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3.92 AVERAGE
3.92 AVERAGE
Hopefully I'll remember to write a longer review later, but for now, I'll just say that I can't really separate "Boxers" and "Saints" so this is a joint rating. I liked "Boxers" a bit better but you really have to read both of them, preferably back-to-back.
dark
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This graphic novel covers the Boxer Rebellion from the point of view of the Boxers. Little Bao creates a movement, using the ancient gods of China to fight against the Christian missionaries and their treacherous European counterparts. While Bao has good intentions in the beginning of his journey, he begins loosing sight of his values and being someone his countrymen can look up to.
adventurous
funny
informative
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Boxers & Saints is definitely a 4.5 for me. I'm hesitant to give it 5 stars because of the format... it expects readers to pick up Saints. The way it works as a set is what makes it so powerful and memorable. It would be so interesting to use this with a book club or classroom.
A well-written work of historical fiction by Gene Luen Yang about the Boxer Rebellion in turn of the twentieth century China. The author is a wonderful storyteller and I now want to read Saints, the companion book to Boxers.
I read the book for Book Riot's 2017 Read Harder Challenge, and it fits in the categories of "read a book about war" and "read a book where a person of colour goes on a spiritual journey."
I read the book for Book Riot's 2017 Read Harder Challenge, and it fits in the categories of "read a book about war" and "read a book where a person of colour goes on a spiritual journey."
I'm most curious now to read the companion or counterpoint book, Saints. Typically clean and bold artwork and a serious look at Chinese history and its complexities.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is hands down one of the best graphic novels I've ever read, and I'm not just saying that because I have a degree in history. It's actually, functionally gorgeous; the characters are wholly realized, wholly fallible, and despite their horrors and their sins, remain engaging and identifiable. Boxers leaves you with the sense that the modern world, too, is sinking into rebellion, and only the gods of the opera might have something to say about it.
I didn't like this one nearly as much as Saints, partially because I found it confusing, but that may have been partly because I was reading it in one sitting from 1 AM to 2 AM >.<. However, I think it is important to read as a companion; particularly, the story of the princess that Mei Wen tells near the end was necessary for me to understand Vibiana's vision at the end of Saints, and it added a lot of depth to Saints for me. I learned a lot about the history of the real life Boxer Rebellion/Uprising as a result of reading this book, and I was impressed by how historically accurate Yang remained. The more of Gene Yang I read, the more impressed I am by him.