'The Power of the Dark Crystal, Volume 3' - Spurrier, Kennedy Johnson and Kelly & Nichole Matthews (Archaia)

Well, it's taken me a little longer than I originally planned but I've finally finished the 'Power of the Dark Crystal' trilogy, only to find that there are another three books to read with 'Beneath the Dark Crystal'. What a time to be alive :o) Lets just say that I'm happy to keep reading in this setting for as long as the books keep coming.

But lets talk about 'The Power of the Dark Crystal, Volume 3' first, shall we...? Part of the reason I've been putting this read off was because I didn't want to end up repeating myself, in the resulting review, about the artwork, the story and so on. Seriously, any series worth it's salt isn't going to make major changes if everything is going well but where does that leave someone like me who wants to write about it afterwards and be all interesting? Not that I've been hoping for a downturn in quality (I enjoyed the first books far too much) but, you know what I mean?

Well... Of course I was going to write about it, wasn't I...? There's a little part of me that hates to leave a series unfinished, on this blog, so here we are, Volume 3... Lets go.

After the arduous journey across the strange lands of Thra, Thurma has returned to her homeworld of Mithra. Just as when she began her journey she is alone, having betrayed her only ally. But as Thurma attempts to cast aside her guilt and affection for Kensho to complete her mission, the two are reunited. Kensho has not given up hope that their worlds might both be saved. If Thra and Mithra are to coexist, these unlikely heroes will have to reconcile their differences and uncover the secret that connects their two worlds.

I'll cut a long story short then and just say that Volume 3 is just as good as the preceding books, if not a little more so. We've had our prequel with 'Creation Myths' and 'The Power of the Dark Crystal' is a worthy sequel to that as well as the film. Where does that leave me though in terms of trying to come up with something new and interesting to say? Well, I'd say don't worry about that, just go and read the books. If you're still here, lets see how I do.

Well, the old 'if it ain't broke, don't try to fix it' adage is certainly true here. We've got a creative team who have nailed the first two books so why should they do anything different for the most important book of the series? You know, the book that's the whole point of reading the first two books? The book with all the answers?

The end result is a book that's just brimming with confidence and purpose in how it tells its story. Volume 3 knows exactly where it's going and what it needs to do on the way. Each plot line gets it's moment to shine and shine they do; everything is tied off and there's a solid line drawn under everything by the end that doesn't feel forced, more like a natural ending to a tale that has been told.

Spurrier and Kennedy Johnson have done wonders with this series and do it real justice with the conclusion. There may not be any real surprises in the ending but the real joy is in how we reach that ending, with all the cliffhangers and red herrings that involves. And action, don't forget the action. This is more of a dynamic series than the movie, which is fair enough given the limitations of working with puppets, and there's a lot more scope for really cool set pieces to happen. What I was really there for though was to see how things played out between Thurma and Kensho. Again, no big surprises but it was really interesting to see the parallels drawn with how Jen and Kira's relationship developed in the movie. Maybe those parallels are a little too closely drawn (and that's all I'm saying, I don't want to give anything away) but on the flip side, it helps to develop that feeling of one chapter ending and another beginning for Thra and Mithra. And sometimes, there's really nothing wrong with a little nostalgia.

Kelly and Nicole Matthews have really made Thra their own by now and it shows in their typically lush artwork, the kind of landscapes that it's far too easy to get lost in. We finally get to see Mithra, in this book, and these underground 'firescapes' are just breathtaking to be honest, You can't help but feel, by now, that Kelly and Nicole Matthews are just the perfect people to lead us into this new age of the Dark Crystal. I'm starting to repeat myself now so just check out the artwork for yourself and see what I mean.

'The Power of the Dark Crystal, Volume 3' is just such a gorgeous read; a book where I really envy anyone who is reading it for the first time and getting to experience all that goodness. Don't let that stop you though, just read it.

You can read my review for Volume 1, Here
You can read my review for Volume 2, Here