Review - Amulet: The Stonekeeper by Kazu Kibuisi
May 2nd, 2008 John Posted in Books, Comic Books, Reviews |
In Kazu Kibuisi’s “Amulet: The Stonekeeper,” a science fantasy epic graphic novel for kids is kicked off with echoes of Japanese animation master Hiyao Miyazake and a bit of steampunk, as well as some Tolkien thrown in.
Emily and her brother Navin — along with their mother — work to move past a family tragedy in a new home, a creepy old mansion that is held in the family. It’s former resident, Silas Charnon, is the kids’ great grandfather, who went missing some years before after locking himself inside the house. Silas was noted as a puzzlemaker, but his puzzles resembled machines more than the traditional fare.
While cleaning the house, Emily stumbles upon a necklace, from which the titular amulet hangs — or perhaps I should call it the titular talking amulet, as it immediately begins warning Emily of some kind of impending doom for her family.
What follows is an exciting romp through a secret world in the bowels of the mansion, in which Emily and Navin are pitted against all kinds of oogly monsters and allied with a number of unusual robots — as well as faced with family secrets and a universal pressure to save everything and everybody.
It all culminates in a frantic but fun cliffhanger that leads directly into the second book of the series.
Kibuishi’s realization of his story flows beautifully thanks to his artwork — he’s wonderful at matching his character’s simple, wide-eyed, Manga-style appearances with painterly, gorgeous backdrops. Furthermore, his mastery moves between well-constructed dialogue and subtle silent scenes, whether capturing character moments or all-out action.
Further, Kibuishi’s meshing of genre styles is well-utilized for a tender tale of coming of age in a literary era where coming of age fantasies are a dime a dozen — unlike so many where kids wake up on the edge of puberty to find that they’re actually special, Emily and Navin wake up to find the challenges of the wider world are demanding that they prove they are special — or perhaps just capable. It’s a classic situation that any of us run up against — family mysteries rearing their ugly head — and it’s that challenge that makes the truths of Kibuishi’s story more universal. Many of Kibuishi’s readers will be facing similar, though smaller, issues and Kibuishi gives them reason to find light in the darkness without an in-your-face presentation of issues that diverts from a well-told story.
It’s a must for anyone who loves well-crafted fantasy or robots.
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