Trust No One

X-Files, Book 1

De: Jonathan Maberry - editor/author

Narrado por: Bronson Pinchot, Hillary Huber

We all want to believe. The truth is still out there.

The X-Files have been reopened. IDW Publishing and series creator Chris Carter have authorized new investigations into the weird, the strange, and the mysterious. New York Times best-selling author and multiple Bram Stoker Award winner Jonathan Maberry brings together some of today's top storytellers for a series of anthologies featuring all-new stories from the X-Files. Scully and Mulder continue their journey into darkness as they face aliens, monsters, shadow governments, and twisted conspiracies.

This first volume includes stories by Kevin J. Anderson, Tim Lebbon, Max Allan Collins, Heather Graham, Brian Keene, Peter Clines, Ray Garton, Stefan Petrucha, Gayle Lynds and John Sheldon, Aaron Rosenberg, Keith R. A. DeCandido, Paul Crilley, W. D. Gagliani and David Benton, Tim Deal, and Gini Koch.

©2015 Jonathan Maberry (P)2015 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

I Want to Believe, But...

As great as it was to see Mulder and Scully investigating the paranormal again in the 2016 revival of the X-Files, it was maybe the most uneven season the show had experienced (and yes, I'm counting the seasons where Mulder was mostly absent). This collection of short fiction (averaging about an hour per story) has a better hit/miss ratio, but only just.

Let's start with the positives: Bronson Pinchot and Hillary Huber do an admirable job narrating the characters -- particularly Mulder and Scully who David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson brought to life. With a series this cult-ish, those are big shoes to fill -- and Pinchot in particular did a great dead-pan Mulder.

Additionally, some of the authors really enjoy playing in the X-Files basement office. Both Gini Koch and Keith R.A. DeCandido seem to be trying to out geek each other with references and Easter eggs listed in their stories. I particularly enjoyed Koch's horrific tale featuring Mulder his mentor Arthur Dales, prior to him taking over the X-Files. Several stories take place in the early years of the X-Files, such as Tim Lebbon's "Catonia," which sees Mulder and Scully investigating beside Alex Krycek. While we don't get to see the Lone Gunmen or John Doggett, Skinner does get a couple of fun solo outings. Stories by Kevin J. Anderson, Max Allan Collins, Brian Keene, and Peter Clines would have all made top-notch, monster of the week episodes. I could imagine them just as if I'd watched the stories unfold on TV.

But when the collection misses, it really misses. A lot of this can be laid on the editors, unfortunately. I found Tim Deal's "King of the Watery Deep," in which Mulder and Scully travel to the Middle East, to be a text book example of how to write offensive, culturally exploitative appropriation. (When you have two Saudi police officers, it's poor choices to make one a womanizer and the other a man who wants to see all foreigners killed by an ancient monster). "Time and Tide" had some ambitious ideas -- so much so that they drown out the story (and it felt like a story Mulder and Scully were shoehorned in to). I struggled buying the overall premise and climax of Heather Graham's "It's all in the Eyes," and the punchline at the end was a turn off. Additionally, in several stories, there were errors regarding which character was speaking as well as general continuity areas. Some of these are forgivable, others are just bad storytelling.

In the end, this one is really only for dedicated X-Files fans looking to wash the bitter of taste of season 10 from their mouths. I know there are a couple more of these anthologies, but I don't recognize as many of the author names in them, and I'll probably pass on them unless they go up for sale.

Table of Contents:

Catatonia, by Tim Lebbon
The Beast of Little Hill, by Peter Clines
Oversight, by Aaron Rosenberg
Dusk, by Paul Crilley
Loving the Alien, by Stefan Petrucha
Non Gratum Anus Rodentum, by Brian Keene
Back in El Paso my Life Will be Worthless, by Keith R.A. DeCandido
Paranormal Quest, by Ray Garton
King of the Watery Deep, by Timothy Deal
Sewers, by Gini Koch
Clair De Lune, by W.D. Gagliana and David Benton
It's All in the Eyes, by Heather Graham
The House on Hickory Hill, by Max Allan Collins
Time and Tide, by Gayle Lynds and John C. Sheldon
Statues, by Kevin J. Anderson

Brilliant narration breathes life into even the stalest stories

This collection of short stories is a mixed bag, with a few boring non-xfiles compliant tales. Still, I wholeheartedly recommend this audiobook just simply because of its fabulous narration. It feels like listening to enticing radio episodes with excellent actors.

Continuation of the X files

Yes, Mulder and Scully are back again. If you loved the X-Files as I did, you will find this book very enjoyable. Totally worth the credit.

Soooo...good!!!

If you could sum up Trust No One in three words, what would they be?

chill-2D-bones!!

Who was your favorite character and why?

Both! Mulder, take things as they were, non-judgmental but a very intellectual person. Scully, very passionate with her work but also leaves room for doubt. A good devoted Catholic!!

Have you listened to any of Bronson Pinchot and Hillary Huber ’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Have not but enjoyed Huber's performance than that of Pinchot.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Something is OUT there!

Narrators can make or break a book

I really enjoyed most of the stories in this collection. Lots of quirky, creepy situations wrapped up usually within an hour. As for narrators Hillary Huber did a fine job but I don't know what Pinchot was trying to go for with his flat, monotone Mulder impression. It was both irritating and sleep inducing. Deciding on a flat presentation pretty much guarantees that great stories get dropped down a notch in enjoyment levels.

A must buy for all X-Files fans!

A combination of talented authors bring you collection of dark X-File cases for every reader.

Disturbing!

But isn't that why we listened? Why we visit haunted houses and watch horror movies?!

Medium flavored X-files

Nice collection of stories. Nothing too chocking or ground breaking. Felt some some of the B episodes, which were always good.

THE TRUTH IS OUT THERE

IF YOU CAN'T PRONOUNCE IT, IT'S A GOOD IDEA NOT TO INJECT IT
I like short story collections, mostly so I can check out authors I have not read and to hear something from my favorites. I was introduced to several and really enjoyed Paul Crilley's story. Ray Garton had a good story and so did Briane Keene. Crilley was the only one to capture the humor in X-Files. Others tried, but did not hit the mark. Most of these stories run around an hour long. Only one third of these were good. Some of these stories might make good episodes, but just did not interest me in the written or narrated form. One author is obviously from England and has Mulder and Scully talking like they are from London. I am a big fan of the show, but even I can not recommend this.

You will run into alien pets, stone men, haunted houses, wererats, a maligator and lots of aliens and hillbillies.

NUT JOB/ SANITY CHALLENGED
Part of the problem may have been the narrators. Pinchot must be trying to do a Mulder impression. Everything is read in a slow dead pan voice. That might work on TV, but will put you to sleep on the radio. Huber must have slowed it down to match Pinchot.

PS Clines has a story were Mulder and Scully drive four hours out of KC, but stay in Missouri. It is a fictitious town in a fictitious county, but. To drive fours hours out of KC and stay in MO, you have to go directly south, especially if you want to hit hillbillies. Any other direction and you go out of state or too close to St. Louis or Springfield. That puts the story in McDonald County on the border with Arkansas. We have a joke in Southwest Missouri, which states, that if Arkansas was to annex McDonald County, it would raise the IQ for both states.

Like watching Monster of the Week style episodes!

Some stories were much stronger than others but all were entertaining. I thought they stayed true to the series in the style they were told.. Like watching the one-off Monster of the Week episodes of the original series. Those were my favorites. Well worth a listen if you feel the same way. I hope there is another collection like this in the future. Narration by Bronson Pinchot was great as usual.