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REVIEW
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"A geat anthology"
As noted by the editors in their introduction, this
book is not a story about the X-Men. Instead this sixteen-
story collection contains tales about regular people with
uncommon extra abilities usually in normal settings. Poor
choice in title aside, each contribution is well written
and remains inside the basic theme. Though the story lines
are all entertaining, the key to THE MUTANT FILES is its
characters, who amazingly seem like real people though the
tales are short and the powers are uncommon. This superb
anthology is worth reading by the X-Men crowd and
especially by those science fiction-horror fans who relish
well written tales about normal people with an unusual
power usually occurring in a common milieu. This is
extraordinary entertainment.
Reviewed by PNR Group Member
Posted July 31, 2001
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| SUMMARY |
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16 all-original tales of those born to be different - humankind's next great hope - or worst nightmare... This modest set of 16 new stories about mutants has the tenor of a genteel riposte to X-Men. Its basic premises are that there is seldom a Professor Xavier to help those who are different find acceptance (granted, he had a mixed track record), and that usually each different being has to find its own way of coping. The tone predominant in the stories, however, is not as somber as those premises seem to promise, and the book turns out to be a good introduction to sf and fantasy treatments of mutants for readers who are transcending X-Men. The stories are varied in quality. A few are outstanding, and none is less than readable. Charles de Lint's entry stands well in front of the pack, which is to be expected, and other welcome contributions come from Janet Berliner, a greatly gifted writer who isn't published enough, and comparative newcomers Brendan DuBois and Marc Bilgrey.
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