Thursday 16 June 2011

The Chronicles of Gyzra volume 1 - Book Review


The Chronicles of Gyzra - volume 1 Contagion by Sarah Childs

What is it about:
Eiki, an 18 year old boy lives alone with his sister, Mikana. One day a strange black rain falls over his village causing ordinary animals to transform into terrifying creatures. These new creatures seem to be obsessed with one name, 'Gyzra'.

What did I think of it:
This is a very short Manga. That shouldn't have to be a problem, but in this case the story is set up in such a way that just as you're getting into it you've also finished it already. What little there is of the story is intriguing, although a bit confusing as well. So I'd have liked it better if the story had been a bit longer so I could get a real sense of it.

The drawings are - well - typical Manga. Meaning they're not bad, but they don't have anything special either. As I understand it, this is Childs' first Manga and for a beginning Manga artist she certainly has the talent, but I'm hoping she'll develop her own unique style along the way as for now it's too generic to stand out among the many.

Why should you read it:
It's a decently drawn Manga

Buy it here

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

The cover looks to me to be about the same level of manga artistry as my dd, who did all the artwork on my site.

Beanie Mouse said...

Oh, I nearly missed this review! Well, could've been better, could've been worse! Yes, it's her first and I believe she signed it somewhere too!

Anonymous said...

Hello, Thank you for your review of my book, I think it is very fair and thank you for posting the link to my website as well. I’m very interested to know what people think of my work so am glad to see your review. I know that this book has its flaws. It was never intended to be this short. The Chronicles of Gyzra series was originally meant to be a trilogy. I decided to split the first book up, taking the first section of it and turning it into its own volume so that I could see what it was like to have a book out there and see if anyone would even notice me. One major flaw I am aware of is the front cover, I am rebranding The Chronicles of Gyzra and will have cover art which reflects the content art much better. I am thinking about redrawing the book you have reviewed and including it in the next volume, but this is not confirmed yet. I’m glad you found the book intriguing, I hope you like the next book a lot more; the next book is roughly 200 pages long, hopefully with a higher quality of art. One thing I lacked with the first book was an editor who knew manga. I wondered if you would be willing to give me some feedback on the next book before it goes to print? If you want to talk about that or contact me about anything else (suggestions, questions etc.) just email me at sarahchilds@gyzra.com . Thanks again for your review, for buying my first book and your words of encouragement. Kind regards, Sarah Childs.