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The X-Files: Young Adult #6
Fresh Bones
Is there life after death? There is at the Haitian regugee camp in Folstone, North Carolina, where US Marines are dying under some rather unusual circumstances. Agents Mulder and Scully are called in to investigate and find themselves wrapped up in a mystery where the victims can't rest in peace.
144 pages, Paperback
First published December 28, 1997
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93 people want to read
About the author
Les Martin
58 books8 followersLes Martin has written dozens of books for young readers, including the RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK and INDIANA JONES AND THE TEMPLE OF DOOM movie storybooks, and many Young Indiana Jones middle-grade novels. He has also adapted many classic works of fiction for young readers, including THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS, EDGAR ALLAN POE'S TALES OF TERROR, and THE VAMPIRE. Mr. Martin is a resident of New York City.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
January 30, 2017
Fresh Bones, which is a young-adult novelization of The X-Files Season Two episode of same name, sees FBI Agents Mulder and Scully on the trail of Voodoo goings-on in North Carolina wherein an eldritch symbol is found scrawled on a lone tree—the very tree into which a U.S. marine, Private Jack McAlpin, crashed his car following two hallucinatory incidents. McAlpin’s apparent death leads the agents to a refugee processing center for Haitian expats where suspicion falls on an interned Voodoo practitioner and the colonel in charge of the facility.
Creepy elements abound in this run-of-the-mill X-Files entry. From voodoo priests to grave-robbing to zombie-like marines, there's more than enough to whet the appetites of young horror-fiction readers. While traditional in its offerings "Fresh Bones" stands as a welcome model of the series' aspirations. The X-Files had yet to touch on zombies at this point, and this classic stock monster bears early ties to Voodoo mysticism. Vodou, as preferred by Haitians, is rooted in African spirituality and has been long misunderstood and maligned with superstition, and yes, even exploited in shoddy Hollywood flicks. Here, showwriter Howard Gordon illustrates the existence of benevolent practitioners as well as malevolent ones, and even educates audiences on the nature of Voodoo and the neurotoxin used in certain rituals to give men the appearance of being undead. Even more admirably, Gordon deftly skirts the potential trappings of exploiting the religion by assigning the deathly atrocities committed under the guise of Voodoo to an internal force rather than a Haitian foreigner. Audiences are initially led to think that the deaths are the spiritual machinations of the refugees, the outsiders—but ultimately, Colonel Wharton proves to be the culprit, misappropriating the religion for his own selfish ends.
On the other hand, fans of the broadcast episode will rebuff the author's poor adapting of the story. In an earnest attempt to make the novel more accessible, Les Martin dumbs down much of Mulder and Scully's banter to uncharacteristic proportions, slipshod dialogue that's unrepresentative of the dynamic agents we know and love. Martin also omits a key exchange between Mulder and Mr. X that briefly harkens back to their previous encounter in "One Breath." If that’s not bad enough, the author describes Mulder’s secret informant as someone who enjoys playing games with Mulder—No, he doesn’t. If anything, X is incredibly reluctant to help Mulder and certainly doesn’t have a penchant for toying with him. By his own admission, X is only helping Mulder out of respect to his predecessor, Deep Throat. Lastly, Martin does little to flesh out the antagonistic Colonel Wharton's character, instead reducing him to a one-dimensional villain complete with such hokey language as “This was the night that would give [Wharton] the powers of darkness, make him the king of the night” (p.126). Seriously?
Much as I would like to rate this book 4 out of 5 stars for its compelling meditation on America’s complicated history with slavery and its well-placed horror tropes—zombies, atmospheric graveyards, premature burials, etc.—I’m afraid the writing is far too tepid and flawed; Martin fails to give this sterling standalone the justice it deserves.
Creepy elements abound in this run-of-the-mill X-Files entry. From voodoo priests to grave-robbing to zombie-like marines, there's more than enough to whet the appetites of young horror-fiction readers. While traditional in its offerings "Fresh Bones" stands as a welcome model of the series' aspirations. The X-Files had yet to touch on zombies at this point, and this classic stock monster bears early ties to Voodoo mysticism. Vodou, as preferred by Haitians, is rooted in African spirituality and has been long misunderstood and maligned with superstition, and yes, even exploited in shoddy Hollywood flicks. Here, showwriter Howard Gordon illustrates the existence of benevolent practitioners as well as malevolent ones, and even educates audiences on the nature of Voodoo and the neurotoxin used in certain rituals to give men the appearance of being undead. Even more admirably, Gordon deftly skirts the potential trappings of exploiting the religion by assigning the deathly atrocities committed under the guise of Voodoo to an internal force rather than a Haitian foreigner. Audiences are initially led to think that the deaths are the spiritual machinations of the refugees, the outsiders—but ultimately, Colonel Wharton proves to be the culprit, misappropriating the religion for his own selfish ends.
On the other hand, fans of the broadcast episode will rebuff the author's poor adapting of the story. In an earnest attempt to make the novel more accessible, Les Martin dumbs down much of Mulder and Scully's banter to uncharacteristic proportions, slipshod dialogue that's unrepresentative of the dynamic agents we know and love. Martin also omits a key exchange between Mulder and Mr. X that briefly harkens back to their previous encounter in "One Breath." If that’s not bad enough, the author describes Mulder’s secret informant as someone who enjoys playing games with Mulder—No, he doesn’t. If anything, X is incredibly reluctant to help Mulder and certainly doesn’t have a penchant for toying with him. By his own admission, X is only helping Mulder out of respect to his predecessor, Deep Throat. Lastly, Martin does little to flesh out the antagonistic Colonel Wharton's character, instead reducing him to a one-dimensional villain complete with such hokey language as “This was the night that would give [Wharton] the powers of darkness, make him the king of the night” (p.126). Seriously?
Much as I would like to rate this book 4 out of 5 stars for its compelling meditation on America’s complicated history with slavery and its well-placed horror tropes—zombies, atmospheric graveyards, premature burials, etc.—I’m afraid the writing is far too tepid and flawed; Martin fails to give this sterling standalone the justice it deserves.
October 19, 2017
So far this is my fav of the X Files YA series.
Voodoo, black magic and dead bodies that don't stay dead.
Is their imagination getting carried away? Or is there some truth to old superstitions...
Voodoo, black magic and dead bodies that don't stay dead.
Is their imagination getting carried away? Or is there some truth to old superstitions...
February 11, 2018
Six down, ten to go! To think that a random choice book in October would lead to me wanting to read the entire series. Hopefully by the end of the school year I can have them all done, though I dont know how possible that is.
This story was quite slow paced compared to other books of the series. It takes place in an army base in Folkstone, North Carolina that is holding and processing refugees from Hati. Mulder and Scully (the two main characters of this series) are sent from Washington D.C. to investigate the strange death of two soldiers that were there to help the refugees. The reason that Mulder and Scully are sent is because at the area of death there was a voodoo sign left there, and as per usual Mulder and Scully specialize in the supernatural, and voodoo falls into that category. As they look into the case more and more they come to find out that the refugees in the camp are being mistreated by the soldiers. The soldiers resent the refugees because they feel like their talents could be used elsewhere, not as prison guards for refugees. Mulder and Scully uncover some secrets where one of the army members is involved in voodoo and had some connections to the refugees in the camp.
In all honesty, this was a nice change of pace compared to the other books in the series. It wasn't really my favorite book though. I honestly didn't really like the plot of the story too much. Just personal taste I guess. I'm looking forward to book seven to see if it can win me back.
This story was quite slow paced compared to other books of the series. It takes place in an army base in Folkstone, North Carolina that is holding and processing refugees from Hati. Mulder and Scully (the two main characters of this series) are sent from Washington D.C. to investigate the strange death of two soldiers that were there to help the refugees. The reason that Mulder and Scully are sent is because at the area of death there was a voodoo sign left there, and as per usual Mulder and Scully specialize in the supernatural, and voodoo falls into that category. As they look into the case more and more they come to find out that the refugees in the camp are being mistreated by the soldiers. The soldiers resent the refugees because they feel like their talents could be used elsewhere, not as prison guards for refugees. Mulder and Scully uncover some secrets where one of the army members is involved in voodoo and had some connections to the refugees in the camp.
In all honesty, this was a nice change of pace compared to the other books in the series. It wasn't really my favorite book though. I honestly didn't really like the plot of the story too much. Just personal taste I guess. I'm looking forward to book seven to see if it can win me back.
August 10, 2016
The story was okay, but I think it could've been better. I never connected with any of the characters and felt more like an outsider viewing/hearing the story, rather than someone experiencing it at the same time as the main characters. Kind of disappointed actually.
March 16, 2025
'Huesos Frescos' es una novelización del guion que se hizo para el capítulo de la serie 'Expediente X' y es como volver al pasado, a los años dorados de la tv, cuando se escribían tramas autoconclusivas perfectamente medidas, las cuales proporcionaban tensión en los momentos indicados, aportaban diálogos e interrogatorios serios, comentarios oportunos sobre los hallazgos macabros, datos interesantes con las referencias culturales (en este caso le toca el turno a la cultura haitiana y al vudú) y reivindicaciones o revelaciones oscuras con temas peliagudos, como aquí hacen describiendo el maltrato que inflingen las autoridades a un grupo de refugiados. No sobra nada, es muy corto de leer y ha envejecido bien. La única pega es que este título se puede sustituir perfectamente por un visionado del capítulo en cuestión, porque son idénticos y la experiencia es muy similar, pero si os apetece más un librito ligero que estar frente a una pantalla, es una buena opción.
ENGLISH
'Fresh Bones' is a novelization of the script written for the episode of the series 'The X-Files' and is like going back in time, to the golden years of television, when perfectly measured self-contained plots were written, which provided tension at the indicated moments, provided serious dialogue and interrogations, timely commentary on the macabre discoveries, interesting data with cultural references (in this case it is the turn of Haitian culture and voodoo) and dark claims or revelations with tricky subjects, as they do here describing the mistreatment inflicted by the authorities on a group of refugees. Nothing is superfluous, it is a very short read and has aged well. The only drawback is that this title can be perfectly substituted with a viewing of the episode in question, because they are identical and the experience is very similar, but if you prefer a light book than sitting in front of a screen, it is a good option.
ENGLISH
'Fresh Bones' is a novelization of the script written for the episode of the series 'The X-Files' and is like going back in time, to the golden years of television, when perfectly measured self-contained plots were written, which provided tension at the indicated moments, provided serious dialogue and interrogations, timely commentary on the macabre discoveries, interesting data with cultural references (in this case it is the turn of Haitian culture and voodoo) and dark claims or revelations with tricky subjects, as they do here describing the mistreatment inflicted by the authorities on a group of refugees. Nothing is superfluous, it is a very short read and has aged well. The only drawback is that this title can be perfectly substituted with a viewing of the episode in question, because they are identical and the experience is very similar, but if you prefer a light book than sitting in front of a screen, it is a good option.
Read
April 8, 2013 Fresh bones
It was a very dark morning, but is there life after death.? When FBI Special Agents Mulder and Scully are sent to a Haitian refugee camp, in Folkestone North Carolina.
they were sent there to investigate a string of mysterious deaths, they find that someone is turning corpses into killers. In a case where murder is just the beginning, the two agents must follow a twisting trail of buried clues -- that could lead them straight to the grave.
Agents Mulder and Scully are called in to watch over themselves and find the themselves in a wrapped up mystery of twisting clues. In which the victims who can’t seem to rest in peace. When the u.s. Marine is found wandering off the state highway after several days he was killed. It was a big clear statement that there’s a dark force at work. Is the black magic at work or a powerful voodoo priest?. Or there might be a control freak colonel orchestrating is there an intricate military cover up?. In a case where murder is just the beginning you will never know. The feeling of be followed in a twisting trail of clues, will this madness ever end,? or could it led to the un buried trail to the graveyard?. There are dead bodies that are popping out everywhere and trying to possessed the living. The dead are roaming around the living and causing a lot of death around the city. It was hard for the living they had a hard time dealing with the dead, well it was time to stand up, the living had an advantage against the dead the had weapons and it all seem lost but it started to turn into a good advantage and it was crazy for the living to have a chance to see the dead go the people had a great future ahead of them.
the end
It was a very dark morning, but is there life after death.? When FBI Special Agents Mulder and Scully are sent to a Haitian refugee camp, in Folkestone North Carolina.
they were sent there to investigate a string of mysterious deaths, they find that someone is turning corpses into killers. In a case where murder is just the beginning, the two agents must follow a twisting trail of buried clues -- that could lead them straight to the grave.
Agents Mulder and Scully are called in to watch over themselves and find the themselves in a wrapped up mystery of twisting clues. In which the victims who can’t seem to rest in peace. When the u.s. Marine is found wandering off the state highway after several days he was killed. It was a big clear statement that there’s a dark force at work. Is the black magic at work or a powerful voodoo priest?. Or there might be a control freak colonel orchestrating is there an intricate military cover up?. In a case where murder is just the beginning you will never know. The feeling of be followed in a twisting trail of clues, will this madness ever end,? or could it led to the un buried trail to the graveyard?. There are dead bodies that are popping out everywhere and trying to possessed the living. The dead are roaming around the living and causing a lot of death around the city. It was hard for the living they had a hard time dealing with the dead, well it was time to stand up, the living had an advantage against the dead the had weapons and it all seem lost but it started to turn into a good advantage and it was crazy for the living to have a chance to see the dead go the people had a great future ahead of them.
the end
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews