Rating: 
Summary: Wonderfully Entertaining
Review: Of the three X-Files series books I've read(GOBLINS, GROUND ZERO and RUINS), RUINS is most definitely the best. It is unlike the others for the simple fact that it is actually relevant to the show. For once, the reader can actually picture Mulder and Scully in the adventure, relating to each other in believable fashion. Anderson most definitely redeems himself with RUINS. It's well written, well researched and beautifully vivid. Kevin Anderson paints a rich tapestry of lush jungle, exotic natives and white-knuckle action. The few instances in the book that aren't congruent are quickly forgotten by the fast-paced storyline and overall flow. This book could easily be made into a made-for-TV movie or even on a larger scale. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I would love to see more of the same caliber from Anderson!
Rating: 
Summary: Who REALLY wrote the movie?
Review: WARNING: THE FOLLOWING REVIEW MAY SPOIL THE STORY FOR THOSE WHO HAVE NOT YET READ IT! "Ruins" is not only perhaps the best novel of fiction based on the hit series "The X- Files", it also bears a striking resemblance to the storyline of the movie, "Fight The Future". Think about it. In the book, a woman is abducted and in the end, Mulder finds her encased in a case surrounded by thick green liquid. He revives her and they escape. And as Mulder runs out of the place where the woman was trapped, he notices that it's a UFO which takes off and leaves. Scully, naturally, doesn't see this. The ending of this book is almost exactly the same as the ending of the movie. I talked with the author, Kevin J. Anderson, about the similarities between "Ruins" and "Fight The Future". And he even kinda agreed with me on it. Perhaps Mr. Anderson should have received a co-screenwriting credit for the film.
Rating:
Summary: getting back on track....
Review: I have been a fan of The X-files for years and after Mulder left the show, it wasn't the same to watch. I picked up this book and was determined to read through it to get myself back into the characters again and why I fell in love with the show in the first place. I couldn't put the book down. Since reading this book, I have found myself watching the series on a committed basis. If you love the thrill and storyline of Mulder and Scully in The X-Files, then you will definitely enjoy reading this book!
Rating:
Summary: Who REALLY wrote the movie?
Review: WARNING: THE FOLLOWING REVIEW MAY SPOIL THE STORY FOR THOSE WHO HAVE NOT YET READ IT! "Ruins" is not only perhaps the best novel of fiction based on the hit series "The X- Files", it also bears a striking resemblance to the storyline of the movie, "Fight The Future". Think about it. In the book, a woman is abducted and in the end, Mulder finds her encased in a case surrounded by thick green liquid. He revives her and they escape. And as Mulder runs out of the place where the woman was trapped, he notices that it's a UFO which takes off and leaves. Scully, naturally, doesn't see this. The ending of this book is almost exactly the same as the ending of the movie. I talked with the author, Kevin J. Anderson, about the similarities between "Ruins" and "Fight The Future". And he even kinda agreed with me on it. Perhaps Mr. Anderson should have received a co-screenwriting credit for the film.
Rating:
Summary: Top of the Line
Review: This particular novel contains the most intriguing story of all of Anderson's X-Files work. The plot centers around a newly discovered section of the Mayan ruins. As a team of U.S. students disappears while examining the area, Mulder and Scully of the FBI are called in to investigate. Meanwhile, the same area is also rapidly becoming a hot battleground between Mexican rebel forces and the U.S. military. The complex strands of storyline eventually twines back together into a literally explosive showdown. To make matters even more interesting, the ruins hide something else far more ancient and mysterious deep beneath the incalculable tonnes of dirt and limestone. Anderson already has a solid grasp of typical X-Files dialogue, as substantiated by his other books of the series. In this novel he concocts up a deep story to complete the package. He describes the various parties well and ties them all in smoothly. Some research has obviously gone into the creation of the book, as Anderson describes the Maya culture with realism. Action in the book rolls along fairly quickly and fairly early. Bullets fly only a couple of chapters into the book. With the added element of the U.S. military commandos and the family of interesting weapons they bring along, this book has a broad action aspect attached to the thriller ideology. Extremely fast-paced, this is the best of Anderson's X-Files yet. -Xiao Zhu
Rating:
Summary: A decent book.
Review: This is decent. Not good, not bad, but decent. It features Mulder and Scully going against some weird force that's apparently setting off miniature nuclear explosions in a position to destroy those who have advanced the technology of nuclear weaponry. Kind of ironic, huh? Mulder and Scully's dialogue stays pretty well within the boundaries of their characters as laid out by the series. I could see this being an X-Files episode. But like I said before, this is merely decent. The prose isn't breathtaking. There are no incredibly deep philosophical moments. No new ground was really exposed with the characters, but that's an impossibility with a series-based novel. The bottom line is that this is just vanilla. Get it if your a hardcore X-files fan, but otherwise? Fahgeddaboutit. There are much more interesting science fiction books, like Cosm and Mysterium.
Rating: 
Summary: The best yet
Review: I found this book set in the ruins of South America to be excellent. Having seen some minor ruins myself in Mexico, the author reanimated my memories of those. I also found the action scenes to be easy to follow. This can be difficult when describing locations of characters in an action scene. Excellent book with quite a twist in the plot in true X files fashion.
Rating:
Summary: Ruins (X-Files No.4)
Review: The novel the Ruins by Kevin J. Anderson is an excellent book because it is an ancient place, it was an exploration of an ancient Maya city, and it had different cultures. An american archaeologist team made up of Cassandra Rubicon and fellow students from the University of California--Sandiego. They were going to excavate the Ancient Maya Ruins of Xitaclan in Yucatan Mexico. These ruins conststed of temples made by the Mayans as they worshipped many gods--one which was a feathered serpent. Pyramids were also constructed with many tunnels and chambers filled with artifacts. After a few days of excavating the team comes up missing thats when Cassandra Rubicons father Vladmir Rubicon is an old archaeologist who contacts the FBI. FBI Agents Fox Mulder and Diana Scully were asigned to go across the border and to investigate the disappearence of American citizens. Upon arriving in Mexico they had to secure a team of local Indian guides that would take the Americans to the site. A long drive and a 4 day walk through the jungle brought them to the mysterious ruins. Were the students abducted by aliens? Did they fall under the ancient Mayan curses? Or were the locals to blame for the disapperances? You're gotta read this book to discover the mystery as well as learn of the Maya culture...
Rating:
Summary: Read Ground Zero (at least the last few chapters)
Review: This book was nowhere near as good as everybody seems to think. Three things destroyed this book. First: Scully. She was just kinda there. Nothing like the show. Second: Rubicon. The guy talked way too much. "My daughter is missing. Let me tell you something about the Mayan culture. There was a very interesting archealogist once. . . ." Come on. (I made that quote up. That was the way he talked though.) Third: plot. Jakes and his commando team put some much needed action into this story. He didn't appear until very late in the book. The chopped off finger. What exactly did this have to do with anything. The villians were cardboard cutouts. Why all the buildup to a dissappointing ending? The X-files succeeds as a television show because they are forced to expidite matters because of the hour long format. The plot itself can be only around 45 minutes long. The movie and the books all fall apart bacause of the length afforded. Granted Ruins and Ground Zero are the only two I've read. Ground Zero, while the premise seems boring, really takes off in the last few chapters during the countdown to the test. Read the first line again.
Rating:
Summary: My Favorite X-File Novel
Review: This is definitely my favorite X-file novel. It simply seemed the most adventuresome of the books. It has more of a sci-fi slant with the alien artifacts and any "shipper" has to appreciate the moment when Mulder thinks he should "thank" Scully. As a whole I enjoyed this book and think it's quite in keeping with the series.
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