Nightscape

Roswell (Simon Spotlight Entertainment) #6

by Kevin Ryan

When Liz has a vision of Maria being chased in an old house, the van in which she and her friends are traveling suddenly breaks down in front of a similar place, making them wonder about their destinies after leaving Roswell.

Genres: Science Fiction, Young Adult, Fantasy, Media Tie In

194 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published July 1, 2003

About the author

Kevin Ryan is an American writer of many Star Trek books and one episode. He has also written comic books and the novelization of the movie Van Helsing. He lives in New York with his wife and children.

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nightscape is the ninth original tie-in novel based on the Roswell television show. It's set after the filmed story ended, and the six castaways encounter a haunted house in Colorado. I was never a big fan of Liz getting supernatural powers, but it works well here to give her a chance to step up and be the game saver. The interaction of the characters and their evolving relationships in the confined space of the van is quite well-drawn, though the adventure itself seems patterned in the episode-of-the-week format. It's a fun, fast read, with several cool call-backs from previous episodes.

[Katelyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was so much better than “A New Beginning”.

The villain twist I would never had guessed! As a season 2 fan I was happy for the callback.

Characterization I felt was overall better this book… besides for Maria! Maria’s always been by favorite character on the show so it irritates me that in the books she’s so annoying and stupid. The author rather has some strange vendetta for the character or just can’t seem to translate for her personality to book form.

On the other hand I loved that Liz got to be the one to step and save the day!

I’m excited to read the last two books, which are written by a different author and see how those fair.

[Rosa · Rating 4 out of 5]

OMG, SO WONDERFULLY CREEPY. I loved the atmosphere and was genuinely spooked for a good majority of the novel. Such a wonderful gothic feel to this installment. I really should have seen a ghost story coming after the gang was talking about Scooby Doo in the final scene of the previous book.

Liz kicked ass in this one, which I loved. I have read a lot of reviews where people say that they didn't like the "Liz gets special powers" aspect that developed toward the end of the tv show. I always interpreted the decision as a way to explain how the world was saved in 2015 with Future Max. I mean, originally, they had needed Tess to smooth out the Royal Four and protect everyone. Liz developing powers helps to even out their need for a fourth in the Royal party. Plus, she was Max's *chosen* queen (as explained via conversation in this particular novel), and the real power behind everything Max did.

Also, we got to see Michael and Isabel further develop their power. I loved getting to see Isabel's story develop even more. I don't really like how they downplay her feelings for Jesse in these last two books, as though he was just someone for Isabel to waste time with, but I did enjoy how they used Isabel's loneliness to jumpstart this story. And all of the talk about Alex just...hurts. Apparently, I will never be over Alex's death (just like Isabel.)


Also, Kyle sleeping outside of Isabel's room? So adorable. I love that friendship so much.


I loved Maria trying to defend herself and Liz with fire pokers. Here's hoping that she actually is able to contribute something to the larger story within the next two books though. She's the only one who hasn't really had much to do yet.

[The Story Girl (Serenity) · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book wasn't what I was expecting, but I did enjoy some parts of it. The first 50 pages or so (out of only 90) were them in the car trying to stay off the Special Unit's radar, and that was pretty boring. Then they come across a creepy, abandoned house, and that's where the fun starts. While it seems like no one has lived in the house in decades, the electricity still works and the fridge is stocked with food. They decide to spend the night there, and Isobel discovers a diary dated 1938, and we learn that the previous owner's wife and three kids all died of smallpox! despite being vaccinated so that was shocking yet interesting to read about, even though in the end, it didn't have much to do with the plot. I did love all the haunted house vibes it gave and that and the diary were the two reasons I decided not to DNF. It was also fun and nostalgic to read a book from the early 2000s.

The actual plot was about Nicholas, some Skin or something they had last come across in Colorado, who wanted to kill Max, figure out where something was hidden, and go back to Kevlar, who would grant him power over one of the five planets. They eventually are able to escape him, but Nicholas himself escapes, same as he did in the last book, apparently. So I'm sure he will show up again in a later book. He was the one I was least interested in in this book.

Also, according to Goodreads, this has been on my TBR since June 2010, and perhaps even longer than that. It is #8 (out of about 1,000 at this point!) on my want to read shelf, so I'm glad I can finally cross this off.

[Kathryn Houghton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Could not really tell if there were ghosts in this story or not. But loving the character growth

[Linda Jaejoong · Rating 4 out of 5]

Max, Michael, Isabel, Liz, Maria, und Kyle dachten sie hätten nach den Aliens in Stonewall endlich ein wenig Ruhe gefunden, doch der Schein trügt. Das FBI hat die Suche nach ihnen noch nicht aufgegeben und sie haben einen mächtigen Verbündeten, jemand der die 6 aus tiefstem Herzen hasst und sie tot sehen will. Als Liz auch noch eine Vision von Marias Tod bekommt müssen die Freunde enger denn je zusammen halten, wenn sie den nächsten Tag noch erleben wollen.

Endlich geht die richtige Action los. Der Vorgänger "A New Beginning" war zwar nett, aber es ist nicht wirklich viel passiert und die Handlung ist ehr zäh dahin geflossen. In Nightscape nimmt die Handlung deutlich an Fahrt zu und man weiß nicht was schreckliches als nächstes passiert.

Max hat seine Rolle als Anführer eigentlich aufgeben, aber so richtig kann er alte Gewohnheiten nicht ablegen. Liz entdeckt mehr und mehr ihre neuen Fähigkeiten und man kann sie quasi als 4 Alien der Gruppe ansehen, womit sie eigentlich Tess ihre Rolle übernommen hat. Kyle versucht seine Gefühle für Isabel zu ergründen, als wenn sie keine größeren Probleme hätten als seine Hormone.

Michael und Maria versuchen derweil ihre Beziehung in den Griff zu bekommen, was keine einfache Angelegenheit ist, da Maria schreckliche Angst davor hat Michael zu verlieren. Isabel kommt noch immer nicht mit der Trennung von Jesse klar und auch die Gedanken an Alex halten sie gefangen, sie muss lernen endlich los zu lassen.

Fazit: Die Handlung war spannend, voller Action und besaß ein paar interessante Wendungen. Ich hätte das Buch gerne als eine Roswell Folge gesehen, das wäre so toll geworden. Aber man kann leider nicht alles im Leben haben. Der Schreibstil hat mir wesentlich besser gefallen als im Vorgänger und auch die Handlung ging etwas zackiger voran!!

[Jackie Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

I do not normally like suspense stories, but I guess that is what I get for enjoying Roswell. I got a little jumpy reading this one in the dark, and there were plenty of story inconsistencies where the gang would have used their powers but did not, or made choices that the characters in the TV series would clearly not have made. However, I believe that overall this book captured the essence of the characters well and continued the saga to my satisfaction.

[Chrissy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book, its awesome that even though the show ended I still can have the answers to my questions. This book was well written that i felt i was living it not many books do that. I felt the fear and love Liz has for Max and the way Isabel felt also the way the house made everyone feel. Cant wait for the next book!

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved this series. That's why I waited weeks for this book to arrive from ILL. I was disappointed, however, at its shortness and minimal character development. It was like a filler episode in a season that never aired. I would pass on this one. I'll still read the others in the series just to see if they're any different.

[Diane ~Firefly~ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice to see the Roswell gang again, although it has to suck being on the road all the time. It was an interesting plot with the haunted mansion and all. The characters were mostly true to form, but Liz is becoming an all-powerful Mary Sue type which is annoying.

[Wendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story had a bit of a 'ghost' twist to it. It had action, excitement, danger, etc. Liz managed to discover she's got another 'gift' from Max saving her and uses it to help save the others when they've all been captured in and old mansion.

[Master · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good "horror" book where we embark on yet another experience by our hybrid and human friends. The story is very good, and the book is written very well.

[Heather (hungrycookiemonster)]

See my depressed review reason behind why this book series is not in my hands right now.

[Rianne27 · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one isn't a favorite but I read it every year as part of the 4-book set that completes the series.