I have mentioned my love of the X-Files on this blog before, and my last Character Book Club post covered another 90s icon in the form of Wednesday Addams. Dana Scully therefore was the logical choice to be the next target of my book-reccing affections.
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What to say about Dana Scully? Sceptic, science-person, seasoned badass... she was assigned the X-Files and attempted to add a dose of reality to the insanity that ensued. Her chemistry with Mulder grew to the point that even the most hard-hearted person would have to admit that if there is such a thing as soulmates, they were the closest TV has so far gotten to proving their existence.
Her influence hasn't even been constrained fiction - The Scully Effect launched STEM careers for thousands of real women seeking to emulate the first fictional female scientist to truly impact popular culture.
So... what books would I rec to Scully? And what should you read when you want to get your inner Dana Scully on?
A Natural History of Dragons by Marie Brennan
A badass woman wanting to document mythological creatures with science? Sound familiar anyone?
Well, ok, this is set in a fantasy land with a late Georgian style, but my point still stands. In A Natural History of Dragons, Lady Trent relates her early career in a fictional memoir. She convinces her new husband to let her attend a research mission, and the two of them work together to understand mysterious dragon behaviour affecting a remote village.
When adventure comes her way, Lady Trent is no slouch. She fends off ruffians, escapes kidnap, uncovers a smuggling ring, and abseils into a dragon's lair. As a scientist she is also top notch - collecting specimens, taking samples, drawing diagrams, and theorising about the properties of dragon bone.
And (spoiler alert) Dana Scully knows a thing or two about and being left holding the baby while the love of your life may-or-may-not be dead...
The Haunting of Tram Car 015 by P. Djèlí Clark
The X-Files isn't always nonsensical conspiracy theories... sometimes they do good monster of the week episodes. Mulder and Scully rock up in rented cars, talk to some cops, deal with some chaos, and leave everything somewhat better than before. Or at least on par with before. Or sometimes worse off.
The Haunting of Tram Car 015 is a shorter story in the larger Dead Djinn universe, which is set in a steampunk, fantasy Egypt. The stories resolve around a division similar to the X-Files, which deal with minor crimes involving magical creatures.
Two minor detectives are called in to deal with a haunted tram car, and discover it's a lot more dangerous than they first thought. It's all very procedural and familiar - with a bigger threat to women across the city being balanced by bureau budgeting and unhelpful witnesses.
The Stranger Times by Caimh McDonnell
Dana Scully knows a thing or two about starting a truly batshit job and accidentally finding your place. If you love the often dorky humour on the show, this is ideal for you.
When recently divorced Hannah applies for just about the only job she's qualified for, she ends up at The Stranger Times, a National Enquirer-esque magazine based out of a decommissioned church in Manchester. With wacky colleagues and a chief editor who is completely bonkers, it's a lot for anyone's first day.
No one believes in the nonsense they print, until mysterious stuff actually does start happening and they have to use their (dubious) knowledge of lore and conspiracies to save the day.
This is such a warm and likable cast of characters and Hannah fits in so easily with them that the whole thing is a delight. If The Lone Gunmen are your faves, you should pick this up.
Our Wives Under The Sea by Julia Armfield
Do you love how sometimes The X-Files doesn't give you any answers about the bigger mysteries in the show? If you are that rare person who says yes, this is the book for you. If you hate it, hate it, hate it... hear me out... this may still be the book for you.
Scully was deeply connected to the sea in The X-Files. Her father was a naval officer with whom she shared a mutual love of Moby Dick. His death was the first time we saw her deeper, emotional side, and much of her character's sense of duty seems to stem from that upbringing.
Our Wives Under the Sea has incredible X-Files vibes, with a tender and almost ordinary love story playing out as underwater mysteries and a duty to science threaten to tear the lovers apart. There is an aching longing for someone who is missing, and then returns changed, while powerful forces close off information and work to keep them uninformed. Classic series three abduction stuff.
Yes, there are no answers here, but at it's heart it's a love story unfolding in the face of - and despite of - cosmic horrors outside of human understanding.
You don't get much more X-Files than that.
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If you enjoyed this, check out my other Character Book Club pages:
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