Mark my words, folks: Fox TV’s The X-Files was (and remains) one of the best genre series in the history of television.
Now, I don’t want to get into some of the smaller arguments involving the show. Chiefly, when I talk about The X-Files I’m essentially speaking of the original series run – the 1993-2002 9 series event – and not the – ahem – curiously uninformed relaunch (Series 10 and 11) and the movies. X worked best when it stayed reasonably true to its original formula; while I’ll concede that Seasons 8 and 9 also had their share of problems, many of those hours are still vastly superior to what audiences were subjected to when Fox and Chris Carter decided to go back to the well. In many cases, the stories of Mulder and Scully and the supporting crew hold up exceedingly well even today, and I’m always encouraging folks to go out and either discover it (if they’ve not seen it) or re-discover it (if they’re interested in reliving it).
Thankfully, there’s another way for those of us who experience that phenomenon in its original run: in 2020, publisher Harry N. Abrams teamed up with author Paul Terry with the release of The X-Files: The Official Archives: Cryptids, Biological Anomalies, And Parapsychic Phenomena (ISBN 1419735179). I actually finished this thing a few weeks back and have been meaning to put up a short review for interested parties as it just might be the kind of thing to get your fellow X-phile as a birthday or holiday present.
It's not what you’d call a hardcover edition, but the front and page are prepared on super heavy cardboard style stock. Printed in dimensions similar to the basic coffee table book, the inside pages also appear heavier than normal as Terry’s construction is dynamic – he’s actually assembled the reproduced FBI reports (along with supporting printed evidence) that the agents would’ve filed in their office subsequent to completing many of their biggest, boldest, brassiest investigations. Many of these incident reports are only a handful of pages, but for those of us who like to kinda/sorta relive the better episodes this is one way to go about it that might give you a new perspective.
Now, I don’t want to get into some of the smaller arguments involving the show. Chiefly, when I talk about The X-Files I’m essentially speaking of the original series run – the 1993-2002 9 series event – and not the – ahem – curiously uninformed relaunch (Series 10 and 11) and the movies. X worked best when it stayed reasonably true to its original formula; while I’ll concede that Seasons 8 and 9 also had their share of problems, many of those hours are still vastly superior to what audiences were subjected to when Fox and Chris Carter decided to go back to the well. In many cases, the stories of Mulder and Scully and the supporting crew hold up exceedingly well even today, and I’m always encouraging folks to go out and either discover it (if they’ve not seen it) or re-discover it (if they’re interested in reliving it).
Thankfully, there’s another way for those of us who experience that phenomenon in its original run: in 2020, publisher Harry N. Abrams teamed up with author Paul Terry with the release of The X-Files: The Official Archives: Cryptids, Biological Anomalies, And Parapsychic Phenomena (ISBN 1419735179). I actually finished this thing a few weeks back and have been meaning to put up a short review for interested parties as it just might be the kind of thing to get your fellow X-phile as a birthday or holiday present.
It's not what you’d call a hardcover edition, but the front and page are prepared on super heavy cardboard style stock. Printed in dimensions similar to the basic coffee table book, the inside pages also appear heavier than normal as Terry’s construction is dynamic – he’s actually assembled the reproduced FBI reports (along with supporting printed evidence) that the agents would’ve filed in their office subsequent to completing many of their biggest, boldest, brassiest investigations. Many of these incident reports are only a handful of pages, but for those of us who like to kinda/sorta relive the better episodes this is one way to go about it that might give you a new perspective.
Based on the title alone, however, I want you to understand one thing: this isn’t a full accounting of The X-Files episodes. This isn’t a compendium, though it certainly functions in ways similar to one. This volume explores only those installments featuring said ‘cryptids’ (think monsters), biological anomalies (plagues, viruses, etc.), and parapsychic phenomena (ghosts, near death events, etc.); and it covers the entirety of X’s run up through the films and Seasons 10 and 11. Any plotlines touching on these foci in even the smallest way get some exposure here, and in some cases you get reportage from more than just our two major players.
To my surprise, it’s an incredibly brisk read, as well. I’m not one who – when reading – likes to get bogged down in a lot of details or exposition, so reading the agents’ summation of the details (the who’s, how’s, what’s, etc.) was a fascinating way to relive many of the show’s great stories. From time-to-time, Mulder or Scully might slip in a bit of a quip about or against the other, so I even got a chuckle out of the occasional offhand observations that crept into the work. After I finished it, I passed it over to the wifey, as she’s honestly an even bigger fan of the show than I am, also considering it one of TV’s best franchises ever.
I offer this up with the highest recommendation … and, unlike other sites, I’m not paid to pass along product endorsements. This was a purchase all of my own – I would have made it whether or not I intended to pen a quick review of it – and I loved it through-and-through. As I thought about the work as reading it, I realized that – yes – likely any and every fan of the show would get a real kick out of an all-new way of revisiting the past … so I wanted to share it with you folks today.
Link: Amazon.com
As always, thanks for reading … and the truth is out there!
-- EZ
To my surprise, it’s an incredibly brisk read, as well. I’m not one who – when reading – likes to get bogged down in a lot of details or exposition, so reading the agents’ summation of the details (the who’s, how’s, what’s, etc.) was a fascinating way to relive many of the show’s great stories. From time-to-time, Mulder or Scully might slip in a bit of a quip about or against the other, so I even got a chuckle out of the occasional offhand observations that crept into the work. After I finished it, I passed it over to the wifey, as she’s honestly an even bigger fan of the show than I am, also considering it one of TV’s best franchises ever.
I offer this up with the highest recommendation … and, unlike other sites, I’m not paid to pass along product endorsements. This was a purchase all of my own – I would have made it whether or not I intended to pen a quick review of it – and I loved it through-and-through. As I thought about the work as reading it, I realized that – yes – likely any and every fan of the show would get a real kick out of an all-new way of revisiting the past … so I wanted to share it with you folks today.
Link: Amazon.com
As always, thanks for reading … and the truth is out there!
-- EZ
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