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Gunnerkrigg Court #5
Gunnerkrigg Court, Volume 5: Refine
The fifth volume in the ever-popular Gunnerkrigg Court series, based on Tom Siddell's hit webcomic!
Return to Gunnerkrigg Court with Antimony Carver and her friends as they delve deeper into the mysteries of their school and the first that surrounds it. Filled with magical creatures and fascinating secrets, the forest offers more mysteries then answers as Antimony continues her journey through the school -- alongside robots, a mythical creature or two and the occasional body-snatching demon!
Contains chapters 42-49 of the webcomic.
Return to Gunnerkrigg Court with Antimony Carver and her friends as they delve deeper into the mysteries of their school and the first that surrounds it. Filled with magical creatures and fascinating secrets, the forest offers more mysteries then answers as Antimony continues her journey through the school -- alongside robots, a mythical creature or two and the occasional body-snatching demon!
Contains chapters 42-49 of the webcomic.
296 pages, Hardcover
First published June 9, 2015
5 people are currently reading
175 people want to read
About the author
Thomas Siddell
31 books209 followersVery little is known of Tom, as he doesn't speak about himself much. He is English, resides in Birmingham, recently was employed as an animator at a video game company but in 2012 decided to leave to work on Gunnerkrigg Court full time.
There is also conjecture that he likes Cadbury Extra Thick Chocolate Cakes, but no suitable references were provided.
There is also conjecture that he likes Cadbury Extra Thick Chocolate Cakes, but no suitable references were provided.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews
June 5, 2016
Huh. That seemed shorter than usual. Both the volume and especially the school year. The kids are in year TEN now?!
February 9, 2022
This series just makes me so happy. Part of my delight comes from unexpected twists and digressions, like spending an adventure on a cruise ship. A cruise ship?! But mostly I just love the characters. I'm already sad that I only have three more volumes available to read right now.
September 17, 2015
One of the interesting things about reading the trade collection of a webcomic that you don't get so much with a more traditional comic collection is seeing things in greater context. Regular comics come in chunks of 20-32 pages usually, allowing for the story to be read as chapters. But for web comics, they're often released as individual pages.
For a gag-a-day, that's fine. But for story-driven comics, it can really make for a choppy storytelling flow. So you can let a few build up and read them as a chunk. But seeing the whole thing in one book, it gives the story all the context that can leak out in normal online presentation.
I loved Gunnerkrigg Court when I was reading it online, but there's so many things that reading it in book form make stronger. For instance, a lovely parallel between the stories that are being told about Annie and Kat by others - as the denizens of the forest begin telling myths and tall tales about Annie, the robots of the court are crafting something far more cult-like.
In this fifth volume, things are changing for our heroines. Kat is dealing with personal life issues she didn't see coming, as well as her ongoing quest to understand the advanced robots of the court. Meanwhile, after the disappointment of the announcement of the court's medium in the last book, Annie has come to terms with her new role, and is helping the court medium learn as well.
As always, the stories are funny and heartbreaking by turns, as we learn the truth about Rey's feelings about what he nearly did to Annie, the story of how Mort became a ghost, and just how much Annie and Kat mean to one another. Gunnerkrigg continues to be an absolutely stellar read, well worth the time for anyone who loves their fiction with a little magic and a lot of heart.
For a gag-a-day, that's fine. But for story-driven comics, it can really make for a choppy storytelling flow. So you can let a few build up and read them as a chunk. But seeing the whole thing in one book, it gives the story all the context that can leak out in normal online presentation.
I loved Gunnerkrigg Court when I was reading it online, but there's so many things that reading it in book form make stronger. For instance, a lovely parallel between the stories that are being told about Annie and Kat by others - as the denizens of the forest begin telling myths and tall tales about Annie, the robots of the court are crafting something far more cult-like.
In this fifth volume, things are changing for our heroines. Kat is dealing with personal life issues she didn't see coming, as well as her ongoing quest to understand the advanced robots of the court. Meanwhile, after the disappointment of the announcement of the court's medium in the last book, Annie has come to terms with her new role, and is helping the court medium learn as well.
As always, the stories are funny and heartbreaking by turns, as we learn the truth about Rey's feelings about what he nearly did to Annie, the story of how Mort became a ghost, and just how much Annie and Kat mean to one another. Gunnerkrigg continues to be an absolutely stellar read, well worth the time for anyone who loves their fiction with a little magic and a lot of heart.
March 26, 2015
Read this all online. . . .
Revelations, plot twists, more mysteries as the stay at school advances.
Revelations, plot twists, more mysteries as the stay at school advances.
April 4, 2019
I'm reading this online.
This is a 72-year-old man who has read most of the stand-out books in the Western Canon, from Homer to Marguerite Duras, as well as a heap of genre novels - sci-fi, roman noir, horror - while also reading across the social sciences and humanities, middle-brow science, philosophy and so on - who is now reading a web-comic for thirteen-year-olds.
When I retired, I thought I'd pretty much go on reading as before, but that didn't happen. I blame Neil Gaiman: after picking up 'American Gods', I followed through with the whole Sandman series, then on to Mike Carey's 'Lucifer' ... and now here I am.
This must be a pretty good comic for adolescents - particularly those who have been immersed in a boarding school, ripped untimely from the bosom of the family and having to work out how to deal with strangers of one's own age, blundering from one faux pas to another with little intervention from adults. The main protagonist is a little girl whose mother has just died, and whose father - an appalling Dickensian monster - has just disappeared, leaving his bereaved daughter with no inkling of his whereabouts for a couple of years. She makes friends with three mythical creatures - Renard and Ysengrin from the Roman de Renart and Coyote, from the stories of the North American peoples - who induct her into the ether, a realm of magic where she converses with fairies, with the dead, and with animals.
This is one point where I have difficulties. Neither Renard nor Ysengrin are much like their early models - why did the author need to make the reference at all? Ysengrin in particular is so widely different from the butt of Renard's pranks in the Roman that it's difficult to recognize him. Coyote cleaves more closely to his prototype, but what is he doing in 21st Century England? There's a long British tradition of walking off with other people's cultural emblems ; Kipling's Old Man Kangaroo and Yellow Dog Dingo come to mind, but in these times of decolonialization, it does seem somewhat graceless to thus appropriate a central cosmological figure of those who have been dispossessed of the very lands upon which Coyote thrives.
Antinomy - or 'Little Orphan Annie' - spending much of her time in this other world, finds it difficult to get on with the other children, although she does have a Best Friend who offers both emotional and technical support (she's a super-scientist who's working on producing the most advanced robots the world has ever seen). We follow here attempts to get to grips with life over several years. But while the other youngsters form couples, she remains off to the side, her emotions in abeyance as she searches for the father that she never had.
All this is well conveyed - although I found the romancing somewhat tedious, as it might be expected that an old man would. The fantasy story is quite gripping, as the school - science - and the forest - magic - plot and counter-plot, while Antinomy finds it increasingly difficult to know whose side she's on. I imagine that I'll be looking forward to finding out how it all comes out.
This is a 72-year-old man who has read most of the stand-out books in the Western Canon, from Homer to Marguerite Duras, as well as a heap of genre novels - sci-fi, roman noir, horror - while also reading across the social sciences and humanities, middle-brow science, philosophy and so on - who is now reading a web-comic for thirteen-year-olds.
When I retired, I thought I'd pretty much go on reading as before, but that didn't happen. I blame Neil Gaiman: after picking up 'American Gods', I followed through with the whole Sandman series, then on to Mike Carey's 'Lucifer' ... and now here I am.
This must be a pretty good comic for adolescents - particularly those who have been immersed in a boarding school, ripped untimely from the bosom of the family and having to work out how to deal with strangers of one's own age, blundering from one faux pas to another with little intervention from adults. The main protagonist is a little girl whose mother has just died, and whose father - an appalling Dickensian monster - has just disappeared, leaving his bereaved daughter with no inkling of his whereabouts for a couple of years. She makes friends with three mythical creatures - Renard and Ysengrin from the Roman de Renart and Coyote, from the stories of the North American peoples - who induct her into the ether, a realm of magic where she converses with fairies, with the dead, and with animals.
This is one point where I have difficulties. Neither Renard nor Ysengrin are much like their early models - why did the author need to make the reference at all? Ysengrin in particular is so widely different from the butt of Renard's pranks in the Roman that it's difficult to recognize him. Coyote cleaves more closely to his prototype, but what is he doing in 21st Century England? There's a long British tradition of walking off with other people's cultural emblems ; Kipling's Old Man Kangaroo and Yellow Dog Dingo come to mind, but in these times of decolonialization, it does seem somewhat graceless to thus appropriate a central cosmological figure of those who have been dispossessed of the very lands upon which Coyote thrives.
Antinomy - or 'Little Orphan Annie' - spending much of her time in this other world, finds it difficult to get on with the other children, although she does have a Best Friend who offers both emotional and technical support (she's a super-scientist who's working on producing the most advanced robots the world has ever seen). We follow here attempts to get to grips with life over several years. But while the other youngsters form couples, she remains off to the side, her emotions in abeyance as she searches for the father that she never had.
All this is well conveyed - although I found the romancing somewhat tedious, as it might be expected that an old man would. The fantasy story is quite gripping, as the school - science - and the forest - magic - plot and counter-plot, while Antinomy finds it increasingly difficult to know whose side she's on. I imagine that I'll be looking forward to finding out how it all comes out.
December 11, 2019
The quality of comics remains high. The art improves with every volume, and the story deepens and gets more complex (without ever getting twisted around itself). This has been one of my favorite webcomics for a long time, and it continues to be one of my favorites to re-read in collections.
September 10, 2019
Annie and her friends are settling into their new roles and responsibilities. Annie is now the forest's medium/guardian, and her friend Andrew is the Court's medium and representative to the forest (protected by Parley, his girlfriend and bodyguard). While Annie and Kat are still best friends, Kat has met someone special - Paz - and they start dating (their blossoming romance is very sweet). The robots are looking to Kat to make them more human, and Mort (the ghost) wants to go to his final rest. Lots going on! Reynard even has a shady adventure of his own. The fairybun that wants to be human guts me, though. Why, fairybun, why? You are an amazing fairybun! *sigh*
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 17, 2015
Gunnerkkrigg Court 5 5 Stars, Buy it
Self Purchase, Hardback edition
Yeay! In the first chapter, Kat agrees to go on a date with a girl. WHOO HOO!! The rest of the chapter I found a little confusing. But after I read it a few times I finally figured out what was going on. In the second part, Reynard is up to no go with someone named Hetty. In part 3 or chapter 44- Annie talks with Ysengrim and they go to some ruins. At this point I stopped taking notes and reading this dragged out to a few weeks so I can’t remember everything that happened.
I was afraid that this volume wouldn’t be as good as the previous volumes, but I was pleasantly surprised. I’m ecstatic that Kat’s character is finally going to be able to explore her sexuality no matter what it ends up being. I absolutely adore this series. It kills me I’ll porobably have to wait another year for the next book. Highly recommend this series if you like young adult fantasy graphic novels
Description (Amazon): The fifth volume in the ever-popular Gunnerkrigg Court series, based on Tom Siddell's hit webcomic!
Return to Gunnerkrigg Court with Antimony Carver and her friends as they delve deeper into the mysteries of their school and the first that surrounds it. Filled with magical creatures and fascinating secrets, the forest offers more mysteries then answers as Antimony continues her journey through the school -- alongside robots, a mythical creature or two and the occasional body-snatching demon!
Self Purchase, Hardback edition
Yeay! In the first chapter, Kat agrees to go on a date with a girl. WHOO HOO!! The rest of the chapter I found a little confusing. But after I read it a few times I finally figured out what was going on. In the second part, Reynard is up to no go with someone named Hetty. In part 3 or chapter 44- Annie talks with Ysengrim and they go to some ruins. At this point I stopped taking notes and reading this dragged out to a few weeks so I can’t remember everything that happened.
I was afraid that this volume wouldn’t be as good as the previous volumes, but I was pleasantly surprised. I’m ecstatic that Kat’s character is finally going to be able to explore her sexuality no matter what it ends up being. I absolutely adore this series. It kills me I’ll porobably have to wait another year for the next book. Highly recommend this series if you like young adult fantasy graphic novels
Description (Amazon): The fifth volume in the ever-popular Gunnerkrigg Court series, based on Tom Siddell's hit webcomic!
Return to Gunnerkrigg Court with Antimony Carver and her friends as they delve deeper into the mysteries of their school and the first that surrounds it. Filled with magical creatures and fascinating secrets, the forest offers more mysteries then answers as Antimony continues her journey through the school -- alongside robots, a mythical creature or two and the occasional body-snatching demon!
May 25, 2022
Not a bad volume by any means, but being surrounded by stronger material lessens its impression. Nevertheless, there are some great chapters in here.
"Quicksilver" tries to resolve the longstanding issue of Renard's attempted murder of Annie. It has hung over Renard's character, whether he can really be trusted, why he did it, can he be forgiven. Renard is presented more or less alone, accompanied by another possessed doll, Hetty, reflecting on his actions and motivations. The framing seems to be that we should trust his thoughts here, as Hetty in fact disapproves of his regret, and his final proclamation of his guilt is witnessed by no one. He also visits Daniel's grave, and Eglamore greets him as a friend. I don't the exact number of times one must save someone's life to atone for trying to kill them, but surely Renard is almost there. I doubt there's any twist coming that he was secretly evil and waiting to backstab Annie.
The two-parter "The Realm of the Dead" and "See Ya!" are some of the few chapters that read better in the original release schedule. Mort hasn't appeared often, but when reading over the course of years, the characters form a background radiation of the mind, and it's easier to believe that Annie and Kat really are great friends with Mort, lending these two chapters the emotional heft they need to work. It's impossible for me to really know what someone going into this series blind would think of this development, but reading now it feels like too much too fast. Still, Siddell avoids getting too maudlin and humourless, which is worth a lot.
Completely apart from its emotional content, these chapters give the biggest development yet of the "Kat the Angel" mystery. The robots have been remarking on her "angelic beauty" from the beginning, and we may have gotten a glimpse of just what they're seeing last volume. In this "Realm of the Dead", Kat is immune to the illusions of the ROTD which completely baffle Annie and Mort. The humour of seeing Annie and Mort ooh and aah while we and Kat watch them stumble through a low-rent haunted house is immense. The obvious conclusion is that Kat is somehow above the ether, she can see through it and make it legible to herself. Later in this volume she is explicitly identified as the creator prophesied by Robot. It's at this point that most readers began connecting the dots that Kat is a nascent goddess. Related to that, I wonder if the chip Kat didn't recognize on Robot's CPU is the cause of his religious inclinations? Or was that just the Court robot machine code?
A good deal of the volume is given over to the Kat/Paz romance. Personally I've always found the "romance" in Gunnerkrigg mostly valuable for comedy. Worse, I have never been interested in lesbian romance. I don't go out searching for gay content in fiction, but I've enjoyed stories with gay subplots (Rites of Passage, Samurai Flamenco, The Darkness that Comes Before). Lesbians, especially lesbians-in-webcomics, (which is its own bafflingly common thing), just aren't my thing. It's also a bit of a time warp to read the conversation between Kat and Renard in "Thread"about whether Annie will accept Kat dating another girl, and remember "oh yeah, it was within my own short lifetime that having gay characters in teen media was legitimately controversial". It certainly fits with the ~2007 timeframe this volume is set in.
The action climax of this volume, "The Torn Sea", fell flat for me, which is sad because Jack gets absolutely vindicated on every level (except facial hair). I just didn't find the situation that threatening. People have been sucked into Zimmy's mind palace so many times now, and how many times has anything bad actually happened? Once, almost? Plus, the "villain" of the day is almost unbelievably pathetic. I get that Siddell likes thwarted love, but there's gotta be a limit.
-Renard's City Face drawing can be seen in his room
-Eglamore and Renard are "old friends"
-Kat has the symbol of "the creator" above her head
-Kat sees through the illusions of the ROTD, but not the guides
-Jones can see the guides
-Jones knew of Gunnerkrigg Court during WWII, said "they are assisting with the war effort"
-The Court has a cruise ship, touches the shore of an ocean, "I think it's the Atlantic"
-Did Paz see Kat's angelic form?
-Thwarted love is coming up a lot
-Jack is a truly noble soul
-Robot goes full cult leader
September 24, 2021
Renard is really prominent on the cover (5/7 of the characters shown) but this volume focuses a lot more on Kat.
Anyway, Annie's visit to the forest ruins was cool. "Start speaking their language," indeed. Just a little on the job medium training.
And then, we see the start of Robot's creepy cult. You should read that chapter on the website but it's cool how Robot's nascent religion latched onto this one off hand occurrence. And then got really creepy with it.
Finally, the book climaxes with the 'Torn Sea' chapter. And to provide an example of how great the art is this whale-robot thing. But read the whole chapter, it's great. And the climax has this reversal of convention thing where . Now that I think on it, that continues the theme of appearances being deceiving.
And finally, Robot, you're being really creepy.
Anyway, Annie's visit to the forest ruins was cool. "Start speaking their language," indeed. Just a little on the job medium training.
And then, we see the start of Robot's creepy cult. You should read that chapter on the website but it's cool how Robot's nascent religion latched onto this one off hand occurrence. And then got really creepy with it.
Finally, the book climaxes with the 'Torn Sea' chapter. And to provide an example of how great the art is this whale-robot thing. But read the whole chapter, it's great. And the climax has this reversal of convention thing where . Now that I think on it, that continues the theme of appearances being deceiving.
And finally, Robot, you're being really creepy.
March 4, 2022
This series shares one thing with the Harry Potter series, which is that the characters grow up a bit over the course of it. In this case, it includes some mild pairing-up of characters, after the first such in volume 4.
I did enjoy the first events of the new "medium" of the Court and his encounters with the forest creatures, as well as Antimony's first efforts as the medium OF the forest. I also enjoyed the tiny bits of back story that surfaced, as well as the odd robot story. The resolution of Mort's story was very, very moving, and it had never occurred to me that this was his back story. Wow...
I did enjoy the first events of the new "medium" of the Court and his encounters with the forest creatures, as well as Antimony's first efforts as the medium OF the forest. I also enjoyed the tiny bits of back story that surfaced, as well as the odd robot story. The resolution of Mort's story was very, very moving, and it had never occurred to me that this was his back story. Wow...
December 14, 2020
This is my favorite volume of the series. While the overall story doesn't move forward a whole lot, we get lots of short stories about a number of characters, and they are near perfect encapsulations of each. Lots of world-building fill-ins are done, and characters get to show off their powers in unexpected but powerful ways. And Annie's experience in the World of the Dead was a definite high point. The art is good overall, with some beautiful forest sequences. Even the pigeon backmatter is funny in an absurd way. This series is firing on all cylinders in this collection
January 31, 2021
The first new volume for me on this read through - the series only went up to volume 4 last time I read it. This volume shows us more of the Forest, Annie having been accepted as the Forest's Medium to the Court at the end of the previous volume, and we see her commence her training under Isengrim, alongside the training of the newly appointed Court medium to the Forest. Annie is still a resident of the court, and we see more of her various friends.
May 9, 2023
It is unfortunate that there were significant printing errors in the paperback. I had to borrow an ebook version from the library to read the full story. Otherwise, the story continues and is fantastic. I've loved this series for so many years, and first as a webcomic. It was worth it.
January 25, 2024
Definitely up to par for the series, even though my fave Coyote only shows up briefly. The best chapter involved a sentient cruise ship that's horny for a giant crab monster. The art continues to be stellar.
June 12, 2017
3 ½ stars
August 27, 2018
I keep enjoying these, even though I couldn't explain what happens in them. But this school and its students have worked their way into my heart and I just keep reading
October 25, 2018
I don’t always know what’s going on, but it’s always interesting!
December 24, 2019
IT WAS WORTH IT
April 21, 2020
Still fantastic, not quite got to that 5 star rating yet... maybe the next volume will be it?
January 17, 2025
RIP Mort :(
August 25, 2021
The fifth collected volume of of the utterly marvellous webcomic takes us to the end of Annie and Kat's year nine at Gunnerkrigg Court. Annie is now medium of the forest and her friend Andrew is medium of the Court. She has to balance her new duties with her education, not to mention all the ups and downs of being a teenage girl.
There are some lovely stories in this volume, especially that of Mort and how Annie helps him find peace, while at the same time finding out more about Jeanne, the ghost trapped in the Annan Water. The new romance between Kat and Paz is incredibly sweet and Annie's initial reaction to it is very believable for the girl that we've come to know over the last forty-something chapters.
The chapter that followed Renard and Hetty was beautifully told as well, with Renard's obvious pain over his past choices contrasting with the selfishness of Hetty. Renard is now one of my favourite characters in the story, which is saying something, in a story that has so many wonderful characters to choose from.
The final chapter is a suitably dramatic end to the year for the kids of the Court but it's the last couple of pages that really make it, with the revelation of the deepening of Robot's involvement in the cult that grown up around Kat.
Every time I think that Gunnerkrigg Court can't get better, it does. Siddell is growing as both a storyteller and an artist. However, now that the volume has ended, it'll be at least a year until the next one. Many webcomics work okay running a few pages a week (and Siddell has been nothing if not reliable at doing so) but I find GC impossible to read on such a schedule. I usually let a chapter or two build up and read them then, but it's really when you have a whole book in one go that you can appreciate the story properly. I don't know how much more there is to come, but I look forward to the day when I can put the entire set next to my chair and just work through them all in one giant binge. Until then, I'll keep reading one chapter, and one book, at a time.
There are some lovely stories in this volume, especially that of Mort and how Annie helps him find peace, while at the same time finding out more about Jeanne, the ghost trapped in the Annan Water. The new romance between Kat and Paz is incredibly sweet and Annie's initial reaction to it is very believable for the girl that we've come to know over the last forty-something chapters.
The chapter that followed Renard and Hetty was beautifully told as well, with Renard's obvious pain over his past choices contrasting with the selfishness of Hetty. Renard is now one of my favourite characters in the story, which is saying something, in a story that has so many wonderful characters to choose from.
The final chapter is a suitably dramatic end to the year for the kids of the Court but it's the last couple of pages that really make it, with the revelation of the deepening of Robot's involvement in the cult that grown up around Kat.
Every time I think that Gunnerkrigg Court can't get better, it does. Siddell is growing as both a storyteller and an artist. However, now that the volume has ended, it'll be at least a year until the next one. Many webcomics work okay running a few pages a week (and Siddell has been nothing if not reliable at doing so) but I find GC impossible to read on such a schedule. I usually let a chapter or two build up and read them then, but it's really when you have a whole book in one go that you can appreciate the story properly. I don't know how much more there is to come, but I look forward to the day when I can put the entire set next to my chair and just work through them all in one giant binge. Until then, I'll keep reading one chapter, and one book, at a time.
March 26, 2015
Holy cow, what a surprise. I stumbled onto Gunnerkrigg Court through the "TV Tropes" website, and I'm so glad I did. What an engaging story, compelling characters, and great art. I love how the narrative seamlessly flows between 1) all of the compelling mysteries that underlie the world Siddell has crafted, and 2) all of the amazing jokes, sarcasm, etc. Great humor, great drama, and great writing. The art style is somewhat ho-hum at first but it evolves as the story progresses, and I'd like to put many of the recent full-page prints onto posters!
THOUGHTS ON THIS VOLUME: The "Torn Sea" chapter is kind of slow but intriguing (but part of that is because that's where the webcomic ended when I had finished reading it from the start, and so I was going to the page every other day until I realized which days the comic updates on).
The post-vol. 5 stuff is GOOD, too. When a typical comic posting gets about 50 comments and then suddenly the number of comments jumps up to more than 700, Siddell should know he's doing something right. (Now he just has to keep it GOING... I think he can handle that!)
Last: You can find the entire webcomic at http://gunnerkrigg.com/. That's where I read this. I do plan on buying these in hard copy form, though, to support Siddell and to help others get acquainted with these!
THOUGHTS ON THIS VOLUME: The "Torn Sea" chapter is kind of slow but intriguing (but part of that is because that's where the webcomic ended when I had finished reading it from the start, and so I was going to the page every other day until I realized which days the comic updates on).
The post-vol. 5 stuff is GOOD, too. When a typical comic posting gets about 50 comments and then suddenly the number of comments jumps up to more than 700, Siddell should know he's doing something right. (Now he just has to keep it GOING... I think he can handle that!)
Last: You can find the entire webcomic at http://gunnerkrigg.com/. That's where I read this. I do plan on buying these in hard copy form, though, to support Siddell and to help others get acquainted with these!
December 31, 2015
If I was a soulless marketing wonk I'd be tempted to describe Gunnerkrigg Court as 'Harry Potter for hipsters.' However, although they draw from the same pool of odd goings on at an unusual boarding school, Gunnerkrigg court is an altogether odder, nervier affair. Despite very little *too bad* happening so far (to be fair very little happens full stop) there is the sense that this is a world where things can, and will, go wrong for characters we like. As such this is a traditional British 'boarding school adventure' shot through with melancholy and real compassion. My favourite character remains General Ysengrim, on one level brutish to the point of psychosis, but also strangely compassionate and gentle where he feels he can be. Unlike the Manichean world of most kid's fiction nobody (with the possibly exception of Coyote and the, by now long-dead, Diego) is entirely malign. No one is perfect either, in this volume the heroines, Annie and Kat, do a pretty good job of doing what they set out to do - even accounting for the story's glacial pace - but they still make mistakes and react badly. At this point in the story their mistakes are starting to add up and have consequences for others. I look forward to seeing where the story goes next.
September 14, 2021
Presumably first read June 2013 | 5 Stars
Edit: last chapter was published July 2014, so must have read either then or maybe 2016? idk.
__________
Second reading September 2021 | 5 Stars
I love this so much, you have *no idea*.
I had forgotten Kat was cannon bisexual (as confirmed in this volume). I love that so much for her - & for me! Baby oblivious bi me had rep. It might have even been my first cannon bi rep? (2013)
Kat & Paz are so cute together! (F/F rep)
Holy sh*t, the bunny has a trans narrative! (p. 206, chapter 48) Bunny uses she pronouns, wants to transform into a human, that human form will be male.
Robot, buddy… your creepy side is returning… I love you, but...
Note: unlike volume 2, even though my copy of volume 5 is also a paperback, I had no problem with the binding - thankfully.
Edit: last chapter was published July 2014, so must have read either then or maybe 2016? idk.
__________
Second reading September 2021 | 5 Stars
I love this so much, you have *no idea*.
I had forgotten Kat was cannon bisexual (as confirmed in this volume). I love that so much for her - & for me! Baby oblivious bi me had rep. It might have even been my first cannon bi rep? (2013)
Kat & Paz are so cute together! (F/F rep)
Holy sh*t, the bunny has a trans narrative! (p. 206, chapter 48) Bunny uses she pronouns, wants to transform into a human, that human form will be male.
Robot, buddy… your creepy side is returning… I love you, but...
Note: unlike volume 2, even though my copy of volume 5 is also a paperback, I had no problem with the binding - thankfully.
December 31, 2014
Volume 5 officially ended today on the site, so I'll write a quick review. This isn't as good as the rest of the series, but still intriguing enough to continue reading. It felt like a lot of side stories for this one, and I feel the need to refresh myself on the past volumes in order to remember what Annie's main goal is now, because with all of the side stories, I've lost track of the main plot. Still good art, still good characters, but in the next chapter, I would like to see progress in the main plot.
November 23, 2015
Once again I enjoyed another instalment of Gunnerkrigg Court. The only problem is, I had trouble remembering what had happened in Volume 4, especially when those events were referenced in Volume 5. I guess that is the ongoing problem when you are up to date with a graphic novel series! Nothing too consequential occurs in this instalment: Annie gets used to her role as Forest Medium, Kat starts dating Pax, but we do say farewell to one of the recurring characters. Still, it was enjoyable. I love the illustration style, and I look forward to volume 6.
December 26, 2015
this story just get better by the volume. you want your adorable romance? paz and kat are here to help! you enjoy feeling overwhelmed with affection for antimony and her friendship with kat and how much it means to them both? this volume provides! you are a storytelling nerd who is v into the thematic parallels between the Legend of Antimony and the Robot Cult of Kat? thomas siddell understands you!
i just love these kids so much. i can't believe the next volume isn't out until 2017, @god: why?
5 stars
i just love these kids so much. i can't believe the next volume isn't out until 2017, @god: why?
5 stars
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 27, 2016
Each volume in this series just keeps getting better and better. Andrew is so funny in this book and Renard had a wonderful chapter totally devoted to him that is awesome and really develops his character more. Though we did have to say goodbye to a beloved character in this volume. I cannot wait to read more of Annie's adventures in the forest and Kat's robotic explorations.
July 15, 2016
It feels to me a bit slower than the others have been. Or perhaps not slower, but more all over the place. There's so much happening and more characters being incorporated all the time. I almost feel like I've lost the main thread of the story. I know I'm in Tom's capable hands here, but at the same time, this volume just didn't have quite the same magic to enrapture me as the others did.
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