Cherie Bennett

Two related but distinct series of books based on the terrific Smallville television series were published back in the day; one aimed at junior high to early high school age fans, the other geared more toward older young adults, and/or adults who loved the show. So far I’ve read two books in the older young adult series, Hauntings and Whodunnit, of which Whodunnit was clearly the best.

See No Evil is the second book I’ve tackled in the series aimed at junior high age students. Having show more previously read Flight, written by the same authors — Cherie Bennett and Jeff Gottesfeld — which I really enjoyed as a nostalgic breather from more serious books, I found See No Evil to be every bit as good as Flight, if not better in some ways.

I realize some stress over timelines and minuscule details relating to the show, of which I’m a big fan as well, but when I read these, it is simply for enjoyment and a bit of nostalgia for the show. I really don’t nitpick such unless it’s really glaring, so you won’t find that here. The main thing in series based on a television show is to get the characters right, and Cherie Bennett and Jeff Gottesfeld do a wonderful job with that. In addition, they’ve provided fans with a very charming and mildly thrilling story in the Smallville world. See No Evil captures the vibe of the early years of Smallville, and the story feels like it could be a lost episode from those seasons.

Clark’s got his crush on Lana, of course, but here in See No Evil it seems more endearing and less annoying than it became over time in the show. When Lana asks Clark to help out with the sets on the school’s play of Cyrano de Bergerac, it’s a foregone conclusion that Clark will say yes. But this is the freak-of-the-week era for the show. The leading lady, Dawn, is not only mean-spirited and full of herself, but has discovered those green rocks can make her invisible. Her huge ego and vindictiveness, not to mention her growing obsession with Clark, leads to dangerous mayhem.

What transpires is actually wonderfully done. We get the freak-of-the-week stuff, we get some spot-on exchanges between the Smallville characters, we get some very real danger and, in the end, some wistful longing by Clark concerning the secret he can’t reveal, which leads to him missing out on his big chance with Lana. The writers have imbued this entry with warmth and affection, and it has some really nice moments I can’t spoil. There is even a moment of insight when Clark discovers his superpowers can’t help him act, but thanks in part to Lex, feels a rare sense of accomplishment when he achieves something using only his human ones.

See No Evil is a quietly enchanting look back at those early years of Smallville, has a very good story for this age level — but adults can enjoy it as well — and reminds you how much you miss this show. Great stuff, highly recommended. show less

I guess I just don’t understand the language of the heart, Clark thought. Maybe it’s something you see with more than just your eyes. — Sparks

A light, fun read in the book arm of the Smallville world, Sparks is a breezy and humorous entry written by Cherie Bennett and Jeff Gottesfeld, who penned several good entries in the first of two series based on television’s Smallville. Like their others, this one is in the younger adult category, so it’s simple but also great fun, and true show more to the characters.

Sparks is very much steeped in high school and that precarious world; notably Homecoming and all that entails. This really is a fun one, with the gang interacting in a natural way as the romantic situation between Clark and Lana is yet to be settled, and Chloe also has feelings for Clark. Pete is Pete here, but not as annoying as he could sometimes be in the serious episodes, because this is lighter fare.

Allison Mack’s Chloe was always a favorite in the show, and Chloe gets lots to do in this very sweet story sure to please fans — young or older. When Chloe gets touched by a green rock spark from the big fireworks show at the high school which Lex has arranged, it turns Chloe’s cool girl you want to hang with persona into an irresistible attraction from any boy in her sphere. Always in Lana’s shadow, especially where Clark has been concerned, every boy in school, including all the jocks, and a young artist friend of Lex’s who has come to lecture, suddenly wants to be with her.

Even Clark is not immune — though he realizes fairly early on that something is not quite right. Chloe is skeptical of her sudden appeal at first, thinking it must be a prank or even a cruel joke. Once she realizes it’s happening for real however, she embraces her newfound popularity with the boys in a big way, finally getting a taste of what it’s like to be her friend Lana. This provides some chuckles throughout, and a few real laughs.

Clark finally gets to the bottom of it all with some help from his dad; Clark knows what the meteor rock does to his powers, and it is only teenagers who fall under Chloe’s spell, making Johnathan and Lex immune. What happens once the effect of the meteor rock is reversed on the eve of the Homecoming King and Queen voting is warm and sweet, a small but nice message that adds to the book’s charm.

Fans will fly through this immensely readable entry in the series, of which there is far too few. It’s difficult to find at this juncture, but a fun breezy time if you are able to track one down somewhere. Recommended for Smallville fans, but remember this was written for a much younger audience. show less

I read this as an impressionable seventh or eighth grader, already saddled with a substantial amount of body dysphoria. I think about this book all the time, similar to Go Ask Alice; it's so irresponsible and exploitative and I can't believe it was still in schools 9 years after publication, and more, that people have read it in the last decade and think it has any value.

I have this strange goal that is completely unnecessary and that adds nothing to my life - to read all of the YA series of Smallville, then the slightly older YA series of Smallville. Why? Who knows why I do these things. I do know that after reading the first book in the series, Arrival, that I became way less excited about this goal. Not only was the book amateurishly written, but it was such a copy of the first episode that it was somewhat dull.

Well, this surprised me - this second book show more was much better. Written by a different author, gone are the tedious exclamation marks, and even the dialogue isn't as corny. There's some humor slipped in the pages, nods and tributes to who Clark will eventually become, and an authenticity with the characters of the show. Although some of the abrupt shifts of point of view were off-putting, it delved deeper into Clark's psyche and made sense.

It took the basic story of Dawn and the weird play thing and made a variation episode. Since it wasn't a recap of an episode play by play and the author took liberty with the storyline, it was less predictable. Clark was fleshed out well enough, Lana and Chloe a bit, Pete just adorable, and the author really did a bang up job with Lex Luthor. The Lex scenes were likely the strongest - there's a few of them, with the dialogue authentic sounding, the teasing and the digging for secrets.

Overall a well done book for this sort - it's not award winning but it may end up being one of the best in the series by the time I'm done. I'm happy to see this author wrote a few more. show less