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3.0 out of 5 stars
This Whirlwind never really gets off the ground, 18 Mar 2004
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.
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by Charles L. Grant
by Ben Mezrich
by Kevin J. Anderson
by Kevin J. Anderson
by Kevin J. Anderson
