Shattered Warrior

I’ve read most of Shinn’s books but I’ve been lukewarm about her science-fiction and I’m not really a graphic novel person so I wasn’t excited about this until I saw the artwork for the opening pages.
Then I had to read it.

Shattered Warrior is set on a planet that has been invaded by aliens who care little for the human population. There’s a post-apocalyptic vibe to the way society and infrastructure has crumbled: failing farmland, gangs roaming the city streets, people sent to the mines are never seen again.

Colleen’s family are all dead or missing. She lives alone in what’s left of the family estate, works in a Derichet-controlled factory, and has convinced herself that she’s better off not caring about anyone. And show more then she’s reunited with her seven year old niece.

I loved the worldbuilding, how expressive everyone’s faces are and how much the story relies on the pictures to convey information. I loved reading it again and picking up the visual details that I hadn’t noticed first time round! There are a couple of aspects that I suspect would have been explored more in a prose-novel (such as why one character holds to pre-invasion ideas of class in the way he does) but this doesn’t really matter, because the focus is on Colleen and her journey is captured is well. I really liked the balance between action and emotion. The story is as much, if not more, about the personal choices and connections Colleen makes as it is about the ways she physically rebels against the Derichets.

I also appreciated the way the story handles some of the darker aspects of this world - they’re not ignored but neither are they allowed to dominate. This is a story about hope.

I would love a sequel, preferably a companion story focusing on someone else, but it doesn’t sound like anything like that is planned at this stage and that is okay. show less

I have a positive reaction to Ostertag’s graphics no matter what; Shinn adds a relatively standard but still powerful story, with a lot of wordless panels showing how daily life works to grind a person down and build her back up. In short: humans oppressed by humanoid overlords on a distant planet try to survive. Some fight back; some just try to go along; some fight each other. The protagonist, the last survivor of a once-powerful family, lives in her falling-down mansion—until unexpected visitors challenge her expectations and give her new reasons to do more than exist. Attempted and implied sexual assaults, but what’s shown are bruises (and a few explosions).

Overall I greatly enjoyed this graphic novel (which as of this review, March 8, 2017, is a stand alone according to the publisher). I found Colleen to be a good blend of traits - strong, but hiding her vulnerability which made her realize she was missing something.

This isn't a "soft" book - quite a few chars who don't deserve it get beaten, killed or abused in some way. It's also not too worried about history building - we learn about the Chromatti and how they evolved to the group they were. We learned a brief bit about why the Derichet came to the planet, a little about the social structure before they came to the planet.

Agnit, a Derichet overseer who is...well the best way to describe him versus Korso, another overseer, is the show more difference between Benedict Cumberbatch and Michael Fassbender's characters in "12 Years a Slave". Agnit is a villain who pretends at decency, but ultimately agrees with the status quo while Korso is a creep & a bully and doesn't pretend otherwise.

Also a bit loosy-goosy, but something fans of Shinn's novels are well used to, is how the book meanders to it's point. This isn't to say it has filler for filler's sake, but with no real concept of time the pacing is both too slow and too fast.

I did love the artwork here. It's not overly complicated, but very well detailed. I haven't seen Ostertag's work before, tho I've heard of her comic.

My only real unease is the flat nature of the Derichet. We have no real sense of their culture, no real sense of why they conquer instead of negotiate/trade. Korso & Agnit are the only two named, despite dozens of extras, and they're two ends of the same stick really. While the reader is given all the reasons to side with the humans, there's no nuance so no matter what Agnit does you are waiting for him to turn into a villain because the only other Derichet given time is a villain.

I'm also somewhat confused by Jann's insistence about Colleen's family's birthright. He's the only one who puts emphasis on it (aside from a few remarks about the estate) and it makes no sense. It's not like Colleen is lost royalty who, once the Derichet are dealt with, can reclaim her throne. It was as maddening for me as it was for Colleen. show less

Well, as one might have expected Molly Ostertag and Sharon Shinn is a really spectacular combination. Absolutely loved this fantasy revolution story set on a distant planet. Pacing, setting, moral ambiguity, deep and lasting trauma all lead to a deep and compelling story.

High drama, angst and emotions, lovely art, very real characters, and a deadly dangerous dystopia of a world post-conquering. . .

The story drops the reader into the middle and you pick up history and context along the way, done very smoothly. As are the changing allegiances and relationships between the characters. Consequences lurk around every corner, but as the characters themselves voice repeatedly, everything is dangerous in this world. The ending is open, but hopeful and not unsatisfying.

Good teen YA dystopia in graphic novel form. Some interesting world building, fascinating details of the rebellion, a great range of interesting characters, and satisfying endings to both the A and B plots. Aspects of the alien race in control didn't sit right, and there were sections that were a bit slow.

Not a bad story, but way too generic to stand out in a crowded field. I'd say this was aimed at the middle-school or YA audiences, but wonder how an unnecessary depiction of a nude breast late in the book will effect its reception there.