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crowyhead's review
4.0
I'd vaguely heard of "Finder" prior to seeing this at my library, but I'd never had an opportunity to read any of McNeil's work. I'm so glad I found this!
McNeil has created a fascinating, complex world full of messed up people, joy, and magic. It's exceedingly hard to describe. I was grateful for the author's notes at the back of this volume, because they clarify some of the details that I otherwise would have had to feel out on my own. It turns out that nine times out of ten I was on the right track, but it was nice to have a little bit of confirmation.
I love the artwork, as well, and it's fun to see McNeil improving as the comics progress. I'm definitely looking forward to finding volume 2!
McNeil has created a fascinating, complex world full of messed up people, joy, and magic. It's exceedingly hard to describe. I was grateful for the author's notes at the back of this volume, because they clarify some of the details that I otherwise would have had to feel out on my own. It turns out that nine times out of ten I was on the right track, but it was nice to have a little bit of confirmation.
I love the artwork, as well, and it's fun to see McNeil improving as the comics progress. I'm definitely looking forward to finding volume 2!
sushai's review
2.0
I read over 500 pages before giving up. That might be a record.
I waited for a plot line I could follow. A new plot starts every few pages or so, and I thought there might be a masterful plan to weave them all together, so I was patient. At one point I realized the author put some explanatory notes in the back, but they didn't help, and that seems like a lame way to narrate, anyway. There was no character development either. I never even knew if The Finder was a hero or a villain or something in between. And what is a Finder, anyway?
Aside from the author's artistic abilities, I really don't understand the hype of this series at all.
I waited for a plot line I could follow. A new plot starts every few pages or so, and I thought there might be a masterful plan to weave them all together, so I was patient. At one point I realized the author put some explanatory notes in the back, but they didn't help, and that seems like a lame way to narrate, anyway. There was no character development either. I never even knew if The Finder was a hero or a villain or something in between. And what is a Finder, anyway?
Aside from the author's artistic abilities, I really don't understand the hype of this series at all.
theartolater's review
4.0
I suppose I should preface this by saying I liked this. How much I liked this does not necessarily match up with how much I appreciated it as a work of literature and art, but I liked it. It's a science fiction tale, but it's also one about current and past issues in that future context, and it's one that usually works.
With that said, I don't exactly know what to say about it. There's a lot of deep philosophy here that I may be missing, and the sheer brilliance of the Talisman arc really ended up overshadowing the other three in this collection. I liked it enough where I will be seeking out the next volumes, so that's worth something.
With that said, I don't exactly know what to say about it. There's a lot of deep philosophy here that I may be missing, and the sheer brilliance of the Talisman arc really ended up overshadowing the other three in this collection. I liked it enough where I will be seeking out the next volumes, so that's worth something.
markcdickson's review
4.0
I think it took me 2/3 of the book to appreciate it. There’s a nature to McNeil’s storytelling approach that requires you to hold a lot of information in your head and then it’ll provide the context that you need later.
The disjointed nature - combined with the fact that so many characters look identical - in the first volume in this book still doesn’t work for me, but the payoff in the second two volumes was definitely worth it. If you read this and are struggling like me, you need to think of the first volume as foundational for everything that comes next.
Despite me almost quitting so many times, I’ve surprised myself by now wanting to read more.
The disjointed nature - combined with the fact that so many characters look identical - in the first volume in this book still doesn’t work for me, but the payoff in the second two volumes was definitely worth it. If you read this and are struggling like me, you need to think of the first volume as foundational for everything that comes next.
Despite me almost quitting so many times, I’ve surprised myself by now wanting to read more.
loonyboi's review
5.0
Complex, dense and utterly fascinating. I can't remember the last time I was so taken aback by a graphic novel.
The Finder Library: Volume 1 collects the first three books of the series Finder, originally self-published by author Carla Speed McNeil. The series has been running since 1996, but somehow I managed to go all this time without ever hearing of it.
Finder is science fiction, but it's not of the spaceships and aliens type. It's not even any kind of high-concept sci-fi, although there are lots of recognizable tropes to be found in the background.
What McNeil has done is rather than go about world-building in the traditional science fiction sense, she's focused her story like a laser-beam on a handful of characters, and lets the world develop around them.
This being the first volume (or really the first three) it does take a little while to get going. The first story is very different from everything that follows, and is a little muddled. But once she gets going, it's really quite amazing.
The protagonist for most of the book is Jaeger, the titular Finder. He's half Ascian, which is a sort of native american tribe. Then there's his friend and frequent lover Emma and her extended family. Sometimes the story is told from Jaeger's point of view, sometimes it's Emma's or her psychotic ex-husband and sometimes it's one of her three children.
The story is so dense, that's extremely difficult to summarize in just a few sentences. Needless to say, this is a very human story, and the sci-fi elements are there to add flavor, not to distract from it.
If you like deep, complex storytelling, you owe it to yourself to read this book.
The Finder Library: Volume 1 collects the first three books of the series Finder, originally self-published by author Carla Speed McNeil. The series has been running since 1996, but somehow I managed to go all this time without ever hearing of it.
Finder is science fiction, but it's not of the spaceships and aliens type. It's not even any kind of high-concept sci-fi, although there are lots of recognizable tropes to be found in the background.
What McNeil has done is rather than go about world-building in the traditional science fiction sense, she's focused her story like a laser-beam on a handful of characters, and lets the world develop around them.
This being the first volume (or really the first three) it does take a little while to get going. The first story is very different from everything that follows, and is a little muddled. But once she gets going, it's really quite amazing.
The protagonist for most of the book is Jaeger, the titular Finder. He's half Ascian, which is a sort of native american tribe. Then there's his friend and frequent lover Emma and her extended family. Sometimes the story is told from Jaeger's point of view, sometimes it's Emma's or her psychotic ex-husband and sometimes it's one of her three children.
The story is so dense, that's extremely difficult to summarize in just a few sentences. Needless to say, this is a very human story, and the sci-fi elements are there to add flavor, not to distract from it.
If you like deep, complex storytelling, you owe it to yourself to read this book.
mrshellman's review
3.0
I liked it. I think. It was a very dense read, for a graphic novel (it's huge, the print is often teeny-tiny, and no kidding--there were FORTY PAGES of end notes), and it took me a long time to get through it. I feel like I will need a break before going on to volume 2.
tangleroot_eli's review
4.0
This is how I prefer my storytelling: McNeil plunks us in the middle of a complex world and leaves it to us to sort things out. I don't feel like I always got it right, but what a blast to try.
davidmosesfruchter's review
5.0
This is the best new (to me) comic series I've run across in ages. The world-building (as they say in SF writers' groups) is fascinating and subtle, the b+w art is delightful and surprising, the characters are complex and defy left and right the categories you're tempted to put them into, and the storylines are varied but always compelling. This is an SF comic up there with my favorite SF. Highly recommended!
maiakobabe's review
5.0
Finder is one of those comic series I have been aware of for a long time, but could never quite quite get my hands on. Many of the trades are very hard to find, or even out of print. Happily, Dark Horse has republished most of the series in two huge (500+ page) collected volumes, called The Finder Library books 1 and 2. This comic is, simply put, like nothing else I've ever read. McNeil describes the series as 'aboriginal sci-fi' because it takes place in a futuristic society that constantly clashes with the more ancient cultures around it. McNeil is a magpie- she has plucked out themes and references from all over the place, and lovingly woven them together into something completely new. The story loosely follows Jaeger, a half breed and a nomad, with an extraordinary healing ability and the duties of a Sin-Eater. He drifts into the city and back into the lives of Emma and her three children after a long absence. Each character is vividly portrayed- strange, full of secrets, and completely unreliable as a narrator. When Emma's ex-husband Brigham turns up in the city, things start to get even more complicated. The slow build of Emma and Brigham's inevitable confrontation is like a smoking fuse. Jaeger- half loyal to Brigham, half in love with Emma- is caught in the middle of the emotional storm.