Customer Reviews

Dark Shadows: The Book of Temptation 1.2

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

"The Book of Temptation", the second Dark Shadows audio play, seamlessly picks up where "House of Despair" left off. Maggie is ensnared by a book that attempts to possess her soul. It's up to Quentin, Angelique, and a "friend" to help her escape its seductive clutches.

Scott Handcock, the author of the script, is a newcomer to Dark Shadows. You'd never know it from this play. His story is steeped in the Collinsport legends of the wailing widows and evokes memories of the early days of Dark Shadows.

The story is tight and tense. There aren't any scenes that are expendable. The pace is fast, but never moves at the expense of character development. David Selby (Quentin), Lara Parker (Angelique), and Kathryn Leigh Scott (Maggie) don't miss a beat in their perfomanances. One would think the series had been prodcuded immeidately following the demise of the original show. Newcomer, Daphne Ashbrook is alternately chilling and sympathetic. Doctor Who fans may remember her from the '90s TV movie with McGann and some of the Big Finish productions.

This latest chapter is accessable to fans new and old, but I'd recommend listening to "House of Despair" first. I'm eagerly anticipating "The Christmas Presence".

Where "The House of Despair" leaves, "The Book of Temptation" begins. All the characters are back, plus one spirit.

Scott Handcock is at the helm of this new story, and even though being a new fan, manages to grasp the characters rather well. I think Mr. Manning had a better handle on the characters, but Handcock does not fail in any way shape or form. "The Book of Temptation" is a fast-hitting story, filled with many plot points and important occurances. The Widows Wail creates an eerie backdrop of sound, just as those menacing vultures did in the previous story.

Maggie is center stage here, and is once again made the victim. This, unfortunately, is what made Victoria Winters so boring in the original series. Her constant non-understanding of the situations in which she was victimized became tiring. Let us hope that Maggie Evans, filled with so much spunk at the beginning of the series (You're a jerk! J-E-R-K!) does not meet this same fate.

Angelique, Quentin, and a "new" Barnabas Collins, cousin from England extraordinaire, race against time to save Maggie before she becomes one of the dearly departed trapped in the book she's found.

Handcock's story is tighter than Manning's in the previous volume, and moves along quickly. Where Manning is the master of suspense, Handcock is the master of quick hitting action, or as much as can be expected for an audio drama. Somehow, despite all the previous, I found "The Book of Temptation" to be somewhat less satisfying than "The House of Despair". This is probably due in large part to the fact that I love suspense and intrigue, and a good mixing of those qualities as well as action is something hard to achieve for any writer.

The Dark Shadows Audio Series is off to a most promising start, and I can't wait to hear more. Let us hope that "The Christmas Preseance" and "The Rage Beneath" live up to their predecessors!