Wist: a Graphic Novel Written by: Steve M. Robertson Book Review by Miranda Moses (Fraser) ISBN: 9798854243308 My ghouls and ghosties, we're back with our third book in the Halloween Book Review Series of 2023. This one is for our graphic novel lovers. Wist first caught my attention on Tiktok, the author was promoting his upcoming story with compelling videos of a horror fantasy genre. And if you know me, you know I love something spooky, and I LOVE promoting new authors. So let's get into Steve's story. The first thing I should explain is that the artwork is not completely done by the author. In fact, he openly states in the cover that this was created using AI software to give each of his people/environments a base to draw off of. "The art you will find in this project is a hybrid of digital drawing and AI-generated images-especially heavy on the AI side of things." He used Midjourney prompts to get his base image and then photoshopped and drew over them on a drawing tablet to modify them into what he wanted. I am personally hit and miss on the idea BUT the author is very open that he does not and will not claim ownership of the art since it was not all his creation. I know AI is a hot topic right now and I myself have mixed feelings on it so I want to be clear before anyone gets upset. Now, into the writing, which IS Steve's creation. I am going to be completely honest right now- I feel like the writing needs to be flushed out a bit. BUT from everything I've heard this is being completely self-published. So for being a one-man team project, I am impressed. The story isn't bad but I felt like an editor would have helped push this over the top. WITH THAT BEING SAID, the story is very interesting. This graphic novel takes place in a world where the gods ruling the world do horrible things until one day mankind rises up against them and slays them all... All but one. Thousand is a terrible god whom Wist works for. It's an employment you can't just put his two weeks' notice in for, you are chained to this god until your dying day. Wist is an angel, but not the kind you are probably thinking of. He does the god's terrible bidding- answering prayers and then taking their payment. A payment no one is truly ready to provide. He is sent to Earth to answer the prayers of a little girl. A powerful young witch trying desperately to do the right thing for people around her. Wist knows in his heart he cannot do anything to cause this girl harm but as the events unravel he will find himself making a choice he may not come back from. Now, it is not a very long graphic novel. I was able to sit and read it in maybe two hours. I would describe the artwork as being very A. Rasen inspired, dark yet stunningly done. As I said, the writing needs flushing out, but there definitely is a story there. And I will be getting the sequel because you can't leave me on a cliffhanger and expect me to walk away. The author said if you like Elden Rings then you will probably enjoy this story. I myself don't play those videogames but I am throwing it out there for those who do! Let's give this first-time author some love and check it out if Horror, Fantasy, gods, angels, and witches are your thing! Read on my fellow bookworms. May we one day have Belle's library! As always links to the author's pages can be found down below.
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Uglies: Shay's Story
by Scott Westerfeld and Devin Grayson Illustrations by Steven Cummings Book Review by Miranda Fraser ISBN: 978-0345527226 First of all, if you have NOT read the Uglies series by Scott Westerfeld, I highly suggest you turn around now and find a copy! This is a graphic novel taking place mainly before the first story in the series. The Uglies series are not graphic novels, but Westerfeld has taken Shay's story in a whole other direction. And even though this is a new 'story' I can honestly say the "bubbly" excitement of reading Shay's point of view would be lost without first reading the original series. However, I'm sure if you had never heard of the Uglies series and read this you would still enjoy this as an epic graphic novel. But keep in mind this review is coming from someone who has read all the books and therefore knows more details about it. With that being said, I was very hesitant to read this novel. If you're anything like me then the idea of companion stories, prequels and, yea, even some sequels, can be a real downer. You worry that it will ruin the glamour of a world you've already come to love. But I honestly feel that Shay's Story is a brilliant addition! It adds to a character we've already come to have rolling emotions for. It explains more about her background and is set up beautifully to continue on into other novels. Shay is a very complex character and that is part of the beauty of her story being a graphic novel. In the original series you hear about Shay through her best friends point of view. While in comparison this story shed's new light on her thoughts and actions. It makes for a riveting tale. Now the Uglies series takes place in what Westerfeld predicts our future world will be like. This is a world where technology runs everything. You can talk to your walls and it spits out clothes for you, there are hover boards to ride and all sorts of other nifty gadgets and enhancements for our bodies! And in this world the way we are born is considered ugly. But relax there is a cure for ugly! Children will eventually live in dorms with other "uglies" until their sixteenth birthday. In that time they will come to have picked out everything that is physically wrong with them. They will be promised a future of glamorous parties, perfect bodies, and anything they could want at their fingertips. All they have to do is behave and wait till they are sixteen. Once sixteen the government comes in and does extensive plastic surgeries until you are flawless. Then you go live in "Pretty Town" and live happily ever after. But happiness comes at a price and no one really seems to question this. It is the norm for them, a simple way of life. But teenagers, they're rebellious, right? Right. There are still some people in the world who question if this is the way to live. Shay happens to be one of them. This is where the crossover from going from the original series to hearing about it BEFORE the first book is really exciting! You get to experience HOW Shay came to question things, what her life was like before meeting, the protagonist of the trilogy, Tally, and what she goes through searching for the answer to a different world. In addition to Westerfeld’s captivating story telling Steven Cummings illustrates an amazing rendition of this future world. The beauty of graphic novels is that you really get to see what everything looks like! Cummings gives life to an absolutely stunning representations of the characters and how they look. Especially how they look as “uglies”. PLUS on a total nerd moment here, who doesn’t enjoy seeing sci-fi in animated form? I mean hover boards?! AWESOME! Cummings sketches make this graphic novel the exciting addition to the “Uglies” world that it is! I highly recommend Shay’s Story to anyone who loves a good graphic novel or manga. Some Quick Notes: 1. There is a sequel to this called, "Uglies: Cutters". I've seen a sneak peak of it and I am BEYOND excited for it! The story again continues from Shay's point of view, but in what would be the second book of the original series. It is sooo exciting to get to see "Pretty Town" in gorgeous illustrations! PLUS seeing what Shay was thinking through everything she goes through in the second book! 2. Here are the links to Westerfeld's Website, Devin Grayon's Facebook, and Steven Cummings DeviantArt. |