Thursday, October 15, 2015

The Empty by Jimmie Robinson


Rating: WORTHY!

This is one of the most amazing graphic novels I've read in a long time. It's highly original, and though the science is questionable (seven thousand years isn't enough time for the evolution we saw going on here), I was willing to let that go and bask in the glory of the story. Tanoor is a fiercesome hunter in her impoverished desert land where gangly, somewhat disproportioned people eke out a dwindling existence.

One day Tanoor encounters a strange woman in the ocean, and she's smart enough, and desperate enough to know that this brand new thing in her world - a woman who looks like Tanoor and not like Tanoor, maybe the break-through they need to overcome the poison roots which are spreading and destroying everything in their path. Her fellow villagers, however, disagree, and banish both Lila, the new girl, and Tanoor into the harsh land of the Mool, a savage race which lives across the chasm. Lila, however, who has proved ot ahve unexpected and beneficial powers, discovers that the Mool are peace-loving and just as threatened by the encroaching roots as everyone else. Traveling with her pet, the foxelope, and her two new companions, Tanoor eventually discovers more wonders, and eventually, the deadly secret which has brought the world almost to extinction.

I really loved this story. The artwork was excellent, the story intelligent and brisk, and despite my scientific misgivings, I felt this did more than enough to overcome the reservations I had. I recommend it.