Customer Reviews

Loose Ends (Roswell)

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Liz would have died when she was accidentally shot in the diner two years ago if Max hadn't used his powers to save her life. But she never believed she would see the man who nearly killed her again. Which is why she gets the shock of her life when she runs into him on a weekend trip with her friends to Carlsbad Canyons. Isabel uses her dreamwalking power and discovers that the shooter - whose name is Morton - recognized Liz and is now out to kill her so that she can't turn him in. But the group also discovers that Morton is part of a mysterious conspiracy that connects to the crash and concerns some technology that is suspiciously alien in nature. Liz must face her fears if she is going to survive - but how can she confront the man that nearly killed her? I reccomend this new novel to all fans of the TV series Roswell. The author did a great job with the characters.

When I heard this book was going to come out, I had really high hopes for a great series, just like the original Roswell High (for those other reviewers that don't seem to realize that Roswell came from Roswell High--Melinda Metz had started her own series, and they got the show's idea from her books; that's why her series doesn't follow the show). As soon as it came out, I went to buy it. I started reading it instantly and found myself wishing for a painful dental procedure instead of reading Loose Ends.

I was appalled at how little Greg Cox knew about the series (for the love of pantyhose, they don't drink tabasco--they put it on their food! And they don't use it for a quick pick-me-up either!). I'm a hard-core Roswellian and found so many plot bloopers in the book. He was constantly repeating phrases he had used to describe something: trigger-happy, cover-girl model, etc., etc. He also portrayed the characters completely wrong. Liz is NOT a weak, scared, little girl; she's quite the opposite after all that she and the group have been through. None of them are weak and I don't think the guy who accidentaly shot her would make her so freaked out (I mean, hello, wasn't she shot at in the first season's finale? I just don't think she would be so scared).

Greg Cox also didn't really clarify exactly where on the Roswell timeline the book took place. Tess was gone (and how DID she leave?), Alex was alive..... how does that fit in? Where are the Sheriff and Kyle? And if it had season two stuff, he should have known that the Valenti family is part of the group. I thought the book was going to follow what had happened in the show while still relaying another of the group's adventures, but I guess not. And how could Liz and Max be together if there are still hints of season two happenings? If you ask me, this book didn't tie up the loose ends, it kinda just made it's own. (hehe, is that a cheesy enough ending sentence or what? And look at that title! Where has my creativity gone?!?)

The plot is terrific. The characterizations are so-so and inconsistent. The villain is awful - not "he's a great bad guy," I mean written really terribly. It's the last that really sinks this otherwise good story.

Maria suggests her friend Liz and the perpetually serious alien cadre they hang out with get away from it all with a little trip to Carlsbad Caverns. Liz finds more than bats in the caves: the man who shot her two years before in the Crashdown Cafe is in the gift shop. Does he recognize her? If not, how long before he does? What should she do about it? Run? Call the cops? After all, officially, no one knows she was even injured - alien boyfriend Max healed her up, before anyone realized she'd been shot. The let-it-lie option evaporates quickly, when Max and his alien sister Isabel find out Liz's shooter is involved in some kind of scam with Air Force personnel - and, given their past fracases with the government, they have to find out what it's all about.

This book starts out great, and goes downhill fast. Its first flaw is the inconsistent and generally out-of-character portrayals of the principals. Non-series fans may not notice, anymore than they will the odd preoccupation Cox gives the characters with Tabasco sauce (an incidental running gag on the show, that Cox turns into something more), but of course series fans will be the primary purchasers of the novel.

Liz's shooter, the big bad guy of the piece, has the worst dialogue this side of a 1930's gangster movie, and that's no exaggeration. He doesn't actually say "coppers," but he might as well. He's also unbelievably careless and uncoordinated, for a man arranging sales of top secrets. He's just not very credible, in any department. His actions - and often those of the other characters as well - are bizarrely abrupt and inexplicable, even for a psychopath.

What the book does have going for it is the good story, a nice sense of humor, and likeable (if inconsistently accurate) central characters. If you can take the book's flaws, you might enjoy it, but it's not very indicative of the series as a whole and will probably disappoint most fans.

A trip to the Carlsbad Caverns to relax turns into a dangerous fame of cat and mouse for the three aliens and their three human friends. At the gift shop Liz sees the man who shot her teo years ago in the Crashdown café - and now Liz is running for her life. The shooter, Morton, is up to something devious and dangerous, and Max and the others are driven to find out what he has hidden in the black briefcase. This is one of the most dangerous adventures for the five Roswell teens because Morton has a gun and he is only too happy to use it.

I found this book difficult to get into at first because Greg Cox has a very unusual way of writing. The overall story though is both interesting, and action packed. If you really like the TV series then you should give this book a go - I took two days to read it, but it was worth it in the end when I finally put it down. There are facts that are wrong, but overall Cox has tried to remain faithful to the TV series.

If you can't stand this book, don't let it stop you from reading "No good deed". The books are very different, and if you don't enjoy this book you are bound to like the next one in the series.

The only thing that makes this book similar to the Television Show are the names of the characters. The author thanks crashdown.com for giving him advice on the characters, and he obviously didn't listen to a word they said. You would think if he was going to attach his name to something, he would have taken the time to watch some of the shows that his story was supposed to have been based on. The perfect example is that the pod squad is always drinking tobasco sauce, something that just is not done. He obviously doesn't get it. Furthermore, his writing is completely amateurish. How many different ways is he going to call them teenagers? Why does he have to use their age as a description every single time he mentions one of them? Its absolutely rediculous. He spends way too much time in this book setting up the scene, and never really gets to the heart of Roswell, whether it is the science fiction side or the romantic side. You may be able to fool someone who has never watched the show, but if you have ever seen the show, or read any of Melinda Metz's Roswell High books, you will be highly dissappointed in this ripoff.

I guess my first mistake was trying to read/enjoy this book right after reading Melinda Metz's Roswell series. I just couldn't get into his odd style of writing. The book wasn't THAT bad granted, It was just extremely unimaginative. Cox just took all the traits of the characters from the show and his own enjoyment/memories of Carlsbad Caverns (he eerily knew too much about them) and combined them with the first episode of Roswell, and wrote a bland story that took forever to go somewhere.

I must say though, by the climax, the book was OK, when we eventually got there. I think if Cox wasn't so concerned with re creating the feel of the Televisions show ROSWELL, and put more of himself and his own wants into the book, and it's characters, it would have been more convincing. It was just a cheesy rip off, (Which wasn't even that accurate) with little to none of Cox's own imagination. It is true, I have read better fan fiction by people online. It's like he just wanted to make money off Roswell. What were they thinking??

I was really looking forward to this book and perhaps had my expectations way too high. I was disappointed in the authors portrayal of the characters. I did not feel he did a good job in doing so. The book picked up a bit about 1/4 of the way through, but getting there was difficult. What tells me how much I like or dislike a book is how quickly I read it. If I really like it, I'll read it in one day. If I sort of like it, it will take me two to three days. It took me two weeks to read this book.

I recommend lose ends to anyone who loves the show Roswell. I know many of you are awaiting to see if Roswell will air on upn 20, so keep your fingers crossed. Until we know for sure please pick up the book lose ends. The characters came to life for me in the novel.. Mr. Greg Cox did an outstanding job writing this book.

This book does a very good job of bringing back a major event for Max and Liz. The shooter of the Crashdown makes an apperance at a cave that the teens are visiting for the weekend. The only difference is that this guy has something to do with the aliens other than the fact that he shot Liz. He has something from their past that could prove useful in the future. Max and Liz react differently to their past coming back to haunt them. Anyone that reads this book will be as addicted as I am. I could not put it down until I finished it. This book will hopefully also allow people to want to watch the television show that the book is based on. I would recommend this book to anyone that likes science fiction with a little action.

I love LOOSE ENDS; it's a really great book. LOOSE ENDS is more based on the "Pilot" episode of "Roswell" rather than any of the other episodes. The book (and the TV series) is about a modern-day teenage girl named Liz Parker who works as a waitress at her father's restaurant called the Crashdown Cafe in her home of Roswell, New Mexico. One day while she is working, there are two customers who get into a sudden fight and one of them has a gun. By accident, the man with the gun ends up shooting Liz and she is supposed to die! But then a guy from her Roswell High School named Max Evans, saves her life by healing her with his hands and mind (he's an alien, but nobody knows that yet). After that, Liz and Max are connected and fall in love.

"Roswell" is a really great show on TV. I love it; it's one of my favorites (Jason Behr who plays Max Evans is incredibly hot and talented!). And this book is a great way to find out more about the show if you are a little skeptical about watching it as a regular "Roswell" fan. Solid and well-written. I liked how Greg Cox carefully described each and every character and event that happened in the episode. Really awesome novel - I was so engrossed in it that I couldn't put it down 'til I was finished! - and this is a definite must have and must read to all "Roswell" fans.

I actually kind of like this better than the ROSWELL HIGH series that Melinda Metz wrote because it is more based on the TV show. I can already tell this will be an excellent, new and upcoming book series! It's also a great read if you like sci-fic novels. Enjoy!