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Although ROSWELL is dead as a TV series, Simon Pulse are pushing ahead with the spin-off novels. I doubt that they'll last as long as the DOCTOR WHO ones have, but it's nice to have the characters around for a bit longer. Of course, now that the series is out of production, hopefully the publishers can stick closer to the TV series' chronology than some of their other ranges do. The gaps between seasons provide plenty of opportunity for new stories, and Mel Odom uses the one between the series' second and third years to slot in his first contribution to the range. First impressions weren't particularly encouraging - a camping trip yielding a supposed ghost sighting, which soon becomes the norm around town. Sounds more like a BUFFY plot than a ROSWELL one, if you ask me. However, things pick up, with Odom using the novel's setting to a mostly good effect. The relationship between Max and Liz is still suffering from the aftermath of Tess' departure and her involvement in Alex's death. Kyle and his dad are also feeling the effects of her betrayal. Meanwhile, the relationship between Isabel and Jesse is still at an early stage. My only real problem with this is that it didn't really ring true on TV, and trying to shoehorn it into a two or three month period over the summer doesn't seem quite right. It seems quite soon after Tess's departure but their relationship seems to have been going for more than a couple of weeks. However, you can't really fault Odom for this, any criticism really belongs to the season 3 production team. Although the early ghost sightings didn't seem particularly ROSWELLian, things do improve. The season three regulars are well captured, and there's even the return of River Dog. Odom manages to keep the plot ticking along nicely, with enough twists and turns to keep the reader's interest. On television, ROSWELL never really lived up to the potential that it had during its first season. The novels haven't been brilliant, but so far they've all been above average, and SHADES is no exception. Terrible cover though - I thought Max had some sort of splodge on his top until I realised it was that rock formation. Still looks rubbish though. BACK TO THE TOP |
SHADES |
