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NeverenD
"There was a large mirror, just down the hall. My fingers went through the glass when I touched the surface....And I fell. It lasted a long time, and then..I woke up here. -I see. Mirrors, have always been doors opening on unknown worlds to humans. By crossing the mirror, you found the way to reach NeverenD, the forbidden world, The city of dreams." Discover a series of cruel and modern tales, original or adapted from other best known tales to give a new version. Each taking place in a dreaming world where everything becomes possible. Welcome to NeverenD.
174 pages, Paperback
First published September 15, 2012
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
May 17, 2017
4.5 stars.
I'm going to do this review in two parts, in order to include Vol. 2 of NeverenD (which, for some reason, isn't shown here on Goodreads).
So, Volume 1 review:
NeverenD is a comic, reminiscent of manga (though reading the way us Westerners are used to reading stories) by the French artist, VanRah. In this series, NeverenD is a world that was woven by the dreams of humans, and once upon a time, connected with their (that is to say, our) world.
I originally read NeverenD back in either late 2013, early 2014, having found it and some of VanRah's other works (Stray Dog being among my favourites) on a site called Ink-Blazers (and later on moved to a site called Tapastic).
This story is a head nod to a number of different folk lore and fairy tales, borrowing from Japanese lore most prominently, and entering into the Brothers Grimm territory, as well as other famous, classic tales. For example, a reader would find themes of Snow White and Alice in Wonderland inherent in the first volume, as the true ruler of NeverenD, Empress Mirror, is a direct descendant of Snow White, and sends her servant (a dragon in the guise of a human, battered and scarred) to protect a Cat Prince and the unwitting human girl whom came to her world through a mirror (thus bringing to mind Alice Through the Looking Glass).
I love VanRah's artistic style, how it pays homage to various forms of Japanese artistry, while still staying true to the artist's own vision. Others have complained that in her various works, many of her characters (mostly the males) bear similar features; and while I can understand that being somewhat off-putting, I enjoy the characters and their stories and interactions too much to be overly bothered by such similarities.
Whatever the case, I find re-reading Vol. 1 in actual paperback to be incredibly satisfying, as I was able to read the story without waiting for updates, thus avoiding some of the confusion I'd had the first time a few years ago. Suffice it to say, this is a well done series, and I will return to add onto this review for Volume 2.
Volume 2 review:
Consisting only of Chapter Four (at least in the edition I own), Volume 2 delves a bit deeper into the "Alice in Wonderland" theme, incorporating a "Hatter" whom a young governess by the name of Luce (a governess to the Grimm brothers, no less) considers "mad". Said Hatter has written a story called "Alice in Wonderland", under the pen name of Lewis Carroll, which Luce finds humorous, mistakenly believing he is obsessed with a child bearing the name of his story's protagonist. Whether he has some obsession with the girl in question isn't deeply explored, and I'm given to think whatever his fascination with said girl is, it isn't as Luce assumes--as Luce herself seems to be of equal (perhaps even greater) interest in relation to the story he's written.
A story which, by the way, is less a children's tale in his writing, but more of a survival guide to the world of NeverenD itself. The Hatter, Mr. Dodgson, also happens to have a cat from his county of "Cheshire"--and much like in Alice in Wonderland, said cat "Nao", can speak...though the twist on this version feels a great deal grimmer than his fairy tale counterpart.
Also in this chapter, we delve into the tale of Little Red Riding Hood--and not as most of us know it, but with Red being a boy, rather than a girl; and one whom slays the "wolf", and other demons of its ilk in NeverenD.
Between both volumes paying great homage to fairy tales and folklore, while maintaining their own unique twist and plot involving NeverenD's war between the true ruler, Mirror Morrigan, and her evil sister, Mort-Rah, the series is one I'm hoping will continue in the future, and one I will certainly continue adding to my shelves, if it does.
I'm going to do this review in two parts, in order to include Vol. 2 of NeverenD (which, for some reason, isn't shown here on Goodreads).
So, Volume 1 review:
NeverenD is a comic, reminiscent of manga (though reading the way us Westerners are used to reading stories) by the French artist, VanRah. In this series, NeverenD is a world that was woven by the dreams of humans, and once upon a time, connected with their (that is to say, our) world.
I originally read NeverenD back in either late 2013, early 2014, having found it and some of VanRah's other works (Stray Dog being among my favourites) on a site called Ink-Blazers (and later on moved to a site called Tapastic).
This story is a head nod to a number of different folk lore and fairy tales, borrowing from Japanese lore most prominently, and entering into the Brothers Grimm territory, as well as other famous, classic tales. For example, a reader would find themes of Snow White and Alice in Wonderland inherent in the first volume, as the true ruler of NeverenD, Empress Mirror, is a direct descendant of Snow White, and sends her servant (a dragon in the guise of a human, battered and scarred) to protect a Cat Prince and the unwitting human girl whom came to her world through a mirror (thus bringing to mind Alice Through the Looking Glass).
I love VanRah's artistic style, how it pays homage to various forms of Japanese artistry, while still staying true to the artist's own vision. Others have complained that in her various works, many of her characters (mostly the males) bear similar features; and while I can understand that being somewhat off-putting, I enjoy the characters and their stories and interactions too much to be overly bothered by such similarities.
Whatever the case, I find re-reading Vol. 1 in actual paperback to be incredibly satisfying, as I was able to read the story without waiting for updates, thus avoiding some of the confusion I'd had the first time a few years ago. Suffice it to say, this is a well done series, and I will return to add onto this review for Volume 2.
Volume 2 review:
Consisting only of Chapter Four (at least in the edition I own), Volume 2 delves a bit deeper into the "Alice in Wonderland" theme, incorporating a "Hatter" whom a young governess by the name of Luce (a governess to the Grimm brothers, no less) considers "mad". Said Hatter has written a story called "Alice in Wonderland", under the pen name of Lewis Carroll, which Luce finds humorous, mistakenly believing he is obsessed with a child bearing the name of his story's protagonist. Whether he has some obsession with the girl in question isn't deeply explored, and I'm given to think whatever his fascination with said girl is, it isn't as Luce assumes--as Luce herself seems to be of equal (perhaps even greater) interest in relation to the story he's written.
A story which, by the way, is less a children's tale in his writing, but more of a survival guide to the world of NeverenD itself. The Hatter, Mr. Dodgson, also happens to have a cat from his county of "Cheshire"--and much like in Alice in Wonderland, said cat "Nao", can speak...though the twist on this version feels a great deal grimmer than his fairy tale counterpart.
Also in this chapter, we delve into the tale of Little Red Riding Hood--and not as most of us know it, but with Red being a boy, rather than a girl; and one whom slays the "wolf", and other demons of its ilk in NeverenD.
Between both volumes paying great homage to fairy tales and folklore, while maintaining their own unique twist and plot involving NeverenD's war between the true ruler, Mirror Morrigan, and her evil sister, Mort-Rah, the series is one I'm hoping will continue in the future, and one I will certainly continue adding to my shelves, if it does.
Displaying 1 of 1 review