Customer Reviews

Whirlwind (The X-Files)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This was not what I expect when I read an X-Files novel.

I never once felt any sense of urgency or concern for the characters in the book. Scully and Mulder felt like they were actors being played by people trying to mimic what they saw on the show. The supporting cast of characters was so bland and undeveloped that when one of them would die I would scratch my head and try to remember just who they were.

The "Goblins" were pretty boring too, not much to them other than they could change the color of the skin and they kept stabbing and killing random people.

Also, is it just me or did the author spend waaaay too much time talking about what the characters were wearing and what they were eating?

I've had this book for years, having purchased it back during the series run. Now that I've finally read it some 10 years later, I am certain I would have enjoyed it more back in 1995.

Others have pointed out that the writing is ho-hum at best, with awkward turns of phrase and more than a few typos (not the author's fault). There are a few moments of solid Mulder/Scully interaction, and the idea of the whirlwind itself is interesting.

Here is my dilemma - if this weren't an "X Files novel" then it would be a very ordinary book. The story line is okay, the execution of said storyline a bit off, some of the plot points a bit too pat, some of the characters a bit too stereotypical. However, if this weren't an X Files book it wouldn't have been written the way it was. The real issue here is that I feel the author rested too much on his laurels as part of the X Files genre, knowing that it wouldn't have made the grade as a stand alone book.

I wouldn't bother with this book - most episodes of the series do it better.

Whirlwind is the second TV tie-in novel based on The X-Files. One can't help but compare this to the first novel, Goblins, as both books were written by Charles Grant. While Whirlwind seems more readable than Goblins, in the end Grant once again comes up a little short. His characterizations of Mulder and Scully saw improvement in this novel, but there were still bits of dialogue here and there that just didn't sound like something the agents would say. A bigger problem is found in the characterization of all the other characters, some of whose actions really aren't adequately explained in the context of the novel. The explanation behind the crimes presented here also falls short of believability.

The heart of this particular X-File involves a most unusual serial killer (indeed, I would not use the term serial killer in this context - but the back cover of the book uses it). It all started with a string of cattle mutilations, a subject even Mulder isn't very interested in. Then a local sheriff of a small New Mexico town asks for FBI help when a honeymooning man and wife are killed in the same horrible fashion, and Mulder and Scully are initially assisted on the case by an agent from the regional FBI office. The manner of death in these cases is enough to make Scully uneasy looking at the remains, as basically the victim's skin is shredded and removed from the body - possibly before death, as it happens so quickly. I should mention the fact that it is very hot in the New Mexico desert - the author certainly mentions that fact a lot. Anyway, Mulder and Scully begin the investigation, ask questions that most folks don't seem to want to answer completely, and find themselves wondering what if anything the local and extremely private Konochine Indians might have to do with the unexplained murders.

Whirlwind just didn't manage to satisfy me. The reality behind the mystery is rather fanciful, yet it also manages to come across as too pat of an answer. A more penetrating examination of the important characters - those on both sides of the law - would have helped in this regard, I feel. One character is seemingly dropped like a hot potato midway through the book, and another essential character's erratic behavior is explained away a little too easily for me. I love the X-Files, but, in my opinion, Whirlwind is really just an average novel.

This is the first X-Files novel I have read. I didn't expect deathless prose, but neither did I expect the writing to be quite so poor nor the plot to be so mediocre. This would make for a very average episode were it to be filmed for television. When I read a novel based on a television series, I want to see a story that puts the characters in situations that we can't see on the tube, be it for budget considerations, mature story content, or whatever. I haven't read anything alse by Charles Grant, but I understand that he has a reputation as a horror writer of some quality. If so, he must have cranked this one out in a hurry for the paycheck.

Hey, if you remember the episode where the prisoner is caught in a tornado and then is able to wreck revenge on those he felt wronged him by scouring their bodies with the tornado, you probably don't need to read the book. There are too many similarities in plot to ignore. To be fair, Grant wrote the book long before the episode aired but the X-file clearly overlaps. There are a couple of very good Mulder and Scully descriptions that are right on target though. However in the end, the "monster" in this book is a bit too similar to the one seen on the show.

If I weren't an X-Files fan and didn't know how excellent the show was and how wonderful Mulder and Scully were I certaintly wouldn't run to watch an episode after this book. It was slow and very confusing at times, I found myself wanting to skip whole pages. I missed Mulder and Scully's quick paced banter they have on the show and found this not at all as good as any of the episodes. I hope others are better.

Second of the same.


The next X-Files tie-in is basically the same as the first, in terms of quality, that is, not very good.

Also another strange series of killing to investigate for the FBI duo, only with some boring even for Mulder odd occurrences along the way. These were definitely disappointing.


2.5 out of 5

This book is a slight improvement (in some areas) over Goblins. The dialogue was good, but the plot was not quite up to par. Parts were confusing, but the characters were well developed. Not bad, but not five stars.

Whirlwind is a definite page turner. I just read it for the 3rd time! I've been hooked on the X-Files TV series for years; After reading Whirlwind, I now want to read every other X-Files book as well. Charles Grant portrayed both the chemistry between Mulder and Scully as well as the mystery of the Konochine tribe.

Mysterious Deaths Jordan Chappell
Author: Charles Grant
Published by Harper prism

Mulder and Scully have yet another big case to solve. They are going to have trouble with this one.
The book starts out slow but speeds up. Killings occur and mulder and Scully cruise to the job. This case is hard because the serial killers come in all different sizes and shapes.
Another problem they have to go through is that none of the killings go in a pattern. All of them are different kind of murders. How would you solve something like this? There is one big factor to the story. All of the victims that got killed have been in a natural disaster. Why were they killed because of a natural disaster? The worse the natural the disaster is the more brutal the killings is. If it is a weak natural disaster than the kill is not so lethal.
They come to figure out some how the killings are extra terrestrial. Doesn't it always come down to extra terrestrials? The bad thing is that you can never judge an extra terrestrial, they could be smart and quick or dumb and slow, you never know.
When you least expect it action will pop out at you and attack you from behind. This book offers a combination of action and mystery mixed in with a little bit of drama. It fails to offer some clueless words that you will not understand; those words get you offset on the book.
I liked this book because it kept me going. When it was time to stop reading I wanted more. More action, more suspense, more mystery. This book had all the qualities of a good action/mystery book. It had the normal X-files characters (mulder, scully). It also had a few good settings at times but mostly boring settings.
So as Mulder and Scully unravel this mystery be right there with them and read this book. You will be satisfied by the intense action throughout the story. So go out right now and read this book, and enjoy this book. Because it is one that you would enjoy very much.