I can't get behind Olivia as a villain. This portrayal just doesn't work for me.
She's supposed to be this powerful, cunning, ancient vampire poised to take over the world, but somehow she's not at all scary. She doesn't feel intimidating. She comes across as grating and obnoxious, and she has no menace to speak of. I know she's always been portrayed as eccentric and a bit flamboyant, but now she just feels like an evil Willy Wonka, quipping, dropping puns, pouting, trolling, and taking nothing seriously. Her dialogue is constantly silly:
"Boring!"
"I see we've already had some murders. What fun! I can't tell you how happy it makes me to have blood sacrifices at my wedding!"
"Now, I'm sure you're all honored to be here, and dying to get to the main event."
"You're in my care now, and together, we'll rule Innistrad. I promise I'll always consider your opinions for at least a moment before rejecting them, Edgar."
"I knew you were gauche, but this! We'll need to construct a whole new word for how gauche this is."
I'd hoped for a frightening, more formidable presence in Olivia, not this flanderized cartoon. Shadows Over Innistrad / Eldritch Moon at least seemed to give her more balance.
While the hollowness and decadence of Innistrad's vampires is very well portrayed in these stories (and perhaps more effectively than ever before), and the details of Olivia's actual plot feel appropriately sinister as we learn what her endgame is, her characterization spoils the mood like curdled milk poured in a glass of wine.
In the meantime, I agree with the sentiment that this chapter was well-paced. Interesting how this feels like the penultimate chapter with Olivia's plans already falling apart, but there's still two more chapters left to go. Lots of room still for twists and surprises. I am really liking Sorin in these stories as we further flesh out his complicated relationship with his family, his past, and his species.
As for Edgar, my guess is that he's actually one-up on Olivia. He's the progenitor of the entire vampire race - I doubt he's as duped as we're being led to believe.
I really enjoyed this. Much better than last week's, for sure. It's fascinating to see new glimpses into Arlinn's past - maybe we'll get a brief flashback next week of her former challenge to Tovolar? In any case, their fight has more weight to it than usual because, unlike in most Magic stories of late, the main hero and villain have such an intimate history together. Whatever the stakes for the world of Innistrad, this conflict is deeply personal. When they clash, it feels like this is truly a fateful moment, as if both their lives have been leading up to this. The consequences for Innistrad are secondary, even, next to how personal this fight is to Arlinn. She has become my favorite heroine of the post-War of the Spark story, and Tovolar my favorite villain.
Unfortunately, the side characters are less interesting. Even Teferi, a legacy character and one of my personal favorites in all MTG canon, is irrelevant here. My main gripe with this chapter is that his slowing of the sunset didn't really change or affect the story at all, and thus it didn't even need to be here. It didn't even do anything, really, except save the lives of some human redshirts that we the readers care nothing for. It felt like the author only included that bit because she was handed a list of plot points from WotC that included "Teferi slows the sun." Teferi, Chandra, Kaya, Adeline - all extraneous.
But Arlinn and Tovolar (and Arlinn's wolves!) shine as good characters, and that is enough to carry the story for me.
I can honestly say I can't wait to see the conclusion next week.
Okay, this one had some problems, so I'll start with the bad.
-The pacing was wonky, and at times it was apparent the author was cutting corners (the truncated journey to Thraben, for example, as well as the heroes' brisk entry into Markov Manor.)
-Yet at other times the story was needlessly dragged out. The detour to the Betzold House - the very namesake of this chapter - was wholly unnecessary and could have been edited out. That entire thread was just a sidequest within a fetch quest, calling to mind the most pointless excesses of The Rise of Skywalker.
-Similarly, Kaya does not need to be here at all, and the Beltzold Manor tangent seemed to exist purely to give her something to do.
-Sorin's opposition to Arlinn and co., and particularly his seeming indifference to the plight of Innistrad, is never explored and thus feels out of character. Now, Sorin's attitude didn't bother me at first, because I was curious to see how he would explain and justify himself. But we're given nothing; his deeper frame of mind isn't even hinted at. Innistrad has fallen out of balance, and this ought to be a source of great concern to him. He seems to resist the heroes just to provide momentary (and in the end, meaningless) conflict.
- The discovery of the key was resolved so fast that it felt mundane and anticlimactic. Sigarda just showed up and swiftly, painlessly, solved the heroes' quest for them. Nothing was sacrificed. Nothing even felt risked. Nothing new was revealed. This whole chapter turned out to be just a sidequest to retrieve a McGuffin that in the end was just handed to the heroes with minimal effort.
-This story could have - and should have - done at least a little bit to further build up the main threat of Tovolar and his werewolves. Instead of just zapping our heroes from location to location, this would have been a great chance to glimpse some carnage from the increasing werewolf attacks. Yes, this is Gavony, but maybe we could hear the howls of the Dires in the distance or rumors of the rising carnage, so their threat feels like it's growing, even if just in the background. Instead, this chapter does nothing to build up the main conflict of the story, which wouldn't be such a problem except that we only have two or three chapters left.
Now, the good:
- For all the issues I had this time around, I'm still enjoying this author's voice. I like the cold, dark atmosphere she paints, and the way she instills in me a sense of eeriness and disquiet. Her writing style suits this world well, and I hope she returns for Crimson Vow. (Furthermore, she keeps a skilled thumb on Chandra, preventing her from ever ruining the mood - which was always a risk on Innistrad.)
-Arlinn continues to be a good protagonist. I can feel the weight she carries, her gnawing fear and doubt. It helps sell the gravity of this story and makes her feel particularly human, particularly real.
-Liliana's dismissive line about the zombies made me smirk. That's exactly the kind of humor that works in this setting. Liliana wasn't even present, yet with just that one sentence the author shows just how completely she understands the character.
-The constant mentions of the Travails and the havoc they caused was welcome. The events of the last Innistrad block were indeed catastrophic and world-warping, and I'm glad to see their lasting effects touched upon.
All in all, I'm continuing to enjoy this story and can't wait to get back to the main thread. I just think this chapter could have been written in a way that made it feel less like a box-ticking fetch quest, and more relevant to the primary conflict.
That was good, and much needed. It spells out exactly what the Travails were, updates us on the Emrakul situation, and informs us on exactly how much time has passed since we last saw Innistrad.
That Gisa letter at the end was gold. I'm sad about Thraben, but they played the dark humor angle very well. Gisa and Geralf are great characters, but since they often perform the role of villainous comic relief, it's important to keep them dark, or else they will just become harmless and silly. Fortunately, Gisa still seems to retain her edge, in her endearing, psychopathic way.
The cringy Halloween puns at the end, I could have done without. Come on, Wizards, you know literally no one in your target demographic finds those even ironically cute or funny. Stop it.
Tovolar is a fantastic villain. There is a kindness to him, a gentleness that makes him even more terrifying. It's a chilling thing to see him through Arlinn's eyes - a violent and imposing figure on one hand, who all the same understands her, accepts her, and cares about her, even as he embodies the monstrosity she fears in herself. You can see how deeply he haunts her, and the fact he says so little gives each of his words that much more weight.
It's been a while since we've had a Magic antagonist who was genuinely intimidating, or entwined with the hero/heroine in such an intimate way. Tovolar comes across as a well-balanced character - both a thoughtful, nuanced monster and a fearsome, looming threat. I suspect he'll prove memorable.
I'm invested in this story now, and in Arlinn's journey.
I've been frustrated with the writing quality of Magic fiction of late. The Strixhaven story in particular was a clumsy, painful read, riddled with such drab prose and awful dialogue that it turned me off from the entire setting, and I began wondering what was the point of caring about Magic's story anymore if Wotc was just going to let high-school level writers turn in slipshod work. Craft matters. Delivery matters. Emotion matters. Good writing can elevate even a mediocre story concept (Guidpact, Dissension); poor writing can ruin even a great one (War of the Spark).
But this, at least, is a step in the right direction. It's not Elliot (whom I still consider Magic's best writer over the past four years) or even Wexler, but this first chapter was evocative enough and I enjoyed it. My eyes widened in an "Oh s***" reaction when the tables turned on Klaus. Arlinn and Agatha's interaction was genuinely poignant and prickled me with notes of real dread. I can feel the cold growing, the darkness encroaching, and the weight of the stakes for Innistrad.
She's supposed to be this powerful, cunning, ancient vampire poised to take over the world, but somehow she's not at all scary. She doesn't feel intimidating. She comes across as grating and obnoxious, and she has no menace to speak of. I know she's always been portrayed as eccentric and a bit flamboyant, but now she just feels like an evil Willy Wonka, quipping, dropping puns, pouting, trolling, and taking nothing seriously. Her dialogue is constantly silly:
"Boring!"
"I see we've already had some murders. What fun! I can't tell you how happy it makes me to have blood sacrifices at my wedding!"
"Now, I'm sure you're all honored to be here, and dying to get to the main event."
"You're in my care now, and together, we'll rule Innistrad. I promise I'll always consider your opinions for at least a moment before rejecting them, Edgar."
"I knew you were gauche, but this! We'll need to construct a whole new word for how gauche this is."
I'd hoped for a frightening, more formidable presence in Olivia, not this flanderized cartoon. Shadows Over Innistrad / Eldritch Moon at least seemed to give her more balance.
While the hollowness and decadence of Innistrad's vampires is very well portrayed in these stories (and perhaps more effectively than ever before), and the details of Olivia's actual plot feel appropriately sinister as we learn what her endgame is, her characterization spoils the mood like curdled milk poured in a glass of wine.
In the meantime, I agree with the sentiment that this chapter was well-paced. Interesting how this feels like the penultimate chapter with Olivia's plans already falling apart, but there's still two more chapters left to go. Lots of room still for twists and surprises. I am really liking Sorin in these stories as we further flesh out his complicated relationship with his family, his past, and his species.
As for Edgar, my guess is that he's actually one-up on Olivia. He's the progenitor of the entire vampire race - I doubt he's as duped as we're being led to believe.
I just hope we finally kill Olivia off.
Unfortunately, the side characters are less interesting. Even Teferi, a legacy character and one of my personal favorites in all MTG canon, is irrelevant here. My main gripe with this chapter is that his slowing of the sunset didn't really change or affect the story at all, and thus it didn't even need to be here. It didn't even do anything, really, except save the lives of some human redshirts that we the readers care nothing for. It felt like the author only included that bit because she was handed a list of plot points from WotC that included "Teferi slows the sun." Teferi, Chandra, Kaya, Adeline - all extraneous.
But Arlinn and Tovolar (and Arlinn's wolves!) shine as good characters, and that is enough to carry the story for me.
I can honestly say I can't wait to see the conclusion next week.
-The pacing was wonky, and at times it was apparent the author was cutting corners (the truncated journey to Thraben, for example, as well as the heroes' brisk entry into Markov Manor.)
-Yet at other times the story was needlessly dragged out. The detour to the Betzold House - the very namesake of this chapter - was wholly unnecessary and could have been edited out. That entire thread was just a sidequest within a fetch quest, calling to mind the most pointless excesses of The Rise of Skywalker.
-Similarly, Kaya does not need to be here at all, and the Beltzold Manor tangent seemed to exist purely to give her something to do.
-Sorin's opposition to Arlinn and co., and particularly his seeming indifference to the plight of Innistrad, is never explored and thus feels out of character. Now, Sorin's attitude didn't bother me at first, because I was curious to see how he would explain and justify himself. But we're given nothing; his deeper frame of mind isn't even hinted at. Innistrad has fallen out of balance, and this ought to be a source of great concern to him. He seems to resist the heroes just to provide momentary (and in the end, meaningless) conflict.
- The discovery of the key was resolved so fast that it felt mundane and anticlimactic. Sigarda just showed up and swiftly, painlessly, solved the heroes' quest for them. Nothing was sacrificed. Nothing even felt risked. Nothing new was revealed. This whole chapter turned out to be just a sidequest to retrieve a McGuffin that in the end was just handed to the heroes with minimal effort.
-This story could have - and should have - done at least a little bit to further build up the main threat of Tovolar and his werewolves. Instead of just zapping our heroes from location to location, this would have been a great chance to glimpse some carnage from the increasing werewolf attacks. Yes, this is Gavony, but maybe we could hear the howls of the Dires in the distance or rumors of the rising carnage, so their threat feels like it's growing, even if just in the background. Instead, this chapter does nothing to build up the main conflict of the story, which wouldn't be such a problem except that we only have two or three chapters left.
Now, the good:
- For all the issues I had this time around, I'm still enjoying this author's voice. I like the cold, dark atmosphere she paints, and the way she instills in me a sense of eeriness and disquiet. Her writing style suits this world well, and I hope she returns for Crimson Vow. (Furthermore, she keeps a skilled thumb on Chandra, preventing her from ever ruining the mood - which was always a risk on Innistrad.)
-Arlinn continues to be a good protagonist. I can feel the weight she carries, her gnawing fear and doubt. It helps sell the gravity of this story and makes her feel particularly human, particularly real.
-Liliana's dismissive line about the zombies made me smirk. That's exactly the kind of humor that works in this setting. Liliana wasn't even present, yet with just that one sentence the author shows just how completely she understands the character.
-The constant mentions of the Travails and the havoc they caused was welcome. The events of the last Innistrad block were indeed catastrophic and world-warping, and I'm glad to see their lasting effects touched upon.
All in all, I'm continuing to enjoy this story and can't wait to get back to the main thread. I just think this chapter could have been written in a way that made it feel less like a box-ticking fetch quest, and more relevant to the primary conflict.
That was good, and much needed. It spells out exactly what the Travails were, updates us on the Emrakul situation, and informs us on exactly how much time has passed since we last saw Innistrad.
That Gisa letter at the end was gold. I'm sad about Thraben, but they played the dark humor angle very well. Gisa and Geralf are great characters, but since they often perform the role of villainous comic relief, it's important to keep them dark, or else they will just become harmless and silly. Fortunately, Gisa still seems to retain her edge, in her endearing, psychopathic way.
The cringy Halloween puns at the end, I could have done without. Come on, Wizards, you know literally no one in your target demographic finds those even ironically cute or funny. Stop it.
It's been a while since we've had a Magic antagonist who was genuinely intimidating, or entwined with the hero/heroine in such an intimate way. Tovolar comes across as a well-balanced character - both a thoughtful, nuanced monster and a fearsome, looming threat. I suspect he'll prove memorable.
I'm invested in this story now, and in Arlinn's journey.
Now this is more like it.
I've been frustrated with the writing quality of Magic fiction of late. The Strixhaven story in particular was a clumsy, painful read, riddled with such drab prose and awful dialogue that it turned me off from the entire setting, and I began wondering what was the point of caring about Magic's story anymore if Wotc was just going to let high-school level writers turn in slipshod work. Craft matters. Delivery matters. Emotion matters. Good writing can elevate even a mediocre story concept (Guidpact, Dissension); poor writing can ruin even a great one (War of the Spark).
But this, at least, is a step in the right direction. It's not Elliot (whom I still consider Magic's best writer over the past four years) or even Wexler, but this first chapter was evocative enough and I enjoyed it. My eyes widened in an "Oh s***" reaction when the tables turned on Klaus. Arlinn and Agatha's interaction was genuinely poignant and prickled me with notes of real dread. I can feel the cold growing, the darkness encroaching, and the weight of the stakes for Innistrad.
I'm happy to say I'm looking forward to more.