A Quick Reading Update and a Look at Graphic Novels

It's a beautiful, sunny day this Tuesday. Jo and Clyde are snoozing so I'm taking advantage to write this entry. I've finished a couple of books... you know the deal, if you read this at all.. reviews, new books, yada yada. I also want to take a bit of time to look at some graphic novels, as they compare to the original books.

Just Finished

Two books finished since my last update. As I mentioned in my last post, it's been a slow reading month for some reason.

1. Alabaster: Wolves by Caitlin R. Kiernan (Alabaster #1 / 2012). I've read the 3rd collection in this graphic novel series and enjoyed a lot.

"I've been enjoying exploring the work of Irish / American horror / Sci Fi author, Caitlín R. Kiernan. I've finished the first two books of the Tinfoil Dossier trilogy and hope to complete this year. I've also begun reading her Alabaster graphic novels and just received and started (and completed) the first book which contains Chaps 1 - 5 of the series; Alabaster: Wolves.

Alabaster follows Dancy Flammarion, a Georgia girl, who is the agent of an angel who wanders the South killing demons. Alabaster: Wolves follows her in South Carolina as she hunts werewolves. The various stories tell her back story or an incident in Georgia and also that of Masie, a werewolf that Dancy killed but seems to have returned to save Dancy's life when she is attacked by a pack of werewolves. (She does have a reason). During these chapters, Dancy also revokes her 'partnership' with her angel and is now basically on her own. Oh yes, there is also a talking blackbird who follows Dancy, offering advice (Thus spake the Raven?)

It's an interesting, action-filled collection of stories, drawn expertly by Steve Lieber and colored by Rachelle Rosenberg. Each chapter is based on or more accurately, written to the lyrics of a song; Chap 1 'written entirely to the music of Brown Bird (Brownbird.net), illustrated mostly to 'All Eternals Deck' by the Mountain Goats' (And no, I've not checked out the songs yet to see how they relate.) 

Dancy is a wonderful character, a scripture quoting fighter, who loses some of her strength when she goes against the wishes of her angel. The story is tense but also humorous and attention - grabbing. Maisie and the bird (Don't call me Birdie!) add to the texture and interest. I've read two collections of this series thus far and have the middle one on the way. I'm really looking forward to it. (3.5 stars)"

2. A Time to Keep Silence by Patrick Leigh Fermor (1953).

"To be fair, I'd never heard of English author Patrick Leigh Fermor until I read Susan Hill's Howards End is on the Landing. In it she discusses books she wants to read, books she's cherished and from that made a list of 40 books she would keep if that's all she was allowed to read until she died. A Time to Keep Silence by Fermor was one of those 40 books and it sounded interesting so here I am, providing my meagre thoughts on it.

A Time to Keep Silence is a very short book, my edition being just 96 pages (New York Review Books Classics paperback), sort of a combination travel book, book on religion and a book on searching one's soul. It's a collection of essays as Fermor, sometime after WWII, visits a collection of Benedictine monasteries in France and Turkey, specifically Cappadocia. During these visits, he provides historical info on the various monasteries, branches of the Benedictines and also his thoughts on his feelings while staying at the various monasteries. (He did spend some time in most and found the transition from busy life in Paris and other cities to the quiet and calm of the monasteries, a big adjustment.)

The various Benedictines were all interesting, from the more intellectual sects that lived in St Wandrille de Fontanelle to the more austere, isolated sect of Cistercians at Le Grand Trappe. It's an aspect of life in general that I know very little about, being a relatively non-religious person. Well, except for my Cadfael mysteries, I guess. :) But it was fascinating to read about. The small section dealing with the abandoned monasteries in Turkey was fascinating and looking at photos of them, make them even more fascinating.

It's a thoughtful, calm, beautifully written book. It was nice to take the time to appreciate it, not to rush though the chapters. Did it teach me anything? I'm not sure but to read more about this side of religious life was most interesting. (4.5 stars)"

Currently Reading

1. The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline (2017).

"In a futuristic world ravaged by global warming, people have lost the ability to dream, and the dreamlessness has led to widespread madness. The only people still able to dream are North America's Indigenous people, and it is their marrow that holds the cure for the rest of the world. But getting the marrow, and dreams, means death for the unwilling donors. Driven to flight, a fifteen-year-old and his companions struggle for survival, attempt to reunite with loved ones and take refuge from the "recruiters" who seek them out to bring them to the marrow-stealing "factories."

2. A Wizard of Earthsea: the Graphic Novel by Fred Fordham (2025). This is a graphic novel adaptation of Ursula K. LeGuin's fantasy novel, and part of my follow-on thoughts.

"Ursula K. Le Guin’s timeless and revered A Wizard of Earthsea is reimagined in a richly expansive graphic novel by acclaimed artist Fred Fordham, creator of stunning adaptations To Kill a Mockingbird and Brave New World.

"The magic of Earthsea is primal; the lessons of Earthsea remain as potent, as wise, and as necessary as anyone could dream." —Neil Gaiman

Ged was the greatest sorcerer in Earthsea, but in his youth he was the reckless Sparrowhawk. In his hunger for power and knowledge, he tampered with long-held secrets and unleashed a terrible shadow upon the world. This is the tumultuous tale of his testing, how he mastered the mighty words of power, tamed an ancient dragon, and crossed death's threshold to restore the balance.

Experience the bestselling first adventure of Ursula K. Le Guin’s Earthsea Cycle as a masterly crafted graphic novel. Fred Fordham brings new life to Le Guin's iconic fantasy classic with his breathtaking illustrations and thoughtful text adaptation."

New Books

I have a few on order but only one new one to talk about at the moment.

1. The Butcher of the Forest by Premee Mohamed (2024). I've read one other fantasy by Premee and enjoyed very much.

"A world-weary woman races against the clock to rescue the children of a wrathful tyrant from a dangerous, otherworldly forest.

At the northern edge of a land ruled by a monstrous, foreign tyrant lies the wild forest known as the Elmever. The villagers know better than to let their children go near—once someone goes in, they never come back out.

No one knows the strange and terrifying traps of the Elmever better than Veris Thorn, the only person to ever rescue a child from the forest many years ago. When the Tyrant’s two young children go missing, Veris is commanded to enter the forest once more and bring them home safe. If Veris fails, the Tyrant will kill her; if she remains in the forest for longer than a day, she will be trapped forevermore.

So Veris will travel deep into the Elmever to face traps, riddles, and monsters at the behest of another monster. One misstep will cost everything."

So now onto my next discussion....

The Graphic Novel Adaptation vs the Original Book

Saga Vol 1; Bks 1 - 5

In previous Blog entries, I've discussed my love of comic books as you youngster. I did a series of Blogs on the subject, starting with this one back in 2010. You can scroll up from there or find links to comic books in the side columns to find out more if you'd like. In the past year or two I've begun selling off my comics but replacing them with 'graphic novels', which are basically collections, in many cases anyway, of individual comics. I think of Saga or Space Boy, which has made compilations of individual comics. 

More recently, I've noticed more and more that original novels are now being adapted to the graphic novel, with a graphic artists interpretation of the book. I've read 3 of these so far and am currently working on a 4th. I have to say it's made for an interesting relook at some favorite books of mine. Here are the 4, plus one other I noticed that I'm waiting to read the book first. Now there is the thought of the day on this topic. If you as a reader, have not yet read a specific novel and discover a graphic novel version, would you wait to read the book first or jump into the graphic novel and then, if you enjoyed the graphic, try the novel too? Are you that interested in the comparison of the two to try both?

1. A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin (Tales of Earthsea #1 / 1968). I've been working through the Earthsea fantasy series. In fact, I've been trying to read everything by Le Guin. Back in the day, this was my review of the book.

"Back in my university days, 74 - 78, I took a science fiction novel course and was introduced to Ursula K. Le Guin, specifically The Left Hand of Darkness and The Dispossessed. I enjoyed those books so much that I went looking for others of her books. I found A Wizard of Earthsea but over the years I never tried to read it. 

I found another copy of the book recently and decided to try this series again and I'm glad that I did. Ged is a young man of Earthsea who lives on the island of Gont. When the island is invaded by pirates, we discover Ged's talents as a wizard. He saves his village. The wizard of the island takes him in after his naming ceremony to teach him how to be a wizard. After Ged brings a shadow from the underworld up in an effort to impress a young girl, Ogion sends him to the Wizard school on the Island of Roke.

Much time is spent with Ged's education as a Wizard but he is involved in a number of incidents, almost dying when he tries to impress another wizard - student by bringing up a spirit from the underworld. A Shadow remains on the earth and when Ged finally completes his wizard training he must go after the Shadow as it is a threat to his life.

It's a fascinating story, thoughtfully written and describing an interesting new world. In so many of these stories, I struggle to read the maps or many places are left out, but I was quite happy that these were clear and easy to read, even in a paperback edition. Ged is an interesting character and the others, while not as major, are still interesting, especially his friend Vetch. There were intimations of events that take place in Ged's future, presumably they'll be described in the continuing versions of the Earthsea saga. (4 stars)"

1a. A Wizard of Earthsea; a Graphic Novel by Fred Fordham (2025). Now I only recently discovered the graphic novel version and have just started reading it, but so far, I'm liking it. The artwork is excellent, if at times with a tendency to being a bit dark in shading and the story seems to be following the book respectably. 

2. The Lottery by Shirley Jackson (1948). This short story was my introduction to the work of Shirley Jackson.

"I heard about this story on Jeopardy, oddly enough. It's a simple, straight-forward short story, but at the same time, creepy and shocking. I read that she got hate mail after she wrote this and also that people were writing to her to find out what town the story took place. You need to read to find out what the Lottery is. I recommend. (4 stars)"

2a. Shirley Jackson's The Lottery, The Authorized Graphic Adaptation by Miles Hyman (2017). One thing I have noticed in the forewords to most of these graphic novels is the approval of the estates of the authors of the original books. That they seem to be happy that the graphic novelist respects the particular piece of work and will honor the the story with his or her adaptation.

"Aim #1. Make this review shorter than the short story / graphic adaptation that it's about..

OK, there is no Aim #2, well, maybe not to give away the complete story. 

Back in 2014, I discovered The Lottery, a short story by Shirley Jackson. The Lottery was published in 1949, after her first novel. It's a simple, terrifying in its simplicity, story. It's been turned into at least two movies and now her grandson, Miles Hyman has adapted it into a graphic novel. (As an aside, Jackson also wrote six novels during her life; I've read 3 and enjoyed each one)

I won't get into the plot too much as it's short, succinct and gets to the point in a quick, effective, terrifying way. Basically, every year, the town (and it seems every town) gets together to conduct the lottery. One person in the town families is selected in this lottery. It's been happening for years and will continue to happen for years (although it appears that some towns may have given it up). What is the Lottery for? That's for you to find out.

Hyman's adaptation turns the town into a sort of American Gothic setting. The drawings are stark and detailed. The characters are drawn and colored wonderfully and he gets the original story and presents it in all its detail. Read it. (Did I meet Aim #1?) Oh well. (3.5 stars)"

3. The Road by Cormac McCarthy (2006). It seems that back then, I wasn't writing reviews of books, just rating them. The storyline is below.

"A father and his son walk alone through burned America. Nothing moves in the ravaged landscape save the ash on the wind. It is cold enough to crack stones, and when the snow falls it is gray. The sky is dark. Their destination is the coast, although they don't know what, if anything, awaits them there. They have nothing; just a pistol to defend themselves against the lawless bands that stalk the road, the clothes they are wearing, a cart of scavenged food—and each other. (3.5 stars)"

3a. The Road, A Graphic Novel Adaptation by Manu Larcenet (2024).

"I read Cormac McCarthy's The Road back in 2010 and 'enjoyed' it quite a bit. Recently I saw a graphic novel adaptation, The Road: A Graphic Novel Adaptation by Manu Larcenet so thought I'd give it a try. It was excellent. It portrayed the starkness, the darkness so clearly.

The story follows a father and his son as they travel through the ruins of America trying to reach the coast. Everything is covered in ash and grime. All is in ruins and the US is devastated. They take to the roads but have to constantly try to avoid roving gangs who kill anyone they meet, even eating them. It's a terrifying world and the father continues to try and protect his young son from the evil. They have little to no food and spend their time scrounging in ruins of buildings to find any scraps of food and water and anything useful. The father keeps the boy from seeing the dead bodies as much as possible. He wants there to be some hope left.

It's getting colder as winter approaches so they head south. They do meet people along the way. At some times they must run and hide. They lose their belongings at times. They meet individuals and the boy persuades his father to help as much as they can. They find some underground hiding places; one not so good, one where they are able to rest for a few days. The father has one revolver with three bullets. If things get so bad, he plans to use them to protect the boy from being alone. The father is sick but keeps moving along.

It's a dark, depressing story, 'beautifully' recreated in this graphic novel and respectfully follows the tone of the original story. For all of the evil left in the world, there is still some hope.... If you've never read the book, read it first, then read the graphic novel. (4.0 stars)"

4. Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell (1949). One of the classics of the Sci-Fi genre. This once again falls into the category of me not writing a review because it's been a long time since I read it. But, it's a 5-star read.

"Newspeak, Doublethink, Big Brother, the Thought Police - the language of 1984 has passed into the English language as a symbol of the horrors of totalitarianism. George Orwell's story of Winston Smith's fight against the all-pervading Party has become a classic, not the least because of its intellectual coherence. First published in 1949, it retains as much relevance today as it had then."

4a. 1984, The Graphic Novel by Fido Nesti (2020).

"I read George Orwell's 1984 many years ago so when I saw 1984: The Graphic Novel by Fido Nesti a couple of months ago, I thought it might be good to check it out, to see what I remembered from the book and whether this graphic novel was respectful of the subject matter.

I did remember some of the book and yes, I believe Nesti was respectful of the original book in creating this excellent graphic novel version. He even included the explanation of Newspeak and of chapters from the Brotherhood's book... 'War is Peace', 'Ignorance is Strength'.. As I read the book, it made me realize that maybe Orwell just had the year wrong...

The graphic is as stark and grim as the book with excellent artwork accurately reflecting the feel of the book. The story follows Winston Smith a low level worker in the Records Department of the Ministry of 'Truth' in the country of Oceania (England, America, etc.). His job is to find documents, news reports, etc that no longer accurately reflect the statements of Big Brother and ensure they are either amended or just destroyed. 

Winston lives in his small apartment surrounded by a huge telescreen that he can't turn off and he presumes that can monitor his every action. He has a small alcove out of sight of the monitor and there he maintains a diary of his thoughts (Illegal!!!) His world is an authoritarian one where every thought, every action, every gesture might be monitored to ensure its citizens don't engage in sedition, doublespeak, thoughtcrimes etc. However, Winston maintains his thoughts and as the story progresses even begins an illicit love affair with another worker, Julia. 

Gradually, contact is made with O'Brien, an upper level member of the State. He introduces them to the 'Brotherhood' who are a form of secret group fighting against Big Brother and IngSoc (English Socialism). They are given a book by the Brotherhood (chapters are provided in the story) which explains against what they are fighting.

Of course, things go wrong, even when it's expected by both Winston and Julia and .... well, you need to read the story to get the feel for the times Orwell is portraying and how it ends. In its way, it's a terrifying look at a dystopian future. When Orwell wrote it, he set it in 1984. Would he have called it 2024 nowadays? It should be read, either the book or this excellent, stark graphic novel,  along with The Handmaid's Tale, Fahrenheit 451, etc. (4.0 stars)"

So those are the ones that I have. I mentioned that I saw another at one of my locals, The Laughing Oyster bookshop, that being Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler. I didn't buy it because I've yet to read the novel and that sits currently on my shelf. So we'll see whether I buy it anyway... 

At any rate, I hope you found this interesting. I do like this new trend in graphic novels. I just hope that as new ones come out, they are of interesting books and are adapted as sympathetically as these above were.