Dark Mirror (Angel) [Mass Market Paperback]

Craig Shaw Gardner (Author)

Book Description

Series: Angel | Publication Date: April 6, 2004

Even if it takes an eternity, he will make amends...

THE SINCEREST FORM

In his two-plus centuries on Earth, Angel's seen his share of imitators: kindly, misguided people intrigued by the exotic business of being a P.I.; not-so-kindly misguided people drawn to the lure of the undead unlife. But so far he's not encountered a clone -- a true double.

Enter Angel, the Second. And Fred 2.0. And Wesley Redux....A steady parade of perfect doubles arrives at Angel Investigations, but they're not looking for help. They want the original humans (and vampire) dead. And if Angel, Lorne, and their friends can't band together to figure out where the clones are coming from, a murder spree that starts in their lobby might spread to the entire city. But how do you defeat someone who knows your every thought, your every battle plan, your darkest fear? How can Angel defeat himself?

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Craig Shaw Gardner is the author of the humorous fantasy sequences The Cineverse Cycle and the Eherezum Trilogy. He has also written a number of film and television tie-ins including The Lost Boys, Back to the Future, Spiderman: Wanted Dead or Alive and Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Return to Chaos. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Simon Spotlight Entertainment; 1 edition (April 6, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0689867018
• ISBN-13: 978-0689867019
• Product Dimensions: 7.1 x 4.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #978,912 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Tightly written, well paced story, May 16, 2004

By 

jsdunk "jsdunk" (Camas, WA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dark Mirror (Angel) (Mass Market Paperback)

In Dark Mirror, Angel Investigations must face a group of demons capable of becoming duplicates of anyone they get close to -- complete with their personality and memories. The duplicates just happen to reflect their darker, angrier selves. And their duplicates are out to destroy them.

The book is well written and fast paced. The character portrayals are strong and the interrelationships are accurate for the timing of the book (clearly early in season 4).

Gardner does a good job of capturing the strained relationship between Wesley and Angel Investigations, the complex relationship between Wesley and Lilah and Conner's confusion about who he is and what (and who) he should believe.

The ending seems to wrap up quickly (...). But, really, that mirrors the format of a one hour television series, where all is neatly wrapped up in the last 10 minutes. It is, in essence, exactly what we expect and saying that gives away nothing of the plot!

I was a little unclear about how the characters knew how to put a final end to their duplicates (and I won't go into that as it does give something away). I'll just say that I didn't see that part explained -- it may have been edited out or I may just have missed it, as I did read the book in a hospital waiting room.

If you like Angel or Angel books, I'd recommend this book. Its exactly what it should be; a fast paced adventure, true to the characters and the story. Its sure to make for an enjoyable afternoon of reading.

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing, April 13, 2004

By 

Tori (Stillwater, Ok United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Dark Mirror (Angel) (Mass Market Paperback)

I was very excited about this book when I first read the synopsis - the idea would get 4 stars.
The problem with this book is in the execution. Gardner's characterizations just don't ring true, and I found them very distracting. In particular, I had problems with comments about Lorne (that he's a "party demon" and "needs direction") Wesley (if this is early season 4, as I expect it is, Wesley's relationships with the Angel Team were still pretty strained) and Connor. (thinking that "Angel and his friends have never been anything but nice to me - I just need to find a place where I can think."). Connor's confusion comes across clearly, but his rage does not. I tried to give the book a chance, but I was unimpressed with Gardner's grasp of the characters. I would probably not buy another book by this author, and I would DEFINATELY not buy one of his without reading a little of it first.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars don't waste your hard earned cash!, September 4, 2004

By 

Fiona (Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dark Mirror (Angel) (Mass Market Paperback)

After reading the synopsis for this book I was looking forward to an exciting read. What I got was something a high school student could do better... The characters seemed forced and the villans frankly boring. There were many times I thought 'when is this book going to end'?? I kept reading to find out how the villans were defeated - the answer? - much too easily and without anyone at Angel Investigations even raising a sweat! The much hyped battle between Angel and his double was over in about two paragraphs, and how they knew how to kill their doubles was never explained.
I won't waste any more time or money on Angel novels and will enjoy my DVD's instead!