Scan barcode
michaeljohnhalseartistry's reviews
111 reviews
The Cloud Searchers by Kazu Kibuishi
3.0
I first picked up Amulet in 2010, back then the third book in the series was coming out, and they were getting a lot of publicity and were showcased everywhere from Chapters to Wal-Mart. I was also very naive to graphic novels back then. As I’ve mentioned before, I didn’t really grow up on comics. I was a fan of Star Wars, and really those were the only comics I read, and even those were few and far between. I also sort of missed the whole YA fiction boat, something I blame my grade 7 English teacher for. While other kids my age were reading Harry Potter and A Series of Unfortunate Events, I was delving into Jane Austen, Shakespeare, and Lord Byron. I jumped from Star Wars-themed beginner chapter books to The Lord of the Rings. I’ve since gone back and read some of the more iconic YA series, but I think that because I missed that stage, I don’t really enjoy them as much as I could have. Enter 2010 me, curious about comics and graphic novels, but with no interest in superheroes, and searching for something a little heavy on the fantasy. I picked up the Amulet books, and knew right away that they were for a younger demographic, but they were unlike anything I’d seen and I thought I’d give them a try.
It’s now eight years later, and there are seven Amulet books in total, with an eight slated for a 2018 release. The graphic series follows a girl, Emily, who is transported from Earth to another world, Alledia, and thrust into a saviour-like role as protector of that planet through the use of a magical (and corrupting) stone. The series is created by Kazu Kibuishi and has been critically acclaimed the world over. Because there are seven books in this series, I decided to lump them all together in this review, giving the series as a whole a broad, overlapping, examine.
I have very mixed feelings about this series. While the artwork is beautiful, and the characters are likeable and the themes, dark and interesting, I still can’t seem to shake a sort of apathetic response for this series. Amulet never really gets as dark as you’d like it to, which also makes total sense, as it’s targeted toward a younger audience in the YA genre. There are very dark themes, don’t get me wrong, some of the later books deal with ideas like guilt and repression, and the main protagonist is constantly walking a thin line between morality and corruption, but there’s never really any true danger to the main characters. I know, I know, “But Michael, this is a series targeted towards children and (very) young adults,” and maybe that’s why it just fails to resonate with me.
If we examine Amulet from an artistic perspective alone, this series is incredible. Kibuishi’s artwork is stylistic, unique, flashy, and resonating with that cherubic charm that’s so enticing to a younger audience. I really have no problem with his artwork. In fact, I like it. And in a medium like graphic novels, you’d better have spectacular artwork, because (and I’ve seen this often) the writing-side of the work tends to falter when compared to traditional novels. And of course it would, you’re essentially taking a novel and condensing it into a series of images, you are bound to loose some of the depth of the written word. Unfortunately, Amulet’s story is where the series tends to fall apart for me. The plot has meandered on and on through seven books thus far, without really progressing all that much. Characters and plot seem to change and shift subtly with each new book, almost impressing that Kibuishi really has no direction and doesn’t even know where the plot is going (*cough* George R.R. Martin anyone? *cough*). I felt this was incredibly apparent in the latest book, Book 7: Firelight, with the re-occurance of a former enemy who has suddenly switched sides, and the introduction of alien technology and space-explorative themes to this series that has been, thus far, rooted in fantasy. It all just seems a little strange, and like it’s taking a little too long to get to the finale. Every time I picked up the next book in the series I'd wonder what’s going to be slightly different and changed without an explanation, from the last.
Still, this series continues to grow, and capture the hearts of new readers and fans alike, and I am interested to see how Kibuishi wraps up this… somewhat chaotic story. Let’s just hope it happens in fewer books, I’m not sure I can handle any more meandering around the plot.
-----
FOR MORE BOOK REVIEWS, MY OWN NOVELS, AND PHOTOGRAPHY, CHECK OUT MY WEBSITE:
michaeljohnhalse.wix.com/michaeljohnhalse
It’s now eight years later, and there are seven Amulet books in total, with an eight slated for a 2018 release. The graphic series follows a girl, Emily, who is transported from Earth to another world, Alledia, and thrust into a saviour-like role as protector of that planet through the use of a magical (and corrupting) stone. The series is created by Kazu Kibuishi and has been critically acclaimed the world over. Because there are seven books in this series, I decided to lump them all together in this review, giving the series as a whole a broad, overlapping, examine.
I have very mixed feelings about this series. While the artwork is beautiful, and the characters are likeable and the themes, dark and interesting, I still can’t seem to shake a sort of apathetic response for this series. Amulet never really gets as dark as you’d like it to, which also makes total sense, as it’s targeted toward a younger audience in the YA genre. There are very dark themes, don’t get me wrong, some of the later books deal with ideas like guilt and repression, and the main protagonist is constantly walking a thin line between morality and corruption, but there’s never really any true danger to the main characters. I know, I know, “But Michael, this is a series targeted towards children and (very) young adults,” and maybe that’s why it just fails to resonate with me.
If we examine Amulet from an artistic perspective alone, this series is incredible. Kibuishi’s artwork is stylistic, unique, flashy, and resonating with that cherubic charm that’s so enticing to a younger audience. I really have no problem with his artwork. In fact, I like it. And in a medium like graphic novels, you’d better have spectacular artwork, because (and I’ve seen this often) the writing-side of the work tends to falter when compared to traditional novels. And of course it would, you’re essentially taking a novel and condensing it into a series of images, you are bound to loose some of the depth of the written word. Unfortunately, Amulet’s story is where the series tends to fall apart for me. The plot has meandered on and on through seven books thus far, without really progressing all that much. Characters and plot seem to change and shift subtly with each new book, almost impressing that Kibuishi really has no direction and doesn’t even know where the plot is going (*cough* George R.R. Martin anyone? *cough*). I felt this was incredibly apparent in the latest book, Book 7: Firelight, with the re-occurance of a former enemy who has suddenly switched sides, and the introduction of alien technology and space-explorative themes to this series that has been, thus far, rooted in fantasy. It all just seems a little strange, and like it’s taking a little too long to get to the finale. Every time I picked up the next book in the series I'd wonder what’s going to be slightly different and changed without an explanation, from the last.
Still, this series continues to grow, and capture the hearts of new readers and fans alike, and I am interested to see how Kibuishi wraps up this… somewhat chaotic story. Let’s just hope it happens in fewer books, I’m not sure I can handle any more meandering around the plot.
-----
FOR MORE BOOK REVIEWS, MY OWN NOVELS, AND PHOTOGRAPHY, CHECK OUT MY WEBSITE:
michaeljohnhalse.wix.com/michaeljohnhalse
The Last Council by Kazu Kibuishi
2.0
I first picked up Amulet in 2010, back then the third book in the series was coming out, and they were getting a lot of publicity and were showcased everywhere from Chapters to Wal-Mart. I was also very naive to graphic novels back then. As I’ve mentioned before, I didn’t really grow up on comics. I was a fan of Star Wars, and really those were the only comics I read, and even those were few and far between. I also sort of missed the whole YA fiction boat, something I blame my grade 7 English teacher for. While other kids my age were reading Harry Potter and A Series of Unfortunate Events, I was delving into Jane Austen, Shakespeare, and Lord Byron. I jumped from Star Wars-themed beginner chapter books to The Lord of the Rings. I’ve since gone back and read some of the more iconic YA series, but I think that because I missed that stage, I don’t really enjoy them as much as I could have. Enter 2010 me, curious about comics and graphic novels, but with no interest in superheroes, and searching for something a little heavy on the fantasy. I picked up the Amulet books, and knew right away that they were for a younger demographic, but they were unlike anything I’d seen and I thought I’d give them a try.
It’s now eight years later, and there are seven Amulet books in total, with an eight slated for a 2018 release. The graphic series follows a girl, Emily, who is transported from Earth to another world, Alledia, and thrust into a saviour-like role as protector of that planet through the use of a magical (and corrupting) stone. The series is created by Kazu Kibuishi and has been critically acclaimed the world over. Because there are seven books in this series, I decided to lump them all together in this review, giving the series as a whole a broad, overlapping, examine.
I have very mixed feelings about this series. While the artwork is beautiful, and the characters are likeable and the themes, dark and interesting, I still can’t seem to shake a sort of apathetic response for this series. Amulet never really gets as dark as you’d like it to, which also makes total sense, as it’s targeted toward a younger audience in the YA genre. There are very dark themes, don’t get me wrong, some of the later books deal with ideas like guilt and repression, and the main protagonist is constantly walking a thin line between morality and corruption, but there’s never really any true danger to the main characters. I know, I know, “But Michael, this is a series targeted towards children and (very) young adults,” and maybe that’s why it just fails to resonate with me.
If we examine Amulet from an artistic perspective alone, this series is incredible. Kibuishi’s artwork is stylistic, unique, flashy, and resonating with that cherubic charm that’s so enticing to a younger audience. I really have no problem with his artwork. In fact, I like it. And in a medium like graphic novels, you’d better have spectacular artwork, because (and I’ve seen this often) the writing-side of the work tends to falter when compared to traditional novels. And of course it would, you’re essentially taking a novel and condensing it into a series of images, you are bound to loose some of the depth of the written word. Unfortunately, Amulet’s story is where the series tends to fall apart for me. The plot has meandered on and on through seven books thus far, without really progressing all that much. Characters and plot seem to change and shift subtly with each new book, almost impressing that Kibuishi really has no direction and doesn’t even know where the plot is going (*cough* George R.R. Martin anyone? *cough*). I felt this was incredibly apparent in the latest book, Book 7: Firelight, with the re-occurance of a former enemy who has suddenly switched sides, and the introduction of alien technology and space-explorative themes to this series that has been, thus far, rooted in fantasy. It all just seems a little strange, and like it’s taking a little too long to get to the finale. Every time I picked up the next book in the series I'd wonder what’s going to be slightly different and changed without an explanation, from the last.
Still, this series continues to grow, and capture the hearts of new readers and fans alike, and I am interested to see how Kibuishi wraps up this… somewhat chaotic story. Let’s just hope it happens in fewer books, I’m not sure I can handle any more meandering around the plot.
-----
FOR MORE BOOK REVIEWS, MY OWN NOVELS, AND PHOTOGRAPHY, CHECK OUT MY WEBSITE:
michaeljohnhalse.wix.com/michaeljohnhalse
It’s now eight years later, and there are seven Amulet books in total, with an eight slated for a 2018 release. The graphic series follows a girl, Emily, who is transported from Earth to another world, Alledia, and thrust into a saviour-like role as protector of that planet through the use of a magical (and corrupting) stone. The series is created by Kazu Kibuishi and has been critically acclaimed the world over. Because there are seven books in this series, I decided to lump them all together in this review, giving the series as a whole a broad, overlapping, examine.
I have very mixed feelings about this series. While the artwork is beautiful, and the characters are likeable and the themes, dark and interesting, I still can’t seem to shake a sort of apathetic response for this series. Amulet never really gets as dark as you’d like it to, which also makes total sense, as it’s targeted toward a younger audience in the YA genre. There are very dark themes, don’t get me wrong, some of the later books deal with ideas like guilt and repression, and the main protagonist is constantly walking a thin line between morality and corruption, but there’s never really any true danger to the main characters. I know, I know, “But Michael, this is a series targeted towards children and (very) young adults,” and maybe that’s why it just fails to resonate with me.
If we examine Amulet from an artistic perspective alone, this series is incredible. Kibuishi’s artwork is stylistic, unique, flashy, and resonating with that cherubic charm that’s so enticing to a younger audience. I really have no problem with his artwork. In fact, I like it. And in a medium like graphic novels, you’d better have spectacular artwork, because (and I’ve seen this often) the writing-side of the work tends to falter when compared to traditional novels. And of course it would, you’re essentially taking a novel and condensing it into a series of images, you are bound to loose some of the depth of the written word. Unfortunately, Amulet’s story is where the series tends to fall apart for me. The plot has meandered on and on through seven books thus far, without really progressing all that much. Characters and plot seem to change and shift subtly with each new book, almost impressing that Kibuishi really has no direction and doesn’t even know where the plot is going (*cough* George R.R. Martin anyone? *cough*). I felt this was incredibly apparent in the latest book, Book 7: Firelight, with the re-occurance of a former enemy who has suddenly switched sides, and the introduction of alien technology and space-explorative themes to this series that has been, thus far, rooted in fantasy. It all just seems a little strange, and like it’s taking a little too long to get to the finale. Every time I picked up the next book in the series I'd wonder what’s going to be slightly different and changed without an explanation, from the last.
Still, this series continues to grow, and capture the hearts of new readers and fans alike, and I am interested to see how Kibuishi wraps up this… somewhat chaotic story. Let’s just hope it happens in fewer books, I’m not sure I can handle any more meandering around the plot.
-----
FOR MORE BOOK REVIEWS, MY OWN NOVELS, AND PHOTOGRAPHY, CHECK OUT MY WEBSITE:
michaeljohnhalse.wix.com/michaeljohnhalse
Prince of the Elves by Kazu Kibuishi
3.0
I first picked up Amulet in 2010, back then the third book in the series was coming out, and they were getting a lot of publicity and were showcased everywhere from Chapters to Wal-Mart. I was also very naive to graphic novels back then. As I’ve mentioned before, I didn’t really grow up on comics. I was a fan of Star Wars, and really those were the only comics I read, and even those were few and far between. I also sort of missed the whole YA fiction boat, something I blame my grade 7 English teacher for. While other kids my age were reading Harry Potter and A Series of Unfortunate Events, I was delving into Jane Austen, Shakespeare, and Lord Byron. I jumped from Star Wars-themed beginner chapter books to The Lord of the Rings. I’ve since gone back and read some of the more iconic YA series, but I think that because I missed that stage, I don’t really enjoy them as much as I could have. Enter 2010 me, curious about comics and graphic novels, but with no interest in superheroes, and searching for something a little heavy on the fantasy. I picked up the Amulet books, and knew right away that they were for a younger demographic, but they were unlike anything I’d seen and I thought I’d give them a try.
It’s now eight years later, and there are seven Amulet books in total, with an eight slated for a 2018 release. The graphic series follows a girl, Emily, who is transported from Earth to another world, Alledia, and thrust into a saviour-like role as protector of that planet through the use of a magical (and corrupting) stone. The series is created by Kazu Kibuishi and has been critically acclaimed the world over. Because there are seven books in this series, I decided to lump them all together in this review, giving the series as a whole a broad, overlapping, examine.
I have very mixed feelings about this series. While the artwork is beautiful, and the characters are likeable and the themes, dark and interesting, I still can’t seem to shake a sort of apathetic response for this series. Amulet never really gets as dark as you’d like it to, which also makes total sense, as it’s targeted toward a younger audience in the YA genre. There are very dark themes, don’t get me wrong, some of the later books deal with ideas like guilt and repression, and the main protagonist is constantly walking a thin line between morality and corruption, but there’s never really any true danger to the main characters. I know, I know, “But Michael, this is a series targeted towards children and (very) young adults,” and maybe that’s why it just fails to resonate with me.
If we examine Amulet from an artistic perspective alone, this series is incredible. Kibuishi’s artwork is stylistic, unique, flashy, and resonating with that cherubic charm that’s so enticing to a younger audience. I really have no problem with his artwork. In fact, I like it. And in a medium like graphic novels, you’d better have spectacular artwork, because (and I’ve seen this often) the writing-side of the work tends to falter when compared to traditional novels. And of course it would, you’re essentially taking a novel and condensing it into a series of images, you are bound to loose some of the depth of the written word. Unfortunately, Amulet’s story is where the series tends to fall apart for me. The plot has meandered on and on through seven books thus far, without really progressing all that much. Characters and plot seem to change and shift subtly with each new book, almost impressing that Kibuishi really has no direction and doesn’t even know where the plot is going (*cough* George R.R. Martin anyone? *cough*). I felt this was incredibly apparent in the latest book, Book 7: Firelight, with the re-occurance of a former enemy who has suddenly switched sides, and the introduction of alien technology and space-explorative themes to this series that has been, thus far, rooted in fantasy. It all just seems a little strange, and like it’s taking a little too long to get to the finale. Every time I picked up the next book in the series I'd wonder what’s going to be slightly different and changed without an explanation, from the last.
Still, this series continues to grow, and capture the hearts of new readers and fans alike, and I am interested to see how Kibuishi wraps up this… somewhat chaotic story. Let’s just hope it happens in fewer books, I’m not sure I can handle any more meandering around the plot.
-----
FOR MORE BOOK REVIEWS, MY OWN NOVELS, AND PHOTOGRAPHY, CHECK OUT MY WEBSITE:
michaeljohnhalse.wix.com/michaeljohnhalse
It’s now eight years later, and there are seven Amulet books in total, with an eight slated for a 2018 release. The graphic series follows a girl, Emily, who is transported from Earth to another world, Alledia, and thrust into a saviour-like role as protector of that planet through the use of a magical (and corrupting) stone. The series is created by Kazu Kibuishi and has been critically acclaimed the world over. Because there are seven books in this series, I decided to lump them all together in this review, giving the series as a whole a broad, overlapping, examine.
I have very mixed feelings about this series. While the artwork is beautiful, and the characters are likeable and the themes, dark and interesting, I still can’t seem to shake a sort of apathetic response for this series. Amulet never really gets as dark as you’d like it to, which also makes total sense, as it’s targeted toward a younger audience in the YA genre. There are very dark themes, don’t get me wrong, some of the later books deal with ideas like guilt and repression, and the main protagonist is constantly walking a thin line between morality and corruption, but there’s never really any true danger to the main characters. I know, I know, “But Michael, this is a series targeted towards children and (very) young adults,” and maybe that’s why it just fails to resonate with me.
If we examine Amulet from an artistic perspective alone, this series is incredible. Kibuishi’s artwork is stylistic, unique, flashy, and resonating with that cherubic charm that’s so enticing to a younger audience. I really have no problem with his artwork. In fact, I like it. And in a medium like graphic novels, you’d better have spectacular artwork, because (and I’ve seen this often) the writing-side of the work tends to falter when compared to traditional novels. And of course it would, you’re essentially taking a novel and condensing it into a series of images, you are bound to loose some of the depth of the written word. Unfortunately, Amulet’s story is where the series tends to fall apart for me. The plot has meandered on and on through seven books thus far, without really progressing all that much. Characters and plot seem to change and shift subtly with each new book, almost impressing that Kibuishi really has no direction and doesn’t even know where the plot is going (*cough* George R.R. Martin anyone? *cough*). I felt this was incredibly apparent in the latest book, Book 7: Firelight, with the re-occurance of a former enemy who has suddenly switched sides, and the introduction of alien technology and space-explorative themes to this series that has been, thus far, rooted in fantasy. It all just seems a little strange, and like it’s taking a little too long to get to the finale. Every time I picked up the next book in the series I'd wonder what’s going to be slightly different and changed without an explanation, from the last.
Still, this series continues to grow, and capture the hearts of new readers and fans alike, and I am interested to see how Kibuishi wraps up this… somewhat chaotic story. Let’s just hope it happens in fewer books, I’m not sure I can handle any more meandering around the plot.
-----
FOR MORE BOOK REVIEWS, MY OWN NOVELS, AND PHOTOGRAPHY, CHECK OUT MY WEBSITE:
michaeljohnhalse.wix.com/michaeljohnhalse
Escape from Lucien by Kazu Kibuishi
2.0
I first picked up Amulet in 2010, back then the third book in the series was coming out, and they were getting a lot of publicity and were showcased everywhere from Chapters to Wal-Mart. I was also very naive to graphic novels back then. As I’ve mentioned before, I didn’t really grow up on comics. I was a fan of Star Wars, and really those were the only comics I read, and even those were few and far between. I also sort of missed the whole YA fiction boat, something I blame my grade 7 English teacher for. While other kids my age were reading Harry Potter and A Series of Unfortunate Events, I was delving into Jane Austen, Shakespeare, and Lord Byron. I jumped from Star Wars-themed beginner chapter books to The Lord of the Rings. I’ve since gone back and read some of the more iconic YA series, but I think that because I missed that stage, I don’t really enjoy them as much as I could have. Enter 2010 me, curious about comics and graphic novels, but with no interest in superheroes, and searching for something a little heavy on the fantasy. I picked up the Amulet books, and knew right away that they were for a younger demographic, but they were unlike anything I’d seen and I thought I’d give them a try.
It’s now eight years later, and there are seven Amulet books in total, with an eight slated for a 2018 release. The graphic series follows a girl, Emily, who is transported from Earth to another world, Alledia, and thrust into a saviour-like role as protector of that planet through the use of a magical (and corrupting) stone. The series is created by Kazu Kibuishi and has been critically acclaimed the world over. Because there are seven books in this series, I decided to lump them all together in this review, giving the series as a whole a broad, overlapping, examine.
I have very mixed feelings about this series. While the artwork is beautiful, and the characters are likeable and the themes, dark and interesting, I still can’t seem to shake a sort of apathetic response for this series. Amulet never really gets as dark as you’d like it to, which also makes total sense, as it’s targeted toward a younger audience in the YA genre. There are very dark themes, don’t get me wrong, some of the later books deal with ideas like guilt and repression, and the main protagonist is constantly walking a thin line between morality and corruption, but there’s never really any true danger to the main characters. I know, I know, “But Michael, this is a series targeted towards children and (very) young adults,” and maybe that’s why it just fails to resonate with me.
If we examine Amulet from an artistic perspective alone, this series is incredible. Kibuishi’s artwork is stylistic, unique, flashy, and resonating with that cherubic charm that’s so enticing to a younger audience. I really have no problem with his artwork. In fact, I like it. And in a medium like graphic novels, you’d better have spectacular artwork, because (and I’ve seen this often) the writing-side of the work tends to falter when compared to traditional novels. And of course it would, you’re essentially taking a novel and condensing it into a series of images, you are bound to loose some of the depth of the written word. Unfortunately, Amulet’s story is where the series tends to fall apart for me. The plot has meandered on and on through seven books thus far, without really progressing all that much. Characters and plot seem to change and shift subtly with each new book, almost impressing that Kibuishi really has no direction and doesn’t even know where the plot is going (*cough* George R.R. Martin anyone? *cough*). I felt this was incredibly apparent in the latest book, Book 7: Firelight, with the re-occurance of a former enemy who has suddenly switched sides, and the introduction of alien technology and space-explorative themes to this series that has been, thus far, rooted in fantasy. It all just seems a little strange, and like it’s taking a little too long to get to the finale. Every time I picked up the next book in the series I'd wonder what’s going to be slightly different and changed without an explanation, from the last.
Still, this series continues to grow, and capture the hearts of new readers and fans alike, and I am interested to see how Kibuishi wraps up this… somewhat chaotic story. Let’s just hope it happens in fewer books, I’m not sure I can handle any more meandering around the plot.
-----
FOR MORE BOOK REVIEWS, MY OWN NOVELS, AND PHOTOGRAPHY, CHECK OUT MY WEBSITE:
michaeljohnhalse.wix.com/michaeljohnhalse
It’s now eight years later, and there are seven Amulet books in total, with an eight slated for a 2018 release. The graphic series follows a girl, Emily, who is transported from Earth to another world, Alledia, and thrust into a saviour-like role as protector of that planet through the use of a magical (and corrupting) stone. The series is created by Kazu Kibuishi and has been critically acclaimed the world over. Because there are seven books in this series, I decided to lump them all together in this review, giving the series as a whole a broad, overlapping, examine.
I have very mixed feelings about this series. While the artwork is beautiful, and the characters are likeable and the themes, dark and interesting, I still can’t seem to shake a sort of apathetic response for this series. Amulet never really gets as dark as you’d like it to, which also makes total sense, as it’s targeted toward a younger audience in the YA genre. There are very dark themes, don’t get me wrong, some of the later books deal with ideas like guilt and repression, and the main protagonist is constantly walking a thin line between morality and corruption, but there’s never really any true danger to the main characters. I know, I know, “But Michael, this is a series targeted towards children and (very) young adults,” and maybe that’s why it just fails to resonate with me.
If we examine Amulet from an artistic perspective alone, this series is incredible. Kibuishi’s artwork is stylistic, unique, flashy, and resonating with that cherubic charm that’s so enticing to a younger audience. I really have no problem with his artwork. In fact, I like it. And in a medium like graphic novels, you’d better have spectacular artwork, because (and I’ve seen this often) the writing-side of the work tends to falter when compared to traditional novels. And of course it would, you’re essentially taking a novel and condensing it into a series of images, you are bound to loose some of the depth of the written word. Unfortunately, Amulet’s story is where the series tends to fall apart for me. The plot has meandered on and on through seven books thus far, without really progressing all that much. Characters and plot seem to change and shift subtly with each new book, almost impressing that Kibuishi really has no direction and doesn’t even know where the plot is going (*cough* George R.R. Martin anyone? *cough*). I felt this was incredibly apparent in the latest book, Book 7: Firelight, with the re-occurance of a former enemy who has suddenly switched sides, and the introduction of alien technology and space-explorative themes to this series that has been, thus far, rooted in fantasy. It all just seems a little strange, and like it’s taking a little too long to get to the finale. Every time I picked up the next book in the series I'd wonder what’s going to be slightly different and changed without an explanation, from the last.
Still, this series continues to grow, and capture the hearts of new readers and fans alike, and I am interested to see how Kibuishi wraps up this… somewhat chaotic story. Let’s just hope it happens in fewer books, I’m not sure I can handle any more meandering around the plot.
-----
FOR MORE BOOK REVIEWS, MY OWN NOVELS, AND PHOTOGRAPHY, CHECK OUT MY WEBSITE:
michaeljohnhalse.wix.com/michaeljohnhalse
Firelight by Kazu Kibuishi
2.0
I first picked up Amulet in 2010, back then the third book in the series was coming out, and they were getting a lot of publicity and were showcased everywhere from Chapters to Wal-Mart. I was also very naive to graphic novels back then. As I’ve mentioned before, I didn’t really grow up on comics. I was a fan of Star Wars, and really those were the only comics I read, and even those were few and far between. I also sort of missed the whole YA fiction boat, something I blame my grade 7 English teacher for. While other kids my age were reading Harry Potter and A Series of Unfortunate Events, I was delving into Jane Austen, Shakespeare, and Lord Byron. I jumped from Star Wars-themed beginner chapter books to The Lord of the Rings. I’ve since gone back and read some of the more iconic YA series, but I think that because I missed that stage, I don’t really enjoy them as much as I could have. Enter 2010 me, curious about comics and graphic novels, but with no interest in superheroes, and searching for something a little heavy on the fantasy. I picked up the Amulet books, and knew right away that they were for a younger demographic, but they were unlike anything I’d seen and I thought I’d give them a try.
It’s now eight years later, and there are seven Amulet books in total, with an eight slated for a 2018 release. The graphic series follows a girl, Emily, who is transported from Earth to another world, Alledia, and thrust into a saviour-like role as protector of that planet through the use of a magical (and corrupting) stone. The series is created by Kazu Kibuishi and has been critically acclaimed the world over. Because there are seven books in this series, I decided to lump them all together in this review, giving the series as a whole a broad, overlapping, examine.
I have very mixed feelings about this series. While the artwork is beautiful, and the characters are likeable and the themes, dark and interesting, I still can’t seem to shake a sort of apathetic response for this series. Amulet never really gets as dark as you’d like it to, which also makes total sense, as it’s targeted toward a younger audience in the YA genre. There are very dark themes, don’t get me wrong, some of the later books deal with ideas like guilt and repression, and the main protagonist is constantly walking a thin line between morality and corruption, but there’s never really any true danger to the main characters. I know, I know, “But Michael, this is a series targeted towards children and (very) young adults,” and maybe that’s why it just fails to resonate with me.
If we examine Amulet from an artistic perspective alone, this series is incredible. Kibuishi’s artwork is stylistic, unique, flashy, and resonating with that cherubic charm that’s so enticing to a younger audience. I really have no problem with his artwork. In fact, I like it. And in a medium like graphic novels, you’d better have spectacular artwork, because (and I’ve seen this often) the writing-side of the work tends to falter when compared to traditional novels. And of course it would, you’re essentially taking a novel and condensing it into a series of images, you are bound to loose some of the depth of the written word. Unfortunately, Amulet’s story is where the series tends to fall apart for me. The plot has meandered on and on through seven books thus far, without really progressing all that much. Characters and plot seem to change and shift subtly with each new book, almost impressing that Kibuishi really has no direction and doesn’t even know where the plot is going (*cough* George R.R. Martin anyone? *cough*). I felt this was incredibly apparent in the latest book, Book 7: Firelight, with the re-occurance of a former enemy who has suddenly switched sides, and the introduction of alien technology and space-explorative themes to this series that has been, thus far, rooted in fantasy. It all just seems a little strange, and like it’s taking a little too long to get to the finale. Every time I picked up the next book in the series I'd wonder what’s going to be slightly different and changed without an explanation, from the last.
Still, this series continues to grow, and capture the hearts of new readers and fans alike, and I am interested to see how Kibuishi wraps up this… somewhat chaotic story. Let’s just hope it happens in fewer books, I’m not sure I can handle any more meandering around the plot.
-----
FOR MORE BOOK REVIEWS, MY OWN NOVELS, AND PHOTOGRAPHY, CHECK OUT MY WEBSITE:
michaeljohnhalse.wix.com/michaeljohnhalse
It’s now eight years later, and there are seven Amulet books in total, with an eight slated for a 2018 release. The graphic series follows a girl, Emily, who is transported from Earth to another world, Alledia, and thrust into a saviour-like role as protector of that planet through the use of a magical (and corrupting) stone. The series is created by Kazu Kibuishi and has been critically acclaimed the world over. Because there are seven books in this series, I decided to lump them all together in this review, giving the series as a whole a broad, overlapping, examine.
I have very mixed feelings about this series. While the artwork is beautiful, and the characters are likeable and the themes, dark and interesting, I still can’t seem to shake a sort of apathetic response for this series. Amulet never really gets as dark as you’d like it to, which also makes total sense, as it’s targeted toward a younger audience in the YA genre. There are very dark themes, don’t get me wrong, some of the later books deal with ideas like guilt and repression, and the main protagonist is constantly walking a thin line between morality and corruption, but there’s never really any true danger to the main characters. I know, I know, “But Michael, this is a series targeted towards children and (very) young adults,” and maybe that’s why it just fails to resonate with me.
If we examine Amulet from an artistic perspective alone, this series is incredible. Kibuishi’s artwork is stylistic, unique, flashy, and resonating with that cherubic charm that’s so enticing to a younger audience. I really have no problem with his artwork. In fact, I like it. And in a medium like graphic novels, you’d better have spectacular artwork, because (and I’ve seen this often) the writing-side of the work tends to falter when compared to traditional novels. And of course it would, you’re essentially taking a novel and condensing it into a series of images, you are bound to loose some of the depth of the written word. Unfortunately, Amulet’s story is where the series tends to fall apart for me. The plot has meandered on and on through seven books thus far, without really progressing all that much. Characters and plot seem to change and shift subtly with each new book, almost impressing that Kibuishi really has no direction and doesn’t even know where the plot is going (*cough* George R.R. Martin anyone? *cough*). I felt this was incredibly apparent in the latest book, Book 7: Firelight, with the re-occurance of a former enemy who has suddenly switched sides, and the introduction of alien technology and space-explorative themes to this series that has been, thus far, rooted in fantasy. It all just seems a little strange, and like it’s taking a little too long to get to the finale. Every time I picked up the next book in the series I'd wonder what’s going to be slightly different and changed without an explanation, from the last.
Still, this series continues to grow, and capture the hearts of new readers and fans alike, and I am interested to see how Kibuishi wraps up this… somewhat chaotic story. Let’s just hope it happens in fewer books, I’m not sure I can handle any more meandering around the plot.
-----
FOR MORE BOOK REVIEWS, MY OWN NOVELS, AND PHOTOGRAPHY, CHECK OUT MY WEBSITE:
michaeljohnhalse.wix.com/michaeljohnhalse
The Hero of Ages by Brandon Sanderson
4.0
“Somehow, we’ll find it. The balance between whom we wish to be and whom we need to be. But for now, we simply have to be satisfied with who we are.”
After a few long months, I’m finally finished Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn trilogy, and it’s finale brought on a rush of emotions. Initially, I was a little cold to Sanderson’s work, in fact I remember being very critical of The Final Empire, the first novel in this trilogy, but somewhere along the journey I feel in love with Sanderson’s characters and his ability to craft a solid and well-developed fantasy world.
The Hero of Ages picks up a few years after the second novel, The Well of Ascension. Our heroes, Vin and Elend are working to stabilize the remnants of the Final Empire under one leadership (Elend’s) while searching for the various caches created by the Lord Ruler (the antagonist from the first novel, who had ruled over the Final Empire with his God-like powers). The world around them is slowly falling apart; ash falls continuously, the ever-present mists have begun killing people, and the Final Empire has devolved into various chaotically run city-states. For most of the book, our heroes concentrate on uniting the final cities under Elend’s banner, thinking their salvation rests in the resources hidden away in the secretive caches, until they realize that the destruction of the world is being caused by something far more sinister and other-worldly - an eternal struggle between Ruin and Preservation, the deities of sorts of their world.
That is a very basic overview of the story, of course it’s layered with conflict and revelations that go well beyond that description to deepen the mythos of Sanderson’s creation, but I’ll let you read the series for yourself. I mentioned above that this novel gave me a strong rush of emotions at the end, and I’d be lying if I didn’t say some tears managed to slip out of my eyes. And for me, that’s telling of how much I enjoyed the series, and enjoyed it’s finale. I couldn’t think of a better ending for this series. It was intricate, delicate, and absolutely perfect, like it had been leading to that specific ending from the very first novel. Throughout the three novels, we slowly become more and more comfortable with the notion that Vin, the main character, is the fabled “Hero of Ages”, a mythological character said to bring about stability and peace to the world. But in the final pages of this book, Sanderson reveals that we were wrong to come to that conclusion, and that the true “Hero of Ages” was someone who fit the bill so much more accurately. Sanderson ties everything up with a neat little bow and, while he leaves some questions and speculation lingering out there, he really brings this specific fantasy world to a tidy close.
And that really is a testament to his world-building skill. As I’ve mentioned in the previous reviews for the Mistborn books, world-building is where Sanderson excels. He’s created a very distinct, unique world with an interesting and individual magic system that seems better laid out and crafted that some of his characterization. Sanderson is a master crafter when it comes to his world. He’s carefully planned things out, and you can tell from his writing that he’s put a lot of careful thought into how he wants his world portrayed, and how his magic systems work - something that not all fantasy authors can pull off. His one downside, unfortunately, is his characterization and dialogue.
As I’ve read more and more Sanderson, I’ve realized that he’s not the strongest when it comes to dialogue… in fact, he’s not even good… he’s mediocre at best. And that aspect of his writing makes it a little difficult for me enjoy, I think because, in my own writing, I heavily favour dialogue and character development and have been told I do it quite well. But I’ve found that most authors seem to favour one over the other. Some authors, like Sanderson and Robin Hobb and J.R.R. Tolkien can create incredible worlds that feel so culturally rich and detailed, while others show that same prowess and careful crafting with their characters and dialogue. Rarely have I found an author that brings a level of equality to both aspects. In The Hero of Ages Sanderson’s writing has improved, however, when compared to the first two novels in this trilogy, but that’s also bound to happen when writing. The more you do it, the better you become at it.
Will I read more Sanderson in the future? Absolutely. In fact my boyfriend has now informed me that I have to read the rest of Sanderson’s ever-expanding cosmere. But I think these characters, and this story, will forever be my favourite of Sanderson’s work. He’ll have a difficult time topping Mistborn.
-----
FOR MORE BOOK REVIEWS, MY OWN NOVELS, AND PHOTOGRAPHY, CHECK OUT MY WEBSITE:
michaeljohnhalse.wix.com/michaeljohnhalse
After a few long months, I’m finally finished Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn trilogy, and it’s finale brought on a rush of emotions. Initially, I was a little cold to Sanderson’s work, in fact I remember being very critical of The Final Empire, the first novel in this trilogy, but somewhere along the journey I feel in love with Sanderson’s characters and his ability to craft a solid and well-developed fantasy world.
The Hero of Ages picks up a few years after the second novel, The Well of Ascension. Our heroes, Vin and Elend are working to stabilize the remnants of the Final Empire under one leadership (Elend’s) while searching for the various caches created by the Lord Ruler (the antagonist from the first novel, who had ruled over the Final Empire with his God-like powers). The world around them is slowly falling apart; ash falls continuously, the ever-present mists have begun killing people, and the Final Empire has devolved into various chaotically run city-states. For most of the book, our heroes concentrate on uniting the final cities under Elend’s banner, thinking their salvation rests in the resources hidden away in the secretive caches, until they realize that the destruction of the world is being caused by something far more sinister and other-worldly - an eternal struggle between Ruin and Preservation, the deities of sorts of their world.
That is a very basic overview of the story, of course it’s layered with conflict and revelations that go well beyond that description to deepen the mythos of Sanderson’s creation, but I’ll let you read the series for yourself. I mentioned above that this novel gave me a strong rush of emotions at the end, and I’d be lying if I didn’t say some tears managed to slip out of my eyes. And for me, that’s telling of how much I enjoyed the series, and enjoyed it’s finale. I couldn’t think of a better ending for this series. It was intricate, delicate, and absolutely perfect, like it had been leading to that specific ending from the very first novel. Throughout the three novels, we slowly become more and more comfortable with the notion that Vin, the main character, is the fabled “Hero of Ages”, a mythological character said to bring about stability and peace to the world. But in the final pages of this book, Sanderson reveals that we were wrong to come to that conclusion, and that the true “Hero of Ages” was someone who fit the bill so much more accurately. Sanderson ties everything up with a neat little bow and, while he leaves some questions and speculation lingering out there, he really brings this specific fantasy world to a tidy close.
And that really is a testament to his world-building skill. As I’ve mentioned in the previous reviews for the Mistborn books, world-building is where Sanderson excels. He’s created a very distinct, unique world with an interesting and individual magic system that seems better laid out and crafted that some of his characterization. Sanderson is a master crafter when it comes to his world. He’s carefully planned things out, and you can tell from his writing that he’s put a lot of careful thought into how he wants his world portrayed, and how his magic systems work - something that not all fantasy authors can pull off. His one downside, unfortunately, is his characterization and dialogue.
As I’ve read more and more Sanderson, I’ve realized that he’s not the strongest when it comes to dialogue… in fact, he’s not even good… he’s mediocre at best. And that aspect of his writing makes it a little difficult for me enjoy, I think because, in my own writing, I heavily favour dialogue and character development and have been told I do it quite well. But I’ve found that most authors seem to favour one over the other. Some authors, like Sanderson and Robin Hobb and J.R.R. Tolkien can create incredible worlds that feel so culturally rich and detailed, while others show that same prowess and careful crafting with their characters and dialogue. Rarely have I found an author that brings a level of equality to both aspects. In The Hero of Ages Sanderson’s writing has improved, however, when compared to the first two novels in this trilogy, but that’s also bound to happen when writing. The more you do it, the better you become at it.
Will I read more Sanderson in the future? Absolutely. In fact my boyfriend has now informed me that I have to read the rest of Sanderson’s ever-expanding cosmere. But I think these characters, and this story, will forever be my favourite of Sanderson’s work. He’ll have a difficult time topping Mistborn.
-----
FOR MORE BOOK REVIEWS, MY OWN NOVELS, AND PHOTOGRAPHY, CHECK OUT MY WEBSITE:
michaeljohnhalse.wix.com/michaeljohnhalse
The Sea is My Brother by Jack Kerouac
2.0
Have you ever read a book, that is CLEARLY about gay characters, only they never really become gay enough for your liking? That’s sort of how I feel about all of Jack Kerouac’s works, and probably the reason that closeted high school Michael, who was ignorant about his sexuality, loved Kerouac so much. But this past year I came out, properly came out to everyone, and that subtle suggestion of homoeroticism that’s rampant throughout early to mid-twentieth century literature is no longer wetting my sexual curiosity. In short, gay it up.
Jack Kerouac is probably best known for his work On The Road, which was the epitome of beat generation literature. What was the beat generation you ask? It was an American literary movement in the post-World War II era, that explored a rejection of narrative, spiritual questing, rejection of materialism, and explicit portrayals of humanity, often focusing on drug experimentation, severe alcohol abuse, and very loose sexual morals. It was the original hippie movement that dominated the 50’s. And Jack Kerouac (and his literary friends) were it’s instigators. Ironically, however, for all the free-spiritedness of the beat movement, there was very little place in it for women. In fact, while reading through Kerouac’s very first (and only recently published) novel, The Sea Is My Brother, one of the things I took away from the novel was how little Kerouac felt towards women. All homoeroticism aside, Kerouac’s portrayal of brotherhood and male bonding often casts aside female characters, and makes them little more than the play-things for men. The female characters are dumb, reliant on the male characters, underdeveloped, and little more then objects. This is obviously a problem, and one found throughout literature, but it seems to have been a prominent theme in beat literature. And why is that? Is it because there were no strong women in the 50’s for these men to draw inspiration from? NOT IN THE SLIGHTEST. There were even female beat writers, Carolyn Cassady, Edie Parker, Hettie Jones, and yet they never reached the same status as Kerouac, or Allen Ginsberg, or William S. Burroughs. They were on the outskirts, watching and emulating, while not full participants in the movement, because they weren’t entirely accepted. The beat movement was a boy’s club, and a very close boys club… and very homoerotic boys club.
That brings me to The Sea Is My Brother. It’s the story of two young men, one a seasoned mariner, the other an academic tired of the stuffy life of teaching, brought together by a yearning for adventure by serving on a cargo vessel, sending relief to the warfront. It was Kerouac’s very first novel, and while it feels like Kerouac, it’s missing his grace. Missing a lot of his grace. The Sea Is My Brother meandered on and on while the main characters drank, smoked, played women, and waited around to be shipped out. Very little of the story took place at sea, and there was even less connection to the sea and the characters. I went into this thinking it’d be more like Ernest Hemmingway’s The Old Man and the Sea, where the ocean is a character in and of itself and intimately tethered to the human characters in the book. Instead, The Sea Is My Brother portrayed characters running away from the realities of life and finding a moment of reprieve on the ocean, with other men. This should have been called, These Other Guys Are My Brothers... And We Like Boats.
Try as I might, I can’t be too hard on this novel. It is Kerouac’s first attempt at writing, and if it weren’t for this, there wouldn’t have been any of his hits, like On The Road. You can feel Kerouac developing his unique writing style and crafting his highly introspective characters, that would become a mark of his literature, and as a writer myself I know that often your juvenilia is never as good as your mature work. And for fans of Kerouac’s this might be an interesting read, a place to delve into the author’s early literary building and development. It just wasn’t for me… the older I get, the more I realize the beat generation and the literature therein is meant for wide-eyed, explorative youth. Give me what I know I love, I have explored and I now know who I am, and what I like.
-----
FOR MORE BOOK REVIEWS, MY OWN NOVELS, AND PHOTOGRAPHY, CHECK OUT MY WEBSITE:
michaeljohnhalse.wix.com/michaeljohnhalse
Jack Kerouac is probably best known for his work On The Road, which was the epitome of beat generation literature. What was the beat generation you ask? It was an American literary movement in the post-World War II era, that explored a rejection of narrative, spiritual questing, rejection of materialism, and explicit portrayals of humanity, often focusing on drug experimentation, severe alcohol abuse, and very loose sexual morals. It was the original hippie movement that dominated the 50’s. And Jack Kerouac (and his literary friends) were it’s instigators. Ironically, however, for all the free-spiritedness of the beat movement, there was very little place in it for women. In fact, while reading through Kerouac’s very first (and only recently published) novel, The Sea Is My Brother, one of the things I took away from the novel was how little Kerouac felt towards women. All homoeroticism aside, Kerouac’s portrayal of brotherhood and male bonding often casts aside female characters, and makes them little more than the play-things for men. The female characters are dumb, reliant on the male characters, underdeveloped, and little more then objects. This is obviously a problem, and one found throughout literature, but it seems to have been a prominent theme in beat literature. And why is that? Is it because there were no strong women in the 50’s for these men to draw inspiration from? NOT IN THE SLIGHTEST. There were even female beat writers, Carolyn Cassady, Edie Parker, Hettie Jones, and yet they never reached the same status as Kerouac, or Allen Ginsberg, or William S. Burroughs. They were on the outskirts, watching and emulating, while not full participants in the movement, because they weren’t entirely accepted. The beat movement was a boy’s club, and a very close boys club… and very homoerotic boys club.
That brings me to The Sea Is My Brother. It’s the story of two young men, one a seasoned mariner, the other an academic tired of the stuffy life of teaching, brought together by a yearning for adventure by serving on a cargo vessel, sending relief to the warfront. It was Kerouac’s very first novel, and while it feels like Kerouac, it’s missing his grace. Missing a lot of his grace. The Sea Is My Brother meandered on and on while the main characters drank, smoked, played women, and waited around to be shipped out. Very little of the story took place at sea, and there was even less connection to the sea and the characters. I went into this thinking it’d be more like Ernest Hemmingway’s The Old Man and the Sea, where the ocean is a character in and of itself and intimately tethered to the human characters in the book. Instead, The Sea Is My Brother portrayed characters running away from the realities of life and finding a moment of reprieve on the ocean, with other men. This should have been called, These Other Guys Are My Brothers... And We Like Boats.
Try as I might, I can’t be too hard on this novel. It is Kerouac’s first attempt at writing, and if it weren’t for this, there wouldn’t have been any of his hits, like On The Road. You can feel Kerouac developing his unique writing style and crafting his highly introspective characters, that would become a mark of his literature, and as a writer myself I know that often your juvenilia is never as good as your mature work. And for fans of Kerouac’s this might be an interesting read, a place to delve into the author’s early literary building and development. It just wasn’t for me… the older I get, the more I realize the beat generation and the literature therein is meant for wide-eyed, explorative youth. Give me what I know I love, I have explored and I now know who I am, and what I like.
-----
FOR MORE BOOK REVIEWS, MY OWN NOVELS, AND PHOTOGRAPHY, CHECK OUT MY WEBSITE:
michaeljohnhalse.wix.com/michaeljohnhalse
Elves, Vol. 1 by Nicolas Jarry, Jean-Luc Istin
3.0
“Go not the Elves for counsel, for they will say both no and yes.”
-J.R.R. Tolkien
Let’s be clear, there is one author, and only one author, who does elves right. And that author is Tolkien. I could be a little biased, because Tolkien introduced me to elves (aside from Santa’s little helpers), but in all my years delving into fantasy books and series and authors, I’ve never come across the grace, intelligence, depth, and history that Tolkien crafted for elves. I’ve always been mystified by Tolkien’s elves, and their still some of my favourite characters - Galadriel (who I strongly identify with), Thranduil (from the movies, I was always interested in him before the Hobbit movies came out, and say what you will about the films, but Lee Pace brought an exceptional performance and depth to the character), Thingol, Maedhros and Fingon (who were TOTALLY lovers, you can’t convince me otherwise). Okay, now I’m all caught up in Tolkien. The point of all that, is to say that I love Eeves. Even my World of Warcraft main is a Blood Elf (go Horde). So naturally, when I came across this graphic novel volume in Chapters, I had to own it.
Elves is an ongoing fantasy comic series by Jean-Luc Istin, a French comic artist and writer who primarily writes heroic fantasy. It was only recently translated from French to English, and there is a hell of a lot of content for us Anglophones to catch up on. This first volume is made up of the first two stories in this mythos. The first story, The Crystal of the Blue Elves, tell’s an epic tale of betrayal and corrupting power as one young elf is called to undergo a dangerous test in order to secure an ancient artifact. The second story, The Honour of Sylvan Elves, sees a race of xenophobic elves rejoin their ancient human allies in defending the city of Eysine against Ork mercenaries. I don’t know too much about Istin’s work, and I’m not sure if these two stories take place on the same world or even in the same universe, but I imagine that continuity will be touched on in later volumes.
Despite my love for elves, I’ve had very mixed feelings about this series. Where it excels is in it’s artwork. I still cannot get over the artwork in these volumes. I’ve never seen a comic with such detailed beauty before. Each panel feels like it received an insane about of love and attention, and it really helps to build this fantasy world visually. I caught myself starring at the images, completely lost in the details and the world, having forgotten to continue reading. The artwork is the definite strength in this graphic novel… but it alone is not strong enough to compensate for the stories.
I understand that in comics and graphic novels some of the meat of the story has to be sacrificed. You only have so many pages to tell the story, and want to fill it rich illustrations. After-all, a picture is worth a thousand words, am I right? Well… The older I get, the less I believe that. Sure, an image can convey a lot of meaning, but mostly, an image is static. It’s telling you the story of that particular moment with only slight hints as to the past and future therein. Something written, like a novel or a story, is constantly moving forward, constantly giving you more information and carrying you somewhere. But when your driving force is images that take up a lot more space than words, you can’t add as much weight to your story. And that’s the unfortunate part of Elves. The stories are very rushed, and the characters are incredibly underdeveloped. The world that Istin has created is so beautifully illustrated, but lacks the literary weight to make you care.
That being said, I am definitely planning to continue on with this series. There are currently two more volumes out in English, and I can’t wait to dive into them, if for no other reason than for the visual feast Istin has laid out for his readers. I’m learning, that with comics and graphic novels, that I can’t approach them with the same state of mind that I do a novel. I need to suspend some of my expectations for a weighty, well-developed narrative, and instead enjoy the medium as something separate from written literature. Thats a mind set I need going forward with medium… I just wish everyone else had the artistic talents of Istin and his team.
-----
FOR MORE BOOK REVIEWS, MY OWN NOVELS, AND PHOTOGRAPHY, CHECK OUT MY WEBSITE:
michaeljohnhalse.wix.com/michaeljohnhalse
-J.R.R. Tolkien
Let’s be clear, there is one author, and only one author, who does elves right. And that author is Tolkien. I could be a little biased, because Tolkien introduced me to elves (aside from Santa’s little helpers), but in all my years delving into fantasy books and series and authors, I’ve never come across the grace, intelligence, depth, and history that Tolkien crafted for elves. I’ve always been mystified by Tolkien’s elves, and their still some of my favourite characters - Galadriel (who I strongly identify with), Thranduil (from the movies, I was always interested in him before the Hobbit movies came out, and say what you will about the films, but Lee Pace brought an exceptional performance and depth to the character), Thingol, Maedhros and Fingon (who were TOTALLY lovers, you can’t convince me otherwise). Okay, now I’m all caught up in Tolkien. The point of all that, is to say that I love Eeves. Even my World of Warcraft main is a Blood Elf (go Horde). So naturally, when I came across this graphic novel volume in Chapters, I had to own it.
Elves is an ongoing fantasy comic series by Jean-Luc Istin, a French comic artist and writer who primarily writes heroic fantasy. It was only recently translated from French to English, and there is a hell of a lot of content for us Anglophones to catch up on. This first volume is made up of the first two stories in this mythos. The first story, The Crystal of the Blue Elves, tell’s an epic tale of betrayal and corrupting power as one young elf is called to undergo a dangerous test in order to secure an ancient artifact. The second story, The Honour of Sylvan Elves, sees a race of xenophobic elves rejoin their ancient human allies in defending the city of Eysine against Ork mercenaries. I don’t know too much about Istin’s work, and I’m not sure if these two stories take place on the same world or even in the same universe, but I imagine that continuity will be touched on in later volumes.
Despite my love for elves, I’ve had very mixed feelings about this series. Where it excels is in it’s artwork. I still cannot get over the artwork in these volumes. I’ve never seen a comic with such detailed beauty before. Each panel feels like it received an insane about of love and attention, and it really helps to build this fantasy world visually. I caught myself starring at the images, completely lost in the details and the world, having forgotten to continue reading. The artwork is the definite strength in this graphic novel… but it alone is not strong enough to compensate for the stories.
I understand that in comics and graphic novels some of the meat of the story has to be sacrificed. You only have so many pages to tell the story, and want to fill it rich illustrations. After-all, a picture is worth a thousand words, am I right? Well… The older I get, the less I believe that. Sure, an image can convey a lot of meaning, but mostly, an image is static. It’s telling you the story of that particular moment with only slight hints as to the past and future therein. Something written, like a novel or a story, is constantly moving forward, constantly giving you more information and carrying you somewhere. But when your driving force is images that take up a lot more space than words, you can’t add as much weight to your story. And that’s the unfortunate part of Elves. The stories are very rushed, and the characters are incredibly underdeveloped. The world that Istin has created is so beautifully illustrated, but lacks the literary weight to make you care.
That being said, I am definitely planning to continue on with this series. There are currently two more volumes out in English, and I can’t wait to dive into them, if for no other reason than for the visual feast Istin has laid out for his readers. I’m learning, that with comics and graphic novels, that I can’t approach them with the same state of mind that I do a novel. I need to suspend some of my expectations for a weighty, well-developed narrative, and instead enjoy the medium as something separate from written literature. Thats a mind set I need going forward with medium… I just wish everyone else had the artistic talents of Istin and his team.
-----
FOR MORE BOOK REVIEWS, MY OWN NOVELS, AND PHOTOGRAPHY, CHECK OUT MY WEBSITE:
michaeljohnhalse.wix.com/michaeljohnhalse
The Legend of Sheba: Rise of a Queen by Tosca Lee
3.0
"When the queen of Sheba heard about the fame of Solomon and his relationship to the Lord,
she came to test Solomon with hard questions.”
-1 Kings, 10:1
I grew up in a somewhat conservative Christian household. We attended church every Sunday, church programs throughout the week, pretty much all of my friends came from my church, and I have a lot of happy memories involving the church. Things took a turn as I aged. I realized I was gay, and was outed to my church, and asked to leave. Despite that, I still count myself as a very spiritual person. I was never fond of organized religion, I've always found it to be corrupt, but belief and spirituality is still a very important part of my life. Growing up in the church you learn about the various Bible stories of the Old Testament, and the tales of Jesus and the writings of Paul from the New, but this short little chapter in Kings, where the Queen of Sheba travels to Solomon’s court always intrigued me. That intrigue was furthered over the years as I studied art and came across various depictions of the two royals' meeting. So when I saw this book on a sale rack in Chapters, I thought I’d give it a try.
I’m not sure what I expected from The Legend of Sheba: Rise of a Queen. I’d never read any of author Tosca Lee’s other work, but thought my interest in the character of Sheba would be enough to pique my interest. I was both right and wrong. I’ll start with the positives. Lee’s writing is exceptional. Her prose is whimsical and poetic, every line seems like it was written with such care and delicacy to paint a highly stylized and metaphorical picture. And I found her writing was easy to read, because it all flowed together so organically and beautifully. She tells the story from Sheba’s perspective, it’s first person, and it works really well. The character of Sheba is strong, feminine, vulnerable and yet incredibly headstrong and powerful. And while this first person perspective worked wonders for the character of Sheba, it limited the development of other characters in the story. Other characters like Solomon, Maqar (her first lover), Yafush (her eunuch boyguard), and Shara (her maid), who were central to the story, fell incredibly flat and one-dimensional. Even Solomon, who plays a large part throughout the novel, was lessened to a whiney, pushy royal brat without much depth or development. I understand that the story is about Sheba, she’s the central character, the novel is about her development and her rule as Queen of this incredibly influential foreign power, but I never found myself caring about anyone else. And while Lee’s writing is phenomenally picturesque and poetic, I think it also dwarfed any character development that could have been extrapolated on. On multiple occasions, Sheba speaks fondly about her councilmen, her priest Asm, her maidservants, but we never see enough interactions among the characters to understand why she is so fond of them, and that was a little frustrating.
One of the things I did like about this novel, however, is how Lee took Sabean (now Ethiopian) folklore into consideration. The Sabean’s believed that Sheba and Solomon conceived a son who returned to Sheba to rule. And that when the Queen of Sheba returned, she brought with her the Arc of the Covenant, which to this day, supposedly remains in the possession of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, one of the largest Oriental Orthodox Churches. The importance of sacred arcs (and the counterfeiting of them) is a recurring theme throughout the novel that often relates to the precarious and sometimes shallow position of ruling a nation, and I liked that Lee spent time developing the subplots revolving the arcs of both Solomon and Sheba.
However I did not like the rushed ending. The denouncement came to a very quick close. Without giving away any spoilers, Sheba is rushed from Jerusalem, and quickly sent home, and the novel end. There’s very little (or adequate) closure to Sheba and Solomon’s relationship, nor Sheba’s time spent in Jerusalem and the impact it had on her own rule and life. And I found that a little disappointing. But overall, The Legend of Sheba: Rise of a Queen was a beautifully written novel, thanks to Lee’s poetic prose, if not a little light and fluffy at times.
-----
FOR MORE BOOK REVIEWS, MY OWN NOVELS, AND PHOTOGRAPHY, CHECK OUT MY WEBSITE:
michaeljohnhalse.wix.com/michaeljohnhalse
she came to test Solomon with hard questions.”
-1 Kings, 10:1
I grew up in a somewhat conservative Christian household. We attended church every Sunday, church programs throughout the week, pretty much all of my friends came from my church, and I have a lot of happy memories involving the church. Things took a turn as I aged. I realized I was gay, and was outed to my church, and asked to leave. Despite that, I still count myself as a very spiritual person. I was never fond of organized religion, I've always found it to be corrupt, but belief and spirituality is still a very important part of my life. Growing up in the church you learn about the various Bible stories of the Old Testament, and the tales of Jesus and the writings of Paul from the New, but this short little chapter in Kings, where the Queen of Sheba travels to Solomon’s court always intrigued me. That intrigue was furthered over the years as I studied art and came across various depictions of the two royals' meeting. So when I saw this book on a sale rack in Chapters, I thought I’d give it a try.
I’m not sure what I expected from The Legend of Sheba: Rise of a Queen. I’d never read any of author Tosca Lee’s other work, but thought my interest in the character of Sheba would be enough to pique my interest. I was both right and wrong. I’ll start with the positives. Lee’s writing is exceptional. Her prose is whimsical and poetic, every line seems like it was written with such care and delicacy to paint a highly stylized and metaphorical picture. And I found her writing was easy to read, because it all flowed together so organically and beautifully. She tells the story from Sheba’s perspective, it’s first person, and it works really well. The character of Sheba is strong, feminine, vulnerable and yet incredibly headstrong and powerful. And while this first person perspective worked wonders for the character of Sheba, it limited the development of other characters in the story. Other characters like Solomon, Maqar (her first lover), Yafush (her eunuch boyguard), and Shara (her maid), who were central to the story, fell incredibly flat and one-dimensional. Even Solomon, who plays a large part throughout the novel, was lessened to a whiney, pushy royal brat without much depth or development. I understand that the story is about Sheba, she’s the central character, the novel is about her development and her rule as Queen of this incredibly influential foreign power, but I never found myself caring about anyone else. And while Lee’s writing is phenomenally picturesque and poetic, I think it also dwarfed any character development that could have been extrapolated on. On multiple occasions, Sheba speaks fondly about her councilmen, her priest Asm, her maidservants, but we never see enough interactions among the characters to understand why she is so fond of them, and that was a little frustrating.
One of the things I did like about this novel, however, is how Lee took Sabean (now Ethiopian) folklore into consideration. The Sabean’s believed that Sheba and Solomon conceived a son who returned to Sheba to rule. And that when the Queen of Sheba returned, she brought with her the Arc of the Covenant, which to this day, supposedly remains in the possession of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, one of the largest Oriental Orthodox Churches. The importance of sacred arcs (and the counterfeiting of them) is a recurring theme throughout the novel that often relates to the precarious and sometimes shallow position of ruling a nation, and I liked that Lee spent time developing the subplots revolving the arcs of both Solomon and Sheba.
However I did not like the rushed ending. The denouncement came to a very quick close. Without giving away any spoilers, Sheba is rushed from Jerusalem, and quickly sent home, and the novel end. There’s very little (or adequate) closure to Sheba and Solomon’s relationship, nor Sheba’s time spent in Jerusalem and the impact it had on her own rule and life. And I found that a little disappointing. But overall, The Legend of Sheba: Rise of a Queen was a beautifully written novel, thanks to Lee’s poetic prose, if not a little light and fluffy at times.
-----
FOR MORE BOOK REVIEWS, MY OWN NOVELS, AND PHOTOGRAPHY, CHECK OUT MY WEBSITE:
michaeljohnhalse.wix.com/michaeljohnhalse
The Fated Swords by J.C. Ritchie
4.0
Now that I have an iPad that works again I was finally able to finish reading J.C. Ritchie’s The Fated Swords: Mystics of V’nairia (Book One), and thank goodness, because I’ve been patiently waiting to finish this amazing epic fantasy. I first got my hands on a digital copy of this in the summer, thanks to a book exchange between authors during Ritchie’s launch event for his novel The Crusader King (the second book in the series). I immediately dove in and LOVED what I was reading, and I was subsequently crushed when my iPad stopped working.
The Fated Sword is steeped in fantasy in a rich world that comes off as believable and real, very important qualities for a fantasy author to have in their work. In fact, I was continually in awe at how well crafted Ritchie’s world-building was. I’ve read some indie fantasies in the past, and world-building seems to be a big problem for indie authors, but not for Ritchie. His characters are also well developed and very relatable, and I loved the camaraderie between the friends Zander, Kerra, and Vallus. I would have liked to see a little more romance, but then again, I’m a sucker for romance and sorrow.
All-in-all, a very well developed fantasy novel from an up-and-coming author. Well done!
-----
FOR MORE BOOK REVIEWS, MY OWN NOVELS, AND PHOTOGRAPHY, CHECK OUT MY WEBSITE:
michaeljohnhalse.wix.com/michaeljohnhalse
The Fated Sword is steeped in fantasy in a rich world that comes off as believable and real, very important qualities for a fantasy author to have in their work. In fact, I was continually in awe at how well crafted Ritchie’s world-building was. I’ve read some indie fantasies in the past, and world-building seems to be a big problem for indie authors, but not for Ritchie. His characters are also well developed and very relatable, and I loved the camaraderie between the friends Zander, Kerra, and Vallus. I would have liked to see a little more romance, but then again, I’m a sucker for romance and sorrow.
All-in-all, a very well developed fantasy novel from an up-and-coming author. Well done!
-----
FOR MORE BOOK REVIEWS, MY OWN NOVELS, AND PHOTOGRAPHY, CHECK OUT MY WEBSITE:
michaeljohnhalse.wix.com/michaeljohnhalse