The X-Files Origins: Devil's Advocate

By: Jonathan Maberry

Narrated by: Emma Galvin

Length: 10 hrs and 11 mins

Publisher's summary

How did Fox Mulder become a believer? How did Dana Scully become a skeptic? The X-Files Origins has the answers in this young adult origin story.

The X-Files Origins: Devil's Advocate explores the teen years of Dana Scully, the beloved character depicted in the cult-favorite TV show The X-Files. Her story is set in the spring of 1979, when serial murder, the occult, and government conspiracy were highlighted in the news. The book follows Scully as she experiences life-changing events that set her on the path to becoming an FBI agent.

©2017 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation (P)2017 Macmillan Audio

Probably for X-Files fans only

As an X-Files fan I had high hopes for this book....however this was honestly a struggle to get through. First,the narrator has this sing song rhythmic way of saying each sentence that drove me to drop the book for a couple of weeks three separate times. Second, the book got bogged down in internal dialog a few times that really brought the pace to a halt - especially when Scully is experiencing her “vision” with Sunlight. There a LONG stretch of description of colors and shapes etc. I stopped halfway through and didn’t pick it up til the next day.
The story did pick up in the last third and was MUCH better from then on.

A Bit Too Out of Character

I honestly couldn’t finish this book. Dana Scully doesn’t seem anything like her character we meet several years later. Yes, I know people grow up and change, but honestly this sounds more like a bad fanfic than a compelling prequel to the series.
The narration didn’t help. Flat and dull best describe it.

Wonderful story

Of The beginning of an talented investigators career Dana is a very good role model for curious teens

Disappointed

did not care for the narrator and the story dragged. Did not keep me interested.

Thats it?

It starts a bit slow but then its a fast paced race to the end. Then we get left with basically a cliffhanger. Lets hope for a few more in the series!

Wasn't a Fan of this Prequel. Ignored BASICS

Who is Scully? Certainly NOT the girl in this story.

It would have been FAR BETTER to center the story on the quirky OLDER SISTER, who was actually into all that mystical stuff. And then have Dana investigate it. But it was an unwise move to place all of this in the person who we know the BEST.

Dana Scully would NEVER have kept this crazypants background from Mulder.
For heavens sake, he told her his darkest secret on their first case in the Pilot.

To Quote John Stosel :: Give Me a Break!

LOVED IT!

loved it! Hard to stop listening to it! Can't wait to listen to the next one!

Did not know this was a adolescent story.

I did not expect Dana to be a teenager in this. That is not the type of X files story I was looking for. The story was ok, but not really like a good X files mystery. The narrative was perfect for this age group.

Good story, tiresome narration

The narrator has an annoying repeating cadence and rythm, as if she only has one ways of delivering sentences, after a few pages you can predict how shes going to weigh each word and i dont get immersed as much as i did in the first book in this series.

Other than that, good stuff.

The Backstory Dana Scully Deserves (Spoilerish)

As a fan of the X-Files, I was always dissatisfied with the fact that Scully often had visions/conversations with the dead, angels, and demons, but they were merely brushed off as something that happened due to emotional stress or a case she was investigating. For me this was frustrating, particularly because these events involves conflicts of faith, family, and her own mortality. On top of that, I always felt like there was more to the choice of Scully for the X-Files than her being a skeptic and doctor.

Thankfully, Mayberry must have also felt these frustrations and finally dropped some of the walls on Dana Scully. Suddenly the often tense relationships between her and her family (and eventually Mulder); her skeptical fevor; and unwavering intensity teamed with a deep sadness and vulnerability have greater context and make perfect sense by the end of the story. These characteristics only further come to life with Glavin' always perfect narration. I was also pleased with how well Maberry was able to so perfectly capture the insecurities and emotional roller coaster of being a teenager and the relationship between two sisters.

If you are a fan of Scully and have felt like many of the Scully-centric, religious or "vision" episodes needed to be further explored, I think you will enjoy this book. It has also been deemed as canon for her character by Chris Carter himself, which is interesting. Be prepared for a sobering ending. It seems that even more than Mulder, Scully has been a pawn in a game controlled by nefarious forces.