Legends Of The Dark Crystal Vol. 1

A let-down; bland stock-anime art, paired with ren-fairy dialogue. But enough inspiration from the original film remains to buoy this novel to “acceptable” level; readers who can tolerate the flaws of Eragon or Castle Waiting may even be able to enjoy this book.

For its opening pages, the plot hews oddly close to the film: orphaned Gelfling preteens (the boy timid, the girl spunky) find each other in the wake of Garthim attacks, and set out on a quest.

The bulk of the book, however, is taken up by dull talk and aimless fanservice; a council of Gelfling elders endlessly postures while the Skeksis cackle in their castle, but neither party commits to much action. It’s appropriate that the heros find themselves trapped in a hole with nowhere to go and little to do during most of the story.

An action scene at the end revives things somewhat, but even those panels are drawn as emotionlessly as the boring council debates. By the end, there are no surprises; and even though the world is as magical as you remember it to be in the movie, it’s become harder to care about it. The spark is there, but the flames simply haven’t caught yet.