Customer Reviews

The Dark Crystal

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Delightful, enthralling fantasy based on the cinematic creativity of the late Jim Henson, this book proves much deeper than mere action-oriented adventure--of which there is plenty. Almost a psychological novel, THE DARK CRYSTAL reveals the coming-of-age of the last male Gelfling on the planet of Thra. From his quiet, dreamy existence in the secluded valley with the ponderous but cerebral urRu, Jen must suddenly depart on a Quest whose details are not fully explained to him. This gentle boy leaves his comfort zone in a desperate attempt to save his planet from another miillenium of destructive rule.

Jen's goal is to find a special crystal shard and reunite it with the mother crystal--now dark with grief and anger at the senseless destruction. This crystal is coveted and guarded in the Dark Castle by the vicious race of Skeksis, who terrorize the planet with their bat spies and insect zombies. Our unlikely hero has only his flute and his wits to guide him, but several surprise friends offer help and advice along his dangerous odyssey--including the last girl Gelfling. Together they race against celestial time, as the Great Conjunction of the triple suns is imminent.

I must admit that I picked up the book because I had seen the mesmerizing movie, in which no human face is seen, yet the characters express and inspire human emotions. But this novel stands proudly on its own merit, just as the Dark Cyrstal hangs mysteriously suspended in mid-air. This is high adventure at its best, coupled with penetrating psychological drama, as the author reveals the various nefarious schemes and motivations of the evil characters. Also the vacillations and maturation of the innocent Gelfling pair, driven by ancient Prophecy. Fear no Hollywood hack job, but settle back to enjoy a wonderful read--for kids of All ages!

"The Dark Crystal" is only whole as a story when the movie and the novel are brought together. The movie is a beautiful piece of art that exemplifies the works of Jim Henson, Frank Ozz, and Gary Kurtz at its most ambitious. The movie clearly and dramatically depicts the events of the story in a beautiful and vibrant living world that, to this day, after more than 20 years, is still convincing and immersive as well as unearthly. While the movie provides spectacle and drama for the events in the story, the novel is where the feelings and thoughts behind those events are revealed.

The Dark Crystal's inner beauty and deepest meaning pivots on the experiences and thoughts of the two Gelfling Jen and Kira. Sadly, the script for these two characters is, like other aspects of the movie's composition, too often relentlessly pared down to the essentials for propelling the plot. The Novel provides valuable and, often, touching insight into the thoughts and feelings of all characters, but, most particularly, the two Gelfling. With that insight, several otherwise peculiar or seemingly insignificant events- such as the Gelfling Song during the Black River sequence or the scenes in the pod village before the Garthim attack- become much more poignant. Also, in the novel, the plot is, at many places, propelled more convincingly than in the movie- a particular instance being the sequence at the Wall of Destiny in the Gelfling Ruins where Jen and Kira understand at last exactly what they are supposed to do.

Unfortunately, as a literary work, the novel cannot really stand alone. It is a visually weak work that fails to generate a convincing physical universe for the events of it's story. Pseudoscience and philosophical musings choke the earlier passages of this work, preventing it from really hooking the attention of the typical reader and the actual ending of the novel is surprisingly weak and un-insightful- readers expecting to get an understanding of who the urSkeks were or how and why they came will be disappointed.

The novel feels rushed both in terms of it's relatively short duration (some 180 pages) and in it's sometimes formulaic diction that one comes to expect from contract work as opposed to a novel springing forth from within. I don't mean to imply the novel was a hack job, but it clearly was a job made to order with the attendant struggle of the author with imposed constraints and with ideas that are not really the author's own. In all, this novel suffers from the sort of problems one expects a novelisation to suffer from- it is an effort to literarily reconstitute a movie screenplay- it is not a rich original from which the movie screenplay was rendered. It does not contain numerous episodes or ideas eliminated from the movie- it is merely an amplification and expansion of what the movie depicted. Seen in that context, it does a fine job and the choice by the author to expend words on developing characters rather than setting scenes is very appropriate.

In closing, the novel is WELL above average when seen for what it is, the complement to the movie. Like the crystal and shard in the story, the movie and the novel together to make a greater and more beautiful whole, whereas alone, the novel, in particular, is sadly undone.

I recently got my hands on a used copy of this book as I am an avid fan of The Dark Crystal. I have to say that I was disappointed. This book delivers on some fronts but lacks in others.

It does have some good points. Probably the best part of this book is how it details the thoughts and political machinations of the various Skekses. We get into their minds and can tell just how they're trying to undermine each other's power and how they detest each other. We get some great insight on this front.

However, the book lacks on almost every other front. Often we get vivid description of events that aren't pivotal, but many events that are come across as sparse and rushed. The shocking thing is that the Skekses are better developed than the gelflings. Their scenes come alive, but the scenes with Jen and Kira are often flat and dull. The ending was awful. I wasn't expecting a big explanation of the urSkeks, but Smith rushed it horrendously. We get about a page or two between the healing of the Crystal and the last sentence.

All in all, get this book if you're a big fan, but don't expect too much out of it. It feels like a late draft that got rushed into production due to time constraints. The movie was MUCH better than this poorly-written novel.

Even if you have already seen the movie a million times like I have, you should definatley read the book. The book has its differences from the movie.

The book starts out with a Gelfling named Jen playing in the valley of the Uru(or Mystics as they were called in the movie). Jen knows no other Gelfling, as all the Gelfling were killed by the Skekses, who brought out a mass slaughter on Thra by commanding the Garthim. Jen was orphaned as a baby, because his parents were killed by the Garthim, creatures that resemble crustaceans.

Ursu, Jen's master, is dying. At the same time since skekses and uru are linked, the skekses emperor is dying as well. Ursu tells Jen of a quest he must make, to heal the Dark Crystal that is at the Skekses' castle. Long ago, the Urskeks broke a piece off the Dark Crystal. Thus splitting into the two different races, the uru and the skekses. The shard had been lost ever since, and that was why the skekses ordered the mass slaughter of Gelfling. If the Gelfling were dead, they could not heal the Dark Crystal. Another Great Conjunction is coming up, where the three suns will line up. The conjunction could grant the skekses power over Thra, unless Jen can find the shard and heal the Dark Crystal.

At the same time since the skekses emperor is dead, there is a political movement to see who will be the next emperor. It's the Garthim Master and Chamberlain who fight over the sceptre to rule as emperor. Many of the skekses join and take sides of the Garthim Master and the Chamberlain. Eventually after winning Haakskeekah, it's the Garthim Master who becomes emperor. Chamberlain has to "pay by the law." He loses his hierarchy, and is kicked out of the castle.

Meanwhile, Jen must visit the observatory of Aughra. Aughra is the one who holds the shard that Jen will need in order to take on his quest. After meeting Aughra, it turns out there is more than one shard. The rest are copies and are fake. Out of the pile Aughra has there is only one true shard that belongs to the Dark Crystal. In order to choose, Jen decides to play his flute, the true shard glowing in a purple color. After Aughra's observatory is destroyed by Garthim, Jen escapes and makes it into the forest.

There, he meets another Gelfling named Kira. She was found and raised by the Pod people(who seem to resemble potatoes) after her parents were slaughtered by the Garthim as well. With Kira, is a little dog-like creature named Fizzgig. Ultimately, Kira and Fizzgig end up traveling with Jen in the end. That's because Kira's village is raided and destroyed by Garthim. After finding about the Gelfling, the skekses vow to destroy him.

And the rest is for you to find out on your own.

Unlike the movie, the book shows the politics behind the skekses. It shows political alliances and thwarts to possibly overthrow the Garthim Master. It tells more about the relationship between Jen and Kira. In the book, the Uru are called by their true names, like urUtt and urZah. They also speak in their own constructed language.

Read how Jen the Gelfling saves his planet from being ruled forever by the cruel Skekies. Learn how He Meets Kira, Augrah,and a fuzzball with teeth called Fizzgig. See how he sayes the Pod people! This book is hard to find, but it's worth it!

Being a huge fan of The Dark Crystal,I longed very much to get this book.It's a very enterteining novelization of the movie,although some scenes doesn't appear at the film(the skeksis new emperor coronation)or are slightly different in the movie.The best thing about this book are the skeksis thougts about each other and their political conflicts.My only complaint about this book ...it's rather short!

Like many others, I picked up this book after watching the movie expecting to find it to be simply the script translated into prose. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the book version delves deeper into the history of the Skeksis and Uru and Gelflings, and that the writer has a great gift for excellent prose. Clever dealings with the psychology of coming of ages makes for great character developement. This is a great rendition of one of the most unique and imaginative fantasies ever produced!

Thank You Jim Henson were ever you are