Scan barcode
theaylien's review
adventurous
hopeful
medium-paced
- 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? No
4.5
tlabresh's review
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
lief_'s review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
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? No
2.75
acrdoodles's review
5.0
The only thing that would make this book better was if there was more of it.
I'm??? I can't even describe how much I loved this book and the characters and the plot and the way J. M. Lee writes and how he portrays Thra and I am speechless.
Go read it.
Now.
I'm??? I can't even describe how much I loved this book and the characters and the plot and the way J. M. Lee writes and how he portrays Thra and I am speechless.
Go read it.
Now.
deathmetalpainter's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
sol_side's review
4.0
I read this book because I love the Dark Crystal series and seeing that there are no perspectives of making a second season yet, I decided to give it a try. I wanted to discover a little more about Thra and the creatures that live there. And I was not disappointed. Between the pages and Naia’s adventure to find Gurjin, I could see a little bit of how vast and magical is Thra. I also found interesting how gelflings from different clans interact with each other.
I like the fact that Naia was the main character because although she’s bold and brave, she can be insecure. I loved how despite the fact that she’s never been outside of Sog and she’s scared, she continues her journey because she wants to protect her brother. I also liked Kylan, he’s very sweet. The Skeksis are disgusting and scary but the hunter skekMal gave me the creeps towards the end of the book.
I am a little bit disappointed about one thing in particular.
I think I’m going to start reading the next one straight away because Kylan is going to be the main character and I want to know what does a nerd gelfling thinks about.
I like the fact that Naia was the main character because although she’s bold and brave, she can be insecure. I loved how despite the fact that she’s never been outside of Sog and she’s scared, she continues her journey because she wants to protect her brother. I also liked Kylan, he’s very sweet. The Skeksis are disgusting and scary but the hunter skekMal gave me the creeps towards the end of the book.
I am a little bit disappointed about one thing in particular.
Spoiler
I was reading the book thinking that maybe Naia was a trans girl gelfling because through the book there are some lines that made me think that. For example, every time it’s mentioned that Naia and Gurjin are twins and they look the same (everybody knows that human twins do not look the same when one is female and the other male, they can look alike, sure, just as siblings sometimes do… but I don’t know how it works for gelflings though), Naia being upset about not having wings, the Skeksis asking if Naia was Gurjin… It made sense for me. I even thought that the part where she was making herself a pair of sandals was being written because at the end she would make herself a pair of wings and the author wanted us to know she’s inventive and ingenious. But no, I was wrong and I felt very disappointed when Naia finally got her wings. I’m glad for her though because she wanted them really bad.I think I’m going to start reading the next one straight away because Kylan is going to be the main character and I want to know what does a nerd gelfling thinks about.
a_chickletz's review
5.0
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.
bookcaptivated's review
adventurous
dark
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- 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? No
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Animal death, Blood, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Confinement, Slavery, and Kidnapping
macabrebookwitch's review against another edition
5.0
Shadows of the Dark Crystal by J.M. Lee is a novel that works in harmony with the new Netflix original series The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance to give you a closer and more intimate look into the work of the Dark Crystal. The Dark Crystal was a puppet-filled fantasy film released in 1982, directed and created by the same brilliant mind that gave us Labyrinth, the Muppets, and Fraggle Rock; Jim Henson. I watched this film as a kid and fell in love with the world, the story, the puppeteering, and everything about the film. I always wanted more. Then after scrolling through Netflix and finding the show, I knew I’d get my chance.
I watched the show and then came across these novels, and they felt as though they were written just for me, and those other few lovers of Dark Crystal. However, I think this truly is a novel anyone could read with any amount of background knowledge, even if they know nothing about the Gelflings. Both the show and this novel series are prequels to the 1982 film, and show us what Gelfling society was like before the Skeksis started draining them for their life force to lengthen their own lives.
This novel follows the sister of one of the main characters from the show, and both artfully create the story from different perspectives, meaning that each novel and episode of the show still gives you new information and isn’t just repeating itself. In Shadows, we follow Naia, the sister of Gurjin, as she journeys to Ha’rar in hopes of clearing her brothers name. Gurjin has been accused of treason for speaking up about the cruelties of the Skesis, although no one else knows of their evil deeds quite yet. Even Naia must learn if what Gurjin says is true if she is to speak on his behalf in Ha’rar.
It is an immersive fantasy in which everything has been thought out from the names of each plant and animal to the number of suns and moons, the lengths of the days and nights, and the origins of the Skesis lords. If you’re looking for some amazing childhood nostalgia or just looking for a good, quick, thoroughly built fantasy read, this book is for you. I found it quite extraordinary and think that J.M. Lee’s attention to detail and tribute to Jim Henson would have even Jim himself speechless.
5/5 Highly Recommend.
I watched the show and then came across these novels, and they felt as though they were written just for me, and those other few lovers of Dark Crystal. However, I think this truly is a novel anyone could read with any amount of background knowledge, even if they know nothing about the Gelflings. Both the show and this novel series are prequels to the 1982 film, and show us what Gelfling society was like before the Skeksis started draining them for their life force to lengthen their own lives.
This novel follows the sister of one of the main characters from the show, and both artfully create the story from different perspectives, meaning that each novel and episode of the show still gives you new information and isn’t just repeating itself. In Shadows, we follow Naia, the sister of Gurjin, as she journeys to Ha’rar in hopes of clearing her brothers name. Gurjin has been accused of treason for speaking up about the cruelties of the Skesis, although no one else knows of their evil deeds quite yet. Even Naia must learn if what Gurjin says is true if she is to speak on his behalf in Ha’rar.
It is an immersive fantasy in which everything has been thought out from the names of each plant and animal to the number of suns and moons, the lengths of the days and nights, and the origins of the Skesis lords. If you’re looking for some amazing childhood nostalgia or just looking for a good, quick, thoroughly built fantasy read, this book is for you. I found it quite extraordinary and think that J.M. Lee’s attention to detail and tribute to Jim Henson would have even Jim himself speechless.
5/5 Highly Recommend.
nerfherder86's review
4.0
First book in a series of four, that serves as a prequel to the Netflix show, which in itself is a prequel to the original movie. (Got all that? :-) Suffice to say, it's very well done and a lot of fun. I loved the movie as a kid, even though I remember also being slightly creeped out by it, and now that all this backstory and worldbuilding has been done to expand on it, I am ALL IN. I liked how the main characters in this book are side characters in the show, so they can exist side by side and help round out the whole story. This book also really helped explain all of the Gelfling clans for me, in a way the show only glosses over (since it is concentrating on two clans, who are different than the ones focused on here). And I love having a proper map of Thra! What else can I say without having to describe the whole plot...it's a fantasy, you either love them or you don't.