| Product: |
Eden: It's an Endless World!: 1 - Hiroki Endo |
| Date: |
07/07/08 (101 review reads) |
| Rating: |
 |
Advantages: The plot and knowledge of the author/artist is amazing
Disadvantages: May be offensive to christianity and other religions
"Eden is both a brilliant love song to the post apocalyptic survival genre and an exploration on humanity's roles in the natural order" (Titan books)
The first graphic novel in the series is subtly divided into three different parts. Post apocalypse, pre apocalypse and then the post post apocalypse in which humanity has become ruthless and corrupt, in order to survive the harsh new world where extinction is eminent.
The book starts off with just the post apocalypse Enoah is trying to remember his parents and is attempting to grow vegetables outside in the contaminated world. Hannah trys to go find food outside of the facility because she dislikes killing the goats for meat and Layne the only adult left has been crippled by the brutal new virus which caused the world so much damage.
The virus causes peoples skin to develop into a hard shell followed by their organs to decompose slowly and turn into dust. Layne has only the ability left to move one of his hands and head.
These three characters are the only ones left in the facility.
"There were so many children...who were born here. It would be arrogance...to think that we're special or chosen." (Enoah)
"You actually think it would be better if mankind became extinct...If that happened...There'd be no one left to ruin the earth" Hannah
The second part of the book slides back to pre apocalypse and how the disaster happened, we get to find out more about Enoahs parents work and the relationship between Layne and Enoahs father. We also learn about about the existence of the facility and the giant mechanoid Cheribum (The name comes from angels that are human half beast).
We then jump to the post post apocalypse twenty years after Hannah and Enoahs story. There is a young man (Elijah)walking around an abanodoned city on his own with the Cheribum robot.His story in this book is divided into three different chapters.
First of all we have him discovering dead human bodies that have been ravaged by wild dogs and buries them finding small bags of microchips in their abdomens and hunting for food in the first two chapters.He is on his own.
"If I were God... I don't think I would've made a world like this. But if I was asked well what kind of world would you make then? I wouldn't be able to come up with any new or better ideas."
(Elijah)
In the third chapter he is kid napped by a group of military spies including a forty + year old cyborg who looks younger than Elijah who takes back the microchips and takes apart Cheribum. The group threaten to take Elijahs life if he dosent do what they say. So they hijack the camper van he is living in and take him with them.
The real story is about Elijah so the first book is really just a prologue, we are eased in through flash backs. The book is very depthy considering it is only 218 pages long but considering it contains a lot more dialogue than most traditional manga it generally keeps you going a lot longer than other comics of the same size.
The characters are highly well developed and are either really likable or are really arrogant and hateful. The characters vary from all different races, ideas and religions. The artwork is excessively detailed as well as disturbing in some scenes.
The illustrations are unique to the styling of Hiroki Endo and the plot and storyline are obviously well read also and deeply philosophical and endearing. The characters are very realistic in their mannerisms and the books are really a great read.
The book is recommended for mature readers as it contains disfigurements, violence, gore, nudity and scenes of a sexual nature. Don't be fooled by the cover this is aimed at older teens and adult readers.
The books are priced at 6.99 each and can be found at large waterstones, forbidden planet and online stores.
Summary: "So why do you dig a grave for a total stranger?"
|
|
