A by turns epic, amusing, and tragic caper that’s even more toastworthy (for obvious reasons) than its 11 predecessors.
Discover “a new type of god” in this final installment in the outstanding Olympians series.
Depicted eerily as an enigmatic, unclothed figure wrapped in flames, Hestia, goddess of hearth and home—and the oldest of the Olympians—narrates this strange and wild tale of Dionysos’ birth and rise. The youngest of the gods, Dionysos is conceived by a human mother and raised first as a girl then as a boy before he goes on to invent wine, vanquish death itself, and ultimately claim his seat on Mount Olympus with the rest of his immortal clan. Though not immune to tender feelings (such as when he meets the spirit of his dead mother, Semele, in the realm of Hades and when he marries Ariadne after she’s dumped by that cad Theseus), Dionysos generally comes off as a slap-happy party animal. He cavorts through the illustrations shirtless, displaying appropriately godlike charm and charisma as he dispenses his marvelous beverage far and wide and gathers followers—of both the mythological and racially diverse human variety—for wild rumpuses. “The Olympians may be deathless, but no god is as alive as Dionysos,” Hestia observes. More than any of his fellow deities, he is “a god of the people. Of humans. Because he was born of them.” The pages of this well-conceived graphic novel are laid out using an irregular grid that emphasizes some panels while retaining flow. All major characters present as White.
A by turns epic, amusing, and tragic caper that’s even more toastworthy (for obvious reasons) than its 11 predecessors. (sources, resources, discussion questions, endnotes) (Graphic mythology. 10-14)Pub Date: March 8, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-62672-530-0
Page Count: 80
Publisher: First Second
Review Posted Online: Dec. 2, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2021
PERSPECTIVES
Nary a dull moment, nor even a slow one in this escapade’s latest outing.
Three fugitives and a bookish young prince repeatedly rescue one another in the latest episode of this particularly adventuresome graphic-novel series.
Coming by chance upon two mercenaries and a kidnapping victim, ex–circus performer Dessa and her nonhuman companions Fisk and Topper engineer a rescue. The lucky fellow? Paladin, Crown Prince of Medoria. Smitten but annoyed (“Really? It’s gotta be me? Every time?”), Dessa does it again after Paladin ineptly tries to woo her by entering his first joust and then falling beneath his frantic charger’s hooves. Kidnapped again by the same pair during the ensuing brouhaha, Paladin gets away by himself and, turnabout, reappears in time to help Dessa and her friends escape the wrath of his ungrateful royal father. Chantler leaves some questions unanswered (such as how the kidnappers seem to get away so easily each time) and doesn’t advance the larger plotline he set up in the previous two volumes much. He does add an element of star-crossed romance to a typically fast-paced tale replete with narrow squeaks and spectacular gymnastic feats. Both the nonstop action and the sometimes subtle interactions between characters are easy to follow in the cleanly drawn and colored panels.
Nary a dull moment, nor even a slow one in this escapade’s latest outing. (Graphic fantasy. 10-12)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2012
ISBN: 978-1-55453-776-1
Page Count: 116
Publisher: Kids Can
Review Posted Online: May 29, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2012
Action-packed, easy to follow and featuring a cast of monsters inimical and otherwise, along with a winningly intrepid...
A would-be tamer of monsters hooks up with a diminutive would-be monster in this auspicious series opener.
As advertised, the supposed dragon tooth that parentless young storyteller Suri buys from a scruffy market vendor does indeed bring her luck—of both kinds. On the one hand, the ball of magical golden string that she finds in the road belongs to a trio of vicious tiger creatures called “caitsiths” who use the string to masquerade as humans and really, really want it back. On the other, Suri achieves her avowed desire to become a monster tamer when she meets Byron, a humongous if overly friendly dog, and the surly 500-year-old imp Caglio who (through not-yet-explained means) created him. Large of hair and fierce of scowl, Suri dashes through Rioux’s character-centered, cleanly drawn panels like a force of nature, evading the clutches of pursuers (or, sometimes, not) and bouncing back resiliently from every reverse. After several narrow squeaks, the author sends her on her way, dog and imp in tow, in search of more monsters and unmindful of a band of pursuers coming up close behind. Stay tuned.
Action-packed, easy to follow and featuring a cast of monsters inimical and otherwise, along with a winningly intrepid heroine. (Graphic fantasy. 10-12)Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2012
ISBN: 978-1-55453-636-8
Page Count: 112
Publisher: Kids Can
Review Posted Online: June 5, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2012
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