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3.93 AVERAGE
3.93 AVERAGE
I admit, it took me a while to get into it as I was trying to picture Gelfling instead of humans. Picturing a land with three suns is hard work! But it is a good work out for your imagination. I'd categorize this as hard-cover fan fiction but it is no where near as terrible as Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.
Shadows of the Dark Crystal went by fast for me. I've enjoyed my time in Thra. I understood it was a prequel but I didn't know *where* in the time before we were. As I reached the final chapters I found myself quoting Aughra saying "End? Or beginning? All the same! All big change!"
All in all I found Shadow of the Dark Crystal highly entertaining. If it had a sequel I would read it up until I'd have to rad the movie's script.
Shadows of the Dark Crystal went by fast for me. I've enjoyed my time in Thra. I understood it was a prequel but I didn't know *where* in the time before we were. As I reached the final chapters I found myself quoting Aughra saying "End? Or beginning? All the same! All big change!"
All in all I found Shadow of the Dark Crystal highly entertaining. If it had a sequel I would read it up until I'd have to rad the movie's script.
What a treat for fans of Dark Crystal. Looking forward to the next installment.
So. Good. I'll write a full review on my blog...
UPDATE: I never wrote the review on my blog... BUT, I just finished a reread so here are some thoughts. I love, love, love the expanded world we get to see in this book. Different clans of Gelfling, all with their own unique characteristics and customs? YES! A look at the Mystics apart from the large group that raised Jen? YES! Mentions of fizzgigs as a species (and kind of an annoying one)? YES! A glimpse into the life of the Skeksis as they started their slide into total corruption? YES!
Honestly, this is just a really great addition to the Dark Crystal myth. Give it a read; it will expand your appreciation for the world Henson created and add well-deserved depth to the original movie.
UPDATE: I never wrote the review on my blog... BUT, I just finished a reread so here are some thoughts. I love, love, love the expanded world we get to see in this book. Different clans of Gelfling, all with their own unique characteristics and customs? YES! A look at the Mystics apart from the large group that raised Jen? YES! Mentions of fizzgigs as a species (and kind of an annoying one)? YES! A glimpse into the life of the Skeksis as they started their slide into total corruption? YES!
Honestly, this is just a really great addition to the Dark Crystal myth. Give it a read; it will expand your appreciation for the world Henson created and add well-deserved depth to the original movie.
It was fine, and of course it's pretty much impossible to have surprises in prequels, but I wish it was set further in the movie's past and explained some of the events that created the world of the dark crystal rather than just setting up for the movie.
I did enjoy reading this, and I'm excited to start the next one, but I feel like it's kind of obvious that this was written before/independently of the show, because there are a few things that don't match up. But, that is kind of the beauty of different media adaptations, and of the Dark Crystal universe in general--it's not and never has been a world that has been created by only one person, and is almost a community effort in worldbuilding, with rings emanating out from Jim Henson. Lee has definitely done the world justice and has some beautiful writing, and I'm excited to see how the next few books grow.
I have eagerly been awaiting this book since Jim Hensen Productions announced the Author Quest contest about two years ago. "The Dark Crystal" was one of my favorite movies as a kid, still is. I love Jim Hensen's and Brian Froud's artistry. I will forever be grateful to Jim Hensen for introducing me to Brian Froud.
So when I won the ARC from Goodreads I was overjoyed, especially since the winner of the contest was local author J.M. Lee and a local bookstore, Red Balloon Books, would be having a book launch party. I'm always happy to support local artists and independent stores. I'm also a giant book nerd and love meeting authors I've read.
I was very excited that the cover was done by Froud, and I was briefly disappointed that he didn't do the interior illustrations as well. Until Friday, I had only seen the placeholder art for the book. In fact, the first thing I did when I bought my official copy was to compare the art in the ARC with the polished art in the finished edition. The placeholder art showed me that I wouldn't be disappointed in Cory Godbey's artwork, it definitely captures the spirit and whimsy of the world originally created by Froud and Hensen.
This is J.M. Lee's first novel. (I think it was his first public reading of his work as well. He did a great job, but you could tell he was very excited and nervous. I hope his parents being there didn't make him more nervous.) It's always a bit nerve racking as a reader - probably as an author too - to enter into a much loved universe when there has been a change in management, particularly when that management doesn't have any prior documented experience. I have to say that I wasn't let down by the book. It definitely had all the heart of the original film.
Our protagonist is a young, strong-willed Gelfling girl, Naia, of the Sog tribe. Her people live in the swamp and she is desperate to see more of the world, like her twin brother, Gurjin. However, this isn't possible as she must train to replace her mother as the leader of the tribe. Her adventure begins when she spots a stranger while she is out hunting. She then has the opportunity to leave the swamp to find out what happened to her brother, who has gone missing from his duties as a guard at the Crystal Castle.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, I hope that if finds an audience with to today's young adult readers and helps them discover Jim Hensen's lesser known works (which I think were some of his best). I am eagerly awaiting the next installment of the series.
J.M thanks for being so gracious in sharing with us a peek inside Froud's design notes and for signing both my copies of the book.
Happy reading!
So when I won the ARC from Goodreads I was overjoyed, especially since the winner of the contest was local author J.M. Lee and a local bookstore, Red Balloon Books, would be having a book launch party. I'm always happy to support local artists and independent stores. I'm also a giant book nerd and love meeting authors I've read.
I was very excited that the cover was done by Froud, and I was briefly disappointed that he didn't do the interior illustrations as well. Until Friday, I had only seen the placeholder art for the book. In fact, the first thing I did when I bought my official copy was to compare the art in the ARC with the polished art in the finished edition. The placeholder art showed me that I wouldn't be disappointed in Cory Godbey's artwork, it definitely captures the spirit and whimsy of the world originally created by Froud and Hensen.
This is J.M. Lee's first novel. (I think it was his first public reading of his work as well. He did a great job, but you could tell he was very excited and nervous. I hope his parents being there didn't make him more nervous.) It's always a bit nerve racking as a reader - probably as an author too - to enter into a much loved universe when there has been a change in management, particularly when that management doesn't have any prior documented experience. I have to say that I wasn't let down by the book. It definitely had all the heart of the original film.
Our protagonist is a young, strong-willed Gelfling girl, Naia, of the Sog tribe. Her people live in the swamp and she is desperate to see more of the world, like her twin brother, Gurjin. However, this isn't possible as she must train to replace her mother as the leader of the tribe. Her adventure begins when she spots a stranger while she is out hunting. She then has the opportunity to leave the swamp to find out what happened to her brother, who has gone missing from his duties as a guard at the Crystal Castle.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, I hope that if finds an audience with to today's young adult readers and helps them discover Jim Hensen's lesser known works (which I think were some of his best). I am eagerly awaiting the next installment of the series.
J.M thanks for being so gracious in sharing with us a peek inside Froud's design notes and for signing both my copies of the book.
Happy reading!
Has a proper sense of the world, with loads of detail and nods to the movie, while still introducing creative new elements. Very curious to see how this series unfolds, particularly knowing that, as a prequel, it has to end on a rather dismal note.
This is very groovy. It’s been a long while since I read about a fantasy world I cared about. Lee has done a great job of expanding the world of the Dark Crystal and this is an excellent companion to The Age of Resistance Netflix series.
adventurous
hopeful
fast-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:
No
this was amazing. it didn't need to be complex, it didn't need to tell us something new, it needed to tell the other half of the story... more to be said, I'm just speechless and stunned on how perfect this was!
EDIT
Are you still in mourning after reading that mess that was Return to Labyrinth? Looking to read something that actually does justice to the original material? Something that Henson would be proud of.
READ. THIS. BOOK.
Every page had me smiling.
No, I'm serious.
The Dark Crystal was a fantasy at best, a story of two halves becoming whole... This is Gelfling lore at it's finest. The words that Henson and Froud coined, they're all here - fantastically used. The riddles told by the UrVa? Still the same... but we know the outcome, we just don't know how we made it there.
There is no happy ending for the Gelflings in this series, that much is true (because we know that Jen and Kira are the hope). But we are given two amazing characters that we want to follow to the end that will lead us to the beginning. We are given scarier, meaner Skeksis... we are shown the impact of the poisoned crystal on the world. We are given the seeds of a fight that will spawn for a long time.
I want to thank the Henson Co. for reaching out to fans and choosing someone who can best tell the story that is meant to be told. (I hope that the same happens with Labyrinth.)
Please read this book, support it, because I want a sequel. I want a series. I want to see fan art of this. J.M. Lee, you are rekindling my childhood - please keep stoking those embers.
EDIT
Are you still in mourning after reading that mess that was Return to Labyrinth? Looking to read something that actually does justice to the original material? Something that Henson would be proud of.
READ. THIS. BOOK.
Every page had me smiling.
No, I'm serious.
The Dark Crystal was a fantasy at best, a story of two halves becoming whole... This is Gelfling lore at it's finest. The words that Henson and Froud coined, they're all here - fantastically used. The riddles told by the UrVa? Still the same... but we know the outcome, we just don't know how we made it there.
There is no happy ending for the Gelflings in this series, that much is true (because we know that Jen and Kira are the hope). But we are given two amazing characters that we want to follow to the end that will lead us to the beginning. We are given scarier, meaner Skeksis... we are shown the impact of the poisoned crystal on the world. We are given the seeds of a fight that will spawn for a long time.
I want to thank the Henson Co. for reaching out to fans and choosing someone who can best tell the story that is meant to be told. (I hope that the same happens with Labyrinth.)
Please read this book, support it, because I want a sequel. I want a series. I want to see fan art of this. J.M. Lee, you are rekindling my childhood - please keep stoking those embers.