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3.92 AVERAGE
3.92 AVERAGE
This was a tough and meticulously drawn read. Watching the main character's decent into war was incredibly hard. This work really shows what a great graphic novel is capable of.
This is a graphic novel and it is paired with Saints. Both books tell the story of the Boxer Rebellion with the same characters, but different sides of the conflict. All is done is a very engaging manner. I know want to read one of the books in the bibliography discussing the history of the Boxer Rebellion. I previously have had no interest in it whatsoever.
http://librarianosnark.blogspot.com/2014/01/review-boxers-saints.html
I need to think more on this, now that I've read both books in the duet.
I'm a big fan of Gene Luen Yang, and his latest graphic novel didn't dissapoint. While I still think the tone and characters of this comic make it a young adult book, I think it's a lot more mature than his other works. The themes of war and religion add weight to the coming of age story that Yang tells so masterfully. I am excited to sit down and read the second installment, Saints, when I have the chance. This book introduced me to the history of the Boxer Rebellion, which I knew nothing about prior to picking this up. What a horrific piece of history.
✨book #91 for the every country challenge: read a book set in china
After having Gene Luen Yang's American Born Chinese and loving it, I was ready to dive into this graphic novel full throtle. I was more than excited to pcik up his other works and fall in love all over again. But upon sitting down to write this review, I found I didn't have nearly as many positive things to discuss as I'd hoped.
Set in 1898 China, Boxers follows bands or foreign missionaries and soldiers as they roam the countryside, bullying and robbing Chinese peasants. Little Bao has had enough. Harnessing the power of the ancient Chinese Gods, he recruits an army of Boxers- commoners trained in Kung Fu- who fight to free China from "foreign devils.
Against all odds, this grass-roots rebellion is violently successful. But nothing is simple. Little Bao is fighting for the glory of China, but at what cost? Countless are dying, including thousands of "secondary evils"- Chinese people who have converted to Christianity.
Boxers has a rich setting with complex characters that made me compulsively turn page after page to find out what would happen next. However, I was more than once dissappointed to find that personal growth and over all character development in general was severely lacking. A contributing factor of this was how often people were being killed off. Yes, I do agree that some authors get to attached to their character and never kill them off, but to much of the other extreme is bad too. I saw most of the characters so infrequently that I couldn't bring myself to care for them or their situation.
But I did love Bao's dreams, even if they weren't really well explained as to why they were suddenly happening... I ended up flowing with it because Gene Luen Yang's storytelling skills are phenomenal.
Boxers was an unexpected read that I thought for sure was going to blow my socks off. However, it left me leaving underwhelmed in most respects. This being said- I do want to continue with Boxer's companion novel, Saints, and hopefully I will feel more attached.
After having Gene Luen Yang's American Born Chinese and loving it, I was ready to dive into this graphic novel full throtle. I was more than excited to pcik up his other works and fall in love all over again. But upon sitting down to write this review, I found I didn't have nearly as many positive things to discuss as I'd hoped.
Set in 1898 China, Boxers follows bands or foreign missionaries and soldiers as they roam the countryside, bullying and robbing Chinese peasants. Little Bao has had enough. Harnessing the power of the ancient Chinese Gods, he recruits an army of Boxers- commoners trained in Kung Fu- who fight to free China from "foreign devils.
Against all odds, this grass-roots rebellion is violently successful. But nothing is simple. Little Bao is fighting for the glory of China, but at what cost? Countless are dying, including thousands of "secondary evils"- Chinese people who have converted to Christianity.
Boxers has a rich setting with complex characters that made me compulsively turn page after page to find out what would happen next. However, I was more than once dissappointed to find that personal growth and over all character development in general was severely lacking. A contributing factor of this was how often people were being killed off. Yes, I do agree that some authors get to attached to their character and never kill them off, but to much of the other extreme is bad too. I saw most of the characters so infrequently that I couldn't bring myself to care for them or their situation.
But I did love Bao's dreams, even if they weren't really well explained as to why they were suddenly happening... I ended up flowing with it because Gene Luen Yang's storytelling skills are phenomenal.
Boxers was an unexpected read that I thought for sure was going to blow my socks off. However, it left me leaving underwhelmed in most respects. This being said- I do want to continue with Boxer's companion novel, Saints, and hopefully I will feel more attached.
I don't read a lot of graphic novels, although I loved comic books when I was younger. The teen librarian where I work - and one of her teen clients - raved about this, so I brought it home. It was a good way to learn about the Boxer Revolution and the art was cool. I'm still not really feeling the graphic novel thing.
Well told story of the Boxer Rebellion, a historical event I knew nothing about until reading this book (and it's companion). There are a lot of mystical, magical moments but they aid us in learning Chinese culture and they are related to the main character very well. It was a hard book to read--the pages turn quickly but the content deserves time to think. I had to stop a couple of times to get my bearings.
Boxers & Saints is a two volume historical comic series about the Boxer Rebellion, an anti-imperialistic uprising lasting from 1899 to 1901. Boxers (the first volume) is told from Little Boa’s point of view. Boa is a teen who finds himself on the path to leading a rebellion against the imperialistic powers that have taken over much of China, after witnessing the injustices the “Western Devils” have committed in the name of Christianity firsthand.
Saints (the second volume) is told from the perspective of Vibiana, a Christian convert. This volume sheds light on why she chose to adopt Christianity and how the uprising affects her side of the fight.
I thought both volumes were fascinating and highly recommend this series. Even if historical fiction is not your thing, I think you will still enjoy this story. And if you learn a thing or two along the way, even better!
Saints (the second volume) is told from the perspective of Vibiana, a Christian convert. This volume sheds light on why she chose to adopt Christianity and how the uprising affects her side of the fight.
I thought both volumes were fascinating and highly recommend this series. Even if historical fiction is not your thing, I think you will still enjoy this story. And if you learn a thing or two along the way, even better!