Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A very moving graphic novel, 24 Sep 2004
This review is from: Blood Song: A Silent Ballad (Harvest Original) (Paperback)
This book is a graphic novel without words, where artist Eric Drooker uses images to tell the story of a young Southeast Asian girl, who finds trouble and despair, and ultimately life and hope. The images are stark and moving, relying on black and white - with small blasts of color for life and hope. Overall, the story is very hyper-orthodox leftist with happy people of color brutalized by dehumanized and dehumanizing white people. But, nonetheless, I found this to be a very moving graphic novel.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Amazing, clear, simple, 22 July 2006
By Z Lasu - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Blood Song: A Silent Ballad (Harvest Original) (Paperback)
I find "Blood song" amazing. I mean, amazing **********. A big story contained in a small book. A girl in a South Asian forest goes to fetch some water, and in the meantime her world is destroyed. She gets into a boat with her dog and starts rowing. Is the book a story of an immigrant from Vietnam? There are no explanations attached to the pictures. The story feels large, universal. It's the journey of a small individual in the world governed by powers: armies, fire, the ocean, racial domination. I thought crosses my mind; this could be a great animation movie, something in the style of 'Princess Mononoke', but, no, this book is a great artform as it is, a story compressed in five minutes flipping through a silent, breathtaking book. Amazing, clear, simple graphics, and not even a single word. I'm stunned.
I've looked up the reviews on Amazon and some of them accuse the book of preaching. Hmm, even preaching can be made into art, can't it?
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A very moving graphic novel, 18 April 2004
By Kurt A. Johnson - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Blood Song: A Silent Ballad (Harvest Original) (Paperback)
This book is a graphic novel without words, where artist Eric Drooker uses images to tell the story of a young Southeast Asian girl, who finds trouble and despair, and ultimately life and hope. The images are stark and moving, relying on black and white - with small blasts of color for life and hope. Overall, the story is very hyper-orthodox leftist with happy people of color brutalized by dehumanized and dehumanizing white people. But, nonetheless, I found this to be a very moving graphic novel.
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Without a Single Word . . ., 2 Feb 2003
By Shanshad "shanachie_shadowfax" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Blood Song: A Silent Ballad (Harvest Original) (Paperback)
This is a story that begins far away, with a girl and her dog and the powerful journey of transformation and meaning they endure. It is a story without words, consisting of incredible images crafted with stark beauty and stunning ability. The main character of the story, a young girl on the verge of womanhood lives in a peaceful, pastoral setting in some remote village-but coming home from the river one day, she discovers that her peaceable world has been drastically changed, and this sends her on a vivid journey that only Mr. Drooker's art can do justice to. This is my first encounter with Eric Drooker's evocative imagery. I'm determined it will not be my last. This book epitomizes the legitimacy of the graphic novel as a valid and valuable medium of expression. Powerful pictures crafted with a limited palette of colors make this story all the more striking and beautiful. The feeling of being swept up in a powerful story, of emotion and depth is immediate and takes the reader from the first page to the last. Perhaps the most remarkable thing is that this book can be read by anyone who can see the art on the page. No poor reading skills will block it's story, no language barrier stands in the way. Native New Yorker, Eric Drooker is certainly a compelling artist and BLOOD SONG showcases his work in fine fashion. The art will likely appeal to a varied audience of viewers. The views presented in the story and the author's attitudes towards governmental authority might not appeal as widely. Mr. Drooker doesn't "mince words" with his story, nor does he pull his punches. But the larger message in Drooker's work is one of universal connection, hope and humanity in a continuing cycle. Even if you've never encountered a graphic novel before, pick this one up, page through it. If that simple act doesn't keep you turning pages I'll be very surprised. Happy Reading! ^_^ --shanshad
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