And Then I Read: THE AUTUMNLANDS 4

Image © Kurt Busiek and Benjamin Dewey.

What a fun book this is. The plot and characters continue to grow deeper and more complex, heading for “Game of Thrones” territory, but without the grimness and gore — at least so far. Dusty, the viewpoint character on the cover, is a charming starry-eyed kid, swept into the spell of heroic adventures accomplished so far by Learoyd, the “Champion” human called here from the distant past. Learoyd is battle-smart, and so far is keeping ahead of the broken city’s many opponents, but the latter are closing in. He has a “Mowgli” grown-up feel about him that I like, too. The various wizards and diplomats are entertaining in their own way, even if they’re all bumbling around in the dark of their new situation, and the foxy trader is playing everyone. In addition to all this, there are cool ideas like the walking chair and the mystery of the old-time pulp adventure spreads on the second and third pages of each issue. Are they just for flavor, or is that another part of the story? Great stuff by Busiek, Dewey and company.

Highly recommended.