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Canto #4
Canto Volume 3: Tales of the Unnamed World
A tiny clockwork hero on a quest for a heart continues fighting for love, freedom, and hope, gathering allies to face tyrannical forces in a fantastical modern fairytale.Still on the mend following his first confrontation with the Shrouded Man, Canto must search for allies to stand by his side in their inevitable final battle. And who could ask for better allies than the fearsome Giants? But to earn their allegiance, he’ll need to solve the Labyrinth outside their city and slay the monster that lurks at its heart!Then, Canto and his friends must cross a bridge guarded by a mysterious bard. The price to pass? A story never heard in all the world!Series co-creators David M. Booher and Drew Zucker are joined by Sebastián Píriz, Liana Kangas, Jorge Corona, and Shawn Daley for a special installment of Canto’s “striking modern fairy tale” (Newsarama). Bridging the events of The Hollow Men and Lionhearted, this swashbuckling, uplifting volume collects Canto and the City of Giants and both issues of Tales of the Unnamed World in a high-quality hardcover reprint with a brand new cover.
144 pages, Hardcover
First published November 8, 2022
2 people are currently reading
33 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
May 30, 2023
There was a lot to enjoy about this book, but I had to go read more of the story first. This is bits and pieces that live in the world of Canto: If I Only Had a Heart. My full review is available at No Flying No Tights here. I think they are great books for middle grade (and older) fans of fantasy worlds. This was inspired by The Wizard of Oz, The Neverending Story and The Dark Crystal. It's not sterilized for kids, there are conflicts and emotional burdens people have to carry, but it's not solely about those pains. There are victories, there is hope and there is bravery. I enjoyed these more than I expected to and I think it's in large part thanks to the places it draws inspiration from. Good story telling and Henson-esque art/design really helped this book stand out.
June 24, 2024
This was short and sweet, nothing that added to the already built in plot of Canto however the 5 star is well deserved (for me personally) because the antagonist in this series reminded me of mad hatter from Alice in wonderland, if you like mysteries and storytelling this one is for you.
July 4, 2024
Two smaller stories. More of a volume 2.5 than a volume 3. I will just say that I love this series. Canto is just full of so much heart. It gives off strong Wizard of Oz vibes. This is the series that made me follow anything Booher does.
December 5, 2022
A couple side quests that don't add much to the overall story but are still fun reads.
September 24, 2024
Nice little intermission with a cute little collection of short stories. Didnt add much to the story as a whole but it was a nice little side note.
April 5, 2025
Still loving the series! Canto and his crew are on their way to fight the Shrouded Man but runs into blocks along the way. Wonderful graphics and amazing story.
September 10, 2025
I picked this up at a used book store, so read out of order of the series. I see Hoopla has all the rest, I'll most likely read on.
December 16, 2025
Canto Review
In 2019, I joined this amino and started posting book reviews. I really wanted to get my thoughts about the books I read out there into the world, and there was no other way to do it besides take the plunge.
Around that same time, I also joined a thing called NetGalley, which allows people to request advanced reader copies of books coming out soon. I wasn’t really sure about my reading tastes yet, since I’d only read some of the big popular YA fantasy and school required stuff, so I requested a lot of things in a lot of different genres. (If you’re interested in learning more about NetGalley, I made a blog about it: LINK)
My very first request was for the first volume of a graphic novel called Canto, If I Only Had a Heart. I found myself engrossed in a really interesting fantasy world inspired by the Wizard of Oz, full of compelling characters and beautiful art. ORIGINAL REVIEW LINK
For four years, I’ve been telling myself that one day I’d return to Canto, and get updated on the series. This week was that week. Why? Because one of the prompts on this year’s r/Fantasy bingo is to read the oldest thing off of your TBR. I have some older books on my physical TBR, but this is the oldest that I have record of on B&WA.
I had to reread the first volume to remember what happened, but they’re only six chapters long, so it wasn’t too hard to breeze through all three volumes that are currently out. (Plus three little short stories)
The plot follows a little clockwork knight named Canto, who is enslaved to this villain, the Shrouded Man, along with all his people. They all had their hearts taken out and replaced by clocks in order to keep them from feeling anything. They’re not allowed to love, not allowed to have names, not allowed to do anything but chop wood for the furnaces.
Canto falls in love with a girl knight, and she gives him the name Canto, even though it’s forbidden. When the slavers find out she gave him a name, they hurt her, and her clock starts winding down. Canto then goes on a journey to find her missing heart in order to save her.
As the volumes go on, Canto starts gathering allies to rebel against the Shrouded Man, who has pretty much the entire world enslaved to him in some way. Some of the creatures in this world are a little strange or horrifying, but I loved them anyways. Canto proves that you don’t need a heart to hope or love, and convinces so many other people and creatures that they can fight back even when they’re scared.
This story is still ongoing, but I don’t think it will be long before it’s over. One or maybe two more volumes should wrap it up nicely. In addition to the main three volumes, there are three short stories as well. Each one takes place just after each volume, so here’s the best way to read them:
Volume 1 - If I Only Had a Heart
Canto and the Clockwork Fairies
Volume 2 - The Hollow Men
Canto and the City of Giants
Volume 3 - Lionhearted
Canto: Tales of the Unnamed World
It may seem unnecessary to read the short stories, but they are actually really important to the plot. The characters you meet in the short stories end up joining the main plot and helping Canto on his journey.
This world feels so big, even though it’s only shown to us in little pieces. We meet all sorts of cool fantasy races, some which have names, and others whose names and histories have been erased by the Shrouded Man. It was so cool to see Canto discover little tidbits of information about different creatures, and then be able to tell them about the history that they lost. I cried so much.
Canto’s personal journey of discovering courage was so inspiring to read. There were so many moments where he could have given up and admitted defeat, but he never did. He inspired others to have courage and hope, and in turn they helped him when he was struggling. Even people who had previously been his enemies turned around and helped him, because no one who met him walked away without having been changed in some way.
The Wizard of Oz references were subtle, but so well done. They writers paid so much love to the original tale, while also taking their story in a completely different direction. There is no Dorothy, no evil witch, but it still felt very Oz. I don’t know whether or not the authors were only referencing what was in the movie/musical, or whether they added in anything from the rest of the books, so if you’ve read more of the books as a kid, I’d love to know if they included anything from them. I’ve only ever seen the movie/musical.
I highly recommend this short graphic novel series. I’d almost forgotten how much I loved it until I decided to revisit it for that bingo prompt. Now that I’m up to date, I love it even more. Kudos to the writers for making the story so brilliantly beautiful and compelling. And kudos to the artists for the gorgeous art. Seriously, it’s so pretty.
Have a nice day/night everyone!
In 2019, I joined this amino and started posting book reviews. I really wanted to get my thoughts about the books I read out there into the world, and there was no other way to do it besides take the plunge.
Around that same time, I also joined a thing called NetGalley, which allows people to request advanced reader copies of books coming out soon. I wasn’t really sure about my reading tastes yet, since I’d only read some of the big popular YA fantasy and school required stuff, so I requested a lot of things in a lot of different genres. (If you’re interested in learning more about NetGalley, I made a blog about it: LINK)
My very first request was for the first volume of a graphic novel called Canto, If I Only Had a Heart. I found myself engrossed in a really interesting fantasy world inspired by the Wizard of Oz, full of compelling characters and beautiful art. ORIGINAL REVIEW LINK
For four years, I’ve been telling myself that one day I’d return to Canto, and get updated on the series. This week was that week. Why? Because one of the prompts on this year’s r/Fantasy bingo is to read the oldest thing off of your TBR. I have some older books on my physical TBR, but this is the oldest that I have record of on B&WA.
I had to reread the first volume to remember what happened, but they’re only six chapters long, so it wasn’t too hard to breeze through all three volumes that are currently out. (Plus three little short stories)
The plot follows a little clockwork knight named Canto, who is enslaved to this villain, the Shrouded Man, along with all his people. They all had their hearts taken out and replaced by clocks in order to keep them from feeling anything. They’re not allowed to love, not allowed to have names, not allowed to do anything but chop wood for the furnaces.
Canto falls in love with a girl knight, and she gives him the name Canto, even though it’s forbidden. When the slavers find out she gave him a name, they hurt her, and her clock starts winding down. Canto then goes on a journey to find her missing heart in order to save her.
As the volumes go on, Canto starts gathering allies to rebel against the Shrouded Man, who has pretty much the entire world enslaved to him in some way. Some of the creatures in this world are a little strange or horrifying, but I loved them anyways. Canto proves that you don’t need a heart to hope or love, and convinces so many other people and creatures that they can fight back even when they’re scared.
This story is still ongoing, but I don’t think it will be long before it’s over. One or maybe two more volumes should wrap it up nicely. In addition to the main three volumes, there are three short stories as well. Each one takes place just after each volume, so here’s the best way to read them:
Volume 1 - If I Only Had a Heart
Canto and the Clockwork Fairies
Volume 2 - The Hollow Men
Canto and the City of Giants
Volume 3 - Lionhearted
Canto: Tales of the Unnamed World
It may seem unnecessary to read the short stories, but they are actually really important to the plot. The characters you meet in the short stories end up joining the main plot and helping Canto on his journey.
This world feels so big, even though it’s only shown to us in little pieces. We meet all sorts of cool fantasy races, some which have names, and others whose names and histories have been erased by the Shrouded Man. It was so cool to see Canto discover little tidbits of information about different creatures, and then be able to tell them about the history that they lost. I cried so much.
Canto’s personal journey of discovering courage was so inspiring to read. There were so many moments where he could have given up and admitted defeat, but he never did. He inspired others to have courage and hope, and in turn they helped him when he was struggling. Even people who had previously been his enemies turned around and helped him, because no one who met him walked away without having been changed in some way.
The Wizard of Oz references were subtle, but so well done. They writers paid so much love to the original tale, while also taking their story in a completely different direction. There is no Dorothy, no evil witch, but it still felt very Oz. I don’t know whether or not the authors were only referencing what was in the movie/musical, or whether they added in anything from the rest of the books, so if you’ve read more of the books as a kid, I’d love to know if they included anything from them. I’ve only ever seen the movie/musical.
I highly recommend this short graphic novel series. I’d almost forgotten how much I loved it until I decided to revisit it for that bingo prompt. Now that I’m up to date, I love it even more. Kudos to the writers for making the story so brilliantly beautiful and compelling. And kudos to the artists for the gorgeous art. Seriously, it’s so pretty.
Have a nice day/night everyone!
May 26, 2024
Read more graphic novel reviews at The Graphic Library.
This volume collects two short adventures of Canto and his friends, which come between some of the other volumes. The first is City of Giants, which happens in between volumes two and three, where Canto travels to the titular city to try and gain the support of the giants in the fight against the Shrouded man. In order to gain their trust, Canto must first solve a labyrinth outside the city, which includes fighting some fierce monsters. In the second side story, Tales of the Unnamed World, Canto and his friends find their way barred by a Bard, who requires, as toll, a story he has never heard before. Canto and his group each take turns telling their best stories, but they're all ones the Bard has heard before! This story takes place after volume three of the published stories.
I'm really hoping for a hardback collected edition when this story gets to a point to withstand that, as these stories being published out of order might confuse a lot of readers. Regardless, I'm glad to have City of Giants finally in a form that compliments library circulation. Each side-story adds to the legend that is Canto's adventure, and with them, Booher finds more ways to bring classic fantasy stories into his world. With this volume, we have The Labyrinth, as well as the trope of a Bridge Troll. I liken this often to Monty Python, which might be a reference lost on younger readers. Zucker and Booher continue to bring more elements into this rich fantasy that make the story timeless and appealing for a wide range of audiences.
Sara's Rating: 10/10
Suitability Level: Grades 5-12
This volume collects two short adventures of Canto and his friends, which come between some of the other volumes. The first is City of Giants, which happens in between volumes two and three, where Canto travels to the titular city to try and gain the support of the giants in the fight against the Shrouded man. In order to gain their trust, Canto must first solve a labyrinth outside the city, which includes fighting some fierce monsters. In the second side story, Tales of the Unnamed World, Canto and his friends find their way barred by a Bard, who requires, as toll, a story he has never heard before. Canto and his group each take turns telling their best stories, but they're all ones the Bard has heard before! This story takes place after volume three of the published stories.
I'm really hoping for a hardback collected edition when this story gets to a point to withstand that, as these stories being published out of order might confuse a lot of readers. Regardless, I'm glad to have City of Giants finally in a form that compliments library circulation. Each side-story adds to the legend that is Canto's adventure, and with them, Booher finds more ways to bring classic fantasy stories into his world. With this volume, we have The Labyrinth, as well as the trope of a Bridge Troll. I liken this often to Monty Python, which might be a reference lost on younger readers. Zucker and Booher continue to bring more elements into this rich fantasy that make the story timeless and appealing for a wide range of audiences.
Sara's Rating: 10/10
Suitability Level: Grades 5-12
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews