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3.92 AVERAGE
3.92 AVERAGE
Reading Saints Now!
I read American Born Chinese first and loved it so when I saw Boxers & Saints, I knew I had to read them. This comic confirms Yang as a must read author.
My library has them in two installments instead of a single volume which is sad because Boxers ends on such a cliff hanger! If you can make sure to have both on hand or go with the combined edition.
History is fascinating but often bogged down in tedious details, dates, and memorization requirements. If history in schools were taught like stories, brought to life in different formats like this, then it wouldn't be so dull and difficult..
I read American Born Chinese first and loved it so when I saw Boxers & Saints, I knew I had to read them. This comic confirms Yang as a must read author.
My library has them in two installments instead of a single volume which is sad because Boxers ends on such a cliff hanger! If you can make sure to have both on hand or go with the combined edition.
History is fascinating but often bogged down in tedious details, dates, and memorization requirements. If history in schools were taught like stories, brought to life in different formats like this, then it wouldn't be so dull and difficult..
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Characters: 6.5/10
Bao starts strong—a sweet kid, underestimated, overlooked, and slowly overtaken by divine rage. His descent into zealotry had serious potential, but by the halfway mark, his arc turned more symbolic than human. I stopped seeing a person and started seeing a walking ideology in a god mask. His transformation lacked the nuance it needed to feel earned; it felt like Yang fast-forwarded the moral complexity to rush him into martyr-mode. And the side characters? Most felt like props—ideological signposts rather than real people. Don’t even get me started on the women. Mei-Wen is a ghost of a character (literally and narratively), and the female Red Lanterns barely register beyond “token fierce girls.” Emotional connections were shallow, and relationships were transactional at best. If anyone told me they remembered more than two character names a week later, I’d call their bluff.
Bao starts strong—a sweet kid, underestimated, overlooked, and slowly overtaken by divine rage. His descent into zealotry had serious potential, but by the halfway mark, his arc turned more symbolic than human. I stopped seeing a person and started seeing a walking ideology in a god mask. His transformation lacked the nuance it needed to feel earned; it felt like Yang fast-forwarded the moral complexity to rush him into martyr-mode. And the side characters? Most felt like props—ideological signposts rather than real people. Don’t even get me started on the women. Mei-Wen is a ghost of a character (literally and narratively), and the female Red Lanterns barely register beyond “token fierce girls.” Emotional connections were shallow, and relationships were transactional at best. If anyone told me they remembered more than two character names a week later, I’d call their bluff.
Atmosphere / Setting: 8/10
Yes, the world felt gritty and steeped in historical context, and yes, the blend of realism and mythology was visually stunning—but emotionally, the atmosphere started feeling repetitive. Every village looked like it was five minutes away from burning down, and the mood was perpetually grim with bursts of glorified violence. There's a fine line between immersive and numbing, and this book flirted with the wrong side more than once. The settings were rich, but they lacked variety. By the end, all battlefields blurred into the same tragic backdrop.
Yes, the world felt gritty and steeped in historical context, and yes, the blend of realism and mythology was visually stunning—but emotionally, the atmosphere started feeling repetitive. Every village looked like it was five minutes away from burning down, and the mood was perpetually grim with bursts of glorified violence. There's a fine line between immersive and numbing, and this book flirted with the wrong side more than once. The settings were rich, but they lacked variety. By the end, all battlefields blurred into the same tragic backdrop.
Writing Style: 7/10
Yang’s prose is serviceable, which sounds like a compliment until you realize this story deserved more. It’s clean, efficient, but almost too stripped-down. I wanted some texture, some flavor—something to match the operatic stakes of the story. The dialogue worked when it stayed grounded, but when the gods showed up and everyone started talking in capital letters and proclamations, it veered into melodrama. The balance between narration and art leaned a little too heavily on the visual to carry emotional weight that wasn’t fully there in the script.
Yang’s prose is serviceable, which sounds like a compliment until you realize this story deserved more. It’s clean, efficient, but almost too stripped-down. I wanted some texture, some flavor—something to match the operatic stakes of the story. The dialogue worked when it stayed grounded, but when the gods showed up and everyone started talking in capital letters and proclamations, it veered into melodrama. The balance between narration and art leaned a little too heavily on the visual to carry emotional weight that wasn’t fully there in the script.
Plot: 6.5/10
Here’s the thing: the idea of the plot is brilliant—a boy caught between cultural identity, colonialism, and divine madness? Yes, sign me up. But the execution? Pacing was a mess. The first act crawled, the middle tried to sprint, and the ending swan-dived off a cliff into poetic ambiguity with very little warning. Important beats felt undercooked, like Bao’s big decisions or sudden shifts in ideology. The book wanted to say something big about revolution, faith, and sacrifice, but it often just gestured at depth instead of really going there. I didn’t feel the tragedy—I recognized it. That’s a problem.
Here’s the thing: the idea of the plot is brilliant—a boy caught between cultural identity, colonialism, and divine madness? Yes, sign me up. But the execution? Pacing was a mess. The first act crawled, the middle tried to sprint, and the ending swan-dived off a cliff into poetic ambiguity with very little warning. Important beats felt undercooked, like Bao’s big decisions or sudden shifts in ideology. The book wanted to say something big about revolution, faith, and sacrifice, but it often just gestured at depth instead of really going there. I didn’t feel the tragedy—I recognized it. That’s a problem.
Intrigue: 7/10
I stayed interested, but not always emotionally invested. There were long stretches where I was just waiting for the next battle, the next vision, the next betrayal, and when it came, I wasn’t surprised—I was relieved something happened. The gods were cool, sure, but after their third dramatic entrance, the novelty wore off. The narrative’s momentum was staccato: moments of brilliance followed by extended periods of meh. I wasn’t skipping chapters, but I was side-eyeing the page count.
I stayed interested, but not always emotionally invested. There were long stretches where I was just waiting for the next battle, the next vision, the next betrayal, and when it came, I wasn’t surprised—I was relieved something happened. The gods were cool, sure, but after their third dramatic entrance, the novelty wore off. The narrative’s momentum was staccato: moments of brilliance followed by extended periods of meh. I wasn’t skipping chapters, but I was side-eyeing the page count.
Logic / Relationships: 5.5/10
Let’s be real: the logic here was hanging on by a thread made of myth and metaphor. Bao’s powers? Vaguely defined. The rules of the god-possessions? Who knows. Sometimes he glowed and kicked ass, sometimes he stood there looking confused while his life fell apart. Internal logic took a backseat to allegory. Relationships didn’t fare much better—character bonds felt shallow and rushed. I was supposed to care about Bao’s tragic disconnect from his childhood friend, or his brush with love, or his fall from grace, but I didn’t. Those arcs needed room to breathe, and Yang gave them just enough oxygen to wheeze.
Let’s be real: the logic here was hanging on by a thread made of myth and metaphor. Bao’s powers? Vaguely defined. The rules of the god-possessions? Who knows. Sometimes he glowed and kicked ass, sometimes he stood there looking confused while his life fell apart. Internal logic took a backseat to allegory. Relationships didn’t fare much better—character bonds felt shallow and rushed. I was supposed to care about Bao’s tragic disconnect from his childhood friend, or his brush with love, or his fall from grace, but I didn’t. Those arcs needed room to breathe, and Yang gave them just enough oxygen to wheeze.
Enjoyment: 6.5/10
I respected what Boxers was trying to do more than I enjoyed what it actually did. It was visually compelling, intellectually ambitious, but emotionally distant. I felt like I was being taught a lesson rather than told a story. It tried to juggle myth, history, and character—but ended up dropping a few too many balls. By the time I finished, I wasn’t shattered—I was mildly frustrated. I appreciated the craft, admired the intent, but didn’t love the journey.
I respected what Boxers was trying to do more than I enjoyed what it actually did. It was visually compelling, intellectually ambitious, but emotionally distant. I felt like I was being taught a lesson rather than told a story. It tried to juggle myth, history, and character—but ended up dropping a few too many balls. By the time I finished, I wasn’t shattered—I was mildly frustrated. I appreciated the craft, admired the intent, but didn’t love the journey.
Final Verdict: It’s like a beautifully drawn thesis paper—smart, bold, and just a little bit soulless. 6.9/10 overall.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Genocide, Gore, Violence, Murder, War
Moderate: Child death, Death, Racism, Sexism, Grief, Religious bigotry, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation
Minor: Bullying, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Cultural appropriation, Alcohol
This book uses historical fiction and magical realism to explore the Boxer Rebellion, a violent anti-colonial uprising in China at the turn of the 20th century. It contains stylized depictions of violence and gods, blending spiritual possession with nationalistic fervor. The protagonist is a child who grows into a militant leader, and the story heavily features moral ambiguity, cultural conflict, and psychological decline. Despite being a graphic novel, it’s not light reading—it’s emotionally and thematically intense.
Wow, was this ever depressing.
It seems to me this is trying to do too many things. It’s telling a depressing anecdote from history, which is interesting, and sure, has merit. It’s giving a bit of the mythology of the time, or maybe hints of mythology from before that time (but not probably enough that the story is useful for that). It’s also telling a story, but it’s one too gruesome and depressing for my tastes. Basically, I don’t think any of the elements (or all of them together) add up to a thing I wanted to read. I have the second book here, so I’m reserving some judgement (see my review of it for my final conclusion), but by itself, this is probably my least favorite Gene Yang work to date.
It seems to me this is trying to do too many things. It’s telling a depressing anecdote from history, which is interesting, and sure, has merit. It’s giving a bit of the mythology of the time, or maybe hints of mythology from before that time (but not probably enough that the story is useful for that). It’s also telling a story, but it’s one too gruesome and depressing for my tastes. Basically, I don’t think any of the elements (or all of them together) add up to a thing I wanted to read. I have the second book here, so I’m reserving some judgement (see my review of it for my final conclusion), but by itself, this is probably my least favorite Gene Yang work to date.
Not certain this book should be assessed on its own. I may need to reevaluate after I've had opportunity to read Saints.
Boxers-Saints is a two-part graphic novel series about the Boxer Rebellion, a late 18th/early 19th century Chinese rebellion against Western colonialism. I read Saints (part 2) first, but it didn’t really matter. The two halves tell the same story from two different perspectives.
Boxers tells the story of Little Bao, a teenager who wants a China free of Western colonizers. Gene Luen Yang mixes historical fiction with magical realism as all of the rebels became avatars of Chinese mythology.
Boxers is double the length of Saints but just as good. Yang is a great storyteller. This is my third graphic novel I’ve read by him and all three have been great.
Boxers tells the story of Little Bao, a teenager who wants a China free of Western colonizers. Gene Luen Yang mixes historical fiction with magical realism as all of the rebels became avatars of Chinese mythology.
Boxers is double the length of Saints but just as good. Yang is a great storyteller. This is my third graphic novel I’ve read by him and all three have been great.
dark
emotional
informative
sad
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I have lots of thoughts and a desperate desire to learn more. Reading this in conjunction with and because of the fact that I'm also reading Blackshirts and Reds has been a whirlwind of an experience. The artistry in this graphic novel serves the magical realism well and the way Yang is able to explore the themes of brotherhood, loyalty, revolting against oppressive colonialism and imperialism in a way that that honors Chinese religions and history truly fucked me up in beautiful and horrifically depressing and infuriating ways. I wish more people talked about how Christianity (all fundamentalist religions but especially Christianity) lend themselves to exploit, abuse, and oppress people in the name of salvation and restoration. While reading this book with Blackshirts and Reds (by Michael Parenti), I find myself drawing comparisons between the way Capitalism and Fascism work together and how Christianity serves the same purpose, specifically addressed in the quote about fascist ideologies that disguise their violent and oppressive functions behind the goal of "revitalizing society and sweeping away the old order and build the new."
2.5 stars
I read 3/4 of this but got bored and sidetracked into other books. Then I had to return it to the library.
This just didn't grab me as I thought it would. I guess historical fiction comic books are not for me.
I read 3/4 of this but got bored and sidetracked into other books. Then I had to return it to the library.
This just didn't grab me as I thought it would. I guess historical fiction comic books are not for me.
Didn't know what to expect at all but I really enjoyed the art style and the story! The little bits of magical realism and the "opera gods" - loved it. I'm intrigued by the Boxer's Rebellion and hoping to get some more research done on my own.