Scully Wrote a Book! (X-FILES WHAT??)

Review by Andye

Yep. I'm one of those people who read A Vision of Fire because I loved the X-Files. 

So there.

I listened to the audiobook, which was read by Gillian Anderson herself, so that was kind of awesome. She did a great job with all the voices and characters and accents. The only thing was that her narration was a little . . . sleepy? (That's the second time this week I've described a reader like that.) But I really enjoyed it, plus it just made me picture her as the lead character. WHICH I'M TOTALLY OK WITH. (Listen to a sample here)

The book itself was a little bizarre. I liked it, but I didn't love it. It was just too far out there and random, in my opinion. That didn't keep me from listening to it every chance I got, though, so something had to be done well.

Summary:

Renowned child psychologist Caitlin O’Hara is a single mom trying to juggle her job, her son, and a lackluster dating life. Her world is suddenly upturned when Maanik, the daughter of India’s ambassador to the United Nations, starts speaking in tongues and having violent visions. Caitlin is sure that her fits have something to do with the recent assassination attempt on her father—a shooting that has escalated nuclear tensions between India and Pakistan to dangerous levels—but when teenagers around the world start having similar outbursts, Caitlin begins to think that there’s a more sinister force at work.

In Haiti, a student claws at her throat, drowning on dry land. In Iran, a boy suddenly and inexplicably sets himself on fire. Animals, too, are acting irrationally, from rats in New York City to birds in South America to ordinary house pets. With Asia on the cusp of nuclear war, Caitlin must race across the globe to uncover the mystical links among these seemingly unrelated incidents in order to save her patient—and perhaps the world.

I thought the writing was good, and the beginning especially, was very mysterious. Once she started unraveling things, I thought she made a lot of leaps that came out of nowhere, and when things were finally revealed, I was just kind of scratching my head. Like . . . uh, ok, if you say so.

The feel of the story was almost like The Exorcist. It had a creepy, possession vibe to it, but then it would switch and be something else entirely. There was a mix of Norse mythology, Vodou and something otherworldly I won't spoil. The side stories involved Middle Eastern politics, children with disabilities, family issues and a little, tiny bit of romance.

I do think they could have added a lot more of the overall arc to this book instead of stretching it out into a series. But I guess we'll see what the future book(s) have to offer.

Overall, especially since I rarely read adult, or this particular genre, I do think this is a book that will stick with me. If you're a fan of the paranormal (think more exorcist, less aliens), or just have to see if Gillian Anderson can write (with a "little" help from Jeff Rovin), I don't think your time will be wasted reading this book.

Check it out and let me know what you think! Or if you could make any more sense out of it than I did! 

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