BOOK REVIEW:
Vikings are often seen as wild savages with their iconic horned
helmet, conquering almost all the lands that they ever sailed
to. It makes a surprising discovery when this graphic novel
started this tale of Vikings with a historic note that the
Vikings never invaded America. The reason for that was the
young boy that got left behind on the American soils.
The
only survivor of a shipwrecked maroon in the American soil,
this boy was taken care of by the local Indians. Raised as
their own, the little Viking boy grew up in the Indian tradition
and was immersed a different culture from his own. Although
the boy, named as Ghost for his pale European skin, called
his new family and tribe as his own, he was forever shunned
from his “own” people.
That
is until his people turned up again to reclaim what was lost
many years ago and thus the clash between the Vikings and
the Indian warriors known as the Pathfinder. Now Ghost had
to figure out his allegiance was to people that took care
of him or his real own tribesmen.
It’s
pretty easy to figure out which side wills the lead character
take, given the predictable set up and a love interest thrown
into the mix. The final outcome of this tale was already “revealed”
at the start of this graphic novel, leaving only the readers
with only anticipation of the bravery and wits that this group
of Indian could do to fend for themselves against the overwhelming
Vikings. But even that was a let down.
Partly
it has something to do with the art. While it’s an artistic
thumb up to have realistic facial images painted with dark
gloomy pale color, it doesn’t really work well in the
action sequences. The framing sequences and the artwork also
made it hard to define Ghost from other Pathfinder characters
which could waver the reader’s attention to root for
the main character.
CHOICE XCERPT:
“The Norsemen were the most vicious, ruthless raiders
in history.
They
overran and colonized every place they came into contact with.
So explain something to me, if they landed here, six centuries
before Columbus - why didn’t they stay?”
VERDICT:
Pathfinder
is relatively a short read. While it’s nice to look
at, the story is a formulaic underdog tale that does not really
engages the reader’s emotions. If you are a fan of the
movie, Pathfinder, you might want to consider picking up the
book during the wait till the Dvd is out or if you are a hardcore
fan of the mystical history of the Vikings and the Red Indians,
then give this book a try.
Review
by Richard Lim Jr
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