Beowulf

Beowulf

By Gareth Hinds

This graphic novel retelling of the classic Norse myth is absolutely amazing!

There’s no getting away from the fact that the story of Beowulf is a bloodthirsty, gore-filled, horrifying tale. Hinds’s artwork stays true to that fact. Bold in its extreme depiction of the violence of Grendel and Beowulf’s battle, the story of the battle is totally wordless – this entire section of the tale is told solely with pictures. Strong, glorious pictures, using a dark and minimalist palette.

For all the horror though, there is a real feel for the emotion of the characters. As Beowulf ages, and the colours he is painted with turn to muted shades of gray, his final battle with the dragon weighs heavy on him. His doubts about his ability to survive are revealed both in the text, and in the colour and imagery of the graphics.

A wonderful retelling, true to the original, so perfectly suited to the graphic novel format.

Blood

Blood

By Alan Durant

Brilliant, brilliant story! Absolutely loved it.

Robert’s parents make the front page of the newspapers – found shot dead in their suburban home. Grief turns to anger when Robert starts to feel the investigation into their murders is going too slowly. He takes on the task himself to find the murderer. His investigations reveal many disturbing family secrets, and Robert’s life and sanity are soon both under threat.

The structure of this story is so very clever, Robert’s first-person narrative a perfectly tuned voice of grief, anger, betrayal, fear and revenge. Durant treats his readers to an intelligent and challenging story that delves deep into the nature of grief, of family dynamics, and of the way the mind copes with trauma.

Thoroughly recommend this well-written, challenging and intriguing story.

Into the Wild

Into the Wild

By Sarah Beth Durst

The Wild is the world of fairytales, where every tale must play itself out to its predetermined conclusion, over and over again. The fairytale characters are caught in their roles, forever reliving the same story, over and over again. Until Repunzel makes a daring escape, and imprisons the Wild. In doing so, she brings freedom to her fairytale friends, giving them the chance to make their own decisions and choose freely their own futures.

But the Wild breaks free and works to reclaim all that it lost. Julie, Repunzel’s daughter, must journey deep into the Wild to rescue her mother, her brother (Puss-in-Boots) and all her mother’s friends. Julie soon realizes how much danger she is in, especially when she is threatened with becoming entrapped within a never-ending fairytale loop.

Julie’s journey, and her meetings with many fairytale characters provides for a fun, entertaining and thoughtful story - a pleasure to read.

Blood Brothers

Blood Brothers

By Peter Corris

Jack and Bart are best mates, whose friendship seems all but over. While Bart is recovering from a broken leg, he is also coping with his new girlfriend, his single-parent mum and her boyfriend, and his need to know more about his father who he has never met. Jack on the other hand, has lost himself to anger – lashing out at his mate, dabbling in drugs and alcohol, and crashing a car that kills another friend.

While the bond of friendship means so much to Bart that he is willing to track down his criminal father in the search of answers, we don’t actually get to see any of that friendship in the story – the book starting when the friends are already estranged – and so it’s a bit difficult to understand why Bart clings to the friendship so loyally. Otherwise though, it’s an interesting read with strong themes of mateship, fitting in, and growing up in a contemporary Australian setting.

Eggs

Eggs

By Jerry Spinelli

David’s mum dies in a freak accident, and he is sent to stay with his grandmother. He acts out his grief in anger, and makes life very hard for his grandmother, punishing her for not being the mother he loves. Primrose’s mother is a fortune-teller who marches to the beat of a different drum. Her dad is nothing more than a framed picture. Primrose’s anger comes from her mum being ‘different’ and for not loving her as Primrose thinks a mother should.

These two angry children meet up, become angry at each other, themselves, the people around them, and finally forge between them a strong friendship where they each find within the other a little of the something that’s missing in their own lives.

While the plot is deep and the characters are complicated and themes of loss and recovery are confronting – the prose is inviting and Spinelli writes with confidence and clarity. A thought-provoking and challenging book.

Talon

Talon

By Janet Lee Carey

A medieval fantasy fairy-tale, Talon is a story of secrets, betrayals, love and dragons.

Rose is a princess, prophesied by Merlin himself to bring peace to her people. Stopping her though, is what her mother sees as a hideous disfigurement that must be hidden from all, else she will be burned at the stake as a witch. Only her mother knows of the one dragon’s claw that replaces Rose’s ring finger, and the obsessive necessity of the glove Rose must ever wear to hide it.

There’s courtly intrigue and murder, sorcery and dragon attacks, betrayal and love for a courageous young knight. When Rose is kidnapped by the dragon, only the claw on her hand saves her from being eaten. Rose must work to find a way to reconcile her destiny, her identity and her cursed shame.

And underneath it all lies Rose’s complex relationship with her mother, a relationship richly explored and slowly revealed. An interesting read.