The Devourer: A Graphic Novel

The Worlds of Cixin Liu #2

by Liu Cixin, Jean-David Morvan (Adapted By), Weilin Yang (Illustrator)

Welcome to The Worlds of Cixin Liu, a series of graphic novels created by 35 artists – including writers, illustrators and colourists – from 13 countries, to salute the unique imagination of China's science fiction grandmaster.

Members of the Earth Protection Force circle the planet's atmosphere, neutralising threats before they come close enough to cause harm. Most days the threats come in the form of asteroids or meteorites, inanimate bodies set on a trajectory thousands of years ago – but not today.

Instead, a great crystal sent by a faraway alien intelligence has been intercepted. It carries a simple The Devourer approaches. The Devourer consumes planets, gorging itself on their inhabitants and plundering the land, only stopping once nothing living remains.

Soon, the first Devourer ship enters the solar system and Earth's fate is sealed.

Sealed, that is, unless humanity can fight – and win...

Genres: Comics

112 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 13, 2022

About the author

Science Fiction fan and writer.

Author also writes under Cixin Liu

Reviews

[Johan Haneveld · Rating 4 out of 5]

7 (3,5 stars) Fascinating graphic novel adaptation of a short story by Cixin Liu. I hadn't read the short story in question myself, but I did read a kind of sequel to this story in his collection 'Hold Up The Sky'. At times this story is a bit too epic for the relatively short format - the huge ideas in here would have made more impact with a little more character development. But this is an inheritor of the esthetics of golden age SF, where it's more about the sense of wonder than the characters - but coupled with a more modern kind of ethos - in which mankind is small, and the universe a hostile place where pacifism has no role to play. This is in line with the well known 'Remembrance of Earth's Past'-trilogy and especially the 'Dark Forest'-theory, which is here put forward in its embryonic form. As a paleontology nerd I would have liked the dates for several prehistoric events, and details about human evolution, to line up more with what we know from fossil evidence. Now I was often pulled out of the story by contradictions with our knowledge (e.g. about the age of human remains). I know this is not the point of the story, but it's also something the author could have easily remedied, so I still substract a star for that alone ...
The story does have several awe inducing sequences, there are surprises here, and interesting revelations (and in the start a certain whimsy - with the emissary from an alien civilisation presenting as a anime-character). The end is grim, but with a message of hope as well.

[Elina Suikanen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Olen kai tullut vanhaksi, mutta tarina tuntui uskomattoman hölmöltä. Tähdet piirrosjäljestä ja värityksestä.