Dark Angel : After the Dark [マスマーケット]

The "however," however, is that the conclusion is a little weak. The entire second season was building up to a season 3 all about the runes, snake cult, and Max being the "one." The book's conclusion to that plotline is VERY anticlimactic. What helps me overlook this flaw is that everything else concludes nicely (stuff that's not related to Ames White and his cult; mainly, a certain virus, among other things). If you listen to the commentary on "Freak Nation" in the second season DVD's, the writers tell you everything. Collins pretty much followed that idea, EXCEPT at the end, which was, as I already explained, anticlimactic and made me feel as though the snake cult story was a waste. That's too bad, because this whole book works around the snake cult thing. Throughout the book, though, the witty dialogue, cool fight scenes, and flashbacks kept me busy enjoying it. Weak ending, but still really fun to read. It's definitely worth it. Every DA fan has to read this book. After all, it is the last DA "episode" us die-hard fans have to hold on to.

Oh, BTW I agree - very cool "twist" at the end. We'll need at least another book to address it though. So Max Allan Collins, what're you waiting for? Get working.

Unfortunately, as talented as Max Collins is, he was biting off more than he could chew. The two book series (Skin Game and After the Dark) aims to finish off the loose end to the series and bring everything to a satisfying conclusion. As any DA follower would know, the series was way too involved and way too deep to conclude in two episodes, or even four for that matter. Indeed to do true justice to the series, another season, in the least, would be needed.

In trying to conclude the series too quickly, Mr. Collins ends up trivializing many aspects of Dark Angel that made the show so special. The books trivialized the tantalizing struggles of Max and Logan to be together against incredible odds. At the end of Season 2, Max, in an effort to protect Logan intentionally distanced herself. Logan did much the same, thinking only of Max's best interests. This struggle was played down in the two books. By the end of the first, Max and Logan were well on their way to being back together again.

And what of the struggle of the transgenics for acceptance? Again, a storyline quickly and superficially resolved by the first book. The conclusion to the Ames White/Snake Cult saga was even more unbelievable. Without giving away the ending, the conclusion was a total cop out.

In the end, the story failed to really bring colsure to Dark Angel. However, despite the shortcomings, I would reiterate the books are worth a read. Just don't expect anything mind blowing.