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Dark Angel #3
After the Dark
Secrets and betrayals, as the saga of Dark Angel continues!
In a chaotic world where the lines between good and evil often blur, and violent anarchy and brutal repression become commonplace, secrets can be deadly. So when Max discovers a shattering truth that Logan has kept concealed from her for years, the betrayal threatens the very essence of their trust.
Yet when Logan is kidnapped, all questions of truth and loyalty are cast aside. Max's search will lead her to a familiar, menacing enemy--and back into the shadow of the Snake Cult, which waits for her with chilling anticipation.
But the search will also lead her into wholly unexpected territory. Locked in the fight of her life, Max will discover a captive of the cult who can provide her with the one thing that has haunted her ever since she escaped from Manticore. . . .
In a chaotic world where the lines between good and evil often blur, and violent anarchy and brutal repression become commonplace, secrets can be deadly. So when Max discovers a shattering truth that Logan has kept concealed from her for years, the betrayal threatens the very essence of their trust.
Yet when Logan is kidnapped, all questions of truth and loyalty are cast aside. Max's search will lead her to a familiar, menacing enemy--and back into the shadow of the Snake Cult, which waits for her with chilling anticipation.
But the search will also lead her into wholly unexpected territory. Locked in the fight of her life, Max will discover a captive of the cult who can provide her with the one thing that has haunted her ever since she escaped from Manticore. . . .
258 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published June 1, 2003
24 people are currently reading
1010 people want to read
About the author
Max Allan Collins
802 books1,321 followersReceived the Shamus Award, "The Eye" (Lifetime achievment award) in 2006.
He has also published under the name Patrick Culhane. He and his wife, Barbara Collins, have written several books together. Some of them are published under the name Barbara Allan.
Book Awards
Shamus Awards Best Novel winner (1984) : True Detective
Shamus Awards Best Novel winner (1992) : Stolen Away
Shamus Awards Best Novel nominee (1995) : Carnal Hours
Shamus Awards Best Novel nominee (1997) : Damned in Paradise
Shamus Awards Best Novel nominee (1999) : Flying Blind: A Novel about Amelia Earhart
Shamus Awards Best Novel nominee (2002) : Angel in Black
Japanese: マックス・アラン・コリンズ
or マックス・アラン コリンズ
He has also published under the name Patrick Culhane. He and his wife, Barbara Collins, have written several books together. Some of them are published under the name Barbara Allan.
Book Awards
Shamus Awards Best Novel winner (1984) : True Detective
Shamus Awards Best Novel winner (1992) : Stolen Away
Shamus Awards Best Novel nominee (1995) : Carnal Hours
Shamus Awards Best Novel nominee (1997) : Damned in Paradise
Shamus Awards Best Novel nominee (1999) : Flying Blind: A Novel about Amelia Earhart
Shamus Awards Best Novel nominee (2002) : Angel in Black
Japanese: マックス・アラン・コリンズ
or マックス・アラン コリンズ
Ratings & Reviews
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Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 61 reviews
May 9, 2007
I know, I know, but trust me after watching the TV series, which I will defend because I think it was really good, I needed to find out what had happened, did Max and Logan ever get together? Did Col. Lydecker REALLY die? What happened after the end of the second season when the series was unceremoniously canceled? Questions, questions, questions. So there is my motive for reading this series. Despite the horrible analogies and simple writing this is a fun book to read if you were plagued by the same need to know what happened. I only recommend these books to hardcore Dark Angel fans.
October 2, 2008
Ok. It provides a decent wrap-up for the culmination of the series, and is a fast read. It fairly follows the ideas set up by Moira in the extras on season two for the Freak Nation episode as far as the comet and Colonel Lydecker.
*Spoilers*
However. I do not think that this was at all satisfying. Max Alan Collins obviously did not watch the show. He took the seldom used catch phrases from the show and made them standard. Every time Max answers the phone she says "Go for Max," which she says in the entire run of the series only a handful of times.
His character descriptions are, to say the least, obtuse. I didn't even read them as I already knew what the chars looked like.
He treated Lydecker horribly, and totally changed Max & Logan's attitude towards him. They both knew he was now someone to be at least acknowledged, if not accepted, and totally treat him like scum of the earth. Not in character.
Sandeman (Father) made no appearance. Ugh.
Joshua still talked like a blubbering idiot, and still failed to grasp simple concepts.
Alec's small role seemed off, but I could not put a finger on why.
The end of the breeding cult, including Ames White, was VERY dissatisfying. For them to just blow up, with little explanation of the comet, the virus, Max's DNA....I realize this was just one book, but seriously, they could have spent less time describing the couch and more time with plot development.
All in all it is an unsatisfying episode for a die hard fan, or science buff, but ok for a casual observer.
*Spoilers*
However. I do not think that this was at all satisfying. Max Alan Collins obviously did not watch the show. He took the seldom used catch phrases from the show and made them standard. Every time Max answers the phone she says "Go for Max," which she says in the entire run of the series only a handful of times.
His character descriptions are, to say the least, obtuse. I didn't even read them as I already knew what the chars looked like.
He treated Lydecker horribly, and totally changed Max & Logan's attitude towards him. They both knew he was now someone to be at least acknowledged, if not accepted, and totally treat him like scum of the earth. Not in character.
Sandeman (Father) made no appearance. Ugh.
Joshua still talked like a blubbering idiot, and still failed to grasp simple concepts.
Alec's small role seemed off, but I could not put a finger on why.
The end of the breeding cult, including Ames White, was VERY dissatisfying. For them to just blow up, with little explanation of the comet, the virus, Max's DNA....I realize this was just one book, but seriously, they could have spent less time describing the couch and more time with plot development.
All in all it is an unsatisfying episode for a die hard fan, or science buff, but ok for a casual observer.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 13, 2011
I don't make it a habit to read books that are based on television shows or movies. It's not that they are all bad (they are not). It's just original ideas tend to be better than ideas from someone else. However, I do break that habit once in a while. This last weekend I read "Skin Game" and "After the Dark" by Max Allan Collins. These sequel books are based around the "Dark Angel" Universe, which was a short lived TV show created by James Cameron in 2000-2002.
I decided to review them together because unless you watched the show, the books are not of interest to most people. If you did watch the show, you'll know it ended with a cliff hanger. These two books serve as the answer to that cliff hanger.
Here are a couple of things that are resolved (and they will probably sound silly if you've never seen the show)
1. The Terminal City siege and the future of transgenic rights (Skin Game)
2. The Virus (After the Dark)
3. The Cult (After the Dark)
4. What happened to Lydecker and Sandeman (After the Dark)
Here's the problem with all of it. It's all solved in a superficial way. Almost, as if the act of writing the words on the paper suddenly make the problem go away.
The ending was frustrating because it reminded me of a kid that has a homework assignment due and he's written the first 250 pages and he doesn't feel like wrapping it up properly so he just scribbles stuff down and writes "The End." The last ten pages seemed like they were written by an 8 year old.
Is it worth a read? I'd say if you liked the TV show and want to read the books, do it. They are both very short books. Overall, I would give the books 3 out of 10 (10 being Great).
Originally reviewed on my blog at http://www.AustinJamesHere.blogspot.com
I decided to review them together because unless you watched the show, the books are not of interest to most people. If you did watch the show, you'll know it ended with a cliff hanger. These two books serve as the answer to that cliff hanger.
Here are a couple of things that are resolved (and they will probably sound silly if you've never seen the show)
1. The Terminal City siege and the future of transgenic rights (Skin Game)
2. The Virus (After the Dark)
3. The Cult (After the Dark)
4. What happened to Lydecker and Sandeman (After the Dark)
Here's the problem with all of it. It's all solved in a superficial way. Almost, as if the act of writing the words on the paper suddenly make the problem go away.
The ending was frustrating because it reminded me of a kid that has a homework assignment due and he's written the first 250 pages and he doesn't feel like wrapping it up properly so he just scribbles stuff down and writes "The End." The last ten pages seemed like they were written by an 8 year old.
Is it worth a read? I'd say if you liked the TV show and want to read the books, do it. They are both very short books. Overall, I would give the books 3 out of 10 (10 being Great).
Originally reviewed on my blog at http://www.AustinJamesHere.blogspot.com
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 10, 2020
I mean, I really wanted to know what would have happened if they hadn't cancelled the TV show so when I found out about a book series I went straight for this final chapter. The tone doesn't really reflect the TV series or maybe I don't remember it as much as I thought after all these years. It wasn't a complete waste of time because it's pretty short and it only took me a day and a half to get through it. However, the writing wasn't great and the story wasn't either, very much anticlimactic.
June 5, 2017
Huh, ok. So this is how it ends? I love happily ever afters just as much as the next person, but wrapping it all with a nice little bow seems uncharacteristic to the series. I wouldn't mind that comet having some kind of impact on mass populace, if only a minor one. On the other hand, this is the last book and I can understand author wanting to give fans closure. Still, I was hoping for maybe seeing Sandeman there in the end. Oh well.
The writing is still very good, all the characters captured perfectly and I'm thinking Max Allan Collins was quite a fan of the show himself. Anyone who watched it would be, there's no other way to go about it. Max and Co were pretty awesome and I'm happy I got to spend a little more time with them here.
Over and out.
The writing is still very good, all the characters captured perfectly and I'm thinking Max Allan Collins was quite a fan of the show himself. Anyone who watched it would be, there's no other way to go about it. Max and Co were pretty awesome and I'm happy I got to spend a little more time with them here.
Over and out.
March 21, 2019
Thank whatever heavenly body that exists that I have finally finished this abominable continuation of this show. I am done. No more. No more horrible writing. No more blonde hair shimmering neon lights while discussing a serious plot point of kidnapping. No more objectification of female bodies at the most inopportune times. I disregard this continuation entirely. What a complete and utter cock up of a tying up of loose ends. Blah.
I mentioned in my review of Skin Game that I thought Dark Angel jumped the shark in the second season by burning down Manticore and adding in the snake cult and the author, I guess, decides to continue with that dumbass storyline but giving it the most anticlimactic ending of all times.
It's just dumb. So much of it was dumb. Go read some unauthorised fanfic instead, it's a better use of your time and probably less embarrassing then whatever the fuck this trilogy was.
I mentioned in my review of Skin Game that I thought Dark Angel jumped the shark in the second season by burning down Manticore and adding in the snake cult and the author, I guess, decides to continue with that dumbass storyline but giving it the most anticlimactic ending of all times.
It's just dumb. So much of it was dumb. Go read some unauthorised fanfic instead, it's a better use of your time and probably less embarrassing then whatever the fuck this trilogy was.
March 15, 2021
Since the last book, now everyone accepts transgenics--I know, right, that was easy!--so what else is there to deal with? I guess all that Chosen One stuff and our big couple finally getting together.
Turns out, the Freak of the Week plot in the last book pulled double-duty. If you'll recall, the FotW was trying to turn into Logan Cale in order to win Max's affections--no one show him Good Luck Chuck, he'll be really embarrassed that he could've just turned into Dane Cook and managed it--but he got whacked by that Logan-specific virus Max has. Well, guess what--that virus had a self-destruct system, so when it detected that 'Logan' (really the FotW) died, it just shut off and now everything's hunky-dory.
Now, you may be wondering how a virus is able to tell that Michael Weatherly's body has died while it's still over in Jessica Alba's body. Surely it's not telepathic. There were a couple of times when Logan was infected and then miraculously saved; how come the virus didn't just assume he was dead those times and shut down then? Or maybe you're just glad this whole virus plotline is done with an Max can have moderately less angst.
Well, bad news. If you'll remember from the first book, Logan used to work with Seth, Max's X5 brother, leading to his death. So before they can get down to business, Logan 'fesses up to Max--please ignore all the times in the series they thought they were going to have sex and he didn't tell her THEN--and of course, we get our cliched, "how could you lie to me? I never want to see you again!" tiff.
(I really wanted Logan to pull a Deadpool and say "I'm sorry, Max, I would've told you before, but the writers hadn't come up with this element of my backstory then!")
Anyway, all that becomes moot as Logan is kidnapped by that evil snake cult--there's never any NICE organization that pattern themselves after snakes, is there?--and everyone involved gets sucked into The Ultimate Showdown of Ultimate Destiny.
So, if you wanted to know what the hell was going on during the second season and where all that was going, this does tie up the loose ends, if somewhat anticlimactically. Lots of Bond villain type scenes where guys hold guns on Max and explain the plot to her, or set their supervillain lairs to self-destruct.
I guess my main problem here is the Max and Logan relationship, even if it does get a happy ending. Now, don't get me wrong. I don't expect an officially licensed tie-in novel to turn into Lady Chatterly's Lover or anything. A fade to black would be fine. But I would like to see SOME development of the relationship beyond the chaste-yet-intimate level they've been at since time immemorial. Surely, they could consummate the relationship off-screen and then--in a mature, frank, adult manner--we could get a portrayal of how that's changed things for them and what life is going to be like for them moving forward. Is that asking too much? Not for them to do the same ridiculous, soap-opera-contrived run-around that even the show seemed to know had overstayed its welcome?
Anyway, the story does end with a sort of sequel tease/the adventure continues type note, but it's nowhere near as frustrating as the show's end. No one's in danger, everything's more or less resolved, it's a good place to end it. I just wish, as an ending, this story had been stronger. Really, I almost prefer the unresolved, yet hopeful and optimistic note the show ended on. Maybe it's impossible for any continuation to actually live up to the expectations of how you'd imagine the story would go, but I don't feel that this one gave it a proper college try.
Turns out, the Freak of the Week plot in the last book pulled double-duty. If you'll recall, the FotW was trying to turn into Logan Cale in order to win Max's affections--no one show him Good Luck Chuck, he'll be really embarrassed that he could've just turned into Dane Cook and managed it--but he got whacked by that Logan-specific virus Max has. Well, guess what--that virus had a self-destruct system, so when it detected that 'Logan' (really the FotW) died, it just shut off and now everything's hunky-dory.
Now, you may be wondering how a virus is able to tell that Michael Weatherly's body has died while it's still over in Jessica Alba's body. Surely it's not telepathic. There were a couple of times when Logan was infected and then miraculously saved; how come the virus didn't just assume he was dead those times and shut down then? Or maybe you're just glad this whole virus plotline is done with an Max can have moderately less angst.
Well, bad news. If you'll remember from the first book, Logan used to work with Seth, Max's X5 brother, leading to his death. So before they can get down to business, Logan 'fesses up to Max--please ignore all the times in the series they thought they were going to have sex and he didn't tell her THEN--and of course, we get our cliched, "how could you lie to me? I never want to see you again!" tiff.
(I really wanted Logan to pull a Deadpool and say "I'm sorry, Max, I would've told you before, but the writers hadn't come up with this element of my backstory then!")
Anyway, all that becomes moot as Logan is kidnapped by that evil snake cult--there's never any NICE organization that pattern themselves after snakes, is there?--and everyone involved gets sucked into The Ultimate Showdown of Ultimate Destiny.
So, if you wanted to know what the hell was going on during the second season and where all that was going, this does tie up the loose ends, if somewhat anticlimactically. Lots of Bond villain type scenes where guys hold guns on Max and explain the plot to her, or set their supervillain lairs to self-destruct.
I guess my main problem here is the Max and Logan relationship, even if it does get a happy ending. Now, don't get me wrong. I don't expect an officially licensed tie-in novel to turn into Lady Chatterly's Lover or anything. A fade to black would be fine. But I would like to see SOME development of the relationship beyond the chaste-yet-intimate level they've been at since time immemorial. Surely, they could consummate the relationship off-screen and then--in a mature, frank, adult manner--we could get a portrayal of how that's changed things for them and what life is going to be like for them moving forward. Is that asking too much? Not for them to do the same ridiculous, soap-opera-contrived run-around that even the show seemed to know had overstayed its welcome?
Anyway, the story does end with a sort of sequel tease/the adventure continues type note, but it's nowhere near as frustrating as the show's end. No one's in danger, everything's more or less resolved, it's a good place to end it. I just wish, as an ending, this story had been stronger. Really, I almost prefer the unresolved, yet hopeful and optimistic note the show ended on. Maybe it's impossible for any continuation to actually live up to the expectations of how you'd imagine the story would go, but I don't feel that this one gave it a proper college try.
March 29, 2022
VAD? Mutanterna börjar accepteras, Logan blir kidnappad och världen går under på juldagen. Kort sagt välkommen till helt vanlig vecka i Max Guevaras liv.
VEM? Max Allan Collins skrev en trilogi böcker knyter ihop trådarna efter tv-serien. Detta är den sista delen.
VAR? Seattle strax före jul 2020; tar vid strax efter den andra boken.
HUR? Jag skall erkänna att jag inledningsvis höll på att få spel på den här boken. Jag vet ärligt talat inte hur många gånger under de första 2-3 kapitlen som författaren klämmer in uttrycket "the man she loved". Jag må vara ensam i den här världen att anse att det minst intressanta i TV-Serien var Max+Logan-grejen. Men saker och ting blev (tack och lov) bättre. I den här delen dukas det upp vad orm-kulten sysslar med och vad Max har för del i det hela. Jag vet inte om jag direkt köper hela meteorit -förklaringen men "vad tror du dödade dinosaurierna?"-kommentaren var väl rätt skoj. Efter Whites misslyckande i förra boken så skrivs han in i handlingen igen på ett brutalt enkelt sätt men man finner det aningen svårt att köpa att han verkligen skulle få chansen igen efter allt storpisk han redan fått av Max . Dock så får även den detaljen sin förklaring, som f.ö. funkar riktigt bra. Avslutningsvis blir det lite av ett anti-klimax, det är lite väntat att meteoriten inte skulle ha någon supertoxin som förgiftar mänskligheten så storyn pyser liksom bara till mot slutet för att sedan bara skingras för vinden. Överlag så är det en bra bok som knyter ihop säcken kring ormkulten, men man saknar gnabbet på Jam Pony och boken känns väldigt mutant-exklusiv.
NÄR? Jag skall givetvis läsa The Eyes Only Dossier av D.A. Stern framöver också, är dock sugen på att klämma in något annat emellan.
[Ursprungligen publicerad på SFN, 20140126]
VEM? Max Allan Collins skrev en trilogi böcker knyter ihop trådarna efter tv-serien. Detta är den sista delen.
VAR? Seattle strax före jul 2020; tar vid strax efter den andra boken.
HUR? Jag skall erkänna att jag inledningsvis höll på att få spel på den här boken. Jag vet ärligt talat inte hur många gånger under de första 2-3 kapitlen som författaren klämmer in uttrycket "the man she loved". Jag må vara ensam i den här världen att anse att det minst intressanta i TV-Serien var Max+Logan-grejen. Men saker och ting blev (tack och lov) bättre. I den här delen dukas det upp vad orm-kulten sysslar med och vad Max har för del i det hela. Jag vet inte om jag direkt köper hela meteorit -förklaringen men "vad tror du dödade dinosaurierna?"-kommentaren var väl rätt skoj. Efter Whites misslyckande i förra boken så skrivs han in i handlingen igen på ett brutalt enkelt sätt men man finner det aningen svårt att köpa att han verkligen skulle få chansen igen efter allt storpisk han redan fått av Max . Dock så får även den detaljen sin förklaring, som f.ö. funkar riktigt bra. Avslutningsvis blir det lite av ett anti-klimax, det är lite väntat att meteoriten inte skulle ha någon supertoxin som förgiftar mänskligheten så storyn pyser liksom bara till mot slutet för att sedan bara skingras för vinden. Överlag så är det en bra bok som knyter ihop säcken kring ormkulten, men man saknar gnabbet på Jam Pony och boken känns väldigt mutant-exklusiv.
NÄR? Jag skall givetvis läsa The Eyes Only Dossier av D.A. Stern framöver också, är dock sugen på att klämma in något annat emellan.
[Ursprungligen publicerad på SFN, 20140126]
October 22, 2009
This is the better of the two Dark Angel books I bought in my last fit of Dark Angel fannishness. (see my review for Skin Game http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/47... for more fannish confessions).
This one's better because it's all about Max and Logan, and, sigh, well, still a Max/Logan shipper. Not that I want them together. I want them madly in love, and then I want Max to have sex with Alec, and Logan, well, if he needs to have sex, he can have sex with Alec as well. It'd be almost like sleeping with Max. And then Max needs to have sex with White. Only, well, looks like it's too late for that.
Damn, there needs to be more DA fanfiction, but it seems as if I'm the only one who still cares. Not that I care right now (OMG the ONLY show I'll EVER watch again is MIAMI VICE!!!). But ask me again in two years or so, when I'll be all Miami Vice, what's that?
(did I mention I bought MV books? Being a fan is hard - you gotta do all sorts of embarassing things. I can only imagine how much i'd regret having won that ebay auction on the Sonny Crockett mirror in a few months(thankfully, I didn't win).
*sigh*
This one's better because it's all about Max and Logan, and, sigh, well, still a Max/Logan shipper. Not that I want them together. I want them madly in love, and then I want Max to have sex with Alec, and Logan, well, if he needs to have sex, he can have sex with Alec as well. It'd be almost like sleeping with Max. And then Max needs to have sex with White. Only, well, looks like it's too late for that.
Damn, there needs to be more DA fanfiction, but it seems as if I'm the only one who still cares. Not that I care right now (OMG the ONLY show I'll EVER watch again is MIAMI VICE!!!). But ask me again in two years or so, when I'll be all Miami Vice, what's that?
(did I mention I bought MV books? Being a fan is hard - you gotta do all sorts of embarassing things. I can only imagine how much i'd regret having won that ebay auction on the Sonny Crockett mirror in a few months(thankfully, I didn't win).
*sigh*
August 13, 2020
I had hopes this would end the world of Max and her Transgenics a little differently. It was a very formulaic plot... And very disappointing.
The virus was gone, thanks to the previous book, Skin Game- but even that seemed too simple given the complexities behind a designer virus. Then the Snake Cult reared its ugly head and that story was too convoluted to follow easily.
Three out of five. It was an okay ending to the overall story, but still a disappointing end.
The virus was gone, thanks to the previous book, Skin Game- but even that seemed too simple given the complexities behind a designer virus. Then the Snake Cult reared its ugly head and that story was too convoluted to follow easily.
Three out of five. It was an okay ending to the overall story, but still a disappointing end.
September 9, 2015
Again; simple, like the previous two, but works in a way to tie up the loose ends that were left by the television series.
The end and some of the answers feel a little rushed, but aside from that it kind of works. Though I am sure there is fan-fiction out there that will give a more satisfying end to the show.
The end and some of the answers feel a little rushed, but aside from that it kind of works. Though I am sure there is fan-fiction out there that will give a more satisfying end to the show.
April 10, 2023
Disappointed. Skin Game was fine, it was a Monster of the Week style episode with a finale recap. Not too exciting, but I did enjoy following straight on the finale and working with done loose ends.
Then this book… I don’t think it is Max Allan Collins fault really, not the story elements at least, because its like someone said ”you have 250 pages to resolve all of these incredibly convoluted plots and give Max a happy ending”, and it doesn’t work.
First of all, the writing is really awful. The dialogue is terrible, the characters feel off and it is a lot of just exposition. The most on brand characters where White, Alec, and Mole.
The Max-Logan virus saga: ugh. The dumbest cop-out ever. Was this the Intention from the start with this plot? It is so dumb. And as soon as it is resolved there is new drama between them to keep them apart.
Here is my problem with this relationship: it is all build up. The whole show was just build up and it is boring and frustrating to engage with. They’re going for doomed lovers, but you just get two characters that seem uptight and unable to truly relate to each other. We are consistently told they like each other, but Max generally seems more natural and comfortable away from him. I guess I’m glad that they got a happy ending, I just have to question whether this was something audiences really wanted… it was a bit meh, for me.
The Snake Cult plot: a big nothing sandwich in the end. Sad. White is a good villain, but the group and ideology, meh.
The show really jumped the shark introducing this plot. It is probably part of why the show got canceled, it is too convoluted and dumb.
It highlights that the show made a huge error when it went from ”Max is a transgenic among transgenics on the run from a secret government program” to ”Max is the chosen one. A modern Jesus. She alone will save humanity through her blood”. It is just… not Collins fault cause it is not his original story, but resolving it was a mess and I feel for him.
It did need to be resolved though, but adding in Sandeman and Lydecker was clearly an afterthought that is not really dwelled on or explored properly. Was the hint of Max’s mom there because this was supposed to continue in a fourth book?
It is also silly that suddenly transgenics are completely accepted into society, just in the time between last book and this one which is barely a couple of months.
The one moment I liked in this book was when Max kneels over Ray’s dead body and Alec puts a hand on her shoulder to comfort her (after a while). It seemed genuine, not unlike the scene where she told him about Ben, so I did feel like I was watching the show there.
I also, as always, like Original Cindy but she did have a bit much jargon here, felt kind if forced at times.
All in all, I read this because I wanted to see how this story would wrap up, now I know. If this was the plan for season 3… I mean, I guess I still would have wanted to see it, but yikes… I can see why it was canceled. I’m glad I could read this though, and get the ending, no matter how bad it is.
Then this book… I don’t think it is Max Allan Collins fault really, not the story elements at least, because its like someone said ”you have 250 pages to resolve all of these incredibly convoluted plots and give Max a happy ending”, and it doesn’t work.
First of all, the writing is really awful. The dialogue is terrible, the characters feel off and it is a lot of just exposition. The most on brand characters where White, Alec, and Mole.
The Max-Logan virus saga: ugh. The dumbest cop-out ever. Was this the Intention from the start with this plot? It is so dumb. And as soon as it is resolved there is new drama between them to keep them apart.
Here is my problem with this relationship: it is all build up. The whole show was just build up and it is boring and frustrating to engage with. They’re going for doomed lovers, but you just get two characters that seem uptight and unable to truly relate to each other. We are consistently told they like each other, but Max generally seems more natural and comfortable away from him. I guess I’m glad that they got a happy ending, I just have to question whether this was something audiences really wanted… it was a bit meh, for me.
The Snake Cult plot: a big nothing sandwich in the end. Sad. White is a good villain, but the group and ideology, meh.
The show really jumped the shark introducing this plot. It is probably part of why the show got canceled, it is too convoluted and dumb.
It highlights that the show made a huge error when it went from ”Max is a transgenic among transgenics on the run from a secret government program” to ”Max is the chosen one. A modern Jesus. She alone will save humanity through her blood”. It is just… not Collins fault cause it is not his original story, but resolving it was a mess and I feel for him.
It did need to be resolved though, but adding in Sandeman and Lydecker was clearly an afterthought that is not really dwelled on or explored properly. Was the hint of Max’s mom there because this was supposed to continue in a fourth book?
It is also silly that suddenly transgenics are completely accepted into society, just in the time between last book and this one which is barely a couple of months.
The one moment I liked in this book was when Max kneels over Ray’s dead body and Alec puts a hand on her shoulder to comfort her (after a while). It seemed genuine, not unlike the scene where she told him about Ben, so I did feel like I was watching the show there.
I also, as always, like Original Cindy but she did have a bit much jargon here, felt kind if forced at times.
All in all, I read this because I wanted to see how this story would wrap up, now I know. If this was the plan for season 3… I mean, I guess I still would have wanted to see it, but yikes… I can see why it was canceled. I’m glad I could read this though, and get the ending, no matter how bad it is.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 8, 2011
WARNING: This review contains light spoilers. If you want to be 100% spoiler free, I suggest not reading.
Cons:
1. Bad writing. Way too many similes that don't make sense, or did but just sounded awful and weren't funny the way they were supposed to be. I think sometimes Max Allan Collins started writing but then forgot where he was going, so he just ended in a crappy simile or a bad joke. Not very good writing, to say the least.
2. Annoying plot line. Don't get me wrong; if this were some random episode in the actual show, it would be a pretty sweet idea. But for the conclusion to the series? No way! I mean, come on. Logan isn't even in half the book. How can you end the series by not having probably the second main character be in less than half of the end?
3. Max Allan Collins obviously has not watched more than a few episodes of Dark Angel. Either that, or he watched and decided he didn't like the characters, so he'll switch their personalities around a little. Most of them were okay, but some were way off, and none of them were completely true.
Max. Pretty good job on the main character, which is a good thing, otherwise he would have probably had a riot on his hands. (Dark Angel fans are few and far, but the ones I have talked to are hardcore.) There were some moments, though, that as hard as I tried I could not picture Max saying. Especially the mushy parts. I mean, yeah, Max has her moments, but not the the extent Collins wrote. And she definitely would have made some stupid comments along the way, also.
Logan. Well, who knows, really? He was captured somewhere around the first eighty pages and [spoiler]he doesn't get back till the very end.[/spoiler] From what's shown, he's too serious. I know Logan is a serious guy, but not that serious. And when he wasn't being stone-faced, he was pouring his heart out like a pansy. And by saying that I don't mean that pouring your heart out makes you a pansy, just that he did it like one.
Joshua. I'm thinking Collins really hated Joshua, or at least underestimated his intelligence. He made poor Joshie look like a retarded homeless person. Yes, Joshua is a little slow in most areas, but he's actually a very intelligent person. Living in a basement your whole life can kinda make you ignorant about the world, but he learns quickly.
Alec. This smart-mouthed X5 would probably be the easiest to recreate, right? Just throw in a couple smart remarks there, have Max mention he's a little un-trustable, punch a few people, make some more comments, punch some people, make Max say that he's a little un-trustable... yeah, no.
First of all, I lost count of how many times I wanted to find Collins and smack him over the head for mentioning again and again how Alec was a little on the bad side. Yes, he used to be an non-respectable dick. That was at the beginning of season two. Pretty much all the characters have gotten over it and trust him with their lives, just as he does with most of them.
I also wanted to slap Collins' face for giving him all these cheesy, stupid lines. It's called smart-mouth for a reason. They're supposed to be intelligent comments, not these idiotic things Collins is shoving in his mouth.
But at least he actually got some face time in the book. In Skin Game he only got like two parts before he ran off with Joshua.
Pretty much all of the other characters were good, so at least there's that.
4. The ending. Man, I could go on about this forever. The whole point of these books was to wrap it all up in a bow, nice and neat, for those of us who wanted to know all the little details that escaped(and trust me, there were many). Did we get all(or most) of those answers? Sure. But then there were some more opened up at the end! That's not how it should be. Either you should leave some of the already un-answered questions still hanging or you should answer them and be done with it. Don't open up new mysteries in the last book!
5. I realize that not everyone is religious and the author probably isn't either, so I get that he won't be saying it's fact to please all us church-going folks. But that being said, I don't think it's fair to say that it's complete crap, either. I mean, that's pretty much what he said. It pissed me off.
Pros:
1. [spoiler] Ames White died, but not only did he die, it was Joshua who killed him, and he did it with fury and vengeance, spitting into the decapitated head of Mr. White that the reason he died was Anna. Ever since that episode when White had Anna brutally killed, I've been wanting Joshua to be the one to kill him. Now, it's finally done![/spoiler]
2. It had more of Alec. Though this kinda got cancelled out by not having like any of Logan....
3. Mole was awesome! He was way cooler than in Skin Game.
So as you can see, the cons are much greater than the pros. A big thing, though, was that these books were made at all. When I found out there were Dark Angel books, I was super excited. Another chance to see some of my favorite characters in action? To have more BA Max, uber-smart Logan, sweet, Josh, and smart mouth Alec? This was going to be awesome.
But then I found out that two of the books take place after the series. Really, it's fun to see what happened... but to have books conclude this epic action series? Obviously I love books, but this didn't seem right.
The ending of the second season was perfect. Most fans don't like it, and I hate that it ended, too, but if it had to end prematurely, I'd have it end that way every time. Yes, there were about a thousand questions. Is Lydecker really dead? Will Joshua get his revenge on Ames White for killing Anna? Just what is this snake cult all about? Will Max and Logan ever be happy together? And, of course, what will happen to the Transgetics?
So there are all these questions and it's near the episode ending, and it's going to be so stupid that they don't answer them, and you're going to kill yourself...
But then it has this solid, hopeful, and all around perfect ending. The Transgetic flag raising, the solemn faces of all our loved characters, the ominous silence that has settled over everyone. It was like, yes, we've fought and won this small battle, but the wars not over. We've lost some and saved some, but the big fight is still to come. It was such a lost battle, but they were in it together, and you knew that as long as they were united they would prevail.
Cons:
1. Bad writing. Way too many similes that don't make sense, or did but just sounded awful and weren't funny the way they were supposed to be. I think sometimes Max Allan Collins started writing but then forgot where he was going, so he just ended in a crappy simile or a bad joke. Not very good writing, to say the least.
2. Annoying plot line. Don't get me wrong; if this were some random episode in the actual show, it would be a pretty sweet idea. But for the conclusion to the series? No way! I mean, come on. Logan isn't even in half the book. How can you end the series by not having probably the second main character be in less than half of the end?
3. Max Allan Collins obviously has not watched more than a few episodes of Dark Angel. Either that, or he watched and decided he didn't like the characters, so he'll switch their personalities around a little. Most of them were okay, but some were way off, and none of them were completely true.
Max. Pretty good job on the main character, which is a good thing, otherwise he would have probably had a riot on his hands. (Dark Angel fans are few and far, but the ones I have talked to are hardcore.) There were some moments, though, that as hard as I tried I could not picture Max saying. Especially the mushy parts. I mean, yeah, Max has her moments, but not the the extent Collins wrote. And she definitely would have made some stupid comments along the way, also.
Logan. Well, who knows, really? He was captured somewhere around the first eighty pages and [spoiler]he doesn't get back till the very end.[/spoiler] From what's shown, he's too serious. I know Logan is a serious guy, but not that serious. And when he wasn't being stone-faced, he was pouring his heart out like a pansy. And by saying that I don't mean that pouring your heart out makes you a pansy, just that he did it like one.
Joshua. I'm thinking Collins really hated Joshua, or at least underestimated his intelligence. He made poor Joshie look like a retarded homeless person. Yes, Joshua is a little slow in most areas, but he's actually a very intelligent person. Living in a basement your whole life can kinda make you ignorant about the world, but he learns quickly.
Alec. This smart-mouthed X5 would probably be the easiest to recreate, right? Just throw in a couple smart remarks there, have Max mention he's a little un-trustable, punch a few people, make some more comments, punch some people, make Max say that he's a little un-trustable... yeah, no.
First of all, I lost count of how many times I wanted to find Collins and smack him over the head for mentioning again and again how Alec was a little on the bad side. Yes, he used to be an non-respectable dick. That was at the beginning of season two. Pretty much all the characters have gotten over it and trust him with their lives, just as he does with most of them.
I also wanted to slap Collins' face for giving him all these cheesy, stupid lines. It's called smart-mouth for a reason. They're supposed to be intelligent comments, not these idiotic things Collins is shoving in his mouth.
But at least he actually got some face time in the book. In Skin Game he only got like two parts before he ran off with Joshua.
Pretty much all of the other characters were good, so at least there's that.
4. The ending. Man, I could go on about this forever. The whole point of these books was to wrap it all up in a bow, nice and neat, for those of us who wanted to know all the little details that escaped(and trust me, there were many). Did we get all(or most) of those answers? Sure. But then there were some more opened up at the end! That's not how it should be. Either you should leave some of the already un-answered questions still hanging or you should answer them and be done with it. Don't open up new mysteries in the last book!
5. I realize that not everyone is religious and the author probably isn't either, so I get that he won't be saying it's fact to please all us church-going folks. But that being said, I don't think it's fair to say that it's complete crap, either. I mean, that's pretty much what he said. It pissed me off.
Pros:
1. [spoiler] Ames White died, but not only did he die, it was Joshua who killed him, and he did it with fury and vengeance, spitting into the decapitated head of Mr. White that the reason he died was Anna. Ever since that episode when White had Anna brutally killed, I've been wanting Joshua to be the one to kill him. Now, it's finally done![/spoiler]
2. It had more of Alec. Though this kinda got cancelled out by not having like any of Logan....
3. Mole was awesome! He was way cooler than in Skin Game.
So as you can see, the cons are much greater than the pros. A big thing, though, was that these books were made at all. When I found out there were Dark Angel books, I was super excited. Another chance to see some of my favorite characters in action? To have more BA Max, uber-smart Logan, sweet, Josh, and smart mouth Alec? This was going to be awesome.
But then I found out that two of the books take place after the series. Really, it's fun to see what happened... but to have books conclude this epic action series? Obviously I love books, but this didn't seem right.
The ending of the second season was perfect. Most fans don't like it, and I hate that it ended, too, but if it had to end prematurely, I'd have it end that way every time. Yes, there were about a thousand questions. Is Lydecker really dead? Will Joshua get his revenge on Ames White for killing Anna? Just what is this snake cult all about? Will Max and Logan ever be happy together? And, of course, what will happen to the Transgetics?
So there are all these questions and it's near the episode ending, and it's going to be so stupid that they don't answer them, and you're going to kill yourself...
But then it has this solid, hopeful, and all around perfect ending. The Transgetic flag raising, the solemn faces of all our loved characters, the ominous silence that has settled over everyone. It was like, yes, we've fought and won this small battle, but the wars not over. We've lost some and saved some, but the big fight is still to come. It was such a lost battle, but they were in it together, and you knew that as long as they were united they would prevail.
July 15, 2017
A completely disappointing ending to both the trilogy of spinoff books, and the official "Dark Angel" tale as a whole. This book was completely all over the place. Its very slow to start, and once it picks up I felt like so many different plot points were being thrown at me and wrapped up sloppily with very little rhyme or reason. This feels so rushed, as if halfway through writing the book the author forgot to include some important plot points, so instead of going back and easing them in naturally, he just says screw it and tosses them in wherever he feels like it. The whole comet/snake cult/mysteriously appearing genetic tattoo plot, for example. No mention of that was made in the second book (and for most of this third one) until randomly thats what the book suddenly becomes about, in just about the sloppiest way possible, through a rushed, tell-all monologue that explains everything with a neat little bow on top. After this point, things quickly go down the drain, with a completely and utterly stupid and rushed ending to the battle with the snake cult and the oncoming comet that was mysteriously mentioned here and there throughout season two. Things just happen way too fast, in the most unnatural and anticlimatic ways possible. Season two created so much intrigue and mystery, and its sad to see it amount to nothing in this novel. With that said, as a whole I did enjoy this trilogy, and as far as TV books go, these were pretty solid. As much as I didnt like this novel, I am silultaneously saddened that I have to bid the world of "Dark Angel" adieu once again. There was such a nice setup for a sequel plot about Max finding her real birth mom, and Im sad ill never know what became of that. Its been a bumpy ride with many fluctuations in quality, but I dont regret reading this continuation series at all.
February 21, 2020
1.5 stars rounded up to 2. Maybe an okay-ish piece of fanfiction, but even as such it wasn't that great, most importantly because the characters should have been like themselves at least, which they were only in bits at a time, Max for instance felt too soft and fluffy. In fact, I think the less you remember about the series, the better. The author did make sure to remind the reader who everybody is and what had happened previously. (I didn't even read the previous novels and I was fine, didn't need to read them, because the important stuff was told here again.) Which would be totally fine if the target audience was some other people than die-hard DA fans. As a fan, it was beyond annoying to be told who the main characters are and what they look like, because that was wasted space that could have been used to write about the important stuff.
Like Logan and Max interaction, for an example. I'm quite okay with the quantity - it could be expected with this plot - but the quality could have been better.
One positive thing, though: the ending was a huge cop-out, I give you that, but I actually enjoyed the irony of it. Is there another way to prove how ridiculous a cult like that is? It was lame but realistic in a way, so I'm happy.
But don't get me started about the hair incident...
I didn't _like_ this as such, but it was a fast read, there were a few lines of dialogue that I could picture easily within the show, and it could have been worse. So I guess that makes it worthy of the 2 stars. It could have been worse, folks.
Like Logan and Max interaction, for an example. I'm quite okay with the quantity - it could be expected with this plot - but the quality could have been better.
One positive thing, though: the ending was a huge cop-out, I give you that, but I actually enjoyed the irony of it. Is there another way to prove how ridiculous a cult like that is? It was lame but realistic in a way, so I'm happy.
But don't get me started about the hair incident...
I didn't _like_ this as such, but it was a fast read, there were a few lines of dialogue that I could picture easily within the show, and it could have been worse. So I guess that makes it worthy of the 2 stars. It could have been worse, folks.
December 28, 2023
Was excited to read Collins’ 3 Dark Angels tie-in novels after a recent re-watch of the show. As fans of the show will know, its run was cut short before major story arcs were wrapped up. The books promised to solve that problem.
The writing isn’t “bad”, but my fear when finding the authors foreword that he wasn’t a fan of the show proved true. They’re written without passion or indepth knowledge of the lore; like an author dutifully hitting their X words per day to fulfil contractual requirements. That’s not to say there’s major glaring issues in canon, but the the books spend more time referencing the handful of new characters introduced just in the books, than the depth of content from the show that I’d hoped would get some nostalgic references and tie-ins.
The books *do* provide some closure and officially ends some story arcs left on a cliff hanger, but (and it’s a big but) the word I’d use to describe the conclusions is “superficial”- I almost didn’t want to finish After the Dark when I realised there was less than 50pages left to attempt to wrap up many loose threads. The final chapter feels like the equivalent of a schoolkid finishing a coursework project with “and then I woke up”.
I’m glad I picked the bugs up and found some closure; but also sad that despite the Dark Angel saga getting an ending after the TV show was cancelled, it *definitely* didn’t get the conclusion I’d hoped for, or felt an excellent series deserved.
The writing isn’t “bad”, but my fear when finding the authors foreword that he wasn’t a fan of the show proved true. They’re written without passion or indepth knowledge of the lore; like an author dutifully hitting their X words per day to fulfil contractual requirements. That’s not to say there’s major glaring issues in canon, but the the books spend more time referencing the handful of new characters introduced just in the books, than the depth of content from the show that I’d hoped would get some nostalgic references and tie-ins.
The books *do* provide some closure and officially ends some story arcs left on a cliff hanger, but (and it’s a big but) the word I’d use to describe the conclusions is “superficial”- I almost didn’t want to finish After the Dark when I realised there was less than 50pages left to attempt to wrap up many loose threads. The final chapter feels like the equivalent of a schoolkid finishing a coursework project with “and then I woke up”.
I’m glad I picked the bugs up and found some closure; but also sad that despite the Dark Angel saga getting an ending after the TV show was cancelled, it *definitely* didn’t get the conclusion I’d hoped for, or felt an excellent series deserved.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 17, 2020
I believe this is the second book written after the show ended, I meant to read them in order oops. It was enjoyable, the ending was satisfying, as was having some closure to open ended questions left from the canceled series. Max and co were written in character really well which I appreciated. Slang from the tv show definitely was carried through to the book and it wasn't difficult at all to picture my favorite characters being themselves. Though I wish I could've read a little more about some key characters seeing as the book mainly only focused on Max, Alec, Joshua and Mole? Who I dont really remember.
I liked it overall :)
I liked it overall :)
March 13, 2017
In the final instalment of the Dark Angel book series, Logan is kidnapped and seemingly held for ransom but nothing is as it seems as the transgenics dig deeper into the gang who kidnapped him. Max and her crew race the clock to try and save Logan before his time is up...
The thing I liked about this last book is that there were a lot of loose ends tied up so it felt like the series had a solid ending.
The plot was a bit vacant again though. There was an outline, Logan being a kidnap is a trap to capture Max instead.
So even though there were a few loose ends tied up, it wasn't exactly a satisfying book to read. Especially with Alec not being a smart alec anymore, he's more like a good little errand boy doing what he's told. Definitely not him!
Read more on my blog.
The thing I liked about this last book is that there were a lot of loose ends tied up so it felt like the series had a solid ending.
The plot was a bit vacant again though. There was an outline, Logan being a kidnap is a trap to capture Max instead.
So even though there were a few loose ends tied up, it wasn't exactly a satisfying book to read. Especially with Alec not being a smart alec anymore, he's more like a good little errand boy doing what he's told. Definitely not him!
Read more on my blog.
December 28, 2020
Der leider schon wieder letzte Band der "Dark Angel"-Fortsetzung. Genau wie in der Serie gab es einen überraschenden Plottwist, der meiner Meinung nach gut in die Handlung und zu den Charakteren passte und den ich gerne Onscreen gesehen hätte aber naja... Das Finale kam auch sehr überraschend, und ich muss sagen, dass ich in dieser Form nicht damit gerechnet hätte. Es war cool und unerwartet und ein wenig seltsam, letztendlich gefiel es mir aber sehr gut. Ich bin nur ein wenig traurig, jetzt doch endgültig Abschied von den Charakteren nehmen zu müssen.
July 19, 2018
A great ending to the Dark Angel series. It neatly wraps up some parts and leaves more adventures waiting to happen. It was a page turner and I enjoyed the action sequences and the mysteries to solve. The stupid cult members being all disappointed and incredulous about the comet’s lack of effect was a bonus. Max tells them to do like other cults and just pick a new day and start over. He he he.
May 5, 2019
The end of this book felt like such a cop out. We've spent all this time in both the TV show and the books building up this whole cult angle with the end of the world coming and then when it finally gets down to it it was like...lol, just kidding?
I felt like it was incredibly anticlimactic.
I felt like it was incredibly anticlimactic.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 13, 2019
Bad Ames White targeting Logan. Although I am surprised no one thought about targeting him before. He is rich after all. I love Dark Angel and I wish they made more of the show but the books are good to.
April 12, 2021
Like the previous book, this one has some clumsy prose but is overall a good continuation of the story. It improved on the last book by having Max back front and centre, and tied up the Dark Angel story quite nicely.
September 25, 2017
Bad ending....
May 14, 2018
Amazing
Loved to read the continued story of dark angel. Glad that everything is great and that logan and max are cured. Great job
Loved to read the continued story of dark angel. Glad that everything is great and that logan and max are cured. Great job
January 6, 2019
Awful
Not worth the bother. Poor writing and trite asides to wade through. The first in the series was ok. Don't know what happened...
Not worth the bother. Poor writing and trite asides to wade through. The first in the series was ok. Don't know what happened...
May 26, 2022
Need to read these if you like the show so much better. You get so much more information.
January 10, 2023
I miss the series and I miss Alec. Just wanted to see how the rest of the story would have gone.
July 1, 2017
The books are not as well written as the series, but if you felt hungry for closure after the finale, I recommend reading all three. I did expect something grander regarding the "biblically bad" issue, but at least I did not have to imagine it myself. Max feels a bit colder in the books too, but overall the characters feel exactly the same as in the series.
Want to read
July 23, 2012I started this before I realized that I skipped a book. It opens from an unexpected POV (). I stopped because I can't tell where in the timeline it is, and I'd like to get #2 first. My sister read it and loved it, but she didn't think the author quite nailed Joshua. She thought it might not be the author's fault. The character's charm would be hard to convey in text. She said, at times, he sounded more ... (I'm going to use spoiler tags because the word I'm using is impolite to people with disabilities).
Maybe this was just a translation error, of things harder to convey in text, but I suspect the problem is with a lack of knowledge of the show.
I'm going to say something that other reviews have said. From the forward, I get the strong idea that the author, Max Allan Collins, has never watched the television show. This is foolish and unforgivable.
Highly critical section: I understand not wanting to bias the writing, but the characters were well developed, and there are only two seasons! A person could watch the entire show in the time it took him to call his friend Matt and get the low down. More importantly, this show was a landmark to putting minorities in broadcasted speculative fiction, and no one has done it quite as well since. When they cast ethnic actors, they did these characters a solid. I'm not saying they were the people they were hired to play, but they must have had some insight to do it well. It would also explain why Original Cindy's first person dialogue did not come across in the first book 'After the Dark'. She didn't sound charmingly affected. She sounded low-class and geographically circumscribed .
That said, I'm still excited that a got the hand-me-down. The first one was great (as guilty pleasures go). They maintained the world they built in the series, and filled it out with a history and a future.
Maybe this was just a translation error, of things harder to convey in text, but I suspect the problem is with a lack of knowledge of the show.
I'm going to say something that other reviews have said. From the forward, I get the strong idea that the author, Max Allan Collins, has never watched the television show. This is foolish and unforgivable.
Highly critical section: I understand not wanting to bias the writing, but the characters were well developed, and there are only two seasons! A person could watch the entire show in the time it took him to call his friend Matt and get the low down. More importantly, this show was a landmark to putting minorities in broadcasted speculative fiction, and no one has done it quite as well since. When they cast ethnic actors, they did these characters a solid. I'm not saying they were the people they were hired to play, but they must have had some insight to do it well. It would also explain why Original Cindy's first person dialogue did not come across in the first book 'After the Dark'. She didn't sound charmingly affected. She sounded low-class and geographically circumscribed .
That said, I'm still excited that a got the hand-me-down. The first one was great (as guilty pleasures go). They maintained the world they built in the series, and filled it out with a history and a future.
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