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Servant of the Bones #1-6
Anne Rice's Servant of the Bones
Anne Rice, among the most iconic creators in horror, brings one of her richest stories to the graphic novel form. A tale of murder, demonic revenge, and the redemptive power of faith, Servant of the Bones is ornately illustrated by the New York Times bestselling team of Renae DeLiz and Ray Dillon.
152 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1996
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
September 6, 2013
The beginning is a little confusing as the author tries to not give away too much, and ends up with a conversation that does not flow together. After the first chapter, Azriel relates in detail much of what has happened to him; how he became a servant of the bones, a few of the masters he has served, how he was taught to love. The writer he is speaking to, Jonathan will sometimes tell his thoughts to the reader, but these are awkwardly placed, and are unimportant for the images could have easily expressed these ideas if made right.
As a whole, the writing style suits a book format better than it does a graphic novel, but for the purposes of the story it does achieve what it needs to; how Azriel, a being that has lived for centuries, a being that is no longer human, finally finds his purpose.
Azriel is a character that you feel sympathy for, but some of his characteristics are inconsistent, like his concept of love. His confusion is palpable, but this has more to do with the poor quality of the writing, because we end up just as confused as to what is happening.
The artwork on the other hand is quite another matter, it is beautiful and really captures the spirit aspects of this world. For the most part the panels flow well, except at several parts where they the do not clearly show what is happening (again the wording does not help at these points).
The overall concept is a really good one, and the part about his life in ancient Babylon is the best thought out, but the execution is lacking. Fortunately there is another option. The book version of Servant of Bones is probably wonderful, it would be given a better laid out structure, more detail, and would have had fewer jarring jumps in the speech. The only reason to pick up the graphic novel is to see the art.
As a whole, the writing style suits a book format better than it does a graphic novel, but for the purposes of the story it does achieve what it needs to; how Azriel, a being that has lived for centuries, a being that is no longer human, finally finds his purpose.
Azriel is a character that you feel sympathy for, but some of his characteristics are inconsistent, like his concept of love. His confusion is palpable, but this has more to do with the poor quality of the writing, because we end up just as confused as to what is happening.
The artwork on the other hand is quite another matter, it is beautiful and really captures the spirit aspects of this world. For the most part the panels flow well, except at several parts where they the do not clearly show what is happening (again the wording does not help at these points).
The overall concept is a really good one, and the part about his life in ancient Babylon is the best thought out, but the execution is lacking. Fortunately there is another option. The book version of Servant of Bones is probably wonderful, it would be given a better laid out structure, more detail, and would have had fewer jarring jumps in the speech. The only reason to pick up the graphic novel is to see the art.
November 8, 2015
I enjoy Anne Rice immensely so I was really disappointed in this graphic novel re-telling of one of her books. I haven't read 'Servant of the Bones' yet but this adaptation was really terrible. It was extremely hard to figure out what was going on and I still don't really have a good idea of what the story actually was. It was confusing as fuck and I don't think Anne Rice's style of writing lent itself well to this form.
February 8, 2019
Must have been written during her religion phase....might not read the regular novel I own now that I read this...wasn't impressed with it.
November 10, 2024
A very interesting story.
April 6, 2025
Very choppy storyline- could not keep up for the first third of the book.
August 1, 2012
A tough slog to get through. Since I haven't read Anne Rice's novel, the graphic novel makes me hope I never pick it up. I don't think the story concept was bad. Just the execution. It's hard to figure out what exactly you hope to happen in the graphic novel. Something about an immortal soul and pandering to human emotions. Very existential and completely meandering.
August 31, 2013
It is a typical Anne Rice story, where a supernatural creature revels his existence to a mortal soul (i mean, human). I haven't read the book, and I don't think I'm going to, but I really enjoyed this graphical version.
July 14, 2016
Rating: 3
I loved the graphic art but the story just was not my thing and it sucks even more because I love Anne Rice.
I loved the graphic art but the story just was not my thing and it sucks even more because I love Anne Rice.
May 19, 2020
The original novel was a challenge to follow and comprehend, and this graphic version did not really assist much with that. The existential angst that is the baseline for many gothic romantic novels is peppered with religious and cultural mysticism that was extreme.
The author said she did significant research for this work, especially in ancient and religious Hebrew and Sumerian, but the reader had to be almost as equally knowledgeable and adept to be able to understand much of the setting of the story.
The latter twist towards a modern times is perhaps ever more poignant and comprehensible with the growth of right wing white supremacist politics and a disease conspiracy of pandemic proportions.
Privilege and luxury may add to the romanticism but also that same lack of reality make the reader an external voyeur at an unattainable lifestyle.
Difficulty with the text did not detract from the brilliant artwork by Renae de Liz; And while not attributed on the cover the work by Jenny Frison (in the sixth and final chapter).
The author said she did significant research for this work, especially in ancient and religious Hebrew and Sumerian, but the reader had to be almost as equally knowledgeable and adept to be able to understand much of the setting of the story.
The latter twist towards a modern times is perhaps ever more poignant and comprehensible with the growth of right wing white supremacist politics and a disease conspiracy of pandemic proportions.
Privilege and luxury may add to the romanticism but also that same lack of reality make the reader an external voyeur at an unattainable lifestyle.
Difficulty with the text did not detract from the brilliant artwork by Renae de Liz; And while not attributed on the cover the work by Jenny Frison (in the sixth and final chapter).
August 9, 2018
Terrible. So bad that I started to wonder if it was made as a sort of satire or spoof. Unfortunately, it looks like the nonsense plot is faithful to the original novel and is possibly as baffling. I wouldn't even recommend this as a B-Movie equivalent, as the laughably bad parts are mostly near the end, after a slog of pointless prologue. So many monologue pile-ups. Ugh.
The coloring was good, at least. The letterer needed a better edit pass.
The coloring was good, at least. The letterer needed a better edit pass.
June 10, 2017
Nice art, really flimsy story. At some point, I realized I was on the brink of dozing off every time I picked this up, and that was probably for a reason. It's really more of the same old Anne Rice - immortal being talking about himself and being sad about life. It could have been good, if only the execution was better.
September 22, 2017
To be honest this book just wasn't for me but those graphics were beautiful. The small romance scene was weird and overall I just felt like the story was all over the place. The graphics were really what kept me going. I did find the concept interesting and maybe I would like the novel more, so maybe I will give that a try.
June 19, 2018
The only reason that this got two stars from me is the artwork. It is absolutely beautiful. However, I found the story mediocre and the story-telling confusing at best. It made sense, but didn't read very....fluidly? It just seemed to break off suddenly and not relate back. I don't know, maybe it is just me.
December 18, 2017
Art - great.
Story - meh.
Story - meh.
March 4, 2018
It was the fastest way to understand of Azriel.. I like the drawings.
May 3, 2020
A tantalising read
March 19, 2022
No vampire nor witches
Good visual art and amazing storyline.
Anne Rice managed a good mix of a journey through time and very current concerns.
Good visual art and amazing storyline.
Anne Rice managed a good mix of a journey through time and very current concerns.
September 17, 2023
Beautiful interpretation of the Anne Rice classic. Highly recommend.
April 19, 2024
Beautiful Artwork.
February 16, 2025
This was just okay. Could I have enjoyed this version of the story "as-is", without the illustrations? Absolutely not.
April 21, 2016
Personal rating: 3.5 stars
I didn't know Anne Rice published a graphic novel! I was so excited when I picked it up. For some reason I thought that I read the novel before but I didn't. The story was new to me. I worried that it might be different from reading a regular novel but Anne Rice's style was preserved in this graphic novel. It had the same spiritual, mystical feeling to it. The author's introduction to the book is very sweet as well.
The art is gorgeous! I think the art on its own deserves 5 stars! Azriel is so beautiful! I wish the same artists would do Vampire Chronicles!
Chapters are introduced by art panels and poems by Stan Rice.
I liked the novel but I can't give it a higher rating because it was short and because of that I felt disconnected from the characters. At times the plot didn't make much sense (but it does happens with Anne Rice novels - you sort of have to go with the flow), emotional connections seemed superficial, and events at times felt disjointed.
I did enjoy it still, and the ending was good. I just feel that I, perhaps, would have enjoyed the plot more if I read the novel beforehand.
I didn't know Anne Rice published a graphic novel! I was so excited when I picked it up. For some reason I thought that I read the novel before but I didn't. The story was new to me. I worried that it might be different from reading a regular novel but Anne Rice's style was preserved in this graphic novel. It had the same spiritual, mystical feeling to it. The author's introduction to the book is very sweet as well.
The art is gorgeous! I think the art on its own deserves 5 stars! Azriel is so beautiful! I wish the same artists would do Vampire Chronicles!
Chapters are introduced by art panels and poems by Stan Rice.
I liked the novel but I can't give it a higher rating because it was short and because of that I felt disconnected from the characters. At times the plot didn't make much sense (but it does happens with Anne Rice novels - you sort of have to go with the flow), emotional connections seemed superficial, and events at times felt disjointed.
I did enjoy it still, and the ending was good. I just feel that I, perhaps, would have enjoyed the plot more if I read the novel beforehand.
January 2, 2013
I am a big Anne Rice fan, and my husband surprised me with 3 of her books in graphic novel format for Christmas this year.
I read the actual book many years ago, so it was almost like reading a new story. I found I enjoyed the story better in a shorter version, and the pictures were gorgeous. Anne Rice is a great story teller and she is quite the historical/religious researcher. Her stories always draw you in and make you feel as if you are watching everything happen. It was surreal having pictures to look at (I'm not used to reading comics or graphic novels). I enjoyed my first foray into graphic novel land, but I won't be giving up my regular reading any time soon.
For those who aren't used to Anne Rice's style of writing (she always manages to fit tons of information into one book with more than one person's story in every book) this form of her story may be an easier place to try one of her stories.
I read the actual book many years ago, so it was almost like reading a new story. I found I enjoyed the story better in a shorter version, and the pictures were gorgeous. Anne Rice is a great story teller and she is quite the historical/religious researcher. Her stories always draw you in and make you feel as if you are watching everything happen. It was surreal having pictures to look at (I'm not used to reading comics or graphic novels). I enjoyed my first foray into graphic novel land, but I won't be giving up my regular reading any time soon.
For those who aren't used to Anne Rice's style of writing (she always manages to fit tons of information into one book with more than one person's story in every book) this form of her story may be an easier place to try one of her stories.
January 1, 2014
Biblical imagery is a mainstay in Anne Rice's works which for some can add a level of legitimacy and mystery to a story already too fantastical and wrapped in macabre fantasy to be close to true. For Anne is the quintessential queen of brooding pretty boys burdened with immortality and grotesquely beautiful back-story. They strut onto the stage in a cacophony of haunting eyes, soft lips, and deadly prowess. For seekers of her particular flavor of purple prose protagonist, Servant of the Bones lives up to expectations. For those hoping for a new angle and grit within the genre of horror and supernatural graphic novel? One might be better off looking elsewhere.
November 13, 2014
Azriel is a hottie but I couldn't push myself to read any farther because the book is basically voice-over narrated and that's my personal least favorite thing.
February 11, 2013
Nice graphic story line of how Azriel came to be and his journies and challenges he faced and still faces. Never giving up.
April 21, 2013
I loved how poetry from Stan Rice was included. It may have also been in the original version but I don't remember it and it had been many years since I had read it.
September 22, 2014
Good as always from Anne Rice, but a little depressing in my opinion. I say read on a nice sunny day lol.
August 9, 2014
The artwork is gorgeous but the story is convoluted and hard to follow. I haven't read the actual book so that may make the difference.
March 27, 2015
Good illustrations of a not-good story. Meh.
November 29, 2016
Fabulous, gorgeous. I've always loved this story & was so excited to see it had a graphic novel as well. Fantastic illustrations.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews