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Dark One: Forgotten Reactions


Use the Falchion

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Just finished! Gonna be honest, I like this more than Secret Project 1. I need to reread the graphic novel now, because this was a blast. 

I've heard Dan's stuff before, but this novella cements that Dan is exactly the type of author Brandon needs as a collaborator and second brain IMO. Dan is a master of auditory stories. Zero-G was delightful, and I can't wait for more, and Dark One: Forgotten is exactly what I've been looking for in Brandon's auditory works. As much as audiophile and music lover that I am (I literally cannot live without it), I'm not a giant fan of audiobooks. I don't like it when stories are read to me, as I want to experience them, if that makes sense. Sanderson's auditory works always feel like books being read to me, rather than me experiencing the story. But Dan's stories are different. Between the full voice acting, the in-world audio cues and sound effects, and the snappy dialogue, even if there is a narrator (as is the case with the Zero-G books), I never feel like the story is just being told to me. The dialogue is snappy and realistic, the voice acting feels authentic and very natural, and the tension is built up well in all of Wells' stories. 

But onto the story itself: 

Dark One: Forgotten is a supernatural murder mystery and it shines in this area. I loved the procedural aspects of it, and the two main leads were quite fun characters. One part of the story (that is woefully undeveloped IMO) gave me literal chills, and the tension was great. The dialogue was snappy and pretty realistic (which makes me wonder about the writing process), and I could easily see the story play out in my mind. The real-world references were really fun, including those that I could personally relate to such as Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Criminal Minds, and the unnamed Avengers reference. 

My one downside is the ending. The ending isn't bad, but it's not as snappy as other endings. I feel like it sort of breaks Sanderson's First Law, but does so in a way that we're supposed to question...which is fine, but having to wait until 2025 to see said question be answered IMO isn't going to be a fun wait...

Overall, I think this story was a great and fun read for fans of Sanderson and Dark One, and a very soothing piece for those worried about what Dan will do to Sanderson's stories and brand. Dark One is a smaller Sanderson property that, despite the fact that it hasn't lived up to the potential that Brandon sees in it, still has that potential. I think he should be focusing more on this than any more Legion stories. Fortunately, between the second volume of the graphic novel and the novel itself coming out in the relatively near future (I'd say 2024 for the GN and 2025 for the novelization), I think there's a good chance that we'll see some genuine growth in the series.

8.75/10. 

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I loved it. 

I have this weird belief, as a big fan of horror entertainment in general, that audio horror is scarier than anything else. Like, if you listen to old horror radio shows, they will actually make you wonder if the monster is behind you. I think it's because audio walks that line between things being so imaginary that they aren't that scary (like in a lot of books) and being so real-seeming that you can come to terms with the monster and stop being scared by it (like in a movie),so that things feel real but the monster remains this terrifying nebulous thingy that haunts the space just beyond your peripheral vision.

DO: Forgotten hit that exact point for me. The characters and plot and voice acting were all super well done, and the music and sound design were very good at real-ifying some of the scarier moments (I don't think I've ever heard a torture scene so long, visceral, and intense. Those screams were scary). And, there were a couple moments where I actually gasped and/or flinched because of the things happening to the characters. @Use the Falchionif I can hazard a guess I bet your referring to the fact that when Christina is initially cursed, it feels super uncanny and scary, but pretty quick the tone goes back to "I can detective this". I was also a little annoyed by that, but since Brandon also wrote this, I can see where Dan was probably reigned in a little.

Anyway, great stuff. Five stars, would music box curse again.

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14 hours ago, MGershone said:

@Use the Falchionif I can hazard a guess I bet your referring to the fact that when Christina is initially cursed, it feels super uncanny and scary, but pretty quick the tone goes back to "I can detective this". I was also a little annoyed by that, but since Brandon also wrote this, I can see where Dan was probably reigned in a little.

It was actually the moment where Christina hears the audio of the interview with the scientist! I think I thought it was going to go where someone else was looking into it and forgotten, but it turned into that she had forgotten the interview and the musician. I honestly thought it was going to play a larger role than it did. 

Edited by Use the Falchion
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OK, one thing still bothers me after finishing listening to this today - how did Christina know Zoran's (the Ember Wizard's) name? She explicitly refers to him as Zoran (clearly, Zoran Tanasin) at one point, despite both of them stating at different times that he didn't share his name with her. Was it Mirandus magic or did I miss something obvious?

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Unfortunately I did not like it…. It might be due to me not often listening to audio books. Anyways I could not stand that the first 8 chapters are spent on “what’s going on here?” And “this is not possible”. Having read the graphic novel and knowing there is something supernatural going on, this felt like a waste of time. Maybe it’s nice for someone who goes in blind, but not for me.

On the other side, they opened up a nice addition (prequel) to this series and I can’t help but wonder where it will go. The format is nice and different. And despite me not liking it, I will be checking the second part out when it arrives.

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Honestly, I really liked it! It hit a really nice niche for me as a Doctor Who fan, with the horror being exploring a terrifying hypothetical (in this case the question of “what if everyone forgot you existed?”). It was a wonderful ride, and I felt that it was an excellent addition to the Dark One series. Honestly, I feel like it could stand alone, unconnected from Dark One. 
 

Personally, I enjoyed the short length of the story, compared to other audiobooks Brandon Sanderson has done in the past. I felt it could convey a thrilling story in a pleasantly short amount of time, and there wasn’t a single part that I felt I wanted to go faster. The voice acting was fantastic, and I loved the unorthodox approach to storytelling that is criminally underutilized.

That said, there’s quite a bit that I feel goes against what is said in the original Dark One, and I’m not sure if that is a rewriting of the canon or if it is an intentional in-world choice. 
 

Overall, I really liked it and am excited to see Sanderson and Wells collabs in the future!

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I really enjoyed this book! Personally, I'm very old fashioned and feel a need to hold a book and physically turn pages to enjoy it. I had previously read the graphic novel and enjoyed it so when I heard that this was coming out as an audio-only entry, I was initially pretty disappointed. So as my first audio book, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Honestly, it's turned me on to audiobooks and I just started Wells' Zero-G series which, while for a younger audience, are also really enjoyable.

There were some amazing moments in Dark Ones: Forgotten for me, though I will admit that a few aspects of the end seemed a bit rushed/ not entirely convincing to me (Sophie's decision at the end). But overall, I really enjoyed it and need to go back and re-read the graphic novel again. Looking forward to the second installment of the graphic novel as well as the Dark Ones novel. I think this audiobook shows the potential for some really interesting storytelling in this world!

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On 1/23/2023 at 7:44 PM, KandraAllomancer said:

OK, one thing still bothers me after finishing listening to this today - how did Christina know Zoran's (the Ember Wizard's) name? She explicitly refers to him as Zoran (clearly, Zoran Tanasin) at one point, despite both of them stating at different times that he didn't share his name with her. Was it Mirandus magic or did I miss something obvious?

I noticed that too, but I'm not entirely sure either. Maybe we both missed something when he slipped it in, but it might just be a goof. 

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