Kam
So this was a really interesting read. I keep comparing this to Annihilation, which given the focus on environmental collapse and a mutating environment, seems appropriate, plus this book also seems to have borrowed from Jeff VanderMeer’s work in the form off the protagonists: four women working for a mysterious organization, studying a hostile environment. It doesn’t quite have the same level of complexity and nuance as VanderMeer’s novel, but that might just be down to the differences in medium.
There’s also some overlap in the themes explored. Like Annihilation, this book is set in a world in which climate change has led to global collapse, with humanity still trying to fight back against the inevitable end. It also tackles the idea of the Earth itself fighting back against humanity like a living organism in its own right. Like Area X, the interior of the titular Unbeing is a constantly changing, mutating thing that seems to have a mind of its own. The art does a lot of the heavy lifting here, blurring the lines between what is organic and inorganic, biological versus geographical, to a degree that can be a mite uncomfortable at times.
I also liked how the narrative was partitioned out into four distinct streams, with each member of the team getting their own moment to tell their story. Blurring the lines between sanity and madness is an aspect of cosmic horror that doesn’t always translate very well, especially in a visual medium, but by telling the narrative from four separate points-of-view, this book manages to capture that feel. The art also definitely helps, along with the way the panels are arranged.
Sadly, while the art and panelling are certainly the highlights of this book, the characterization doesn’t quite hit the mark. The protagonists don’t feel as fleshed-out as I’d like, with a lot of their development coming mostly from exposition in a “tell, not show” way. This also interferes with the narrative; one would think that there would be a lot less exposition in a visual medium of storytelling, but it is, apparently, possible to over-narrate in a comic format.
Overall, this was not a bad read. The art is definitely the highlight, and is was drew me to this book in the first place. The concept is also very strong, sharing a lot of parallels with Jeff VanderMeer’s Annihilation, sharing the same themes though approaching them differently due to the difference in medium. The art and the panelling both go a very long way towards making the story interesting, even if sometimes certain choices regarding the latter can make reading things a bit confusing. The characterization could also be better, and the reliance on exposition does somewhat unflattering things to the pace that not even the art cannot always salvage.
Originally posted at kamreadsandrecs.tumblr.com.
So this was a really interesting read. I keep comparing this to Annihilation, which given the focus on environmental collapse and a mutating environment, seems appropriate, plus this book also seems to have borrowed from Jeff VanderMeer’s work in the form off the protagonists: four women working for a mysterious organization, studying a hostile environment. It doesn’t quite have the same level of complexity and nuance as VanderMeer’s novel, but that might just be down to the differences in medium.
There’s also some overlap in the themes explored. Like Annihilation, this book is set in a world in which climate change has led to global collapse, with humanity still trying to fight back against the inevitable end. It also tackles the idea of the Earth itself fighting back against humanity like a living organism in its own right. Like Area X, the interior of the titular Unbeing is a constantly changing, mutating thing that seems to have a mind of its own. The art does a lot of the heavy lifting here, blurring the lines between what is organic and inorganic, biological versus geographical, to a degree that can be a mite uncomfortable at times.
I also liked how the narrative was partitioned out into four distinct streams, with each member of the team getting their own moment to tell their story. Blurring the lines between sanity and madness is an aspect of cosmic horror that doesn’t always translate very well, especially in a visual medium, but by telling the narrative from four separate points-of-view, this book manages to capture that feel. The art also definitely helps, along with the way the panels are arranged.
Sadly, while the art and panelling are certainly the highlights of this book, the characterization doesn’t quite hit the mark. The protagonists don’t feel as fleshed-out as I’d like, with a lot of their development coming mostly from exposition in a “tell, not show” way. This also interferes with the narrative; one would think that there would be a lot less exposition in a visual medium of storytelling, but it is, apparently, possible to over-narrate in a comic format.
Overall, this was not a bad read. The art is definitely the highlight, and is was drew me to this book in the first place. The concept is also very strong, sharing a lot of parallels with Jeff VanderMeer’s Annihilation, sharing the same themes though approaching them differently due to the difference in medium. The art and the panelling both go a very long way towards making the story interesting, even if sometimes certain choices regarding the latter can make reading things a bit confusing. The characterization could also be better, and the reliance on exposition does somewhat unflattering things to the pace that not even the art cannot always salvage.
Originally posted at kamreadsandrecs.tumblr.com.