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Graphic Novel Review: Wingbearer (Wingbearer Saga #1) by Marjorie Liu, art by Teny Issakhanian

Cover art for Wingbearer (Wingbearer Saga #1) by Marjorie Liu

Wingbearer (Wingbearer Saga #1) by Marjorie Liu, art by Teny Issakhanian

Quill Tree, 2022

ISBN-13: 9780062741165

Available: Hardcover, paperback, Kindle, Comixology

Buy: Bookshop.org | Amazon.com

 

 

Marjorie Liu takes a step away from horror and dark fantasy with her middle grade graphic novel, Wingbearer. Zuli, raised in the Great Tree by mysterious bird spirits, is unique. She doesn’t look at all like the bird spirits, and she has never seen anyone like her. She has never left the safety of the branches of her home. When an evil magic begins to affect the new growth of the tree and bird souls are not returned to its branches for rebirth, Zuli sets out to spread her wings with her guardian owl, Frowly, to discover the problem and return the bird souls home. Zuli is also on a quest to discover who she is and where she comes from. Along the way, she meets new friends and foes, and perhaps comes face-to-face with her biggest threat or salvation, the Witch-Queen.

 

Upon seeing the world beyond the Great Tree, she finds the land ravaged, broken ruins everywhere. Her first encounter with any other living creature is when she is  attacked by giant spiders. She discovers this world is not what she was hoping and dreaming about in the safe branches of her home. Throughout her journey, she also finds that not everything is black and white: there are grey areas that she must grapple with.  A memorable scene is when she becomes distraught after she sees other goblins in her friend Orien’s camp chopping tree branches for building materials and fuel. She does not understand why the destruction of even one branch of a tree is necessary for others to live. Zuli grapples with other philosophical and identity-related themes, as well as having to learn new things.

 

Liu’s creative power is in her world building, and Wingbearer does not disappoint. She creates a complex world without bogging down the story with too much detail, and everything is cohesive and well-constructed. As with her Monstress series, she fills the world with compelling and driven characters, each with their own motivations and personalities shining through. For instance, Zuli’s friendship with the goblin Orien progresses in a very real way, with philosophical and cultural conflict, as well as learning more about each other.

 

Teny Issakhanian, an Armenian-American artist, provides lush and beautiful illustrations. She really brings the characters to life, the emotion in their facial expressions is so powerful. The bird spirits are particularly beautiful. Her previous work includes DreamWorks TV Animation, Disney TV Animation, and the Jim Henson Company.

 

Reading Wingbearer was like revisiting past Dungeons and Dragons games for me. High adventure, magic, good and evil butting heads, interparty conflict…all the great stuff from RPGs. For parents wanting to introduce their kids to the fantasy genre, Liu and Issakhanian would be a great first read. This is the first of the series, and I am very much looking forward to the second volume. Highly recommended.

 

Reviewed by Lizzy Walker

 

Posted on January 5, 2024 by , Reply

Book Review: All Our Hidden Gifts by Caroline O’Donoghue

cover art for All Our Hidden Gifts by Caroline O'Donoghue

All Our Hidden Gifts by Caroline O’Donoghue

Walker Books, 2021

ISBN: 978-1536213942

Available: Hardcover, audiobook, ebook (Bookshop.org)

 

 

O’Donoghue’s foray into YA literature delivers tricks and treats for fans of Gothic, mystic stories dealing with social themes; but magic doesn’t solve everything this character-driven YA paranormal fantasy set in contemporary Ireland.

 

Sentenced to cleanup duty in detention, 16 year old Maeve discovers an old mixtape, a Tarot deck, and an uncanny knack for reading the cards. When her former best friend Lily goes missing after a heated exchange, classmates soon start avoiding Maeve like she’s some kind of creepy occultist. As she finds herself immersed in a world of fantastic possibilities she doesn’t fully comprehend, Maeve discovers a new friend in artsy Fiona. Ultimately, Maeve confronts a dangerous entity summoned by powerful emotions and explores her uncorked inner magic skills, while becoming increasingly regretful about how she dumped and ostracized Lily.

 

There are supernatural elements to the story at every turn, but this subtle gem explores far more than magic. This is also a book about another secret superpower: empathy. Maeve, who is white and from a comfortably middle class family, navigates themes of diversity with detailed, well-developed characters that include non-binary, bisexual love interest Roe; biracial, Filipina friend Fiona; former BFF Lily who has hearing loss; and queer lesbian sister Jo.  Perspectives on racism, homophobia, and classism are explored in context, in unscripted, messy, and uncomfortably realistic ways.  O’Donoghue deftly creates a tone of authentic growth across these topics instead of patching over tough spots. Maeve fumbles, misunderstands, and makes bad choices, but keeps trying. Growth doesn’t happen easily, and Donoghue sidesteps an investment in “likability”,  so readers journey with the protagonist in learning that while intention matters in magic, it doesn’t count in interpersonal relationships or the fight for social justice.

 

The romantic interludes sometimes feel a bit out of place, but packed with mysticism, magic, queer liberation, and the drama of teen friendships, this contemporary tale will likely have strong appeal for readers looking for complex characters and edgy situations in a speculative framework. Readers of DeAngelis’ Bones & All, Older’s Shadowshaper, Okorafor’s Akata Witch, Power’s Wilder Girls, and Adeyemi’s Children of Blood and Bone will find much to enjoy in Gifts. Ages 14+. Highly recommend.

 

Minimal gore, but contains bullying, references to hate crimes and homophobia.

 

Reviewed by E.F. Schraeder

Posted on August 29, 2021 by , Reply

Book Review: It Came From: …The Stories and Novels Behind Classic Horror, Fantasy, and Science Fiction Films by Jim Nemeth and Bob Madison

cover art from It Came From... by Jim Nemeth and Bob Madison

(  Bookshop.org )

It Came From:  …The Stories and Novels Behind Classic Horror, Fantasy and Science Fiction Films by Jim Nemeth and Bob Madison

Midnight Marquee Press, Inc., 2020

ISBN-13: 9781644300916

Available: Paperback

In this book, critics Jim Nemeth and Bob Madison explore genre films and the written works that inspired their creation,  Each is presented in its own section, chronologically, and the written works that inspired them. While this book primaritly covered fantasy and science fiction films, this review will concentrate on the aspects of  the horror genre presented. The authors include information on the production of the films, as well as the differences between the texts and the movies. At times they also posit the view that the film may be better than the books, a controversial opinion among some audiences.

The author of the horror section introduction argues that horror is the most difficult genre to adapt because movies “that merely provides a book’s ‘Boo!’ moments are but empty shells, lacking the underlying background and context that frequently makes the literary piece the more satisfying experience” (p. 12). He then moves to his example of The Shining. While I do not necessarily agree completely with the author, he does make some interesting points. Films included in the horror section include The Body Snatcher, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Night of the Demon, Psycho, The Day of the Triffids, and Don’t Look Now.

Two titles receive special treatment in that they each have a significant chapter devoted to them: Dracula and Frankenstein. The authors look at “several of the best, worst, and most popular of their cinematic incarnations” (p. 11). Dracula films covered range from Nosferatu (1922) to Bram Stoker’s Dracula  (1992), while the Frankenstein films range from the first film version of Frankenstein (1910) to Victor Frankenstein (2015).

My primary criticism of the book is focused more on the overall contents rather than specific chapters. The authors interject their own opinions into the chapters in a way that can be a bit heavy handed. For instance, when it comes to science fiction, one of the authors makes it abundantly clear that he does not like the gritty, darker, current sci-fi storylines. Additionally, while it seems that each chapter is written by an individual author, it is difficult to tell who wrote which one.

This could be a good resource for anyone interested in exploring the literature upon which genre films are based, as long as readers are aware that the authors’  strongly expressed opinions are interspersed throughout.

Recommended with reservations.

 

Reviewed by Lizzy Walker

Posted on January 24, 2021 by , Reply
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