Saturday, October 19, 2019

REVIEW: Cursed

Cursed
Author: Thomas Wheeler

Ok....who else gravitates to books/graphic novels that have that lovely sticker "Soon to be a Netflix Original Series'' or "Now a Major Motion picture"?  I know I do!

While I hate the darn sticker on the front cover of my book (Geez....wrap them in plastic and put that darn tag on the plastic so you aren't marking up  my book!!' And DON'T make it a perma-part of the cover art....I don't want an ad displayed on the front cover of a book I paid for! Mini rant over.) I come running every time I see those tags, but I follow my rule which is I have to read the book before I watch any television adaptation. Then I understand the characters and I can join in on the complaining about what they changed/left out and any huzzahs about special effects, casting, awesomeness.

I have been both wildly entertained and completely disappointed in my quest for the most awesome book/film adaptations. I often go in expecting another Haunting of Hill House but prepared to deal with an Iron Fist.....ending up happily entertained somewhere in the middle of the two extremes.

I enjoyed this book. And I'm looking forward to it coming to Netflix in 2020!

Cursed is a twist on the King Arthur legend. The Lady of the Lake gets to be more than just a silvery hand appearing holding up a sword. This tale is told her her point of view. Nimue experiences the brutality of the world at a very early age....her entire village is slaughtered and her mother dies. But that is not her fate. Her fate is intertwined with a magical sword, Merlin, and Arthur. Add in some great art by Frank Miller, and it's a very entertaining read.

I have the suspicion that this story was written for television. The tale reads like a fleshed out script. The story is a nice update to the traditional Arthur legends....all the main characters are there....doing a new version of what they usually do. It just had the feel of a film script with some bookish details and flow added, plus nice artwork. A teaser for the Netflix series.

I'm definitely on-board for more ..... and I will definitely watch the series. But....I feel this is following the current YA trend. Trends get old when they are recycled again and again and again.....and again and again.  Yes, I am totally in support of strong female characters....but the theme is getting done to death over the past couple of years. I hope this revisit to Arthurian times stays fresh and creative.....and doesn't get bogged down in what will soon be The Same Old.

**I voluntarily read a review copy of this book from Simon and Schuster via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**


No comments:

Post a Comment