Goblins (Mass Market Paperback)

The story, I thought, got off to a bit of a shaky start. With the first two victims being drunks, I was afraid the story was going to be a one-note moral symphony like X-Files: Ground Zero. The good news is that it doesn't. Unfortunately, the story lacks any clear Alien/Supernatural X-File connection. Human chameleons are an interesting story element, but there should at least be a suggestion of the use of "Area 42 Alien Technology (TM)". If we're to accept that it's just military research gone amok, there should be a wide range of chameleon mice, rats, dogs and monkeys. It may be the vogue thing to paint the military as pure evil, but beginning research with human test subjects is more poor science than it is sheer evilness.

The book tries to be as sexy as the TV show, but never really generates any heat. Sure we get a shower scene with Scully (let your minds ponder that for a moment, lads), and Dr. Elkhorn has some kissy moments, but although rookie agent Licia Andrews is described sexily, her character never really goes anywhere with it. Not that the novel needs to get smutty, but it seems a conscious decision was made in describing her and nothing (either flirtyness or frigidity) comes of it. And, ladies, you just got a raw deal when Mulder slept in his suit; I feel for you. Maybe it's just that there are just some things you can do on Fox TV that publisher HarperPrism can't.

Like any episode of The X-Files we're left with questions at the end of the book. Unfortunately, it doesn't appear we'll ever get answers to them. Pretty much everything that took place at the Jefferson Memorial remained unclear to me throughout the book. The Louisiana connection offered late in the book seemed sketchy to me, especially since it was never backed up from the military side.

As this is the first novelization for the series, I can cut the author some slack (hence three stars instead of two). If it seems I expected a bit much of the first outing, it's only because I like(d) the series so much. Grant, in my opinion, certainly did a better job of this than did the author of Ground Zero. When you wear out your Season 9 DVDs and are looking for another adventure before the next theatrical release, this isn't a bad choice. It's not perfect, but it's definitely not worse than any of the more muddled TV episodes.

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.