Title: The Divine
Author: Asaf Hanuka, Tomer Hanuka, Boaz Lavie
Series: No.
Format: Finished Copy provided by First Second Publishing
Page Count: 160
Publisher: First Second
Age Range: 17+ due to graphic scenes and subject matter.
Genre: Adult, Fantasy, Graphic Novel, Magical Realism
Description on Goodreads:
Mark’s out of the military, these days, with his boring, safe civilian job doing explosives consulting. But you never really get away from war. So it feels inevitable when his old army buddy Jason comes calling, with a lucrative military contract for a mining job in an obscure South-East Asian country called Quanlom. They’ll have to operate under the radar–Quanlom is being torn apart by civil war, and the US military isn’t strictly supposed to be there.
With no career prospects and a baby on the way, Mark finds himself making the worst mistake of his life and signing on with Jason. What awaits him in Quanlom is going to change everything.
What awaits him in Quanlom is weirdness of the highest order: a civil war led by ten-year-old twins wielding something that looks a lot like magic, leading an army of warriors who look a lot like gods.
What awaits him in Quanlom is an actual goddamn dragon.
From world-renowned artists Asaf and Tomer Hanuka (twins, whose magic powers are strictly confined to pen and paper) and Boaz Lavie, The Divineis a fast-paced, brutal, and breathlessly beautiful portrait of a world where ancient powers vie with modern warfare and nobody escapes unscathed.
Review:
This was something outstanding. The visuals, the story, the stereotyping(not in a bad way, well, kinda)… All magnificent.
This story is based almost completely off the story of one picture of two boys.
I went into this book blind, didn’t even read the flap of the book. I can tell you, it was worth it. Normally I don’t read these types of books. Not really my thing. Sure, it’s fantasy, but it’s more of a realistic fantasy. After this book, that may have changed.
The story telling, the real feeling of the characters, I felt like I was really there. Almost like a full emersion to the point I was crying.
The story is really a heartbreaking one, and shows how far people will go for money, revenge and peace. I highly recommend this.
My Rating: 4.5/5
Would I/Who would I recommend it (too): Anyone who loves magical realism, war stories and a good read.
Goodreads Link:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22718664-the-divine
Sera Quinn 