princess_starr's review
3.0
I’ve rambled on and off about tie-in books, specifically the defictionalized tie-ins. And while I have mixed feelings on those, I have a very soft spot for serialized tie-ins and novelizations, such as the following. (What can I say? I’m a fanfiction nerd.) Funnily enough, I tend to gravitate to tie-ins for shows I don’t really follow, but have a basic knowledge of who’s who and what the set-up is. (This is pretty much how I kept up with Buffy and Angel back when I was a wee nerd; my library’s YA section had a TON of WB show tie-ins.)
Enough rambling—I generally liked this. I spent about two years watching CSI: Vegas as study brain candy—I blame my roommate—and Dark Sundays fits the bill. The characters are in-character and interact with each other well. I stopped watching before Laurence Fishburne joined the cast, but I got a good grasp of Ray Langston. This being CSI of course, there’s a lot of techno-babble that may be stretched for fictional purposes. I generally liked both plots—the Theria and Bannister story was actually very creepy, especially when the book switches over to their point-of-view. And the Russian circus/Red Mafiya/KGB blackmail heist was just epically cracktacular (especially Nick and Greg’s constant “WE ARE SO SIMULATING THIS” moments), and in true CSI fashion, it kept me guessing at what the heist actually was. My only real complaint is that the Russian suspects are extremely stereotyped, although, that’s true for the show itself. It bugged me, but I should know that it’s coming.
Overall, it’s a brain candy book and an enjoyable one at that. It works well as a standalone book, and doesn’t get too involved with the overreaching character arcs in the main show. It’s a decent read for a casual fan, especially someone like me who’s pretty much fallen out of watching the show on a regular basis.
Enough rambling—I generally liked this. I spent about two years watching CSI: Vegas as study brain candy—I blame my roommate—and Dark Sundays fits the bill. The characters are in-character and interact with each other well. I stopped watching before Laurence Fishburne joined the cast, but I got a good grasp of Ray Langston. This being CSI of course, there’s a lot of techno-babble that may be stretched for fictional purposes. I generally liked both plots—the Theria and Bannister story was actually very creepy, especially when the book switches over to their point-of-view. And the Russian circus/Red Mafiya/KGB blackmail heist was just epically cracktacular (especially Nick and Greg’s constant “WE ARE SO SIMULATING THIS” moments), and in true CSI fashion, it kept me guessing at what the heist actually was. My only real complaint is that the Russian suspects are extremely stereotyped, although, that’s true for the show itself. It bugged me, but I should know that it’s coming.
Overall, it’s a brain candy book and an enjoyable one at that. It works well as a standalone book, and doesn’t get too involved with the overreaching character arcs in the main show. It’s a decent read for a casual fan, especially someone like me who’s pretty much fallen out of watching the show on a regular basis.
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