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3.92 AVERAGE
3.92 AVERAGE
3.5.5 learned a lot about the boxer rebellion! interested to read more esp as a christian chinese am
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I guess I read these out of order, since GoodReads is calling [b:Saints|17210471|Saints (Boxers & Saints, #2)|Gene Luen Yang|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1359199657s/17210471.jpg|23691810] "Boxers #2"? But I don't think the books themselves say that, and they seem to be set concurrently, so... whatever. I do feel like I liked Saints more than I liked Boxers--maybe I would have liked whichever one I read first best? Hmm, I don't know. I did love seeing the snippets of Vibiana, so I'm sure if I'd read Boxers first I would have had the opposite for Little Bao. I think maybe I am just more inherently interested in the kind of personal searching story of Saints than I am in the wartime story of Boxers??
ANYWAY WHATEVER, both are great and cool. Great graphic works about an exciting/terrible time in history, and Yang's working through a lot a lot of stuff here.
ETA Just read my pal Emilia's review of this and she says, But...I think there's a problem here, which is that it's super clear that Yang is on the side of the Saints and not the Boxers -- though he loves and respects Chinese traditional religion, the values he writes with are drawn from Christianity, and this really shows in this book -- the most poignant moments are those that connect to the other book, and Little Bao's moments of hesitation to follow the Opera Gods commands.
Hmm good point Emilia, maybe that's also why I liked Saints more.
ANYWAY WHATEVER, both are great and cool. Great graphic works about an exciting/terrible time in history, and Yang's working through a lot a lot of stuff here.
ETA Just read my pal Emilia's review of this and she says, But...I think there's a problem here, which is that it's super clear that Yang is on the side of the Saints and not the Boxers -- though he loves and respects Chinese traditional religion, the values he writes with are drawn from Christianity, and this really shows in this book -- the most poignant moments are those that connect to the other book, and Little Bao's moments of hesitation to follow the Opera Gods commands.
Hmm good point Emilia, maybe that's also why I liked Saints more.
challenging
dark
informative
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I really liked this book and I'm so so so looking forward to reading Saints when it's back in the library. I liked how Yang mixed in the whole supernatural element with actual historical fact and created real characters with real, understandable motivations instead of just portraying the Boxers as terrorists (which is what they could definitely be considered). I'm going to try to get as many people to read this book as possible.
Great graphic novel retelling of a historical event, probs best for middle-aged readers. I do wish there had been a bit more content both here and in Saints as well, but overall an interesting adaptation
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
This story was surprisingly dark for me. The art also shows a lot of violent scenes. In retrospect, it should not have been so surprising since it is set during the Boxer Revolution.
I think fans of She Who Became the Sun would appreciate this graphic novel as well.
I think fans of She Who Became the Sun would appreciate this graphic novel as well.
Interesting graphic novel about the Boxer Rebellion in China, 1900, when Chinese tried to throw out all of the foreigners in their country. This volume tells the story of a Chinese boy who ends up joining the rebellion and helping to spread it, training others to join the "Society of the Right and Harmonious Fist." They rebel against the Christian missionaries as well as the imperial troops who support them. It was really interesting, as I knew nothing about this period of history. I found it interesting that there is a fantasy element to it--the Boxers undergo a ritual before every fight and in the comic, they turn into various Chinese gods; literally. It's more that they're just channeling the thought of being a god, but it makes for good art to have fantastical warrior gods beating up people with supernatural strength! It's a sad story in the end, but definitely worth reading for a look at Chinese history and culture; plus, lots of battle scenes for those who like that. Comnpanion volume Saints probably should be read second; I read them in reverse order and I was a little more confused.