You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.06 AVERAGE
3.06 AVERAGE
I bought this book on a whim. Explorers? Graphic novel? Co-written by Kevin Costner?! Why the heck not.
I read it over a snowed-in, cold-suffering long weekend and wasn't thoroughly disappointed, though I wouldn't rate this book near the top of any to-read shelf. The story is exciting enough: full of 1915-style adventure language, a strange mix of characters, secret societies, exotic locales, mystery and mysticism, and a fair few blanked out curse words. The story does drag at times, however, for this is not just a 760ish page graphic novel, but rather half graphic novel have regular novel. The narration (which is the regular novel part) takes the form of letters and diaries and (I think) just straight narration from the...the person telling the story, I forget who exactly he is but he has something to do with the Explorer's Guild. These sections are rich with the 1915-style language that suits the adventure story but makes for a long-winded narration. I often found myself wanting to read quickly to get back to the images.
The images themselves are interesting, four long vertical boxes in a grid pattern on each page. The art is nice, though perhaps not the most outstanding, and I found myself having difficulties keeping track of characters in scenes involving lots of people. But they read easily, were interesting enough, and suited the old-school action they contained.
I was confused by some characters, and by some plot lines that seemed a bit too unexplained to be able to follow easily. Some characters in particular, like Bertram, joined the team and were obviously important, but didn't have anything furthering their clues until the final chapter. Some of the Dragoons themselves were lost in various shipwrecks or accidents, but it wasn't made clear they were lost until later in other scenes when phrases like "only 20 are left now" floated in as if we were supposed to have known that. I hope in the next of the series they spend a bit more time on character development (though I'm not sure what the next installment could be about as the story seemed to wrap up with finality in the last chapter - I guess the plot might be very different though the characters could be similar).
I didn't expect the level of mysticism that would come up in the latter half of the book. The underground rivers were one thing, ok you could suspend disbelief in an Indiana Jones sort of way, but the undead Mr. Sloane and the man who eats so much he - quite literally - turns into an island? I didn't go for that. In my mind elements like that turn the story from a Biggles-style adventure book to a fantasy book. I can live with secret cities and what not, but for some reason I found myself thinking "...really?"
I may read the next in this series if it comes across my path, just to see what they do with it and because it's not the worst distraction. I probably won't buy it though. I also wonder how much Kevin Costner was actually involved with this project...?
I read it over a snowed-in, cold-suffering long weekend and wasn't thoroughly disappointed, though I wouldn't rate this book near the top of any to-read shelf. The story is exciting enough: full of 1915-style adventure language, a strange mix of characters, secret societies, exotic locales, mystery and mysticism, and a fair few blanked out curse words. The story does drag at times, however, for this is not just a 760ish page graphic novel, but rather half graphic novel have regular novel. The narration (which is the regular novel part) takes the form of letters and diaries and (I think) just straight narration from the...the person telling the story, I forget who exactly he is but he has something to do with the Explorer's Guild. These sections are rich with the 1915-style language that suits the adventure story but makes for a long-winded narration. I often found myself wanting to read quickly to get back to the images.
The images themselves are interesting, four long vertical boxes in a grid pattern on each page. The art is nice, though perhaps not the most outstanding, and I found myself having difficulties keeping track of characters in scenes involving lots of people. But they read easily, were interesting enough, and suited the old-school action they contained.
I was confused by some characters, and by some plot lines that seemed a bit too unexplained to be able to follow easily. Some characters in particular, like Bertram, joined the team and were obviously important, but didn't have anything furthering their clues until the final chapter. Some of the Dragoons themselves were lost in various shipwrecks or accidents, but it wasn't made clear they were lost until later in other scenes when phrases like "only 20 are left now" floated in as if we were supposed to have known that. I hope in the next of the series they spend a bit more time on character development (though I'm not sure what the next installment could be about as the story seemed to wrap up with finality in the last chapter - I guess the plot might be very different though the characters could be similar).
I didn't expect the level of mysticism that would come up in the latter half of the book. The underground rivers were one thing, ok you could suspend disbelief in an Indiana Jones sort of way, but the undead Mr. Sloane and the man who eats so much he - quite literally - turns into an island? I didn't go for that. In my mind elements like that turn the story from a Biggles-style adventure book to a fantasy book. I can live with secret cities and what not, but for some reason I found myself thinking "...really?"
I may read the next in this series if it comes across my path, just to see what they do with it and because it's not the worst distraction. I probably won't buy it though. I also wonder how much Kevin Costner was actually involved with this project...?
Graphic and written novel interspersed. Explorers to find the NW passage. WW1 era. Boring.
I'm going to try this again when I'm not so stressed out. It looks really good, but the library is only giving me a two week check out allowance.
It's part novel, part graphic novel. Kind of cool.
It's part novel, part graphic novel. Kind of cool.
It is an interesting concept, mixing comic book segments, with stand-alone pictures and long paragraphs to create a novel. The timing was perfect for each comic strip. Pictures do convey more than words making clumsy, imperfect description unnecessary.
As for the overall story, it had some highs and lows. It was not boring but seemed to ramble in places.
As for the overall story, it had some highs and lows. It was not boring but seemed to ramble in places.
I'm going to be truthful, some of the time I felt this story was jilted and went back and forth between characters a bit much and didn't follow at first and was confusing, that said I still really, really liked it. One of the best books I read in 2015. It's a long one and you need to concentrate on what you're reading or you'll be lost in no time, but I still enjoyed the book. I liked the writing, I thought the graphic novel part of it was very well done. I liked the characters, I was even surprised a few times. What more could you ask for, really? Awesome book. 4.5 out of 5 stars. I would recommend this to any adult interested in adventure books.
Stylistically beautiful, but the plot didn't always hold my interest. Quite long as well.
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I really enjoyed reading this. The mix of graphic and prose was engaging and unique, and I liked that the voice of the writing was very Kipling-esque. That said, it does tread into some of those concerning stereotypes of writing from that era.
A secretive gentleman's club offers a home away from home for adventurers and explorers. Their stories are told in a mix of sepia-toned illustrations, text, and messages between characters. These reminded me of older comic books, like the ones that shared classic tales. When I read about it in reviews, and then thumbed through it on the library's new releases shelf, I really looked forward to reading it. Sadly, it was a disappointment.
Since the method of story telling switches formats so often, the plot line and character development is somewhat confusing and difficult to follow. I also found it plodding and dull at some points, yet overly gory and sensationalist at others. Therefore, reading it was choppy and not very fulfilling.
It is rare that I will put a book down and not finish it. I gave this one a good chance, reading over 100 pages, hopeful that the story might get moving along sooner or later. It never did. I have a large stack of books that I would like to read, so I would rather spend my time on one that is enjoyable, rather than work, to get through. Such a shame; this was a decent concept and could have been much better developed.
Since the method of story telling switches formats so often, the plot line and character development is somewhat confusing and difficult to follow. I also found it plodding and dull at some points, yet overly gory and sensationalist at others. Therefore, reading it was choppy and not very fulfilling.
It is rare that I will put a book down and not finish it. I gave this one a good chance, reading over 100 pages, hopeful that the story might get moving along sooner or later. It never did. I have a large stack of books that I would like to read, so I would rather spend my time on one that is enjoyable, rather than work, to get through. Such a shame; this was a decent concept and could have been much better developed.
This was way too dry for me. It meandered through the first 100 pages and I still didn't see a plot. The graphic novel portions were not my cup of tea and the prose pieces read like someone shook a thesaurus onto the page. I decided that it 800 pages is too many to read when I'm dreading it.
I really wanted to like this book. It is absolutely stunning with its' stained pages and copious illustrations. It very much looks like an old book that was found in somebody's attic.
Unfortunately, it fell flat for me. The story was far too convoluted. Even one hundred pages in, I still had no idea what the plot was. The prose was far too dense and boring. There were so many story lines that just seemed unnecessary. If this book had been shorter by about three hundred pages, maybe it would have been more reasonable and engaging. But for an adventure story, it started off very dull and slow. I found myself dreading the next six hundred pages.
Maybe I will give it another try some day but for now it has been DNF'ed.
Unfortunately, it fell flat for me. The story was far too convoluted. Even one hundred pages in, I still had no idea what the plot was. The prose was far too dense and boring. There were so many story lines that just seemed unnecessary. If this book had been shorter by about three hundred pages, maybe it would have been more reasonable and engaging. But for an adventure story, it started off very dull and slow. I found myself dreading the next six hundred pages.
Maybe I will give it another try some day but for now it has been DNF'ed.