Chmakova, Svetlana - Nightschool: The Weirn Books, vol. 03-04
Tue, Feb. 1st, 2011 09:21 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
oyceterThis series makes much more sense if you read all four volumes straight through, instead of waiting six months for each one.
So this concludes the Weirn Books arc, although Chmakova states that she's planning on continuing in the universe. This would be nice, since the four volumes of the Weirn Books give only a tiny glimpse into a world I would love to spend more time in and characters I'd really love to see developed further. I especially love the play of Hunters vs. night things vs. humans, and how here, the night things we see tend to be fairly normal and cheerful while it's the Hunters who have angsty, fight-filled lives. I, unsurprisingly, heart the Hunters the best, particularly Teresa.
(Also, OMG, do you know what this title and subseries thing is doing to my categorization scheme? ARGH.)
The problem with volume four is that it really should be volumes four through ten; there's enough plot and action crammed in there to last for probably twenty Shounen Jump volumes. Unfortunately, because Chmakova is trying to tie things up so quickly, the ending reads a bit deus ex machina, and it resets things a bit too easily for my taste. Come to think of it, despite the visual style of this series being very shoujo manga, the plot reminds me most of X-Men and superhero comics: the way the giant cast of characters only get small bits of development, and the way nothing really changes by the ending. Unfortunately, these are the bits of superhero comics that I like the least.
Spoilers
Despite packing a ton into volume four, I love how Chmakova has all the sibling pairs—Ronee and Rochelle, Sarah and Alex, Mr. Roi and Eron, J and Jaq, Marina and Noh. Chmakova is also very good at packing a lot of emotion into a few brief scenes, which is why the series works for me despite the rushrushrush of the final volume. I especially want to see more of Ronee and Rochelle, both of whom are awesome.
That said, as mentioned, the Nereshai aren't introduced nearly early enough to justify the enormous fix-it they pull by the end, I have no idea why Eron did half the things he did, the Sohrem remain unexplained, and the threat of world destruction is averted too easily for the Doom and Prophecies of the beginning. More importantly, I hate that everything has basically reverted, with only a few people keeping their memories (dear authors: memory resets = always bad ideas unless they form the premise, not the conclusion, of your story).
Still, I'm keeping an eye out on Chmakova and particularly the Nightschool series, because I love what she's doing with the premise and how she's putting enough twists on the night things vs. Hunters vs. humans dynamics to make it fresh and interesting. I want more of the Nereshai (Sue Chen, so awesome! Daemon and Mr. Roi also awesome, but we knew that earlier on.). I really really really really want more of the Hunters, and although Chmakova has a tiny guide to the Nightschool world mentioning that Hunters don't get romantically involved with others in their Clave, I, uh, am totally shipping Teresa and Cassidy.
Another note is that Chmakova has way more worldbuilding in her tiny guide to the world that comes out in the series. Usually I am all for only showing the readers what they need to know, but it's very obvious that this world needs much more than just four volumes.
I like Chmakova's art a lot, and I especially like how she has a very multiracial and multicultural world without any of the characters feeling like tokens, but the pacing of the final volume is terrible. That said, want more!
So this concludes the Weirn Books arc, although Chmakova states that she's planning on continuing in the universe. This would be nice, since the four volumes of the Weirn Books give only a tiny glimpse into a world I would love to spend more time in and characters I'd really love to see developed further. I especially love the play of Hunters vs. night things vs. humans, and how here, the night things we see tend to be fairly normal and cheerful while it's the Hunters who have angsty, fight-filled lives. I, unsurprisingly, heart the Hunters the best, particularly Teresa.
(Also, OMG, do you know what this title and subseries thing is doing to my categorization scheme? ARGH.)
The problem with volume four is that it really should be volumes four through ten; there's enough plot and action crammed in there to last for probably twenty Shounen Jump volumes. Unfortunately, because Chmakova is trying to tie things up so quickly, the ending reads a bit deus ex machina, and it resets things a bit too easily for my taste. Come to think of it, despite the visual style of this series being very shoujo manga, the plot reminds me most of X-Men and superhero comics: the way the giant cast of characters only get small bits of development, and the way nothing really changes by the ending. Unfortunately, these are the bits of superhero comics that I like the least.
Spoilers
Despite packing a ton into volume four, I love how Chmakova has all the sibling pairs—Ronee and Rochelle, Sarah and Alex, Mr. Roi and Eron, J and Jaq, Marina and Noh. Chmakova is also very good at packing a lot of emotion into a few brief scenes, which is why the series works for me despite the rushrushrush of the final volume. I especially want to see more of Ronee and Rochelle, both of whom are awesome.
That said, as mentioned, the Nereshai aren't introduced nearly early enough to justify the enormous fix-it they pull by the end, I have no idea why Eron did half the things he did, the Sohrem remain unexplained, and the threat of world destruction is averted too easily for the Doom and Prophecies of the beginning. More importantly, I hate that everything has basically reverted, with only a few people keeping their memories (dear authors: memory resets = always bad ideas unless they form the premise, not the conclusion, of your story).
Still, I'm keeping an eye out on Chmakova and particularly the Nightschool series, because I love what she's doing with the premise and how she's putting enough twists on the night things vs. Hunters vs. humans dynamics to make it fresh and interesting. I want more of the Nereshai (Sue Chen, so awesome! Daemon and Mr. Roi also awesome, but we knew that earlier on.). I really really really really want more of the Hunters, and although Chmakova has a tiny guide to the Nightschool world mentioning that Hunters don't get romantically involved with others in their Clave, I, uh, am totally shipping Teresa and Cassidy.
Another note is that Chmakova has way more worldbuilding in her tiny guide to the world that comes out in the series. Usually I am all for only showing the readers what they need to know, but it's very obvious that this world needs much more than just four volumes.
I like Chmakova's art a lot, and I especially like how she has a very multiracial and multicultural world without any of the characters feeling like tokens, but the pacing of the final volume is terrible. That said, want more!
(no subject)
Thu, Feb. 10th, 2011 03:06 am (UTC)Love the series, hate the ending. ^^; Like your mini-review though. It makes me feel validated. ;D
(no subject)
Thu, Feb. 10th, 2011 07:17 am (UTC)Yeah, was disappointed by the ending, but really want more of the world!