aimed at those fan-boy types who have every other piece of X-Files memorobilia and need some more. The author does an excellent job of applying ground-breaking scientific research to the scenarios which are present in the shows, however, I, at times found myself saying "Who cares that much?!?!" Also, the book makes no mention of all of the episodes and phenomena for which there is no scientific explanation, theory, or even a guess.

All in all, it's an interesting read, but I think she's carried the X-Files a bit too far.

I couldn't believe this book! it explains the minutae of every aspect of the Mythology; the differening types of aliens, the UFOs, the hybrids, Emily, the shapeshifters, the abductions, THE BLACK OIL, plus lotz of non-mythology stuff which I frankly did not read.

I was a little skeptical at first, but my fears soon proved unfounded. This is a great book, with insights ranging from the profound to the whimsical (check out some of the sidebars!). Any X-Files fan looking to enhance their enjoyment of the series should pick this up before the new season gets too much farther along!

Although I'm fascinated by science topics, I'm not well educated in those areas. So, Cavelos's book is wonderful for people like me. Her explanations of science phenomena are easy to understand, especially if you're an X-Files fan and are familiar with the episodes she refers to. The "further reading" at the back of the book is a welcome addition that more introductory non-fiction books should employ.

Why 4 stars instead of 5? I wanted more. It IS a great introduction, but I wish she had gotten more in depth in the topics brought up as the book progressed instead of just skimming a different topic in each chapter. A sequel maybe?

This book is an excellent crash-course in fringe science. Topics touched upon include various discussions of cancer/mutations, extraterrestrial life/astonomy, various advances in VR and other forms of technology, and much, much more. Since I am not a great fan of X-Files, I cannot attest about the book's fidelity to the show, but I should think that it is, since there is quite a number of quoted episodes. Even more than the show, the book exudes a rather creepy feeling about just how fragile we are as individuals, and in that respect it is inappropriate to especially sensitive readers (if any of them enjoyed the show to begin with...). The book succeeds in that it makes most of the odd scientific data relatively easy to swallow and actually has the gut to admit that the writers did make errors. However, at no point did I feel that what I was reading was overly incredulous, or that the author was overly condescending about the show's errors.

Keep watching the skies for more books like this one.