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3.62 AVERAGE
3.62 AVERAGE
A steamboat captain who rescues a wounded mermaid, a reclusive author who suddenly agrees to a public appearance, and a lusty Frenchman desperate to break that mermaid's curse are all wrapped up in this adventurous maritime saga that takes place on the Hudson River in the mid to late 1800s. Eerie and increasingly dark as the story develops, Sailor Twain depicts both the allure and the danger of mermaids to those unfortunate enough to be caught in their spell. It's equal parts love story, seafaring escapade, and haunting thriller, and kept me on the edge of my seat throughout. I especially loved the soft charcoal illustrations that made up the majority of the book, punctuated with occasional sharp drawings to emphasize intense scenes. Overall an entertaining, enjoyable read, especially for fans of nautical adventures.
Picture novel which I didn’t bother reading past the first few pages
This is a dense little graphic novel! The art is very striking, it looks like charcoal, giving everything a heavy, water laden look.
The story takes place on the Hudson River in the 1800s, when struggling artist/writer Twain becomes the captain of a steamship, leaving his lady love on land. He meets a mermaid named South who has her own agenda.
There's some nice mythology and world building here. I hope to see more from Siegel!
The story takes place on the Hudson River in the 1800s, when struggling artist/writer Twain becomes the captain of a steamship, leaving his lady love on land. He meets a mermaid named South who has her own agenda.
There's some nice mythology and world building here. I hope to see more from Siegel!
Pretty good. The art grew on me and the is good. Not my favorite but good non the less
Five stars for the evocative charcoal artwork alone! This is historical fiction I can really sink my teeth into, mysterious, literate and supernatural with a dash of the romantic. Great for pairing with the masters of 19th century American letters and Dr. Who alike.
Disclaimer: I got a ARC via Netgalley.
Sailor Twain is a novel.
Not just a graphic novel, but a novel.
I know, we tend to only refer to graphic novels that people tend to apply that term to are Maus and Watchmen.
But this is a novel.
Sailor Twain tells the story of a steamboat on the Hudson River; in particular it is concerned with the boat’s captain, a Captain Twain. Twain works for a Frenchman, who has been missing, and, therefore, at the moments takes orders from the man’s brother, Lafayette. There is the mystery of the engine room, and there are a couple of strange stowaways who are likable because they are children who know how to read. Then Twain pulls something from the Hudson, a mermaid. A hurt mermaid.
Mark Siegel draws upon American literature and history, and world mythology to tell a story of love, loss, and strength. It is worthy of any grand opera or majestic work of literature.
I must admit that the charcoal drawing weren’t done in the style that I was expecting (I’m not sure what I was expecting in term s of charcoal drawings), but they do draw the reader into the story. There is something about the style. It’s somewhat like anime, somewhat European, yet wholly American. Whatever it is, it works. It suits the story.
And the story is the key. Told in parts and chapters, the story presents multi-layered characters in a conflict that is more than simple good against bad. Part of the story is the need to remove a curse, and this leads to a question about right and wrong. Despite the black and white of the drawings, the motives of the characters and the choices that must be made are not black and white.
Opening this book, even in the ARC galley form that I read does transport you to the Hudson of the later 1800s. You are there. You can smell the river, feel the boat move; in short, the reader becomes one of the passengers on that steamboat, something more than a disinterested reader. It is a way work – novel, poem, painting, comic – that can do that. This one can.
Which is why I am going to buy it.
Sailor Twain is a novel.
Not just a graphic novel, but a novel.
I know, we tend to only refer to graphic novels that people tend to apply that term to are Maus and Watchmen.
But this is a novel.
Sailor Twain tells the story of a steamboat on the Hudson River; in particular it is concerned with the boat’s captain, a Captain Twain. Twain works for a Frenchman, who has been missing, and, therefore, at the moments takes orders from the man’s brother, Lafayette. There is the mystery of the engine room, and there are a couple of strange stowaways who are likable because they are children who know how to read. Then Twain pulls something from the Hudson, a mermaid. A hurt mermaid.
Mark Siegel draws upon American literature and history, and world mythology to tell a story of love, loss, and strength. It is worthy of any grand opera or majestic work of literature.
I must admit that the charcoal drawing weren’t done in the style that I was expecting (I’m not sure what I was expecting in term s of charcoal drawings), but they do draw the reader into the story. There is something about the style. It’s somewhat like anime, somewhat European, yet wholly American. Whatever it is, it works. It suits the story.
And the story is the key. Told in parts and chapters, the story presents multi-layered characters in a conflict that is more than simple good against bad. Part of the story is the need to remove a curse, and this leads to a question about right and wrong. Despite the black and white of the drawings, the motives of the characters and the choices that must be made are not black and white.
Opening this book, even in the ARC galley form that I read does transport you to the Hudson of the later 1800s. You are there. You can smell the river, feel the boat move; in short, the reader becomes one of the passengers on that steamboat, something more than a disinterested reader. It is a way work – novel, poem, painting, comic – that can do that. This one can.
Which is why I am going to buy it.
Wow, what a read. A weird, but okayish ending which is why I have to dock it a star, but otherwise, a good graphic novel to peek at.
This is simply a lovely tale, wonderfully drawn. I love the back and forth from the stylized characters and the moody, almost realistic drawings of the steamboats and the landscape. The only thing that lost me was towards the end - the attempt at depicting how the mermaid's song rips people into two, and that these two parts then fight each other - it didn't really work for me. But overall, left me with the way that I want to feel when reading...not that I can very accurately describe that feeling for you.
It was pretty good, as long as I don't think about it too hard. Plus Twain's muppet-y face became increasingly distracting.
It surprised me that I enjoyed this book so much. I don't usually read fantasy, it is not my genre, and I usually don't enjoy graphic novels. But I was lured in by the tale of the mermaid. The story is hypnotic and hard to put down. The drawings leave a lot to be desired and I feel like I missed some of the detail of the story.