I've flipped through a couple of graphic novels in the past, very briefly. I'm usually at the library when I've done this and I've always put them back on the shelf, thinking, not for me. Well, if graphic novels are like Saga, they're for me.
I kept seeing Saga pop up on the websites and social media feeds of my reviewer pals — Sierra, Joy, Megan. Eventually, due to FOBLO (Fear Of Being Left Out) I decided to broaden my horizons.
So glad I did!
Saga is a space adventure, a space romance, and a space... well, a space family saga. Our narrator is Hazel, and she is telling us her story, which is also the tale of many other people. Or perhaps I should say, it is also the tale of many other beings.
The overarching plot centers upon two waring planets — the immense Landfall, full of winged humanoids, and its smaller moon, Wreath, inhabited by horned humanoids. The Horns and the Wings loathe each other and have spread their vicious conflict throughout the galaxy. Hazel's parents happen to be a winged mother (a former prison guard) and a horned father (a former prisoner). They've fallen in love, run off together, and produced Hazel. The higher-ups of the Wings and Horns have caught wind of the union and both send killers to dispatch the couple.
The first three volumes of Saga have seen Alana and Marko, Hazel's parents, dodging death at every turn, and attempting to raise their daughter in midst of chaos. We also get to follow the adventures of the killers who are after the little family, and their stories are no less compelling. There's robot royalty, a lie-detecting cat creature, a guild of bounty hunters, tabloid reporters, and an ex-fiance, all closing in.
The creativity of Brian K. Vaughan, the series creator and writer, is astounding. I'm not sure if all graphic novels are like this, but reading Saga made me think of when I'm babysitting and the kids ask for a bedtime story. When you're making up a story AND AT THE SAME TIME SPEAKING IT, the weirdest, random-est things come to you! Saga had that same feeling of spontaneity. This is story spinning at its finest.
There is almost constant action, but Vaughan manages to sneak in little moments of love, of humor, of outrageousness throughout. The artist, Fiona Staples, is no less important to the storytelling as well. Her illustrations are stunning. Just, wow. I was especially impressed by her figures (drawings of the human body). The vividness of the expressions, the movement of the forms all compliment and contribute to Vaughan's words. Again, I don't know much about graphic novels, but Vaughan and Staples seem to have a harmonious union of text and image.
Saga is a beautiful and exciting story, conveyed by beautiful and exciting pictures. I give this series five north stars out of five!
Showing posts with label science fiction. Show all posts
Showing posts with label science fiction. Show all posts
Thursday, December 11, 2014
Vicious Review
I am kicking myself for not having picked up Vicious sooner. I knew it was well-received, but for some reason I thought the book would be boring. I'm not sure why I got that impression, but I was wrong, wrong, WRONG! Vicious was a complete and total page-whipper!
The book opens with a man, Victor, and a young girl, Sydney, digging up a grave. Quickly, we learn that this grisly task is all part of a mad scheme for revenge, years in the making. Victor has just broken out of jail. And he has one hell of a grudge against his old college roommate, Eli.
This decision to pit two former college roommates against each other is just inspired. In my experience, your relationship with your college roommate is one of the most intense and bizarre relationships you ever have. You're both "young adults," living in an oxymoronic state, under the influence of higher education, sleep deprivation, intoxication, and whatever the hell else you put into your system. Your roommate becomes in turn, your friend, your ally, your enemy, your obsession, your nightmare. V. E. Schwab deftly captures all of these dynamics that bounce between Victor and Eli.
Eli and Victor's vortex of envy and murderous loathing begins ten years before the current events of the novel, when they choose their college thesis topics. Victor chooses to study [spoiler]adrenaline.[/spoiler] Eli chooses to research [spoiler]ExtraOrdinary abilities.[/spoiler] The events that follow, during their spring semester of their senior year, are shocking.
Of course, Eli and Victor have back-up personnel to aid them. Two talented sisters, Sydney and Serena, find themselves on separate sides of the vendetta. And of course, Victor has his cell-mate and break-out buddy, Mitch. And there's the dog, Dol. All of these labels — hero, villain, sidekick, mascot — get tossed around and mixed up. Who is who?
These characters were all fantastic. I especially appreciated Victor. He was a highly complex character, but Schwab still managed to keep him consistent. I was at times, horrified by Victor's decisions, but somehow kept rooting for the man. I loved hating the self-righteous Eli. Sydney and Serena were used as effective foils to Victor and Eli's twisted brotherhood. I appreciated what it said about the nature of conflict that these two mirror-image sisters wound up on opposite sides of someone else's fight. And Mitch was a steady column of normalcy and reason that balanced the other characters out. These were fabulous players in a fabulous plot.
The pacing was also a strong point in Schwab's novel. The narrative flipped around in time, but this hardly phased me. At first, I had a preference for the present events over the past, but very soon I was fully engaged in the entire story, past and present. I was so absorbed in the book that at times I forgot that I was flipping paper pages and reading symbols made of dried ink. I was inside the story. What a rare and wonderful experience!
So, in short, I HIGHLY recommend this book. Five north stars out of five!
The book opens with a man, Victor, and a young girl, Sydney, digging up a grave. Quickly, we learn that this grisly task is all part of a mad scheme for revenge, years in the making. Victor has just broken out of jail. And he has one hell of a grudge against his old college roommate, Eli.
This decision to pit two former college roommates against each other is just inspired. In my experience, your relationship with your college roommate is one of the most intense and bizarre relationships you ever have. You're both "young adults," living in an oxymoronic state, under the influence of higher education, sleep deprivation, intoxication, and whatever the hell else you put into your system. Your roommate becomes in turn, your friend, your ally, your enemy, your obsession, your nightmare. V. E. Schwab deftly captures all of these dynamics that bounce between Victor and Eli.
Eli and Victor's vortex of envy and murderous loathing begins ten years before the current events of the novel, when they choose their college thesis topics. Victor chooses to study [spoiler]adrenaline.[/spoiler] Eli chooses to research [spoiler]ExtraOrdinary abilities.[/spoiler] The events that follow, during their spring semester of their senior year, are shocking.
Of course, Eli and Victor have back-up personnel to aid them. Two talented sisters, Sydney and Serena, find themselves on separate sides of the vendetta. And of course, Victor has his cell-mate and break-out buddy, Mitch. And there's the dog, Dol. All of these labels — hero, villain, sidekick, mascot — get tossed around and mixed up. Who is who?
These characters were all fantastic. I especially appreciated Victor. He was a highly complex character, but Schwab still managed to keep him consistent. I was at times, horrified by Victor's decisions, but somehow kept rooting for the man. I loved hating the self-righteous Eli. Sydney and Serena were used as effective foils to Victor and Eli's twisted brotherhood. I appreciated what it said about the nature of conflict that these two mirror-image sisters wound up on opposite sides of someone else's fight. And Mitch was a steady column of normalcy and reason that balanced the other characters out. These were fabulous players in a fabulous plot.
The pacing was also a strong point in Schwab's novel. The narrative flipped around in time, but this hardly phased me. At first, I had a preference for the present events over the past, but very soon I was fully engaged in the entire story, past and present. I was so absorbed in the book that at times I forgot that I was flipping paper pages and reading symbols made of dried ink. I was inside the story. What a rare and wonderful experience!
So, in short, I HIGHLY recommend this book. Five north stars out of five!
Monday, December 8, 2014
This Shattered World Review
Two words — space romance. Convinced? Okay, I'll work a little harder.
This Shattered World is the second installment in Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner's co-written trilogy, Starbound. The first book, These Broken Stars, is known for three main things, I feel: the gorgeous dress on its cover, its compelling hook, and the oh-no-they-did-not-just-go-there climax.
This Shattered World has fewer pretty cover-outfits, a less juicy hook (in my opinion), but wow, does it ever deliver on the oh-no-they-did-not-just-go-there. While I was reading, I had to put the book down for a few moments and then look back, because I was so sure I'd read a certain moment wrong. But, no. Kaufman and Spoon did indeed go there.
In fact, This Shattered World is full of surprises. For one, compared to These Broken Stars, the setting is much more hostile. What could be more hostile than a desert planet, you ask? Well, the events of This Shattered World take place on a planet called Avon, which is lagging far behind its terraforming schedule. It's a swamp planet — an expanse of sludge. It swarms with insurgents. There is a perpetual, gloomy cloud cover, which obscures the glory of the heavens and renders satellites and other technologies useless. However, these harsh conditions do not stop the people of Avon from fighting fiercely for their planet's rights, which are suppressed due to their halted development.
Our hero and heroine are on opposing sides of the conflict...
Flynn Cormac, a rebel, harbors pacifist ideals, and is trying desperately to staunch the violence that wreaks his home. Jubilee Chase is an infamous captain in the military presence that is attempting to stifle the Avon rebellion. The two meet in the very first sentence of the very first chapter. It's an explosive exposition. I was not expecting the book to take off so quickly, but wow, was I impressed by the opening.
Since it's said in the synopsis, I think it's okay to mention: Flynn abducts Jubilee and brings her to the rebel base! (Though not without a dirty knock-down fight. A cocktail skewer is involved.) From there, the plot unfolds. It was fairly unpredictable. There were several moments where I thought, surely this is the climactic moment! But no, my e-reader told me over and over again that there was still a long way to go. It was as if Kaufman and Spooner kept trying to top themselves with what hairy situations they could throw their characters into. By the time I got to the true climax, I was almost fatigued. Our protagonists had certainly been put through the ringer. Thank goodness for sci-fi health care!
Speaking of our protagonists, I think the characters will please readers. Jubilee Chase is a bad-ass heroine, who takes a lot of initiative. It's a tad implausible that a such a young girl would achieve so much so quickly, but hey, this is YA fiction. Just believe! Flynn's character turned out to be a good counterbalance to Lee — more thoughtful and restrained, while still being capable. I appreciated how both characters were driven by strong senses of integrity, although they acted on their beliefs in different ways. (Side note: Gradually, it's revealed that the people of Avon are descended from the Irish. My appreciation of Flynn's character grew exponentially once my inner voice started to read his lines with a brogue.) Also, a plus, we get to see a good deal of Tarver and Lilac, from These Broken Stars. They pop up in an unexpected manner that's sure to delight fans of book one.
And here's something that might surprise you. Unlike These Broken Stars, This Shattered World focuses less on romance. That is to say, romance was still a large presence in the book, but equal time, if not more, was spent on the troubles on Avon, the events of the rebellion, and the overarching plot-line of the trilogy. This was both a plus and a minus, in my opinion. A plus because it gave This Shattered World some meat on its bones, and a minus because who doesn't love a good swoon? It's my belief that This Shattered World did not have the most compelling romance, but I've read enough reviews of the book to believe I might be in the minority on this one.
Overall, This Shattered World was a great follow-up to These Broken Stars. There was a fantastic, atmospheric setting, taut conflict, and bold decisions were made. Kaufman and Spooner continued to show us how love can flourish in the most hostile of environments. But can love conquer something as powerful and evil as La Roux Industries?? I am so eager to see how Kaufman and Spooner will wrap up this trilogy!
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