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Gunnerkrigg Court #3
Gunnerkrigg Court, Volume 3: Reason
Archaia's beloved Gunnerkrigg Court is back with a third paperback!
Antimony Carver, a precocious and preternaturally self-possessed young girl, and her best friend Kat begin their second year at gloomy Gunnerkrigg Court, a very British boarding school that has robots running around along side body-snatching demons, forest gods, and the odd mythical creature.
Finding a secret tomb of ancient robots beneath Kat's workshop leads the two friends to question how they are linked to the mysterious ghost that attacked Annie the year before. And as a new Medium In Training, Annie is able to visit the powerful trickster god Coyote in Gillitie Forest, a visit that reveals more than she ever imagined possible. Parts of Annie's past are revealed, as well as mysteries that tie back to the origins of the Court itself, in this sequel to Gunnerkrigg Court: Orientation, Gold Medal winner of ForeWord Magazine's 2008 Graphic Novel of the Year Award!
Antimony Carver, a precocious and preternaturally self-possessed young girl, and her best friend Kat begin their second year at gloomy Gunnerkrigg Court, a very British boarding school that has robots running around along side body-snatching demons, forest gods, and the odd mythical creature.
Finding a secret tomb of ancient robots beneath Kat's workshop leads the two friends to question how they are linked to the mysterious ghost that attacked Annie the year before. And as a new Medium In Training, Annie is able to visit the powerful trickster god Coyote in Gillitie Forest, a visit that reveals more than she ever imagined possible. Parts of Annie's past are revealed, as well as mysteries that tie back to the origins of the Court itself, in this sequel to Gunnerkrigg Court: Orientation, Gold Medal winner of ForeWord Magazine's 2008 Graphic Novel of the Year Award!
280 pages, Hardcover
First published August 23, 2011
11 people are currently reading
358 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 86 reviews
July 6, 2025
The writing in this volume has gotten tighter and tighter while the Siddell's is quickly developing his own art style, a bit reminiscent of Jeff Smith or Chris Bachalo when he was drawing Death. This volume has gotten darker than the previous 2 while giving us more answers as we're pulled more and more into the mysteries of Gunnerkrigg Court.
March 24, 2013
This is the third volume of Gunnerkrigg Court, still focusing on Antimony Carver's second year at the Hogwarts-like Gunnerkrigg Court. I am still not sure what to make of this world that mixes gods and demons, faeries, robots, psychic powers, and talking pigeons. At times it seems like the author has a master plan that's slowly coming together, other times it seems like he's just tossing in every cool idea he can think of at random. Serialized webcomics have a continuity of their own, and their internal consistency is dependent entirely on the creator. There are obviously some large metaplots being developed, but sometimes both the artwork and the subplots just left me confused.
What continues to endear me is the characters, particularly Antimony and her bestie Kat. Antimony, "Fire Head Girl" as Coyote calls her, is learning more about her true origins, and the sinister nature of Gunnerkrigg Court. Well, "sinister" is a matter of perspective. She learns that they have done some pretty slimy things in the past, which opens her and Kat to doubts as to whether they are still a well-intentioned institution trying to correct past mistakes, or possibly just maintaining the status quo and covering up past misdeeeds.
Most of these misdeeds revolve around the separation between the Court (technology) and the Forest (magic), a split precipitated by Coyote. Antimony learns some terrible truths about her mother. In a particularly effective scene, the normally preciously stoic tween shows her age by taking out anger and frustration on her demon-trapped-in-a-stuffed-animal, Reynard. Reynard lashes back in the most hurtful way possible.
The volume ends with Coyote inviting (manipulating) Antimony into staying in the Forest to learn more about her nature and her powers. Coyote, being Coyote, obviously is playing a long and devious game, but who knows what it is?
I found much of it confusing, but it's still quite an interesting variation on the magical boarding school setting. There are hints of adolescent romance in this volume, and the pigeon comics are pretty cool too.
What continues to endear me is the characters, particularly Antimony and her bestie Kat. Antimony, "Fire Head Girl" as Coyote calls her, is learning more about her true origins, and the sinister nature of Gunnerkrigg Court. Well, "sinister" is a matter of perspective. She learns that they have done some pretty slimy things in the past, which opens her and Kat to doubts as to whether they are still a well-intentioned institution trying to correct past mistakes, or possibly just maintaining the status quo and covering up past misdeeeds.
Most of these misdeeds revolve around the separation between the Court (technology) and the Forest (magic), a split precipitated by Coyote. Antimony learns some terrible truths about her mother. In a particularly effective scene, the normally preciously stoic tween shows her age by taking out anger and frustration on her demon-trapped-in-a-stuffed-animal, Reynard. Reynard lashes back in the most hurtful way possible.
The volume ends with Coyote inviting (manipulating) Antimony into staying in the Forest to learn more about her nature and her powers. Coyote, being Coyote, obviously is playing a long and devious game, but who knows what it is?
I found much of it confusing, but it's still quite an interesting variation on the magical boarding school setting. There are hints of adolescent romance in this volume, and the pigeon comics are pretty cool too.
April 6, 2014
This series just gets better and better. Siddell has a way of casually dropping plot bombs that take one's breath away. Among other things this volume, we learn more about Zimmy. And Reynardine. And Antimony's parents. Series this good don't come around often!
February 5, 2022
Gosh, I'm just enthralled with the characters and mythology building of this world. Parley almost steals the show, but Antimony Carver keeps a firm grip on my attention at all times.
So happy right now that I have so many more to read.
So happy right now that I have so many more to read.
June 25, 2011
Gunnerkrigg Court is one of my favorite stories! (To be fair, I've only read the online version so far, but I fully intend to buy all three volumes, and as many more as follow.) I have read the entire thing at least five times, and select chapters more than that.
The storytelling is excellent and I love finding subtle connections. I wish Tom could suddenly produce another thousand pages for me to enjoy, but I also love following along week by week. It has been fun watching Tom's artistic style develop over the course of the story. It has changed a great deal, and several of the later pages are truly fabulous.
The humor is wonderful too. And, as great as it will be to read in print you owe it to yourself to read Tom's comments posted with the online pages.
The storytelling is excellent and I love finding subtle connections. I wish Tom could suddenly produce another thousand pages for me to enjoy, but I also love following along week by week. It has been fun watching Tom's artistic style develop over the course of the story. It has changed a great deal, and several of the later pages are truly fabulous.
The humor is wonderful too. And, as great as it will be to read in print you owe it to yourself to read Tom's comments posted with the online pages.
February 18, 2024
This volume tells a coherent story from beginning to end, and for Gunnerkrigg that's really something. I don't know if it's a fluke, or Siddell started planning the comic around book releases at this point.
In true Gunnerkrigg fashion, what sets the story off is barely indicative of where it ends. As part of her medium training, Annie is given a history lesson by Jones in "Terror Castle". Her explanation of the origin of the Court barely says anything at all, and she tells Annie that much of the origins of the Court have been lost or erased. Jones speculates the founders may have been fleeing war or scrutiny.
"Sky Watcher and the Angel" further complicates things, as a visit from the Robot King leads to revelations about Diego, Jeanne's death and the other founders. This is pivotal, as Annie and Kat can no longer take the good intentions of the Court for granted. If its leaders were willing to do something so evil so soon after the division between Court and Wood, what might they be willing to do now, after centuries of cold war?
The revelation affects Annie and Kat differently. Kat tries to lose herself in her work, but finds it impossible, leading to the events of "A Bad Start". Amazing to think that a single ugly pigeon baby was the root cause of an entire multi-book, yet unresolved subplot.
Annie by contrast takes up Jack on an offer to investigate the power station in "Spring Heeled". Though Jack's erratic behaviour initially casts doubt on his claims that the Court keeps dossiers on every student and tracks them using food additives, Jones confirms that the latter is true, and given that he was able to use Anja's anti-Renard program, it seems he did in fact manage to break into the Court's computer network. Jones says the power station is used to extract etheric energy from the lake, and it's used in further experiments kept secret from her. Annie learns little concrete, except that the Court definitely cannot be trusted.
"The Coward Heart provides the final piece of the Jeanne puzzle as Annie and Parley witness her tragic betrayal. This chapter has one of the best action sequences of the entire comic, one of the saddest revelations, and some of the sweetest and funniest moments. Siddell skillfully weaves them all together into one of the best chapters in the entire comic. A truly great chapter.
The final blow comes in the explosive finale, "Fire Spike".
Of course, while there was a surprisingly cohesive overarching story, there are subplots and sideplots galore. The relationship of Parley and Smith, and Jack's obsession with Zimmy form the two big ones, but there are lots of little things that are asked and answered. Aata, Shell, Arthur, Juliette, and the shadow men make their first explicit appearance. These characters were so far off my radar I didn't even realize they'd appeared this far back. Coyote and Anja both claim that Coyote wanted to elevate Renard to his own level, for reasons unknown, and Coyote is apparently equally desperate to get Renard back from the Court. Jones' nature is seriously questioned for the first time, as she demonstrates superhuman abilities, shows an old friendship with Renard, and Coyote insinuates that she is not truly part of the Court. The only thing ruled out is that she is not a robot.
Siddell's artistic evolution continues. The sequences where Annie projects into the ether use a flowing panelless style that makes a strong contrast with the conventional art of the rest of the comic. "Spring Heeled" uses some subtle texturing of the hair and clothes. Maybe to suggest some subtle wrongness? Maybe to depict darkness without actually darkening the panel too much? The art no longer appears amateur in any capacity, and this isn't even the best the comic ever looks.
-Court started from the "seed bismuth", humans fled to Gillitie from something
-Jones didn't know Jeanne, claims origins of the Court have been deliberately erased
-Renard thinks "even Coyote" doesn't know what Jones is
-Tic-toc "older than the Court" and created by a "divine being"
-A guy backed out of the arrow, possibly the Artilleryman, also how on Earth did Diego make it
-Court computer network keeps notes on all students, but Foley and Chester information is inaccessible, and the court tracks people through the food
-Renard calls Ether "the fabric of existence"
-Jeanne was one of the shadow men, or at least their emblem was on her jacket
-wtf was the bird behind Steadman in "Coward Heart"? Tic-toc?
-Surma deliberately lured renard, who was deemed a danger to the court, as coyote was desperately trying to give him his powers, coyote wants him back
-Jack's Dad working on "some research project" (Omega), thought "Surma was nice", even though he called Surma a freak
-Eglamore uses the purple shield that the court robots used against Loup and I think Anja did earlier?
-Coyote wants the tooth to be a secret, but only barred Annie from telling people from the forest about it - hope that doesn't count the Foley students
August 24, 2013
EDIT 8/13: Upping to 5 stars because what am I, crazy?
---
I love keeping this series going. It's soo good.
Backstory galore in this volume, and I am a walking valentine to backstory, so, good heavens. The lengthy chapters finally unlocking the mystery of Jeanne (the awesome, threatening ghost stuck at the Annan Waters) are the best and the clear highlight of this book. They're beautiful, and upsetting for everyone who learns what happened, and make the present problem of Jeanne no less frightening or urgent.
Kat's crisis of faith after what she learns is sweet and sad to watch. She's one of those characters you can't stand to see upset. In general, I like that Antimony is sort of leading this investigation into what Jeanne's death did to the place: so little understanding of this part of the Court's history seems to exist, and Annie's odd circumstances and abilities have made it possible for her to start learning about it. Five stars for advanced use of blinker stone. It's beautiful what that thing can do.
As for secondary characters, yet again, Gamma and Zimmy forever, FOREVER. Forever. I wasn't that into two whole chapters being devoted to dealing with creepy Jack's issues, which didn't quite do it for me. (Or rather, I like the underlying thing, but got a bit mystified with the uh, the ether station, and the higher-ups talking about his condition, I don't know.) BUT it was a great excuse for a cool Zimmy/Gamma trick, so. When Gamma smooshes their heads together and tells her all about the things she's seen that day, omg. So CUTE. Also five stars for advanced use of Ms. Jones.
As a pigeon enthusiast, I enjoyed this chart of helpful information. And now I know what to do if a robot ever becomes attracted to me. (Hahaha.)
I dig the way the art gets drawn when she goes to the forest to work with Coyote, and how she always learns something from his tricks.
The ending, of course, is fantastic. Antimony always amazes everyone when she goes to the forest, and turning to it the way she does at the end is really, really moving. A lot of the characters are gripped with a pathos in this book that they haven’t touched before, especially those from the forest. We see more (literally) of Ysengrin than ever, and the way he carries Annie, previewed in the cover image, is desperately sad. (And he’s still a big meanie!) And, the things Renard has been through mean a huge amount to the story -- EVEN THOUGH he is (now) a STUFFED ANIMAL whose main purpose so far has been to SASS PEOPLE. That’s why this series is so good, in my opinion. Hilarious, adorable, and sad. A beloved nerd troika.
Anyway, I also love the way this happened, because really it’s one of the first times we’ve seen Antimony be bothered by something. I actually rather like that about how she’s written -- cool as a cucumber no matter what she sees. It gives the world-building a lot of shorthand, to show us what she doesn’t think is weird. (Of course, then there’s Kat, a perfect unrestrained foil of feelings.) She’s our base, and now she’s hurt. And to deal with that, she takes a really, really unusual and risky option. Fantastic. I can’t wait to see what she does.
(So far there's no word on Vol. 4 coming out. What am I gonna have to do, go to the website, and read them, for free?? NONSENSE!)
---
I love keeping this series going. It's soo good.
Backstory galore in this volume, and I am a walking valentine to backstory, so, good heavens. The lengthy chapters finally unlocking the mystery of Jeanne (the awesome, threatening ghost stuck at the Annan Waters) are the best and the clear highlight of this book. They're beautiful, and upsetting for everyone who learns what happened, and make the present problem of Jeanne no less frightening or urgent.
Kat's crisis of faith after what she learns is sweet and sad to watch. She's one of those characters you can't stand to see upset. In general, I like that Antimony is sort of leading this investigation into what Jeanne's death did to the place: so little understanding of this part of the Court's history seems to exist, and Annie's odd circumstances and abilities have made it possible for her to start learning about it. Five stars for advanced use of blinker stone. It's beautiful what that thing can do.
As for secondary characters, yet again, Gamma and Zimmy forever, FOREVER. Forever. I wasn't that into two whole chapters being devoted to dealing with creepy Jack's issues, which didn't quite do it for me. (Or rather, I like the underlying thing, but got a bit mystified with the uh, the ether station, and the higher-ups talking about his condition, I don't know.) BUT it was a great excuse for a cool Zimmy/Gamma trick, so. When Gamma smooshes their heads together and tells her all about the things she's seen that day, omg. So CUTE. Also five stars for advanced use of Ms. Jones.
As a pigeon enthusiast, I enjoyed this chart of helpful information. And now I know what to do if a robot ever becomes attracted to me. (Hahaha.)
I dig the way the art gets drawn when she goes to the forest to work with Coyote, and how she always learns something from his tricks.
The ending, of course, is fantastic. Antimony always amazes everyone when she goes to the forest, and turning to it the way she does at the end is really, really moving. A lot of the characters are gripped with a pathos in this book that they haven’t touched before, especially those from the forest. We see more (literally) of Ysengrin than ever, and the way he carries Annie, previewed in the cover image, is desperately sad. (And he’s still a big meanie!) And, the things Renard has been through mean a huge amount to the story -- EVEN THOUGH he is (now) a STUFFED ANIMAL whose main purpose so far has been to SASS PEOPLE. That’s why this series is so good, in my opinion. Hilarious, adorable, and sad. A beloved nerd troika.
Anyway, I also love the way this happened, because really it’s one of the first times we’ve seen Antimony be bothered by something. I actually rather like that about how she’s written -- cool as a cucumber no matter what she sees. It gives the world-building a lot of shorthand, to show us what she doesn’t think is weird. (Of course, then there’s Kat, a perfect unrestrained foil of feelings.) She’s our base, and now she’s hurt. And to deal with that, she takes a really, really unusual and risky option. Fantastic. I can’t wait to see what she does.
(So far there's no word on Vol. 4 coming out. What am I gonna have to do, go to the website, and read them, for free?? NONSENSE!)
March 26, 2015
The Gunnerkrigg Court webcomics once again have attained physical form! And it looks different even from the outside. The page preserves the black borders to the comics, so that you can see the darkness to the pages.
(May be spoilers from volume 1 and 2 ahead.)
Like the first two, this collects story arcs, nine of them, that are self-contained. Except that there are threads running back and forth between the episodes. Many things that appear to be local color -- and there are a lot of odd things about -- prove to be significant later.
But it continues the adventures of Antimony at the very odd school. The major characters were introduced earlier, but we have a simulation that ends early, the kids out on a camping trip where they hear ghost stories, robots come to Kat in hope of her being able to explain, Antimony taking a trip to the forest and seeing Coyote, Jack behaving oddly about Zimmy -- who is the strangest of the children, though we are assured that she is human for all intents and purposes -- and invading a power station, and many revelations that lead to much distress.
Much more of the back story of the Court is revealed. As is more of Antimony's own, and her parents', and Reyardine's.
Plus, of course, the pleasure of this very odd world
(May be spoilers from volume 1 and 2 ahead.)
Like the first two, this collects story arcs, nine of them, that are self-contained. Except that there are threads running back and forth between the episodes. Many things that appear to be local color -- and there are a lot of odd things about -- prove to be significant later.
But it continues the adventures of Antimony at the very odd school. The major characters were introduced earlier, but we have a simulation that ends early, the kids out on a camping trip where they hear ghost stories, robots come to Kat in hope of her being able to explain, Antimony taking a trip to the forest and seeing Coyote, Jack behaving oddly about Zimmy -- who is the strangest of the children, though we are assured that she is human for all intents and purposes -- and invading a power station, and many revelations that lead to much distress.
Much more of the back story of the Court is revealed. As is more of Antimony's own, and her parents', and Reyardine's.
Plus, of course, the pleasure of this very odd world
April 30, 2017
Reread Review 2017
5 stars, buy it
I tend to reread this series every year or two. I just found out that volume 6 will come out in 2018. I’m so excited. This is just as good the third time around. I only don't like the ending because things are weird between Kat and Annie in the next volume. This series is very rereadable.
____________________________
Original review: Seriously, if you aren’t reading this book/web comic, read it. Especially if you like Harry Potter type stories. Omg it's going to be a long wait for vol 5- previously read vol 4 as an arc from netgalley which is how I got introduced to this series.
At the end of each chapter is a cute little anecdote (can’t think of a better word for it). At the end of the chapter about a Pigeon and Kat, theres a page on how homing pigeons were real.
The physical book itself is incredibly beautiful. The pages are shiny and pretty. I will keep buying these in hardcover even if they were available for kindle since they are so pretty.
Love love love the art.
Love the camping story. And finally I find out why Kat was so mad at Annie.
Quotes: " nobody creeps out my main babe if I have anything to say about it." Kat
5 stars, buy it
I tend to reread this series every year or two. I just found out that volume 6 will come out in 2018. I’m so excited. This is just as good the third time around. I only don't like the ending because things are weird between Kat and Annie in the next volume. This series is very rereadable.
____________________________
Original review: Seriously, if you aren’t reading this book/web comic, read it. Especially if you like Harry Potter type stories. Omg it's going to be a long wait for vol 5- previously read vol 4 as an arc from netgalley which is how I got introduced to this series.
At the end of each chapter is a cute little anecdote (can’t think of a better word for it). At the end of the chapter about a Pigeon and Kat, theres a page on how homing pigeons were real.
The physical book itself is incredibly beautiful. The pages are shiny and pretty. I will keep buying these in hardcover even if they were available for kindle since they are so pretty.
Love love love the art.
Love the camping story. And finally I find out why Kat was so mad at Annie.
Quotes: " nobody creeps out my main babe if I have anything to say about it." Kat
August 29, 2012
Wow. This is a fantastic series! Myself and my kids just finished all three of the book versions of this webcomic. We asked about our favorite characters and the world itself. It's vast, complex and continually getting deeper. The story is about a young girl is in a strange school meeting odd creatures and learning about her particular "gift."
The artwork improves immensely as the series goes on. By this third book, some of the pages are stunning. The characters jump out of the page with their unique and endearing selves. The humor is good, sometimes really good. Sometimes the short plot arcs do not answer all their own questions, but you know things will come together in a later development, which I LOVE.
We're off to keep reading online, but I appreciate that there is a book version since I like reading off my computer. Heartily recommend this for grade school all the way up, up, up!
The artwork improves immensely as the series goes on. By this third book, some of the pages are stunning. The characters jump out of the page with their unique and endearing selves. The humor is good, sometimes really good. Sometimes the short plot arcs do not answer all their own questions, but you know things will come together in a later development, which I LOVE.
We're off to keep reading online, but I appreciate that there is a book version since I like reading off my computer. Heartily recommend this for grade school all the way up, up, up!
July 22, 2013
Sometimes, you just need a good cry. Heck, sometimes you just want one - want to read or watch or listen to something that affects you emotionally and makes you care deeply about these fictional characters. For me, whenever I need something like that, I always turn to Gunnerkrigg Court, and book 3 holds so many beautiful, poignant, heartbreaking but ultimately hopeful and good moments.
Some mysteries from earlier in the series are addressed, but others are just beginning, and through it all, we have the thread of Antimony coming into her own and trying to find her place in the Court.
If I can only get people to give one comic a try in their life, this would be the one.
Some mysteries from earlier in the series are addressed, but others are just beginning, and through it all, we have the thread of Antimony coming into her own and trying to find her place in the Court.
If I can only get people to give one comic a try in their life, this would be the one.
December 21, 2011
More episodes from Antimony Carver's life at the mysterious and vast Gunnerkrigg Court, and the woodland outside. A mix of horror, fantasy, mythology, mystery, and science fiction, you never know what you'll encounter, but it won't ever be quite what you expect.
This is such a cool series, and such gorgeous artwork. Sometimes I really have to stop and pay close attention to the pictures to figure out what's going on (and I think sometimes I get it wrong), but that kind of fits in with the dreamlike quality of the stories.
This is such a cool series, and such gorgeous artwork. Sometimes I really have to stop and pay close attention to the pictures to figure out what's going on (and I think sometimes I get it wrong), but that kind of fits in with the dreamlike quality of the stories.
September 10, 2012
Gunnerkrigg court is a Graphic Novel series for ages 12+ and anyone who likes good si-fi fantasy. The book is written and illustrated by Thomas Siddell who started and is continuing Gunnerkrigg Court as a web comic. The main character is Antimony-or Annie as her friends call her- and the books are about her in a strange and magical school, her adventures, and the people or things she meets. My favorite character is the demon Raynardine because is not quite good but not evil ether, he has a sometimes amusing personality and can transform into a white wolf and sometimes more.
March 14, 2013
The excellent thing about creating calm unflappable characters is that when something rattles them you really feel it. The end of this volume made me want to say comforting things to Antimony and offer a hug. And possibly tell her how much I appreciate her nope approach to romance. ^^ Honestly, I think that's one of my top favourite things about her. Character traits that are both hilarious and interesting: what's not to love. 5 stars
March 21, 2012
Siddell continues to weave an amazing sci-fi/fantasy coming-of-age tale with plenty of unexpected and thought-provoking plot twists and bits of new character information. And the art just gets better and better.
September 10, 2014
Love these books, once of the best webcomics I read. Perhaps one of the best stories I've ever read, and it's not over yet.
October 14, 2011
It just keeps getting better and better! (Although I must say I will always prefer the artwork in the earlier books)
http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/
http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/
December 17, 2012
The art keeps improving, and the story getting more intriguing. Now that I've read the books, time to catch up on the web comic.
September 2, 2016
In love with this series. I'd go catch up online, but since Vol. 4 comes out in less than two weeks, I'll just wait till then!
October 16, 2013
I love how the artwork progresses with each chapter. Absolutely beautiful!
September 25, 2016
Gerçekten çok özgün bir seri. Giderek de daha ilginç bir hal alıyor.
March 4, 2017
After Antimony “Annie” Carver’s mother Surma dies, her father Anthony drops her off at her parent’s alma mater, a strange boarding school called Gunnerkrigg Court. The court is an enormous place, looking rather like an industrial city, but large portions of it seem to be abandoned…by humans, at least. There are robots advanced beyond anything in the outside world, bizarre events are commonplace, there’s a creepy forest just across a long bridge students are forbidden to cross, and Annie notices that she’s picked up a second shadow.
This noted fantasy webcomic has been running since 2005, beginning here: http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=1 (happily, the art style drastically improves over time.) It’s got an intricate plot with many details planned well in advance. (For example, in an early strip Antimony tells us it will be two years before she sees her father again.) The Court’s architecture is somewhat based on the city of Birmingham in England.
At the beginning of this volume, Annie is in training to possibly become the Court’s Medium, an ambassador between the school and the magical Gillitie Wood. The other two candidates, Andrew Smith (with the ability to bring order out of chaos) and George Parley (whose father expected a boy, and has the gift of teleportation) argue a lot but turn out to be attracted to each other. This interrupts two simulations.
Then it’s time for a camping trip to a park that is actually inside the boundaries of Gunnerkrigg Court. Campers start to disappear, and Annie and her best friend Kat (Katherine Donlan, daughter of two of the teachers who were friends with Annie’s parents) must solve the mystery.
After that, Kat, who is beloved by the Court’s robots due to her technical skills and repair abilities grants the king of said robots access to the portrait of Jeanne, the ghost that haunts the ravine between the Court and the Wood. In return, he reveals the existence of a robot that has memories of Jeanne, and the very early days of the Court. Those memories reveal a dark secret of the past.
In the next chapter, Annie visits the Wood and learns more about Ysengrim, the wolf with tree armor that is the current Medium for their side of the river. Coyote, the trickster spirit that is in charge of the Wood, gives Annie a gift for reasons not fully revealed.
Then the subplot of Jack, who’s been acting increasingly erratic since he was exposed to the mass hallucination projected by a girl named Zimmy, comes to the fore. He coerces Annie into accompanying him to a power station that might have something to do with why he can’t sleep.
This is followed by a spotlight chapter for Kat, who hasn’t been able to process her emotional reaction to learning what the Court did to Jeanne. She’s finally able to recover her equilibrium with the help of an abandoned baby bird, and Paz, a classmate who can talk to animals.
Further research with the help of Andrew and Parley reveals some of Jeanne’s story from her point of view, and convinces Parley to be honest about her feelings.
Finally, Annie’s second year at Gunnerkrigg Court comes to a painful close when she and Renard (a fox spirit living in a stuffed toy) quarrel and reveal some very painful secrets to each other. This leads to her choosing to spend the summer in the Wood rather than with friends.
At the end are some art pages and bonus strips about “City Face”, the pigeon Kat rescued.
The mood swings wildly between chapters, some being very comedic while others go deep into dark territory. While we get several important revelations in this volume, the jigsaw nature of the overall plot means that many items don’t pay off until future volumes–I do recommend starting from the beginning.
As is often the case with webcomics collections, the material is all available on the internet for free, but if you like it, please consider buying the print version to make the creator more financially stable.
This noted fantasy webcomic has been running since 2005, beginning here: http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=1 (happily, the art style drastically improves over time.) It’s got an intricate plot with many details planned well in advance. (For example, in an early strip Antimony tells us it will be two years before she sees her father again.) The Court’s architecture is somewhat based on the city of Birmingham in England.
At the beginning of this volume, Annie is in training to possibly become the Court’s Medium, an ambassador between the school and the magical Gillitie Wood. The other two candidates, Andrew Smith (with the ability to bring order out of chaos) and George Parley (whose father expected a boy, and has the gift of teleportation) argue a lot but turn out to be attracted to each other. This interrupts two simulations.
Then it’s time for a camping trip to a park that is actually inside the boundaries of Gunnerkrigg Court. Campers start to disappear, and Annie and her best friend Kat (Katherine Donlan, daughter of two of the teachers who were friends with Annie’s parents) must solve the mystery.
After that, Kat, who is beloved by the Court’s robots due to her technical skills and repair abilities grants the king of said robots access to the portrait of Jeanne, the ghost that haunts the ravine between the Court and the Wood. In return, he reveals the existence of a robot that has memories of Jeanne, and the very early days of the Court. Those memories reveal a dark secret of the past.
In the next chapter, Annie visits the Wood and learns more about Ysengrim, the wolf with tree armor that is the current Medium for their side of the river. Coyote, the trickster spirit that is in charge of the Wood, gives Annie a gift for reasons not fully revealed.
Then the subplot of Jack, who’s been acting increasingly erratic since he was exposed to the mass hallucination projected by a girl named Zimmy, comes to the fore. He coerces Annie into accompanying him to a power station that might have something to do with why he can’t sleep.
This is followed by a spotlight chapter for Kat, who hasn’t been able to process her emotional reaction to learning what the Court did to Jeanne. She’s finally able to recover her equilibrium with the help of an abandoned baby bird, and Paz, a classmate who can talk to animals.
Further research with the help of Andrew and Parley reveals some of Jeanne’s story from her point of view, and convinces Parley to be honest about her feelings.
Finally, Annie’s second year at Gunnerkrigg Court comes to a painful close when she and Renard (a fox spirit living in a stuffed toy) quarrel and reveal some very painful secrets to each other. This leads to her choosing to spend the summer in the Wood rather than with friends.
At the end are some art pages and bonus strips about “City Face”, the pigeon Kat rescued.
The mood swings wildly between chapters, some being very comedic while others go deep into dark territory. While we get several important revelations in this volume, the jigsaw nature of the overall plot means that many items don’t pay off until future volumes–I do recommend starting from the beginning.
As is often the case with webcomics collections, the material is all available on the internet for free, but if you like it, please consider buying the print version to make the creator more financially stable.
April 16, 2021
And the plot thickens. Well, first there are laser cows, of course!
Antimony and Kat discover a shrine (tomb) the to lady by the river and find a hoard of robots created by the guy (Diego) who loved her. But when she rejected him, he recommended to the court that she be sacrificed as the court seeks to protect their side of the Annan Waters from the forest and Coyote. Kat becomes the Angel to the existing robots, though it's not clear why. Coyote tricks Antimony to show her the weakened state of Ysengrin and the preserved body of Renard, who's trapped in the Court (originally by Antimony's mother, who was the Court's medium at the time, who tricked Renard to fall in love with her to trap him). Coyote gifts Antimony a tooth (which is a magical sword). Jack Hyland's weird behavior is finally explained and cured by Zimmy, of course. Renard is saved from danger by Jones, who's claimed to be immortal and whose weird powers become more and more evident. Kat rescues a baby pigeon with Paz's help and doesn't at first understand the significance of the old schemes the robots bring her. Antimony and Kat devise a plan to get to the lady by the river using the Antimony's stone. They learn quite a lot about the lady by the lake, but when she gets control of the stone things get out of hand. Parley is able to rescue Antimony with her newly emerging magical teleportation powers. Parley can finally declare her love for Andrew, an underclassman. Together, they play some tricks on Jones. Jack and Antimony have an awkward date. Renard and Antimony have a fight, where Antimony tells him her mom wasn't really in love with him, and he tells her her mom died because of her. Antimony escapes to the forest and Jones allows her to stay in the forest for the summer. Meanwhile, Kat has no idea that Antimony won't be spending the summer with her.
The story continues to develop some complex threads interjected with some humorous, lighter chapters. There are a lot of pigeons here! (And did I mention laser cows?) The magical/mythical elements are more integrated in the story in these chapters. The ether and the special powers of Antimony, Parley, Andrew, Zimmy, and Jack seem to be maturing. Jones becomes a more interesting character.
Recommended for those who like cows, spiders, camp fires, forest elves and home videos.
Antimony and Kat discover a shrine (tomb) the to lady by the river and find a hoard of robots created by the guy (Diego) who loved her. But when she rejected him, he recommended to the court that she be sacrificed as the court seeks to protect their side of the Annan Waters from the forest and Coyote. Kat becomes the Angel to the existing robots, though it's not clear why. Coyote tricks Antimony to show her the weakened state of Ysengrin and the preserved body of Renard, who's trapped in the Court (originally by Antimony's mother, who was the Court's medium at the time, who tricked Renard to fall in love with her to trap him). Coyote gifts Antimony a tooth (which is a magical sword). Jack Hyland's weird behavior is finally explained and cured by Zimmy, of course. Renard is saved from danger by Jones, who's claimed to be immortal and whose weird powers become more and more evident. Kat rescues a baby pigeon with Paz's help and doesn't at first understand the significance of the old schemes the robots bring her. Antimony and Kat devise a plan to get to the lady by the river using the Antimony's stone. They learn quite a lot about the lady by the lake, but when she gets control of the stone things get out of hand. Parley is able to rescue Antimony with her newly emerging magical teleportation powers. Parley can finally declare her love for Andrew, an underclassman. Together, they play some tricks on Jones. Jack and Antimony have an awkward date. Renard and Antimony have a fight, where Antimony tells him her mom wasn't really in love with him, and he tells her her mom died because of her. Antimony escapes to the forest and Jones allows her to stay in the forest for the summer. Meanwhile, Kat has no idea that Antimony won't be spending the summer with her.
The story continues to develop some complex threads interjected with some humorous, lighter chapters. There are a lot of pigeons here! (And did I mention laser cows?) The magical/mythical elements are more integrated in the story in these chapters. The ether and the special powers of Antimony, Parley, Andrew, Zimmy, and Jack seem to be maturing. Jones becomes a more interesting character.
Recommended for those who like cows, spiders, camp fires, forest elves and home videos.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 4, 2020
We get a lot more plot here, tying the events of the forest and the Court closer together, and resolving the mystery of Jeanne in a surprising manner. And Annie's story takes a significant turn by the end of the book, with many secrets revealed, and history untangled in surprising and powerful ways. There's also some humor, especially between the candidates. Although Annie's plot is still central, Kat is my favorite. And there's some interesting interactions between Annie and Jack, among others, that are fascinating. The larger cast doesn't get quite as much time to shine here, but everyone makes good use of their moments. And the art within the forest and memory sections especially blossoms; Siddell has come up with very effective means to capture the Etheric impact on the world, and it makes the story ethereal and occasionally beautiful.
February 3, 2022
Having gone back to re-read the series closer together, rather than as they came out, has given me a different take on the series. This volume took some rather dark turns, but the one character's twists of luck became hilarious, especially once there was a payoff.
The various subplots, from the baby pigeon to the perhaps real story of Antimony's mother [this time for sure?] were fascinating, but beginning to get complicated to keep track of. On the other hand, they were worth the effort.
The various subplots, from the baby pigeon to the perhaps real story of Antimony's mother [this time for sure?] were fascinating, but beginning to get complicated to keep track of. On the other hand, they were worth the effort.
November 15, 2021
I really love this series. It's beautifully illustrated and the story never fails to keep my interest. There were lots of answers to previous questions in this installment, but more mystery is still yet to come!
January 18, 2024
I adore this comic. It just gets better and better. The art in particular has progressed impressively since the beginning of the first volume. I absolutely love everything about the forest denizens, particularly Ysengrin and Coyote. I would recommend this series to anyone, no question.
June 18, 2017
Keeps getting more interesting as the story continues. Very curious, strange way to end the book. Lots of unanswered questions and story of Jeanne is heartbreaking. Ahh, interesting~
September 12, 2017
So much to take in, in this volume. Things are getting much heavier as more secrets come into the light...But just as many new questions are raised. It's keeping me reading, that much is certain.
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