So Many Precious Books, So Little Time

I read Sweet Tooth: Out of the Deep Woods back in February and really enjoyed it. With volume two out, I had to read it.

It takes up where the first book ended, with poor Gus, locked up in a concentration like camp for hybid kids.  There they are used for science experiments to try to find a cure for the virus that is quickly wiping out the adults.  We also find out the history of Jepperd and how he became so mean.

As with other Jeff Lemire graphic novels, the writing was sparse with great graphics.  It really captures the true feelings of the characters and captures the readers imagination.  This is a dark and disturbing story.  I didn't like it quite as much as the first volume but it was still worthwhile.  The third volume is due out in June, 2011.  My library already has it on order and I have placed a hold on it.

3.5/5

Did you review this book?  Please leave your link in the comments and I will post it here.

Gus lives with his father in the woods. His mother died of the affliction years ago and his father will die soon. All adults are dying off rapidly. It is only the hybrids who are immune. Gus has to stay very near their cabin and hide from the hunters. Hybrids are very valuable, for research purposes, as scientists race to find a cure for the adult population.

When his father dies, Gus tries to keep his promise to his promise to stay in the cabin but he still has to go outside for firewood, food, and water. One day a mysterious man, Jepperd finds Gus. He tells him that he will take him to a hybrid sanctuary where he could live with other children like himself, in peace. With food getting hard to find near the cabin, Guys goes with him.

Is Jepperd as honest, as he seems to Gus?

I finished this book in one short sitting. It has Jeff Lemire's amazing drawing with the added bonus of color by

Jose Villarrubia. Though the premise sounds crazy, Lemire makes it work with his spare words, relying heavily on the graphics.  There is quite a bit of violence in this book, which I don't care for but it was needed for this book.  I found myself caring deeply for the fate of young Gus and am awaiting Sweet Tooth 2, on hold at my library.

4/5

After I completed Jeff Lemire's graphic trilogy,Essex County, I have been craving more by Jeff Lemire. Yes, I am a graphic novel convert.  Blame Jeff Lemire and a couple fellow bloggers for that.  LOL! I checked my local library website and found that The Nobody was available.  So, I snatched it up.

The Nobody is quite different than the Essex County Trilogy.  It is Jeff Lemire's re-telling of H. G. Well's The Invisible Man.

A man all wrapped up in bandages shows up in the small town, Large Mouth.  He calls himself Griffen and he gets a motel room.  There is talk about him in the town bar and the cafe.  Some of the town's people are very suspicious of him.  

However, a teenager, Vickie is curious about Griffen. and goes to his motel room to talk.  They strike up a kind of friendship but Griffen is not the kind of man that Vickie think she is.  He has a big secret and has come to Large Mouth to hide

.

I enjoyed this story but not as much as the Essex County Trilogy.  Lemire didn't capture the emotions of his characters like he did in Essex County.  The characters in this story were quite two-dimensional and quite stereotypical.   However, the relationship between Vickie and Griffen was interesting.  Where Lemire did shine is with his drawing.  It was the calibre of drawing that I have come to expect from him.

3.5

See My reviews of the Essex County Trilogy:

Did you review this book?  Please leave a link in the comments and I will post it here.

This book is the conclusion of the Essex County Trilogy. It ties the entire trilogy together and we learn about the loss and regret of some of the farming community's inhabitants  

It follows the town's traveling nurse, Anne Quenneville.  As she visits each patient, the story unfolds.  As Anne tends to her patient's we learn more about the town's secrets and the secrets of Anne's ancestors as well.

This didn't flow as well as the other two.  There were flash backs of Anne's family but you don't learn that they are her ancestors until the end.  It made it confusing.  I kept wonder "who are these people that keep popping up."  However, it finally did make sense and I did enjoy the book as a whole.

As in the other two books, the artistry of Jeff Lemire really shined, with both his sparse writing and drawings.  It is amazing how much of the story is told with just pictures and no captions.  He does an amazing job.

4/5

Read my review of the first two volumes, here:

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