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captainreaper 's review for:
The Adventure Zone: The Eleventh Hour
by Griffin McElroy, Clint McElroy, Justin McElroy, Travis McElroy
I've been anticipating this book for ages. Having listened to the full Balance campaign in podcast form more than a dozen times, I was eager to see how the McElboys and Carey would commit this chapter of the story to page.
Needless to say, I was not disappointed. So much happens in the back half of Balance, so many moments of pure wonder and character growth. The way the book weaves the interludes of the original story into the flashbacks every time Tres Horny Boys beef it in Refuge's time loop is an excellent way to not only break up each loop, hammering in the discomfort of the constant deaths and resets, but it gives us the foundation for what happens later in the book.
Later being that moment the boys finally get to the relic, the Temporal Chalice. This was something I both looked forward to and dreaded, knowing what emotional weight it has in the podcast. Not only does Carey's art show off the sheer vast amounts of missing time and history in the boys' respective pasts (pay close attention to the panels where Merle, Taako and Magnus are holding the Chalice respectively), but the way this book gives us these difficult points in their lives is just heartbreaking. Seeing Merle feel like he must abandon his children, hearing Taako's horror as the people at his show become violently sick and die, watching Magnus say goodbye to the only love of his life for the last time...I cried. I nearly ugly sobbed. I knew it was coming and I couldn't take it. I literally had to close the book for a few minutes to recompose myself.
So yeah, a story I know like the back of my hand, and the sheer skill and love and attention to detail put into this book makes it as if I'm approaching it for the first time. I loved this book, every page, every panel, every word. I know that there isn't much left to Balance at this point, two or three books left and the saga will be complete. Part of me doesn't want me to end, but the rest of me knows that moving forward, the story is in wonderful hands with Carey and her artistic skill. Thank you and the McElboys for sharing this tale with us all.
Needless to say, I was not disappointed. So much happens in the back half of Balance, so many moments of pure wonder and character growth. The way the book weaves the interludes of the original story into the flashbacks every time Tres Horny Boys beef it in Refuge's time loop is an excellent way to not only break up each loop, hammering in the discomfort of the constant deaths and resets, but it gives us the foundation for what happens later in the book.
Later being that moment the boys finally get to the relic, the Temporal Chalice. This was something I both looked forward to and dreaded, knowing what emotional weight it has in the podcast. Not only does Carey's art show off the sheer vast amounts of missing time and history in the boys' respective pasts (pay close attention to the panels where Merle, Taako and Magnus are holding the Chalice respectively), but the way this book gives us these difficult points in their lives is just heartbreaking. Seeing Merle feel like he must abandon his children, hearing Taako's horror as the people at his show become violently sick and die, watching Magnus say goodbye to the only love of his life for the last time...I cried. I nearly ugly sobbed. I knew it was coming and I couldn't take it. I literally had to close the book for a few minutes to recompose myself.
So yeah, a story I know like the back of my hand, and the sheer skill and love and attention to detail put into this book makes it as if I'm approaching it for the first time. I loved this book, every page, every panel, every word. I know that there isn't much left to Balance at this point, two or three books left and the saga will be complete. Part of me doesn't want me to end, but the rest of me knows that moving forward, the story is in wonderful hands with Carey and her artistic skill. Thank you and the McElboys for sharing this tale with us all.