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kapellosaur's review
3.0
This installment in the series felt a lot more like a self contained story than the last book, while still being part of the larger narrative. It has the main point of view of a different character to last time, , who has a small character arc.
The drawings interspersed throughout were as lovely as in the first book, though I felt it tended towards character art of people we would recognise anyway, so it didn't feel like it was adding as much.
The Gelfling magic feels more ill-defined the more it's used, to the point where, taking this book on its own, it seemed like a Deus Ex Machina a couple of times at the end. Still, the narrative was engaging and easy to read, and I was kept entertained. It strays further from the TV series (or rather, the TV series has strayed further from it) which did keep things feeling fresh, though in this instance I think I preferred the TV version.
Spoiler
KylanThe drawings interspersed throughout were as lovely as in the first book, though I felt it tended towards character art of people we would recognise anyway, so it didn't feel like it was adding as much.
The Gelfling magic feels more ill-defined the more it's used, to the point where, taking this book on its own, it seemed like a Deus Ex Machina a couple of times at the end. Still, the narrative was engaging and easy to read, and I was kept entertained. It strays further from the TV series (or rather, the TV series has strayed further from it) which did keep things feeling fresh, though in this instance I think I preferred the TV version.
debz57a52's review
4.5
A chapter or two into the first book, I didn't know if I would finish it, much less read the rest of the series. But here I am, after absorbing this second part in a little more than 48 hours.
The first book was told in third-person limited, mostly with Naia's perspective. This book switches to Kylan, who is introduced in Shadows of the Dark Crystal as something of a light-weight. In this book, he really gets to show his mettle, with quite a few trials that he and Naia have to problem solve and lean on each other for. And, of course, having a person on a hero's journey who is the artist (singer) and the scholar (because he can read and write when Naia can't), but gets more than one chance to save the day - I'm in. :) Even better, this book provides more info about the world, the Skeksis, the Mystics, Augra - all those people that are central parts of the movie I love so much. I can't wait to get into the third book.
The first book was told in third-person limited, mostly with Naia's perspective. This book switches to Kylan, who is introduced in Shadows of the Dark Crystal as something of a light-weight. In this book, he really gets to show his mettle, with quite a few trials that he and Naia have to problem solve and lean on each other for. And, of course, having a person on a hero's journey who is the artist (singer) and the scholar (because he can read and write when Naia can't), but gets more than one chance to save the day - I'm in. :) Even better, this book provides more info about the world, the Skeksis, the Mystics, Augra - all those people that are central parts of the movie I love so much. I can't wait to get into the third book.
skipperdear's review
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
emilybulger's review
adventurous
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
marydrover's review
4.0
My review for the first book in this series can be found here. I actually liked this a lot more than the first one, and I think a lot of that had to do with the narrator. This is because I’m biased toward this sort of narrator—-the bumbling, awkward, kind of thinks they’re the worst at everything sort of person. I really, really love those characters, so right off the bat, I enjoyed this more. This is not to say that I didn’t like Naia as a narrator, just that I was in love with Kylan as a narrator before I even started reading. The story was really engaging. I loved learning about the Grottan Gelflings, the description of their caves was a lot better done than any of the other descriptions of the world of Thra, and I just felt a lot more connected to the characters this time around. It was just much more well done than the first one.
This picks up right where Shadows of the Dark Crystal left off. Naia and Kylan have just escaped the Skeksis and are on the run again. They quickly stumble into old friends, meet new ones, and embark on one hell of an adventure. We get to learn a heck ton more about the different Gelfling races, some really cool lore, and I just found out that Amri is the narrator for the next book, so hold onto your socks, kids, this series is going to continue to be fantastic.
This picks up right where Shadows of the Dark Crystal left off. Naia and Kylan have just escaped the Skeksis and are on the run again. They quickly stumble into old friends, meet new ones, and embark on one hell of an adventure. We get to learn a heck ton more about the different Gelfling races, some really cool lore, and I just found out that Amri is the narrator for the next book, so hold onto your socks, kids, this series is going to continue to be fantastic.
gingin's review
4.0
I (obvioulsy) loved this story! I just ordered the next book on Amazon so now I just have to wait *patiently* for it to arrive!
Every single time I visit Thra I never want to leave it!
Every single time I visit Thra I never want to leave it!
noragracereads's review
2.0
**2/5 stars**
Song of the Dark Crystal is better than the first in the series but certainly not spectacular. Like Shadow of the Dark Crystal, this sequel is in desperate need of some complexity, character development, and better world building.
In my review of the first book, I claimed that its greatest weakness is how far it strays from the Netflix TV series and thus the canon the Jim Henson company is trying to establish. I now realize that the book series and the Netflix series must be analyzed as two different things. However, I still think it's somewhat worthwhile to compare them. Because whatever J.M. Lee does the show does ten time better.
Song of the Dark Crystal picks up exactly where Shadow ends except we are now reading from Kylan's point of view. Kylan is the song-teller gelfling from the Spriton clan that Naia befriends in the first book. His talents include song-telling, dream-etching, and being a loyal friend. These are what make up his character and not much else does. Thus, Song struggles with the same inability to construct full-fledged characters that the reader can truly get inside the head of and empathize with. There's a minute difference between Kylan's voice and Naia's and Lee gives them hardly any opportunities to grow. Instead, characters will suddenly behave contrary to their dispositions on a whim with little buildup.
In order to discuss the unappealing simpleness of these books, I want to bring up an example of really well-done complex writing in the show that presents the characters and the audience with a moral dilemma. In episode 1.05, Rian is captured by the Skeksis and is in route to the Castle of the Crystal in a carriage with the Chamberlain. Rian is distressed because he holds key information to starting a full-blown resistance amongst the gelfling against the Skeksis but he's being taken to his doom. The Chamberlain is able to prey on Rian's fear and self-consciousness as well as his nobility when he offers Rian this catch-22:
"Go, then! Run! Have your war! But, it will be on Rian's head when all gelfling die, because you chose to run again."
Not only is this a fantastic line of dialogue, but it puts Rian and the audience in a tricky situation where either option means certain doom and loss. If Rian goes with the Chamberlain to the castle of the crystal, then the rest of the gelfling will remain in ignorance about the Skeksis' crimes and possibly suffer less temporarily because not as many will die in war. However, all the gelfing will eventually die because the skeksis will exhaust them as a life source for themselves. But if Rian runs away from the Chamberlain and spreads the word about the Skeksis, not only will he be running away again—which the Chamberlain is characterizing as cowardly— he'll be sending more gelfling to their deaths through a war they have a sliver of a chance of winning. Rian chooses to stay. Whether or not this is the right choice is left up to the reader and to Rian's character development. The writers follow through with this choice in the last episode when Rian declares that he's "tired of running," but instead of staying complicit with the Skeksis's crimes like he did when he stayed with the Chamberlain, he's about to lead a battle against them. Thus, Rian's development comes full-circle and the show shines with a bit of storytelling brilliance.
Nothing like this Rian story happens in Lee's novels. Even children need complex storytelling with complex characters. All of real-life is complex, scary, and unpredictable; children know this and that's why they love stories that are just as complicated and sometimes more, because reality is far more boring than fantasy. High-stakes scenes like that of the end of Song (where the heroes have to get the bird bone before skeKli can stop them) become far more powerful when they are not just part of a series of formulaic roadblocks in the heroes way. So far, all of Lee's obstacles for his heroes are physical; heroes can always beat those. It's the moral ones that are the hardest to beat and are what give stories depth.
It's no easy task trying to write books that can live up to the legacy of one of the most beloved films of all time, I'm sure. But even with low expectations, these The Dark Crystal novels come up short. I would rather speculate about the world of Thra and come up with my own expansions of the film and show on my own than try and apply Lee's world building to the canon.
EDIT: Upon a rewatch of Age of Resistance, I realized that J.M. Lee wrote some of the episodes! He's obviously a very capable writer; time seems to have afforded him and the other writers/creators the ability to really perfect the world they wanted to convey.
Song of the Dark Crystal is better than the first in the series but certainly not spectacular. Like Shadow of the Dark Crystal, this sequel is in desperate need of some complexity, character development, and better world building.
In my review of the first book, I claimed that its greatest weakness is how far it strays from the Netflix TV series and thus the canon the Jim Henson company is trying to establish. I now realize that the book series and the Netflix series must be analyzed as two different things. However, I still think it's somewhat worthwhile to compare them. Because whatever J.M. Lee does the show does ten time better.
Song of the Dark Crystal picks up exactly where Shadow ends except we are now reading from Kylan's point of view. Kylan is the song-teller gelfling from the Spriton clan that Naia befriends in the first book. His talents include song-telling, dream-etching, and being a loyal friend. These are what make up his character and not much else does. Thus, Song struggles with the same inability to construct full-fledged characters that the reader can truly get inside the head of and empathize with. There's a minute difference between Kylan's voice and Naia's and Lee gives them hardly any opportunities to grow. Instead, characters will suddenly behave contrary to their dispositions on a whim with little buildup.
In order to discuss the unappealing simpleness of these books, I want to bring up an example of really well-done complex writing in the show that presents the characters and the audience with a moral dilemma. In episode 1.05, Rian is captured by the Skeksis and is in route to the Castle of the Crystal in a carriage with the Chamberlain. Rian is distressed because he holds key information to starting a full-blown resistance amongst the gelfling against the Skeksis but he's being taken to his doom. The Chamberlain is able to prey on Rian's fear and self-consciousness as well as his nobility when he offers Rian this catch-22:
"Go, then! Run! Have your war! But, it will be on Rian's head when all gelfling die, because you chose to run again."
Not only is this a fantastic line of dialogue, but it puts Rian and the audience in a tricky situation where either option means certain doom and loss. If Rian goes with the Chamberlain to the castle of the crystal, then the rest of the gelfling will remain in ignorance about the Skeksis' crimes and possibly suffer less temporarily because not as many will die in war. However, all the gelfing will eventually die because the skeksis will exhaust them as a life source for themselves. But if Rian runs away from the Chamberlain and spreads the word about the Skeksis, not only will he be running away again—which the Chamberlain is characterizing as cowardly— he'll be sending more gelfling to their deaths through a war they have a sliver of a chance of winning. Rian chooses to stay. Whether or not this is the right choice is left up to the reader and to Rian's character development. The writers follow through with this choice in the last episode when Rian declares that he's "tired of running," but instead of staying complicit with the Skeksis's crimes like he did when he stayed with the Chamberlain, he's about to lead a battle against them. Thus, Rian's development comes full-circle and the show shines with a bit of storytelling brilliance.
Nothing like this Rian story happens in Lee's novels. Even children need complex storytelling with complex characters. All of real-life is complex, scary, and unpredictable; children know this and that's why they love stories that are just as complicated and sometimes more, because reality is far more boring than fantasy. High-stakes scenes like that of the end of Song (where the heroes have to get the bird bone before skeKli can stop them) become far more powerful when they are not just part of a series of formulaic roadblocks in the heroes way. So far, all of Lee's obstacles for his heroes are physical; heroes can always beat those. It's the moral ones that are the hardest to beat and are what give stories depth.
It's no easy task trying to write books that can live up to the legacy of one of the most beloved films of all time, I'm sure. But even with low expectations, these The Dark Crystal novels come up short. I would rather speculate about the world of Thra and come up with my own expansions of the film and show on my own than try and apply Lee's world building to the canon.
EDIT: Upon a rewatch of Age of Resistance, I realized that J.M. Lee wrote some of the episodes! He's obviously a very capable writer; time seems to have afforded him and the other writers/creators the ability to really perfect the world they wanted to convey.
zitongren's review
3.0
3.5 Stars.
I am really conflicted right now on whether to give this book 3 or 4 stars as while I liked it, I also had many problems with it. I have outlined basically all of my thoughts in my review of book 1 and for the most part they are fairly similar so I’ll keep this review short and simple.
I really liked all the artwork. They were really lovely.
Some plot lines were overly predictable due to the way certain characters acted.
I love how creative the series is(please note that I haven’t seen the original film nor the Netflix adaptation that’s sort of based off this).
And there you go, and my current rating of three stars may change in the future depending on what I think about it. Yes, I liked it more than book 1. 7/10
I am really conflicted right now on whether to give this book 3 or 4 stars as while I liked it, I also had many problems with it. I have outlined basically all of my thoughts in my review of book 1 and for the most part they are fairly similar so I’ll keep this review short and simple.
I really liked all the artwork. They were really lovely.
Some plot lines were overly predictable due to the way certain characters acted.
I love how creative the series is(please note that I haven’t seen the original film nor the Netflix adaptation that’s sort of based off this).
And there you go, and my current rating of three stars may change in the future depending on what I think about it. Yes, I liked it more than book 1. 7/10
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