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3.92 AVERAGE
3.92 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
adventurous
informative
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Went in to this knowing absolutely nothing, but I enjoyed American Born Chinese and I enjoyed this too. Really interesting half of a complicated story.
Well drawn, and I liked the idea of parallel takes on the Boxer Rebellion from opposite sides. I also liked the incorporation of Chinese mythology into the story, I thought that was really well done. I think the only reason this wasn't amazing was because it was a little short. It felt very compressed, like Yang was trying to make sure it would all fit in one volume, and I'm not sure that was the way to go. In Boxers it wasn't too noticeable, and there were only a couple of places I wanted more detail. It's much more evident in Saints.
I wonder if maybe the problem here is that this is geared to be a more middle-grade friendly introduction to the Boxer Rebellion, instead of a more comprehensive and adult telling of the tale? I also wonder if I wanted this to be more like a history book, and less like a graphic novel. I'm not sure. In either case, I did enjoy it, and it was worth reading, but I'll probably never pick it up again.
I wonder if maybe the problem here is that this is geared to be a more middle-grade friendly introduction to the Boxer Rebellion, instead of a more comprehensive and adult telling of the tale? I also wonder if I wanted this to be more like a history book, and less like a graphic novel. I'm not sure. In either case, I did enjoy it, and it was worth reading, but I'll probably never pick it up again.
This was my first graphic novel and I didn't know what to expect, but I appreciated how Yang captured the moral complexities of the Boxer Rebellion, something I knew nothing about previously. Although I was surprised at how much he maintained a kind of graphic hyperbole typical of comics, he also upended my expectations when it became clear that the "good guys" and "bad guys" were not so easy to distinguish after all. I'm interested in reading the companion book, Saints, now.
adventurous
informative
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I loved seeing how colonization and imperialism affects a child/preteen’s life and the perspective of a common villager.
It feels like all power requires corruption and although the book proves that it also proves you can achieve your political goals “by any means necessary” and still lose
It feels like all power requires corruption and although the book proves that it also proves you can achieve your political goals “by any means necessary” and still lose
And saints! Totally awesome. Easy to understand but complex ideas, managed the dual perspective really well, and I learned a lot. I was surprised about how/why the girl in Saints became a Christian. Very cool graphic novels. I hope he does more like this.
Absorbing and fast read. Gene Yang does an admirable job creating a character who is sympathetic even as he commits monstrous acts. Makes me curious to learn more about the Boxer Rebellion, and the longer history of Western imperialism and Christian proselytizing that stirred up such violent anger and war.
See my review of the companion volume Saints for more detailed comments.
See my review of the companion volume Saints for more detailed comments.
A fantasy-style telling of the Boxer rebellion of Chinese peasants against colonial Western occupation in the 1800s, wherein the peasants channel the spirits of ancient Chinese gods to fight. The main character eventually grows troubled, though, at the human cost of the rebellion and his expected duty to destroy all traces of Western influence, including Chinese christians. It is that uneasy, unhappy feeling that lingers, as the reader gets the sense that there are no straightforward or complete good-guys here. In that sense it is a searching look at the ambiguities of war. It is a well-told story, though that unhappy-restless feeling leaves me not completely satisfied, which made me hold back on a 4th star; I will definitely pick up the companion piece, 'Saints', so see where the author goes with this.