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Dark Angel #1
Before the Dawn
The explosive prequel to the hit TV series. Never-before-told tales of action and adventure revealing the early days of Dark Angel!
Los Angeles, 2019. Large sections of Tinseltown are in Richter-scale ruins in the aftermath of the Pulse and a devastating earthquake. Surviving among a ragtag pack of street kids, agile as a cat, and an expert thief, Max steals from the rich and gives to Moody, her mentor in crime and leader of the gang. But with no real family to speak of, Max longs for her missing "brothers and sisters" from Manticore, the covert agency with a sinister history of militaristic manipulation and control.
By chance, Max sees a news story on TV about a dissident cyberjournalist in Seattle, known to everyone as "Eyes Only." The police are searching for his accomplice, a young rebel whose image flashes on the screen. Max immediately recognizes Seth, one of her Manticore siblings. She mounts her motorcycle and hightails it north. What she rides into is an elaborate web of betrayal, greed, revenge, and selfless heroism that will only further fuel her quest to uncover the secrets of her past—and seize hope for the future....
Los Angeles, 2019. Large sections of Tinseltown are in Richter-scale ruins in the aftermath of the Pulse and a devastating earthquake. Surviving among a ragtag pack of street kids, agile as a cat, and an expert thief, Max steals from the rich and gives to Moody, her mentor in crime and leader of the gang. But with no real family to speak of, Max longs for her missing "brothers and sisters" from Manticore, the covert agency with a sinister history of militaristic manipulation and control.
By chance, Max sees a news story on TV about a dissident cyberjournalist in Seattle, known to everyone as "Eyes Only." The police are searching for his accomplice, a young rebel whose image flashes on the screen. Max immediately recognizes Seth, one of her Manticore siblings. She mounts her motorcycle and hightails it north. What she rides into is an elaborate web of betrayal, greed, revenge, and selfless heroism that will only further fuel her quest to uncover the secrets of her past—and seize hope for the future....
271 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published October 1, 2002
39 people are currently reading
1299 people want to read
About the author
Max Allan Collins
809 books1,324 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
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 67 reviews
March 14, 2019
So it's been about fifteen years since I read this and oh boy I did not realise how bad it was.
Where do I even start? I guess... I don't know. Dark Angel was my first fandom. I was fourteen and I was obsessed. That shit did not air on free to air tv in australia until 10.30pm at night so I VHS'd that shit (and I would often miss the end because no matter what it always ran late and that extra half and hour I set to record was never enough). It was also the first DVD I ever bought, prior to me even having a DVD player. Season one part two (the better episodes) and that cost me EIGHTY DOLLARS. Eighty dollars for HALF A SEASON.
My Dark Angel fandom days were prior to AO3, I would search out fansites and copy and paste as many fanfics into a word document because my dial up internet was a dollar an hour and I was not going to waste that reading. I copy and paste that into a word document and it read it later. And this was of the days prior to clicking a button to say that you were of the right age to access this material. You often had to email the author with an "I'm eighteen" email and they emailed that fanfic to you.
Sorry. I got caught up in nostalgia. Anyway. The point. The point is that the majority of those fanfics I read back then were probably much better than this. The majority of the fanfics that exist for this fandom today are better than this. I get that it's basically canon approved fanfic but still. It's so bad. So, so bad.
It's not even the story. The story is okay. It makes me hate Logan Cale more, which... I was already on board with anyway because he was such a suck of a character and also because I can no longer divorce his character from the man who played him who is a gigantic sexual harassing arse and for the many rumours floating around the internet, was a raging prick on the set AND influenced the writers of this show because of his relationship with the star. It also gives Max a bit more depth to her backstory. We learn how she became a thief, how she came to Seattle and how she met Original Cindy. So the story. Not so bad.
The writing however. Oh boy. Have you ever seen that tumblr post about how bad male writers are with writing female characters and the example is something like "her nipples brushed against the cloth of her shirt as she breastly breasted down the stairs" or some BS. That's this author. I read about Max's voluptuous figure (Jessica Alba has indicated that she had an eating disorder while she was filming this show so... that screams unbelievably fucked up to me), I read about Lydecker putting a bullet between the "pert breasts" of one his runaway X5's, I read how Original Cindy "shook what her mama gave her" in a dive shanty town bar.
It was so fucking bad.
It's been awhile since I've rewatched Dark Angel so I can't remember how much of it was shot through the male gaze (the star was Jessica Alba and it was based on a story by two men so I know there is definitely an element but was it as bad as this book indicates?!?!) but JFC.
Look. This show deserves a reboot. It's the era of them (I was also reading this book set in the ~future~ and the future according to this book is 2019 so. That made me feel old as hell) and it was ruined by interfering male star mentioned above. By the completely and utter jumping of the shark that was season two. But the premise is so good. Give my genetically altered killing machines. Ugh.
Just not like this.
Where do I even start? I guess... I don't know. Dark Angel was my first fandom. I was fourteen and I was obsessed. That shit did not air on free to air tv in australia until 10.30pm at night so I VHS'd that shit (and I would often miss the end because no matter what it always ran late and that extra half and hour I set to record was never enough). It was also the first DVD I ever bought, prior to me even having a DVD player. Season one part two (the better episodes) and that cost me EIGHTY DOLLARS. Eighty dollars for HALF A SEASON.
My Dark Angel fandom days were prior to AO3, I would search out fansites and copy and paste as many fanfics into a word document because my dial up internet was a dollar an hour and I was not going to waste that reading. I copy and paste that into a word document and it read it later. And this was of the days prior to clicking a button to say that you were of the right age to access this material. You often had to email the author with an "I'm eighteen" email and they emailed that fanfic to you.
Sorry. I got caught up in nostalgia. Anyway. The point. The point is that the majority of those fanfics I read back then were probably much better than this. The majority of the fanfics that exist for this fandom today are better than this. I get that it's basically canon approved fanfic but still. It's so bad. So, so bad.
It's not even the story. The story is okay. It makes me hate Logan Cale more, which... I was already on board with anyway because he was such a suck of a character and also because I can no longer divorce his character from the man who played him who is a gigantic sexual harassing arse and for the many rumours floating around the internet, was a raging prick on the set AND influenced the writers of this show because of his relationship with the star. It also gives Max a bit more depth to her backstory. We learn how she became a thief, how she came to Seattle and how she met Original Cindy. So the story. Not so bad.
The writing however. Oh boy. Have you ever seen that tumblr post about how bad male writers are with writing female characters and the example is something like "her nipples brushed against the cloth of her shirt as she breastly breasted down the stairs" or some BS. That's this author. I read about Max's voluptuous figure (Jessica Alba has indicated that she had an eating disorder while she was filming this show so... that screams unbelievably fucked up to me), I read about Lydecker putting a bullet between the "pert breasts" of one his runaway X5's, I read how Original Cindy "shook what her mama gave her" in a dive shanty town bar.
It was so fucking bad.
It's been awhile since I've rewatched Dark Angel so I can't remember how much of it was shot through the male gaze (the star was Jessica Alba and it was based on a story by two men so I know there is definitely an element but was it as bad as this book indicates?!?!) but JFC.
Look. This show deserves a reboot. It's the era of them (I was also reading this book set in the ~future~ and the future according to this book is 2019 so. That made me feel old as hell) and it was ruined by interfering male star mentioned above. By the completely and utter jumping of the shark that was season two. But the premise is so good. Give my genetically altered killing machines. Ugh.
Just not like this.
April 6, 2010
Like most avid fans of the Dark Angel series, I was devastated when the series was cut short on the most shocking of cliff-hangers with so many questions left unanswered. I hoped against hope that they would at very least make a movie to tie off loose ends, buy alas, my prayers went unanswered.
Then, I discovered that someone had written three tie-in books. I HAD to have them. I ordered them from my favourite online bookstore (betterworldbooks.com) and got stuck in.
I didn't really know what to expect. I've always steered clear of movie tie-in books before, being very skeptical of the content and quality of writing. Though I must say that Max Allan Collins does a solid job. I think he captures all of the characters perfectly so I could see the story playing out in my mind just as I would have on tv.
The first book explains a lot about what happened before the series began. How Max escaped Manticore, her life as a child in the outside world, escaping her foster family, and how she came to be in Seatle. I think this may have even been the best of the three books, probably because I didn't have any expectations for the content. It was all new and interesting.
The second and third books didn't sit quite as well with me. The major downfall was that I didn't believe the Max and Logan ending. It felt like a ending that was conjured up because Collins had a 3 book deal and that was all he could fit in. Sorry mate, I just didn't buy it.
There were a couple of other bits and pieces that weren't exactly right either but that was the biggest one.
Overall though, the books were well written and enjoyable. Despite their flaws they definitely satisfied my quest for answers.
Then, I discovered that someone had written three tie-in books. I HAD to have them. I ordered them from my favourite online bookstore (betterworldbooks.com) and got stuck in.
I didn't really know what to expect. I've always steered clear of movie tie-in books before, being very skeptical of the content and quality of writing. Though I must say that Max Allan Collins does a solid job. I think he captures all of the characters perfectly so I could see the story playing out in my mind just as I would have on tv.
The first book explains a lot about what happened before the series began. How Max escaped Manticore, her life as a child in the outside world, escaping her foster family, and how she came to be in Seatle. I think this may have even been the best of the three books, probably because I didn't have any expectations for the content. It was all new and interesting.
The second and third books didn't sit quite as well with me. The major downfall was that I didn't believe the Max and Logan ending. It felt like a ending that was conjured up because Collins had a 3 book deal and that was all he could fit in. Sorry mate, I just didn't buy it.
There were a couple of other bits and pieces that weren't exactly right either but that was the biggest one.
Overall though, the books were well written and enjoyable. Despite their flaws they definitely satisfied my quest for answers.
May 16, 2011
This is a prequel to the TV series (which I tore through at a prodigious rate and then threw things at the TV at the finale because I wanted to know *what happened next* -- hence ordering these books) and suffers from all the failings of most prequels. For one thing, our main characters meet for the first time in the first episode or the the series, so a book about the two of them when they have not yet met but somehow share a storyline doesn't work so well. Also, the decision to cover all points of Max's life starting from her escape from Manticore in 2009 at age nine up to her meeting Logan for the first time was a misguided one.
In addition, fight scenes don't transition well into fiction unless the author has a talent for writing them... which this one doesn't.
If I think of it as fanfic, even... I wouldn't have finished it had it been fanfic. It wasn't compelling.
It did have its good moments. Max meeting Original Cindy for the first time was awesome. But who the fuck thought that it would be a good idea to give OC a background in the army?? Original Cindy hasn't taken a single order in her life since meeting Diamond.
In addition, fight scenes don't transition well into fiction unless the author has a talent for writing them... which this one doesn't.
If I think of it as fanfic, even... I wouldn't have finished it had it been fanfic. It wasn't compelling.
It did have its good moments. Max meeting Original Cindy for the first time was awesome. But who the fuck thought that it would be a good idea to give OC a background in the army?? Original Cindy hasn't taken a single order in her life since meeting Diamond.
April 11, 2020
Just don’t read it. He mentions tits at every possible moment. He shot an X5 between her “pert breasts”?????? No respect for the craft of the characters done so well in the show.
July 16, 2017
This is one of the most horribly-written books I have ever read. Max Allan Collins is just a bad writer to begin with, then he doesn't research/think out consequences and destroys established canon.
Let's start with the bad writing. In the first chapter, I put down the book and yelled "this stupid book is written by a boy." Yes, I did not take the time to look at the author, because these books are the only way to get the answers to the cliffhangers. If it is good writing, you can't identify the gender of the writer by reading. I also say "boy" because, despite being a grown man, a mature male should have had more insight into human character. I want to say he can't write a woman, but it actually felt like he couldn't write a human. Now, the main character Max (coincidence, since Max Guevara is from the series) unfortunately fits into that '90's stereotype that strong women have to be emotionally stunted in order to be physically strong; he takes her from emotionally stunted to describing her as an emotionless automaton - even when she verbalized how she felt in the series, he removed it. He thinks it makes sense that she feels nothing as an engineered soldier but it now leaves plotholes because an emotionless automaton wouldn't need to run from her Manticore slave masters because she wouldn't be affected by their abuse. Yeah, that's right: he destroys the very first opening scene by making her escape and not care what is going on.
If she didn't care what was going on and felt no emotions nor bonds, what is her motivation seeking out her brother, which is the premise and plot of the entire book?!?
It's not just Max. He does the same for every character in the book. Logan Cale is an emotional man (he even writes poetry) who is driven by his empathy for others into activism; you wouldn't know it by this book. Lydecker is actually a complex man who was doing these horrible things to these "kids" he loves and is proud of, because he thinks it will make them stronger and save a nation. No depth. Even the character of his own creation, Seth, is blank: all he feels is the instinct to survive and frustration with those who do not share his rules for survival. Does Collins not have any emotions and drives himself? He couldn't empathize enough with his characters to make them feel alive, one of his very tasks as a writer.
The boy also cannot do colour, also known as scene setting, build, or, for specific contexts, foreshadowing. He inserts random details at ill-places narrative plot points that add nothing to the scene composition or augmentation of plot. To give an example, towards the end of the book he describes one particular guard in great detail, from physical features to personality and motivation in a very pointed paragraph. Rolling my eyes at heavy-handed display, I surmise that we are suppose to care about this kid more than any other guard in the group because something is going to happen to him that is different from every other guard in his group and in every other action scene (I assumed we were suppose to care because he either gets killed or gets spared for some reason). What happens to this kid who Collins yammers about for a full paragraph? He gets his ass kicked like every other guard in every single scene with guards. It's not like Max kills people, just immobilizes them in some way. Why am I suppose to care about this kid as opposed to any other guards in this book? Nothing changed, and I didn't actually care about him anyway, just the writing.
In another "has he watched the show" moment, he speaks early in the book of Max desiring to go straight. It comes out of left-field because (a) he had no build-up, and (b) she doesn't even talk about that in the show! She never gave up on theft, despite that she demonstrates a developed moral code on the show, and he has her speak (narrative-wise) on the advantages of PI Vogelsang being a part of that shady world. Even if she was thinking of going straight, at least some of it would be because constant thievery doesn't help her lay low - he doesn't give her any logical reason, just shoves it in there. Any editor should have seen it was out of place. Towards the end of the book, he gives a plausible reason with proper build: she slips up and wonders if hanging with normals is making her soft. That's believable!!! This earlier reference doesn't add to her questioning herself and only serves to break the fourth wall (again).
I am also going to share a pet-peeve of mine throughout the book: his constant description of clothes. Okay, not constant because he doesn't describe every character. However, he uses it as his random bit of colour to open far to many scenes, without using it effectively. He is even repetitive in his descriptions of clothing. Don't tell me Lydecker is wearing black jeans and a black tee yet again - show me that his civvie "uniform" screams ex-military G-Man in a crowd because he can't pull off that punk attitude. Why do I care that Logan is wearing a sweater and jeans (even if he did in the show and looked hot)? Tell me it brings out his boyish looks, or illustrate that there is a pull in the sweater, making him look beaten, but all it really is comes from him being unable to get it repaired post-Pulse (knitting and tailoring isn't lucrative) but he still loves the sweater he wore in his first Eyes Only broadcast. Heck, I don't understand why you are telling me that a woman who opened a door is in a linen pantsuit; did the crime boss manage to land a classy lady or did his sugar-baby girlfriend dress in designer linen with blue eye-shadow, in a Trump-esque inability to emulate class? Why am I suppose to care about her linen pantsuit?
Honestly, if I plagiarized one of his chapters and submitted it in my piddly college-level writing program, and not be caught for plagiarism, my professors would still fail me!
I have mentioned before that it seems like he didn't perform any research because he doesn't know the characters (OMG it is so wrong that she is in the gang - that isn't Max's personality at all and her attachment to them doesn't make sense because pre-Seattle, her loss of her siblings that she cares about makes her not want to form attachments that she could lose, which she loses the entire gang anyway!). He doesn't even know things established in the pilot, and then literally makes significant changes to scenes he stole from the show - like Max's experience the day of the Pulse. What, is this some sort of alternative reality? If it is, why do I believe that the future books tie the lose ends of the series? Why did Collins write out the abusive foster family if he's not going to stick with what happened in the show? The book was published far to late for the writing to pre-date the show.
However, he doesn't even do research in to references he makes to the "past." This guy is relying on his bad memory of high school history rather than researching. In the Stock Market Crash, only OLD MONEY was screwed as they relied on the market to just take care of their fortunes (and, even then, we're not as bad off as the rest of us with physical assets to sell). The new economy has entrepreneurs as the rich - even older money still does business. Even without bank accounts, they would still own business and all of its materials. While some would die, more business would either restore or adapt. Heck, if you had watched the show, you'd see a prime example in Logan Cale's family! His example of Bill Gates is flawed, as Gates would not only have his property and company to attempt to re-establish himself, but Gates is a prepper: he could return the States to an agricultural society with his Seed Bank alone. Besides, the rich always end up ahead because they have property and material possessions. Idiot!
Not only did he make bad references to the Depression, he had no understanding of post-war economies and daily life. He didn't understand the make-up of cities changed by war, nor the changes in black market activity and supply and demand (and you know it's bad when I can notice it without researching, having lived a comfortable North American life with only the minimum high school history class). Max says it herself in the series: "That's what I don't understand about this whole economic breakdown thing. We have this huge toothpaste shortage but you can buy peppermint oil."
By the time this book was being written, I had already recovered from an Internet addiction. So I know he could have done this research on the Internet. The Internet also wasn't as huge and inundated with information back then, both accurate and inaccurate (you could rely more on the Internet then because, if someone took the time to write a webpage -which was difficult - it was because they really knew the topic). Also, back then, libraries were still great research vehicles, as publishers were still fact-checking informational books before they went to print (nowadays, just because it is published doesn't mean it's true). The information was available for him and, in many ways, research was easier back then!
Collins is a bad writer who doesn't do his research and destroys canon. Why is he so prolific? Why do they keep publishing him? The only good thing about this book is how it increased my confidence in my own writing. If publishers keep publishing his crap, I have hope of getting my novels published - even if I submitted a first draft.
Why read the book at all? I wanted to stop reading, but I kept going because I need the conclusion of the mystery of the series. There's no reason to read this book if you don't need to read the series (actually, I am going to try to see if you even need this book for the series). This is not a good post-apocalyptic book; it is badly thought out, not researched and badly written.
Let's start with the bad writing. In the first chapter, I put down the book and yelled "this stupid book is written by a boy." Yes, I did not take the time to look at the author, because these books are the only way to get the answers to the cliffhangers. If it is good writing, you can't identify the gender of the writer by reading. I also say "boy" because, despite being a grown man, a mature male should have had more insight into human character. I want to say he can't write a woman, but it actually felt like he couldn't write a human. Now, the main character Max (coincidence, since Max Guevara is from the series) unfortunately fits into that '90's stereotype that strong women have to be emotionally stunted in order to be physically strong; he takes her from emotionally stunted to describing her as an emotionless automaton - even when she verbalized how she felt in the series, he removed it. He thinks it makes sense that she feels nothing as an engineered soldier but it now leaves plotholes because an emotionless automaton wouldn't need to run from her Manticore slave masters because she wouldn't be affected by their abuse. Yeah, that's right: he destroys the very first opening scene by making her escape and not care what is going on.
If she didn't care what was going on and felt no emotions nor bonds, what is her motivation seeking out her brother, which is the premise and plot of the entire book?!?
It's not just Max. He does the same for every character in the book. Logan Cale is an emotional man (he even writes poetry) who is driven by his empathy for others into activism; you wouldn't know it by this book. Lydecker is actually a complex man who was doing these horrible things to these "kids" he loves and is proud of, because he thinks it will make them stronger and save a nation. No depth. Even the character of his own creation, Seth, is blank: all he feels is the instinct to survive and frustration with those who do not share his rules for survival. Does Collins not have any emotions and drives himself? He couldn't empathize enough with his characters to make them feel alive, one of his very tasks as a writer.
The boy also cannot do colour, also known as scene setting, build, or, for specific contexts, foreshadowing. He inserts random details at ill-places narrative plot points that add nothing to the scene composition or augmentation of plot. To give an example, towards the end of the book he describes one particular guard in great detail, from physical features to personality and motivation in a very pointed paragraph. Rolling my eyes at heavy-handed display, I surmise that we are suppose to care about this kid more than any other guard in the group because something is going to happen to him that is different from every other guard in his group and in every other action scene (I assumed we were suppose to care because he either gets killed or gets spared for some reason). What happens to this kid who Collins yammers about for a full paragraph? He gets his ass kicked like every other guard in every single scene with guards. It's not like Max kills people, just immobilizes them in some way. Why am I suppose to care about this kid as opposed to any other guards in this book? Nothing changed, and I didn't actually care about him anyway, just the writing.
In another "has he watched the show" moment, he speaks early in the book of Max desiring to go straight. It comes out of left-field because (a) he had no build-up, and (b) she doesn't even talk about that in the show! She never gave up on theft, despite that she demonstrates a developed moral code on the show, and he has her speak (narrative-wise) on the advantages of PI Vogelsang being a part of that shady world. Even if she was thinking of going straight, at least some of it would be because constant thievery doesn't help her lay low - he doesn't give her any logical reason, just shoves it in there. Any editor should have seen it was out of place. Towards the end of the book, he gives a plausible reason with proper build: she slips up and wonders if hanging with normals is making her soft. That's believable!!! This earlier reference doesn't add to her questioning herself and only serves to break the fourth wall (again).
I am also going to share a pet-peeve of mine throughout the book: his constant description of clothes. Okay, not constant because he doesn't describe every character. However, he uses it as his random bit of colour to open far to many scenes, without using it effectively. He is even repetitive in his descriptions of clothing. Don't tell me Lydecker is wearing black jeans and a black tee yet again - show me that his civvie "uniform" screams ex-military G-Man in a crowd because he can't pull off that punk attitude. Why do I care that Logan is wearing a sweater and jeans (even if he did in the show and looked hot)? Tell me it brings out his boyish looks, or illustrate that there is a pull in the sweater, making him look beaten, but all it really is comes from him being unable to get it repaired post-Pulse (knitting and tailoring isn't lucrative) but he still loves the sweater he wore in his first Eyes Only broadcast. Heck, I don't understand why you are telling me that a woman who opened a door is in a linen pantsuit; did the crime boss manage to land a classy lady or did his sugar-baby girlfriend dress in designer linen with blue eye-shadow, in a Trump-esque inability to emulate class? Why am I suppose to care about her linen pantsuit?
Honestly, if I plagiarized one of his chapters and submitted it in my piddly college-level writing program, and not be caught for plagiarism, my professors would still fail me!
I have mentioned before that it seems like he didn't perform any research because he doesn't know the characters (OMG it is so wrong that she is in the gang - that isn't Max's personality at all and her attachment to them doesn't make sense because pre-Seattle, her loss of her siblings that she cares about makes her not want to form attachments that she could lose, which she loses the entire gang anyway!). He doesn't even know things established in the pilot, and then literally makes significant changes to scenes he stole from the show - like Max's experience the day of the Pulse. What, is this some sort of alternative reality? If it is, why do I believe that the future books tie the lose ends of the series? Why did Collins write out the abusive foster family if he's not going to stick with what happened in the show? The book was published far to late for the writing to pre-date the show.
However, he doesn't even do research in to references he makes to the "past." This guy is relying on his bad memory of high school history rather than researching. In the Stock Market Crash, only OLD MONEY was screwed as they relied on the market to just take care of their fortunes (and, even then, we're not as bad off as the rest of us with physical assets to sell). The new economy has entrepreneurs as the rich - even older money still does business. Even without bank accounts, they would still own business and all of its materials. While some would die, more business would either restore or adapt. Heck, if you had watched the show, you'd see a prime example in Logan Cale's family! His example of Bill Gates is flawed, as Gates would not only have his property and company to attempt to re-establish himself, but Gates is a prepper: he could return the States to an agricultural society with his Seed Bank alone. Besides, the rich always end up ahead because they have property and material possessions. Idiot!
Not only did he make bad references to the Depression, he had no understanding of post-war economies and daily life. He didn't understand the make-up of cities changed by war, nor the changes in black market activity and supply and demand (and you know it's bad when I can notice it without researching, having lived a comfortable North American life with only the minimum high school history class). Max says it herself in the series: "That's what I don't understand about this whole economic breakdown thing. We have this huge toothpaste shortage but you can buy peppermint oil."
By the time this book was being written, I had already recovered from an Internet addiction. So I know he could have done this research on the Internet. The Internet also wasn't as huge and inundated with information back then, both accurate and inaccurate (you could rely more on the Internet then because, if someone took the time to write a webpage -which was difficult - it was because they really knew the topic). Also, back then, libraries were still great research vehicles, as publishers were still fact-checking informational books before they went to print (nowadays, just because it is published doesn't mean it's true). The information was available for him and, in many ways, research was easier back then!
Collins is a bad writer who doesn't do his research and destroys canon. Why is he so prolific? Why do they keep publishing him? The only good thing about this book is how it increased my confidence in my own writing. If publishers keep publishing his crap, I have hope of getting my novels published - even if I submitted a first draft.
Why read the book at all? I wanted to stop reading, but I kept going because I need the conclusion of the mystery of the series. There's no reason to read this book if you don't need to read the series (actually, I am going to try to see if you even need this book for the series). This is not a good post-apocalyptic book; it is badly thought out, not researched and badly written.
September 8, 2023
I loved the show, really missed it and wanted to know what happened next, and had a new Nook Color tablet and money burning a hole into my pocket, so when I found these Dark Angel ebooks in the Nook store I had to buy them. I didn't read them until years later because I wanted to watch all two seasons again before doing so (I'm *still* mad that the network said they renewed it for a third season and then changed their mind a day or two later!).
I enjoyed finding out more about Max's background, and the characters are still the characters, but I had to shake my head at some scenarios. When you watch the pilot episode it's obvious that some characters have never met before, or that they knew nothing about Manticore before meeting Max, but they have and do in the book. Original Cindy's background is ridiculous (no way was she ever in the army!), descriptions of the women are lusty, and Lydecker comes across as a perv, unlike in the show. This book was definitely written by a straight guy! Max's scenes are the best and I enjoyed knowing her inner thoughts.
The book is entertaining and satisfied my want of more Dark Angel episodes, which will probably never happen, so I will continue reading the books to find out what could have happened in season 3.
I enjoyed finding out more about Max's background, and the characters are still the characters, but I had to shake my head at some scenarios. When you watch the pilot episode it's obvious that some characters have never met before, or that they knew nothing about Manticore before meeting Max, but they have and do in the book. Original Cindy's background is ridiculous (no way was she ever in the army!), descriptions of the women are lusty, and Lydecker comes across as a perv, unlike in the show. This book was definitely written by a straight guy! Max's scenes are the best and I enjoyed knowing her inner thoughts.
The book is entertaining and satisfied my want of more Dark Angel episodes, which will probably never happen, so I will continue reading the books to find out what could have happened in season 3.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 4, 2012
It has been several years sense I've seen the TV series known as Dark Angel. I began scouring the internet looking for the series, instead discovered a written series that has a prequel to the show.
The book while not bad, is not great either. It fills some questions that fans of the TV series may or may not ask, the book itself was written, in my opinion, a mediocre manner. At times I found myself confused as there seemed to be a sudden time lapse, or lack of information in a certain paragraph.
If you enjoy the series you may enjoy this book and some background info it gives. Do not expect top quality writing for there are definitely areas that can be expanded on in both plot and detail.
I do plan to read the other books in this series, however, it will wait until after I have read other books and possible series that I am more interested in at the moment.
The book while not bad, is not great either. It fills some questions that fans of the TV series may or may not ask, the book itself was written, in my opinion, a mediocre manner. At times I found myself confused as there seemed to be a sudden time lapse, or lack of information in a certain paragraph.
If you enjoy the series you may enjoy this book and some background info it gives. Do not expect top quality writing for there are definitely areas that can be expanded on in both plot and detail.
I do plan to read the other books in this series, however, it will wait until after I have read other books and possible series that I am more interested in at the moment.
December 14, 2015
It was so damn good when little Max, just after her escape, met a 'normal' child and tried to understand how the world works. Sadly, the rest of the book couldn't reach this pleasant feel, even a little, as the stories are more or less boring and the writing is less than compelling.
The author added several explanations about the world and changed some characters' background. It's a little weird, but why not.
Every motivation to finish the book was based on the characters, as I loved them from the TV show and was happy to spend a little more time with them. I'll read the next books for the same reason.
The author added several explanations about the world and changed some characters' background. It's a little weird, but why not.
Every motivation to finish the book was based on the characters, as I loved them from the TV show and was happy to spend a little more time with them. I'll read the next books for the same reason.
October 19, 2015
Okay, yes, I'm copping to actually reading a Dark Angel book. Whatevs, we all have our trashy reads! And this one was actually pretty well written, with humor and pathos and all the things I want in an easy read. And no stupid, convenient, "she's a girl and therefore must have a romantic interest" relationships shoehorned in. Just a (genetically modified) kick ass heroine trying to do the right thing.
And bonus extra points for a stylistic dystopian vision of Seattle, land that I love.
Read during the October 2015 24-hour Read-a-thon.
And bonus extra points for a stylistic dystopian vision of Seattle, land that I love.
Read during the October 2015 24-hour Read-a-thon.
August 5, 2021
Thanks, I hate it. I get the feeling that the author had never seen the show because the plot points in this book are BIZARRE.
Having Logan know about Manticore before meeting Max is not a cool twist, it just makes him look like an asshole.
OC being an army vet? And having some really awkward dialogue? Ugh
But the most egregious is the creepy sexualization. Lithe and voluptuous? Pert breasts? It was gross.
The fight scenes are very lackluster.
Having Logan know about Manticore before meeting Max is not a cool twist, it just makes him look like an asshole.
OC being an army vet? And having some really awkward dialogue? Ugh
But the most egregious is the creepy sexualization. Lithe and voluptuous? Pert breasts? It was gross.
The fight scenes are very lackluster.
October 18, 2019
This is why I don't generally read books by men. This is terrible, nonsensical fanfic. Why would she have spent at least 6 years in one place? There is no way that all of her Seattle set up could have been done in 2 months and all of the plot points were pastiches of actual episodes- so much so that one chapter has the same name as an episode. It lacked originality and characterisation.
January 5, 2015
one would have thought the dark angel series would be much more thrilling and action packed. instead, this prequel is slow-paced and at times the narration bored me to tears. i do hope the next book is much more exciting. otherwise i may just have to speed read to the part about logan cale……
March 9, 2018
Okay so I've been wanting to read those since the TV series was cancelled because it fucking ended on a cliffhanger and mama needed answers. It took me a long time to get my hands on them and actually get to read them. I have to say I was scared of it ruining the show... And well...
This first book is actually kind of a prequel to the series. The problem is that it destroys a lot of canon stuff of the TV show... I'm kind of at a loss as to how it will answer the cliffhangers of the last season if it starts by breaking a lot of things established by the TV series.
So yeah, it ruined the show lmao. I'm probably gonna read the other two books just to see what the author did with the story because honestly I don't know how he could come back close to the show with what he did with the first book...
Also, the writing isn't really good. He does not understand any of the personality of the characters from the show which is bad, they almost all felt ooc to me. Max in a gang was like????? O.C. in the army????? The world building isn't always respected, like things don't make sense around the post pulse economy and stuff like that.
There is some good moments, nice scenes but overall, if you're not a fan of the show and really wanted to take a look to see if you could get answer... probably don't get that book, you will not quite understand everything and the plot would probably not make sense, same goes for the character's personality and why they do their shit.
If you are a fan, don't think you will get what you were looking for with this book. It's almost completely ooc, it almost feels like an AU since too many things from the past and the plot point are changed (the first episode of the series doesn't make sense with this book).
Anyway, I wrote a fanfiction when I was like 13 or 14 to feel like I still could connect with the series and well... it almost feels like it was as good a job as this book...
I'll read the next two to see if it gets better and because they're not that long. But I wouldn't recommend at least this first book.
This first book is actually kind of a prequel to the series. The problem is that it destroys a lot of canon stuff of the TV show... I'm kind of at a loss as to how it will answer the cliffhangers of the last season if it starts by breaking a lot of things established by the TV series.
So yeah, it ruined the show lmao. I'm probably gonna read the other two books just to see what the author did with the story because honestly I don't know how he could come back close to the show with what he did with the first book...
Also, the writing isn't really good. He does not understand any of the personality of the characters from the show which is bad, they almost all felt ooc to me. Max in a gang was like????? O.C. in the army????? The world building isn't always respected, like things don't make sense around the post pulse economy and stuff like that.
There is some good moments, nice scenes but overall, if you're not a fan of the show and really wanted to take a look to see if you could get answer... probably don't get that book, you will not quite understand everything and the plot would probably not make sense, same goes for the character's personality and why they do their shit.
If you are a fan, don't think you will get what you were looking for with this book. It's almost completely ooc, it almost feels like an AU since too many things from the past and the plot point are changed (the first episode of the series doesn't make sense with this book).
Anyway, I wrote a fanfiction when I was like 13 or 14 to feel like I still could connect with the series and well... it almost feels like it was as good a job as this book...
I'll read the next two to see if it gets better and because they're not that long. But I wouldn't recommend at least this first book.
March 15, 2021
Yeeeg. Okay, so journeyman writer Max Allan Collins gets a contract to write a trilogy of Dark Angel tie-in novels, which come out after the series finale. Bizarrely, despite the show ending on a cliffhanger, only the two latter books focus on resolving that--this one is a prequel. Reading between the lines, I think this one was already written and MAC was on Book 2 when the series was canceled and the whole thing was retrofitted into being a big finale. But, who really cares how the sausage is made? What matters is how it tastes.
Unfortunately, this story mainly recaps things we already know from the series--like someone snipped out those flashbacks and rearranged them in chronological order. We don't even get the whole story of Max's time between escaping Manticore and the series premiere. After the recap, the story skips ahead to her being seventeen, working as a street rat pickpocket type for a guy the book isn't even going to pretend isn't just Fagin from Oliver Twist. She leaves and goes to Seattle, where in prosaic fashion she meets the various members of her supporting cast and comes into the circumstances she was in at the beginning of the show. As with most prequels, it turns out there's a good reason the real story skipped over all this stuff to get to the good bits--it's just not very interesting.
And in case you were wondering about Logan's secret origin: don't. We meet him doing the exact same Eyes Only stuff he's always doing. Only at this point, in a comic booky twist, he's working with another escaped X5 (what're the odds?). It's sort of interesting to see him playing off Seth, an X5 without Max's moral code/heart of gold, but we've already seen amoral, survivalist X5s in the series--Jensen Ackles played two separate characters fitting that description. And it really strains credulity that over the entire course of the show, as Max and Logan became as close as two people could be, this massively important tidbit never comes up. Puh-lease...
Unfortunately, this story mainly recaps things we already know from the series--like someone snipped out those flashbacks and rearranged them in chronological order. We don't even get the whole story of Max's time between escaping Manticore and the series premiere. After the recap, the story skips ahead to her being seventeen, working as a street rat pickpocket type for a guy the book isn't even going to pretend isn't just Fagin from Oliver Twist. She leaves and goes to Seattle, where in prosaic fashion she meets the various members of her supporting cast and comes into the circumstances she was in at the beginning of the show. As with most prequels, it turns out there's a good reason the real story skipped over all this stuff to get to the good bits--it's just not very interesting.
And in case you were wondering about Logan's secret origin: don't. We meet him doing the exact same Eyes Only stuff he's always doing. Only at this point, in a comic booky twist, he's working with another escaped X5 (what're the odds?). It's sort of interesting to see him playing off Seth, an X5 without Max's moral code/heart of gold, but we've already seen amoral, survivalist X5s in the series--Jensen Ackles played two separate characters fitting that description. And it really strains credulity that over the entire course of the show, as Max and Logan became as close as two people could be, this massively important tidbit never comes up. Puh-lease...
June 5, 2023
Great "prequel" to the TV Show. Great start to the X5 book series, book One of Three. The fleshing out the characters emotions and traits was greatly done here and truly has shown a difference in personality before the main story of the show has started, while still maintaining the classic traits of each character that we have come to love when we watched the show. Really answered a lot of questions and wonderings that many would have in the beginning of viewing the T.V series . To me, this book felt like an actual movie or episode. Wasn't hard to get into. It grabbed my attention and immersed me right from the start! I will say, the book was more mature language and nature wise, but that's of course expected, with T.V,s limitations for content, so I'd say this book is truly more for adults than the show resembles (which is TV 17 rating anyways). Truly shows the hardships Max encountered before making it to Seattle, before her whole plan to take down Manticore and how the pulse really effected the environments. Back to the first time she tried finding her siblings (sibs he calls them). The love she longed for after escaping the governments clutches, and the continuation of bad people in her life, are devastating and to which unfortunately we're regular people she turned to for help. This book was the perfect start. Not sure if the other two are really sequels or stand-alones, but Max Allan Collins has a hold on me. I will be reading the next two in this series, and possibly revisiting the show as well. I recommend this for anyone who hasn't seen the show as well, to read this before watching Dark Angel.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 30, 2024
you get two stars for the fact that i'm happy that media outside of the show itself exists for it at all but wow, even at the height of my dark angel obsession (okay, at the point where i had more time and energy to dedicate to the one that's been there since i first saw commercials for the show) i knew this was bad.
someone who reviewed this before me mentioned that the book feels very much like it was a woman written by a man and...yeah, that's for sure a factor. the show itself is guilty of this in some respect because it was the 2000s , but holy shit, collins does not miss any opportunity to write about any female character in an objectifying manner. it's honestly pretty gross.
hiding the rest due to spoilers:
i'll read anything if you associate it with this series (why do you think i read the first maximum ride book, that marketing knew what the fuck it was doing but that's a whole other rant for another day), so yes, i own this and the other three books that came out post-series. there's only one of them that i like enough to reread and this is not that.
someone who reviewed this before me mentioned that the book feels very much like it was a woman written by a man and...yeah, that's for sure a factor. the show itself is guilty of this in some respect because it was the 2000s , but holy shit, collins does not miss any opportunity to write about any female character in an objectifying manner. it's honestly pretty gross.
hiding the rest due to spoilers:
i'll read anything if you associate it with this series (why do you think i read the first maximum ride book, that marketing knew what the fuck it was doing but that's a whole other rant for another day), so yes, i own this and the other three books that came out post-series. there's only one of them that i like enough to reread and this is not that.
May 14, 2023
A prequel to Dark Angel, this covers Max's life prior to arriving in Seattle, and tells the story of Logan Cale meeting one of her brothers - Seth - as well as giving some insight into Lydecker and his obsessive need to hunt down his "children".
I enjoyed this more than I expected - I'm not normally a fan of prequels, especially ones which retcon some info from the shows. But this was entertaining, and I liked the glimpses into Max, Logan, and Lydecker.
The bad stuff: a lot of this book felt rushed, and the female characters weren't very well written. The action scenes were a little repetitive and, to be honest, this book made Logan out to be a pretty selfish guy - he uses the X5 Seth for his Eyes Only business, and is the reason that he winds up dead.
The good stuff - The stuff with Logan is definitely going to make the rest of the books interesting, so I'm looking forward to that. I loved the Lydecker chapters - seeing inside his head as fun! I also liked how *different* Seth was from Max - they contrasted beautifully! This also gave a nice little overview of how Max came to Seattle and wound up with her friends, her apartment and her job. The story was fun and kept me engaged.
All in all, this is good book for Dark Angel fans who want to know more about Max. It isn't the most well written book, but it is a fun read for fans, and there is some great moments.
I enjoyed this more than I expected - I'm not normally a fan of prequels, especially ones which retcon some info from the shows. But this was entertaining, and I liked the glimpses into Max, Logan, and Lydecker.
The bad stuff: a lot of this book felt rushed, and the female characters weren't very well written. The action scenes were a little repetitive and, to be honest, this book made Logan out to be a pretty selfish guy - he uses the X5 Seth for his Eyes Only business, and is the reason that he winds up dead.
The good stuff - The stuff with Logan is definitely going to make the rest of the books interesting, so I'm looking forward to that. I loved the Lydecker chapters - seeing inside his head as fun! I also liked how *different* Seth was from Max - they contrasted beautifully! This also gave a nice little overview of how Max came to Seattle and wound up with her friends, her apartment and her job. The story was fun and kept me engaged.
All in all, this is good book for Dark Angel fans who want to know more about Max. It isn't the most well written book, but it is a fun read for fans, and there is some great moments.
November 16, 2025
The before-you-started-watching backstory of "Dark Angel", laying out what the show only refers to in passing - the childhood of Max, the super-soldier created by Manticore, who fled with several of her siblings in an effort to gain a real life. Of course, since this is a post-apocalyptic world, "normal" is relative, and she finds herself in a criminal network, trying to survive and look after her new family. But Manticore is still on her trail, even years later, to cover up its "mistakes"...
This sticks very closely to the TV format, and introduces all of the major characters involved. But, like the show, it's really kind of lifeless. It's well written, but doesn't really pull you in.
This sticks very closely to the TV format, and introduces all of the major characters involved. But, like the show, it's really kind of lifeless. It's well written, but doesn't really pull you in.
September 16, 2017
This is really my second time reading the book, but now I own it.
I loved the TV Show when growing up - I recently acquired the first season on DVD, and I remembered this book took place before the show, so I had to find it and read it.
It details Max's life before Seattle, after leaving Manticore. There are a few points that tie in perfect with the show, but there are other points that just seemed too far fetched... **SPOILER** Like Max and Seth working different angles on the same thing- Max had her reasons, but it felt like Seth and Logan just stumbled into it.
I loved the TV Show when growing up - I recently acquired the first season on DVD, and I remembered this book took place before the show, so I had to find it and read it.
It details Max's life before Seattle, after leaving Manticore. There are a few points that tie in perfect with the show, but there are other points that just seemed too far fetched... **SPOILER** Like Max and Seth working different angles on the same thing- Max had her reasons, but it felt like Seth and Logan just stumbled into it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 23, 2018
I was thinking of one of my favorite TV shows from long ago and was lamenting the cliffhanger the series was left with when I discovered that there were some books set just after the cliffhanger and this one set as a prequel to the series. This prequel was interesting and told the story of Max from after she escaped through the time just before the series started. It was neat seeing how she turned into the cynical badass the show starts with. It was a quick read and full of adventure and a sibling that the show doesn't have.
March 10, 2024
The book was actually good! It's basically the main story line and nothing else.
Not much about the Jam Pony gang which is something I liked about the TV Show but that's the TV show. This isn't that, it's the main story line and nothing else (which I really liked!)
The book also adds a lot more dept to characters and is darker than the show. I honestly enjoyed the book more than the show.
Not much about the Jam Pony gang which is something I liked about the TV Show but that's the TV show. This isn't that, it's the main story line and nothing else (which I really liked!)
The book also adds a lot more dept to characters and is darker than the show. I honestly enjoyed the book more than the show.
July 4, 2018
Da ich schon als Kind ein großer Fan der Serie war, wollte ich es nun mit dem Vorläufer zu dieser versuchen. Teilweise packend geschieben, allerdings auch gelegentlich (ungewollt) belustigend. Auf jeden Fall ein unterhaltsamer SiFi-Roman.
June 15, 2022
Nice prequel to the Jessica Alba TV series, which details the events following Max's escape from Manticore, and the adventures that ultimately lead her to Seattle. Highly recommended to fans of the show, as the author stays true to the characters and there is plenty of kick butt action as well.
April 18, 2025
It was ok to begin with, but some of the inconsistencies with the show made me struggle and the ending wasn't very engaging... I started to skim read which is never a good sign. Author should have actually watched the series before writing.
July 26, 2017
I thought Collins did a wonderful job in keeping with the universe of the tv show and did a great dive into the characters and background of Max and Original Cindy.
April 27, 2018
Amazing
I originally bought this book because I loved the show.
I fell in love with this book that I finished it in a day
I originally bought this book because I loved the show.
I fell in love with this book that I finished it in a day
December 26, 2018
a decent read. I would look at his earlier books to see if I wanted to read more.
July 31, 2020
Wonderful prequel to the televised story. Very much worth a read.
June 5, 2021
It fits the series!
December 17, 2021
I enjoyed the story. I felt it went well with the show. However, I was not a fan of the language and graphic violence. Otherwise it's definitely worth the read.
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