Wednesday, March 2, 2016

The Sea-Wolf by Jack London (adapted by Riff Reb) –OPTIONAL

London, Jack (adapted by Reb, Riff The Sea-Wolf  Papercutz, 2014. $13.99 Content: Language: G (0 swears); Mature Content: R (rape scene) Violence: PG13 GRAPHIC NOVEL

After being rescued at sea by Captain Wolf Larsen, the smart and bookish Humphrey van Weyden finds out quickly that he wasn’t really being rescued. Instead he is put to work on the ship, Ghost, and must basically fend for his very survival amongst the crew, the elements, and the intelligent but dangerous captain. After the crew ‘rescues’ a refined woman named Maud, Humphrey comes back to himself a bit, and knows he must help her. They manage to escape together, but will Captain Larsen find them?

The illustrator masterfully uses a limited color palette to set the tone of each chapter. The illustrations are quite dark and intense, just like the story. I think this graphic novel would give a reader chance to grasp the gist of the plot before they dived into the more complex full book. Though they may be tempted to treat it as a cliff’s notes version. Before purchase please note there is an attempted rape scene, illustrated without nudity but still very disturbing.

HS –OPTIONAL Reviewer: Stephanie Elementary School Librarian & Author.

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