A Review of Claudia Gray's "The X-Files: Perihelion"

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.

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Book Review of "The Dare Club: Nita" by Laurie Bradach and Kim “Howard” Johnson

Laurie and Kim will be awarding a $20 Amazon Gift Card to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour, so make sure to leave a comment here and visit the other stops on the tour: http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2012/11/virtual-review-tour-dare-club-nita-by.html Series: The Dare Club Format: E-book & Paperback Genre: Contemporary YA, Mystery Length: 330 pages in paperback Blurb: Nita Conroy has relocated to the most boring town on the planet. That is, until would-be boyfriend Brad Keeley spills the beans about a secret group of girls known as The Dare Club. During her subterranean initiation below the high school, Nita overhears a plan by contractors and school officials to embezzle millions of dollars in grant money. When she is betrayed, The Dare Club's pranks become deadly serious. With the clock ticking, Nita will need the help of her new friends to expose the chilling plot--and hopefully survive long enough to snag a date to the homecoming dance. Excerpt: At le

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Another common error young writers make is telling a story, rather than showing a story. This is probably because many of the short stories they have been exposed to are fairy tales, which have a distant point of view and summary-like narration. They start with phrases like "There once was..." and use direct characterization, like "She was the kindest girl in all the land." When we write, we need to show our stories, using vivid verbs, specific details, and deep point of view. Here's an example of a passage that is told. The action is summarized and the reader feels as if the action is happening far away: It was June of 1943. Eric's older brother had gone away to become a fighter pilot. Eric wanted to be a pilot too, so he got in the family's crop dusting plane and started it up. He flew it out of the barn and crashed it into the old oak tree in the yard. He hit his head. The doctor had to come. His brother came back, injured from the war. The two healed

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Exposition is used in two ways when talking about fiction. First, it is the set-up at the beginning of the plot arc. Where we learn the basic who, what, when, and where. This is a necessary part of plot to ground your reader. I'm going to address the second way exposition is used in a story. This is when an author gives background information, description of characters or setting, or summarizes events that have already happened. It can happen at any point in the story. This is a necessary, key element of writing and one of the three tools an author has to tell his or her story, along with scene and dialogue. A good author does this without slowing down the forward progress of the plot. That is, the exposition makes sense in the context of the scene (or action) of the story and does not trip up the reader or bore him or her. She turned her blue gaze toward him. Here, we get the fact that she has blue eyes in the context of the action. That's the best way to give description. One

Writer and Editor C.B. Calsing/ G.G. Royale

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