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477th out of 1,502 books
—
3,025 voters
Dawn Land
Ten thousand years ago, in what would one day be known as North America, Young Hunter set out on an epic quest to overcome the Stone Giants who were terrorizing his people. Pitted against creatures of legend, Young Hunter journeyed to the innermost heart of his own humanity, even meeting the very gods of the land. He was entrusted with his tribe’s most dangerous secret, a...more
Paperback, 320 pages
Published
October 12th 2010
by First Second
(first published 1993)
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So "Dawn Land" by Joeseph Bruchac has been on my mental to read list for a long time. I enjoy Native American stories and writers, plus it won wheelbarrows full of awards. So imagine my surprise when I found there was a graphic novel adaptation of it. Now usually adaptations leave me a bit... nervous. There are a lot of bad ones out there. And having not read the original source material I cannot tell you if it's a faithful adaptation.
But as a graphic novel, it was BEAUTIFUL. It's a classic her...more
But as a graphic novel, it was BEAUTIFUL. It's a classic her...more
I went into this book with no expectations and was pretty thoroughly blown away by it. Based on the novel of the same name by Joseph Bruchac, this book uses Native American myths to tell the story of two cousins set 10,000 years in America's past, where one young man is blessed by fate and the other is cursed by it.
From my review: "As a plot, Dawn Land seems fairly ordinary, but its execution, particularly artistically, is nothing short of extraordinary. Davis has a measured storytelling style,...more
From my review: "As a plot, Dawn Land seems fairly ordinary, but its execution, particularly artistically, is nothing short of extraordinary. Davis has a measured storytelling style,...more
Aug 03, 2012
Pauline
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
fans of myths, legends and folk tales
Shelves:
graphic-novels,
mythology-legends-folk-tales
As a child, I distinctly remember cleaning out my local library's selection of myths/legends/and tales from around the world. There must have been around 40 books and I just couldn't get enough of them. When I had read all there was to offer, I was disappointed and wanted more. So, when I saw a graphic novel based off of a Native American tale, it was like I was a child again.
I really enjoyed Dawn Land. In a nutshell, it has all the basic elements of a fantastic legend. There is a prophecy/lege...more
I really enjoyed Dawn Land. In a nutshell, it has all the basic elements of a fantastic legend. There is a prophecy/lege...more
An amazing story, gracefully and elegantly retold in graphic form, I thoroughly enjoyed "Dawn Land." My only regret was how quickly it ended; I felt that a couple more pages of Young Hunter's journey home would have allowed for a more gentle release from the story.
That said, I loved this tale of an ancient New England and the people and mythologies that were here 10,000 years before us. Young Hunter is on a quest to defeat the Stone Giants, actual giants who terrorize and make meals of the "Onl...more
That said, I loved this tale of an ancient New England and the people and mythologies that were here 10,000 years before us. Young Hunter is on a quest to defeat the Stone Giants, actual giants who terrorize and make meals of the "Onl...more
Loved it - a billion times! The book was more adult than I thought it would be - there were bad words and pictures of naked people. Yes, I realize that you're all going to check out the book now (I turned it in today, so it's back in the library!). There are some very creative insults as well. But the story is a creation story at heart, and I loved hearing about White Buffalo Woman from a different viewpoint. I had not read very much about the Abenaki before, and I loved reading about them in a...more
A fascinating book, full of the seemingly well-researched details of a culture very different from that of modern America. I'd recommend it to anthropologists, or those interested in prehistoric cultures or way-old American Indian history, just for that. Its unique voice, too, made the book interesting - the fact that it was written by a traditional Native American storyteller really shows. The descriptions especially are beautiful, simple, and poetic, and the straightforwardness makes the shock...more
Interesting story. I was initially skeptical of its authenticity--was this pan-Indian, romanticized, only partly informed? The author's notes impressed me with his adherence to cultural origins and the values of his tradition. Some of the visual storytelling was a little opaque, and a more mainstream aesthetic would have emphasized certain parts of the drama; however, this carried the feeling of an elder telling a story: sometimes hard to follow, but maybe that's because you need to pay a little...more
Part of what I liked about this book is that it's set in the area between the Hudson & Connecticut Rivers, north of where we live but similar terrain. Also, it takes place in "pre-contact" and/or "ceremonial" time (terms I learned from the book jacket) at the end of the last ice age and our newspaper has been running a series of articles on ancient stone and cave formations that are mysterious and unexplainable unless, to judge by this book, Indian mythologies provide the answers, which is a...more
This was a great story set in post-ice age North America; a marvellous folkloric tale involving spirits, ancient predators and giants pitted against the ingenuity, resilience and creativity of humans. Wonderfully written and illustrated. The author is an Abenaki steeped in the folklore, beliefs, tracking arts and other ancient skills of his people. An absolutely fascinating story.
Loved this native-American story about two close cousins one of whom is cursed to be a slave to the bloodthirsty giants and the other who is entrusted with a weapon and destined to complete a quest to save mankind with his intelligent and loyal wolves. Mystic drawings beautifully illustrate the closeness (overlapping?) of man's relationship with the earth, the sky (the gods, and the animals.
Dawn Land is a fabulously illustrated graphic novel about the first peoples of the Americas. This creation story takes place when Megafauna such as saber toothed tigers and mammoths inhabited our land. While most everything has changed in the more than ten thousand years since the story takes place, the complexity of people and their ability to forgive is current.
Beautiful graphic novel. Reminiscent of Broken Saints. The story is familiar - David and Goliath - but the presentation is wonderfully fresh. Sweeping scenic vistas, pages and pages without text or dialogue, immaculate pacing. Adult themes are suggested rather than extensively detailed. Adequate length and character development, and the story resolves. Perfection.
An amazing story so so beautifully told, first by Joseph Bruchac and now, here with the gorgeous rendering and adaptation by Will Davis! While I have not read Bruchac's original "Dawn Land" I must say the silent visual language of Davis's exquisite drawing and brushwork bring this story to life in a poignant and powerful way! Beautiful!
Joseph Bruchac wrote a novel called Dawn Land, a prehistory epic of the First Nations people of North America years ago. This is the graphic novel version--and it is a stunner. I love the visual energy, the epic story line, the amazing characters and the depiction of different First Nation groups. Definitely one for my collection!
A beautiful and evocative adaptation of Bruchac's pre-historic mythical epic, a tale of the first bow and the defeat of the stone giants based in North Eastern Native American legends (specifically, Abenaki). I felt, while reading it, as though I were back in the forests of my childhood homes, wary of the hairy men and the blood-drinking skeletons.
A sweeping epic by the greatest living Native American storyteller, retold brilliantly as a graphic novel with very few words. A journey, both physical and spiritual, to challenge the deep terrors that stalked the footsteps of ancient man for the future of the world. Mesmerizing.
High School Graphic Novel
High School Graphic Novel
I love the art style, but it was occasionally difficult to tell characters apart.
I'm going to be honest with you. I had mixed feelings.
You can read about me muddling through all of them in my review at MyEntertainmentWorld.ca.
You can read about me muddling through all of them in my review at MyEntertainmentWorld.ca.
Absolutelty fantastic. A powerful and moving story and the artwork brings it to life beautifully.
A well-constructed story based on Abenaki legends gathered from research and oral tradition: two cousins and their struggles as one is chosen, and the other is cursed.
Beautiful art, but the ending fell a little flat.
Native American tale of a period just after the ice ages well illustrated. Excellent story.
Oddly paced, but there was a lot to like about the characters and the humour and the cultural insight, and he does interesting things with language.
May 22, 2013
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Joseph Bruchac lives with his wife, Carol, in the Adirondack mountain foothills town of Greenfield Center, New York, in the same house where his maternal grandparents raised him. Much of his writing draws on that land and his Abenaki ancestry. Although his American Indian heritage is only one part of an ethnic background that includes Slovak and English blood, those Native roots are the ones by wh...more
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Oct 29, 2012 07:55pm