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Rowans Ruin
House swapping can be a great way to vacation...unless you pick the wrong house.
Katie has always had a fascination with history. So when she’s offered a house swap with a girl from Britain, she jumps at the chance to summer at Rowans Rise—a house older than her entire home country. Escaping her parents’ attentiveness is great, and the town is beautiful, but something about the place feels wrong. And then the nightmares begin, which spurs Katie to investigate the history of this house. It doesn’t take long for her to learn that sometimes the past is best left alone. From bestselling novelist Mike Carey ( The Girl with All The Gifts , Lucifer ) and artist Mike Perkins ( Stephen King's The Stand , Captain America ), Rowans Ruin will keep readers guessing right up to the harrowing conclusion.
Katie has always had a fascination with history. So when she’s offered a house swap with a girl from Britain, she jumps at the chance to summer at Rowans Rise—a house older than her entire home country. Escaping her parents’ attentiveness is great, and the town is beautiful, but something about the place feels wrong. And then the nightmares begin, which spurs Katie to investigate the history of this house. It doesn’t take long for her to learn that sometimes the past is best left alone. From bestselling novelist Mike Carey ( The Girl with All The Gifts , Lucifer ) and artist Mike Perkins ( Stephen King's The Stand , Captain America ), Rowans Ruin will keep readers guessing right up to the harrowing conclusion.
112 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 2015
5 people are currently reading
75 people want to read
About the author
Mike Carey
1,264 books2,970 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
Mike Carey was born in Liverpool in 1959. He worked as a teacher for fifteen years, before starting to write comics. When he started to receive regular commissions from DC Comics, he gave up the day job.
Since then, he has worked for both DC and Marvel Comics, writing storylines for some of the world's most iconic characters, including X-MEN, FANTASTIC FOUR, LUCIFER and HELLBLAZER. His original screenplay FROST FLOWERS is currently being filmed. Mike has also adapted Neil Gaiman's acclaimed NEVERWHERE into comics.
Somehow, Mike finds time amongst all of this to live with his wife and children in North London. You can read his blog at www.mikecarey.net.
Mike Carey was born in Liverpool in 1959. He worked as a teacher for fifteen years, before starting to write comics. When he started to receive regular commissions from DC Comics, he gave up the day job.
Since then, he has worked for both DC and Marvel Comics, writing storylines for some of the world's most iconic characters, including X-MEN, FANTASTIC FOUR, LUCIFER and HELLBLAZER. His original screenplay FROST FLOWERS is currently being filmed. Mike has also adapted Neil Gaiman's acclaimed NEVERWHERE into comics.
Somehow, Mike finds time amongst all of this to live with his wife and children in North London. You can read his blog at www.mikecarey.net.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
December 5, 2016
Gran bella storia di fantasmi e case infestate che magari non brilla per originalità, ma comunque regala qualche brivido e tiene incollato il lettore fino all'ultima pagina.
Disegni stupendi, peccato solo per il bianco e nero ed il formato bonelliano dell'edizione italiana... :(
October 19, 2018
This was okay I guess. I mean it's a pretty standard haunting story and even the twist at the end was not really anything to write home about. I might be more inclined to praise it if I didn't know Carey could do so much better. Still, it's a nice short read and the art is good.
May 19, 2023
Nicely done but somewhat predictable. I had guessed the twist by issue 2 and I reckon many people can do the same.
Still, it remains perfectly enjoyable. Decently crafted-plot and art- with a nice main character you care for.
A bit too cozy probably but good enough to agreeably pass the time.
Still, it remains perfectly enjoyable. Decently crafted-plot and art- with a nice main character you care for.
A bit too cozy probably but good enough to agreeably pass the time.
April 4, 2017
This review originally appeared on my blog, Books Without Any Pictures:
http://bookswithoutanypictures.com/20...
Rowan’s Ruin is a standalone trade paperback graphic novel about a girl named Katie who participates in a house swap, only to find that the house is haunted. But Katie isn’t scared off–instead she goes to the library and tries to figure out the house’s mysteries. As she learns about the house’s history, she has to fight for her life to keep from becoming the house’s next victim.
I’m feeling a bullet-point review today:
-The atmosphere in this book is excellent. The illustrations convey exactly the right kind of dark suspense to reinforce the story.
-My favorite character was the librarian. And I loved that she was portrayed in a way that’s accurate to the profession–she’s an information professional, and constantly points Katie to things she might not have found on her own. There are so many stereotypical librarians in books and movies, so it makes me happy to see it done right.
-I did see the plot twist coming, but it didn’t interfere with my enjoyment of the book.
-It’s really nice to read a standalone. As much as long-running series can be good, it’s nice that I could sit down and read this and not feel like I’m committing to 3+ books.
Overall, I enjoyed this one a lot. Mike Carey’s writing is atmospheric and suspenseful. This is the third book I’ve ready by him (The Girl With All the Gifts and God Save the Queen were the others), and it makes me want to find everything he’s written and devour it.
http://bookswithoutanypictures.com/20...
Rowan’s Ruin is a standalone trade paperback graphic novel about a girl named Katie who participates in a house swap, only to find that the house is haunted. But Katie isn’t scared off–instead she goes to the library and tries to figure out the house’s mysteries. As she learns about the house’s history, she has to fight for her life to keep from becoming the house’s next victim.
I’m feeling a bullet-point review today:
-The atmosphere in this book is excellent. The illustrations convey exactly the right kind of dark suspense to reinforce the story.
-My favorite character was the librarian. And I loved that she was portrayed in a way that’s accurate to the profession–she’s an information professional, and constantly points Katie to things she might not have found on her own. There are so many stereotypical librarians in books and movies, so it makes me happy to see it done right.
-I did see the plot twist coming, but it didn’t interfere with my enjoyment of the book.
-It’s really nice to read a standalone. As much as long-running series can be good, it’s nice that I could sit down and read this and not feel like I’m committing to 3+ books.
Overall, I enjoyed this one a lot. Mike Carey’s writing is atmospheric and suspenseful. This is the third book I’ve ready by him (The Girl With All the Gifts and God Save the Queen were the others), and it makes me want to find everything he’s written and devour it.
July 19, 2018
This horror story was unexpectedly enjoyable, considering the genre isn't a favourite of mine. The main character does a good investigative job using, in part, her sensitivity to otherworldly things. The pacing is even as more and more key elements are revealed between the few dynamic scenes. Unlike other horror I've read, this story seems to have a definitive ending. While there are a few supernatural elements, the whole thing is a lot more tangible than it seems.
Katie from the US wants a change of scenery and finds a girl in Stratford, UK to switch houses with. She becomes unsettled during one night when the room Emily kept locked from her is suddenly half-open. Emily's installed several devices to ward off evil spirits. When Katie asks her about it Emily denies everything, but Katie digs up the strange and bloody history of the house using a sensitivity that threatened to make her mad years back. Her good intentions threaten to kill her, but by the end she will be unable to back down from finding the truth.
Katie from the US wants a change of scenery and finds a girl in Stratford, UK to switch houses with. She becomes unsettled during one night when the room Emily kept locked from her is suddenly half-open. Emily's installed several devices to ward off evil spirits. When Katie asks her about it Emily denies everything, but Katie digs up the strange and bloody history of the house using a sensitivity that threatened to make her mad years back. Her good intentions threaten to kill her, but by the end she will be unable to back down from finding the truth.
June 18, 2021
While the art was solid the story was pretty average
June 11, 2025
Décidemment, j'ai bien du mal avec les comics. je n'ai pas aimé les dessins et l'histoire est prévisible.
July 23, 2021
Enjoyed the art, figured out the end about halfway through.
June 17, 2020
J'ai arrondi à 4 mais en fait, c'est plutôt un 3,75/5. J'avais envie d'une bonne histoire d'horreur et de maison hantée et au final, même s'il est question de fantômes, j'ai trouvé que l'album penchait plutôt vers le thriller. Je n'ai pas raffolé du dessin (la couverture est par contre super) que j'ai trouvé parfois un peu fouillis et surchargé, avec des personnages souvent peu agréables à regarder. C'est d'ailleurs étrange quand on voit les études graphiques noir et blanc jointes en fin d'album car là, les personnages sont très réussis ... la différence de mon ressenti entre études et dessin final serait-ce dû à la mise en couleurs ? Pourtant, elles ne sont pas désagréables. Quant à l'histoire, un dessin vers la fin du premier tiers de l'album m'a vendu tout le récit et j'ai alors su le pourquoi, le qui, le comment ... enfin bref, tout !!!! Du coup, ça a un peu gâché l'ensemble de ma lecture en lui enlevant tout le suspense et une quelconque originalité !
September 6, 2018
I might have liked this more, if I hadn't read and loved various other works by the same writer. I felt less connected to the art, but also found the story kind of predictable/ not enough dimensions to the characters (though I did incorrectly suspect
I hadn't realized there were sequels, but I don't feel very motivated to pursue them. I didn't hate it, just...meh.
I hadn't realized there were sequels, but I don't feel very motivated to pursue them. I didn't hate it, just...meh.
May 23, 2020
Is this Carey's best? No. Is it alright? Sure. To me, the story suffers from rushed and sometimes jerky pacing - pacing that doesn't feel deliberate, and doesn't enhance the spook factor. And, I admit, I don't love the ending. It's not the twist, which is fine and interesting enough, but the emotional fallout that reads as unrealistic to me.
August 15, 2017
Our heroine Katie is looking for a place to relax and somewhere new to rejuvenate herself. She finds a young woman in England is looking to house swap. Katie soon finds the home she has found herself in has hidden skeletons. Spirits began to show themselves to Katie. Whether they are there to help or to hurt is something she must figure out and hopefully not too late.
There is a mixture of realism and mysticism which makes this graphic novel thrilling to read. The main character, Katie, finds out things about herself that she thought was bad but is just really a part of herself others don’t understand. For example she is empathic and a medium of sorts as she sees ghosts. When in previously in her life when mysterious things would happen her family made her take a trip to a psychiatrist who would then put in her on medication.
The story ends with sadness but also with hope as Katie learns that she is a strong woman with special abilities that can help herself and others once she learns to use those abilities. I had hoped that there was going to be a series after this graphic novel. I really liked Katie’s and the characters around her. The story moved quickly and was exciting. I wanted more and I am sad to say that as of now Rowan’s Ruin is a stand alone.
Author Mike Carey is known more for writing other comics like Lucifer, Neverwhere,
Unwritten and some X-men. Rowan’s Ruin is a hidden gem with art that may not be spectacular but fitting for the story.
There is a mixture of realism and mysticism which makes this graphic novel thrilling to read. The main character, Katie, finds out things about herself that she thought was bad but is just really a part of herself others don’t understand. For example she is empathic and a medium of sorts as she sees ghosts. When in previously in her life when mysterious things would happen her family made her take a trip to a psychiatrist who would then put in her on medication.
The story ends with sadness but also with hope as Katie learns that she is a strong woman with special abilities that can help herself and others once she learns to use those abilities. I had hoped that there was going to be a series after this graphic novel. I really liked Katie’s and the characters around her. The story moved quickly and was exciting. I wanted more and I am sad to say that as of now Rowan’s Ruin is a stand alone.
Author Mike Carey is known more for writing other comics like Lucifer, Neverwhere,
Unwritten and some X-men. Rowan’s Ruin is a hidden gem with art that may not be spectacular but fitting for the story.
Read
September 8, 2024I know Mike Carey's novels do pretty well lately, but you'd think that would make his occasional comics more of a big deal, not less. Except here's another I didn't know existed until I happened across a copy – and much like the last two I read from him (well, assuming we leave later volumes of his slightly puzzling Barbarella run to one side), it's a haunted house story, although not quite in the usual sense. Here, sadly, that twist is one of its weaknesses; protagonist Katie seems painfully slow to pick up on what's really going on, the reader (or this reader, at any rate) far ahead, and the final issue is reduced to a very familiar sort of runaround. Other than that, it's nicely done, from the gentle culture clash comedy of an American in the Midlands, where there are sheds older than her country, to Katie's growing acceptance that her sense of certain places as good or bad has never been the mental illness she was told it was.
December 8, 2018
This was a good graphic novel. The art is beautiful and the character is a strong woman who doesn't need her guy to look after her. The story was interesting and I overall really enjoyed this. Only reason I did not give it five stars was at time the main characters actions seemed a bit unrealistic. Like some of the ways she spoke to the ghosts did not feel very accurate how someone no matter how brave they were would react. Would still recommend you give this a go however as I really enjoyed it especially the art.
February 5, 2018
Mikes, Carey & Perkins, tell the story of Katie and Emily who decide to swap houses for vacation. That's when things get weird. Carey does a good job of crafting a haunting tale but foreshadows the twist too heavily. Also, the protagonist is too easy going with some kooky stuff. Perkins usually does phenomenal work but his stuff looked much more rough than normal. Not as good as he's been in the past. Overall, a decent read that could have been tweaked to be very good.
June 15, 2017
A decent enough little horror story with a protagonist who is either refreshingly or bafflingly unflappable. Probably veers towards the latter.
June 26, 2017
Very good. The story is nothing new but still good all the same. I liked the art and the writing style. Good twist. Worth the read.
October 17, 2017
https://osrascunhos.com/2017/10/15/ro...
Rowans Run foi encomendado no seguimento do convite feito ao Mike Carey pelo Fórum Fantástico para vir a Portugal. História de volume único, mostrava-se ser um bom candidato para ter alguma coisa do autor em formato de banda desenhada sem ficar presa a uma longa série. Sem ser excelente, apresenta uma história coesa e uma premissa não totalmente nova, sendo que o twist final se adivinha antes de ocorrer, ainda que seja bem explorado.
A história inicia-se com uma jovem americana, Katie, que procura ter umas férias diferentes. Para tal propõe-se a trocar de casa com outra jovem inglesa, numa típica zona rural. O acordo parece satisfazer a ambas as partes e Katie está ansiosa por partir para um país da Europa onde poderá explorar a história do velho continente.
Fascinada pela casa, o primeiro dia de Katie decorre com altos e baixos. A rápida saída que a leva a um bar atrai um pervertido mas, em compensação, é acompanhada por um jovem polícia com quem se envolve. Já a noite na casa, também parece afectá-la, com vislumbre de algumas sombras pouco prováveis.
Entre fantasmas e histórias conturbadas da casa, percebe que a família que habitava naquela casa era comummente atacada. A jovem inglesa, em criança, tinha sido alvo de um ataque violento que deixou a irmã em coma e o casal acabou por morrer num estranho acidente. Contra as indicações deixadas explora o quarto principal, achando que os ataques são direccionados e que não será o alvo principal.
A narrativa possui alguns elementos que pretendem fazer-nos distrair do enredo principal, talvez como forma de arranjar várias explicações para os acontecimentos. No entanto, as pistas que deixa fizeram-me perceber a razão cedo demais. Com alguns elementos sobrenaturais interessantes, é uma história que contrasta monstros reais com criaturas pouco palpáveis, mostrando que o horror nem sempre se encontra no desconhecido.
Rowans Run foi encomendado no seguimento do convite feito ao Mike Carey pelo Fórum Fantástico para vir a Portugal. História de volume único, mostrava-se ser um bom candidato para ter alguma coisa do autor em formato de banda desenhada sem ficar presa a uma longa série. Sem ser excelente, apresenta uma história coesa e uma premissa não totalmente nova, sendo que o twist final se adivinha antes de ocorrer, ainda que seja bem explorado.
A história inicia-se com uma jovem americana, Katie, que procura ter umas férias diferentes. Para tal propõe-se a trocar de casa com outra jovem inglesa, numa típica zona rural. O acordo parece satisfazer a ambas as partes e Katie está ansiosa por partir para um país da Europa onde poderá explorar a história do velho continente.
Fascinada pela casa, o primeiro dia de Katie decorre com altos e baixos. A rápida saída que a leva a um bar atrai um pervertido mas, em compensação, é acompanhada por um jovem polícia com quem se envolve. Já a noite na casa, também parece afectá-la, com vislumbre de algumas sombras pouco prováveis.
Entre fantasmas e histórias conturbadas da casa, percebe que a família que habitava naquela casa era comummente atacada. A jovem inglesa, em criança, tinha sido alvo de um ataque violento que deixou a irmã em coma e o casal acabou por morrer num estranho acidente. Contra as indicações deixadas explora o quarto principal, achando que os ataques são direccionados e que não será o alvo principal.
A narrativa possui alguns elementos que pretendem fazer-nos distrair do enredo principal, talvez como forma de arranjar várias explicações para os acontecimentos. No entanto, as pistas que deixa fizeram-me perceber a razão cedo demais. Com alguns elementos sobrenaturais interessantes, é uma história que contrasta monstros reais com criaturas pouco palpáveis, mostrando que o horror nem sempre se encontra no desconhecido.
February 4, 2018
Classic ghost horror with a twist. Reminds me of reading my Dad's horror comics as a tween.
January 14, 2019
A really fun, creepy, ghost story/mystery. It's got great characters, cool twists, and some breathtakingly beautiful and moody art.
October 12, 2020
Little disappointing...way to easy to predict the ending
May 12, 2023
Your more or less standard haunted house story. This one with a twist that was telegraphed from miles away. Solid enough but nothing special, especially when Mike Carey has done far better.
December 30, 2023
Alors qu'on propose à Katie un échange de maison pour les vacances, la jeune américaine saute sur l'occasion d'aller passer l'été au domaine de Rowans. Mais une fois sur place, les choses ne se passent pas exactement comme prévu. Et Katie commence à enquêter sur ce lieu qui semble hanté par de tragiques événements...
✏️
Scénarisé par Mike Carey, illustré par Mike Perkins, La Malédiction de Rowans est un one shot efficace et très bien mené.
On y suit le personnages de Katie, dans un récit fantastique, à la croisée de The Holiday et de Sixième Sens. Échange de maison. Échange de fantômes. Échange de passé. On signe. Alors certes, le récit ne renouvelle pas le genre et si le scénario peut s'avérer un poil convenu et sans grande surprise, il n'en est pas moins précis et soigné.
Graphiquement Mike Perkins installe quant à lui une véritable ambiance, à la fois austère, fantasmagorique, à la limite du baroque. Il mélange la banalité de la réalité avec la violence de visions mortiphères avec virtuosité.
Une lecture pour ceux qui veulent frissonner à l'approche d'Halloween (oui je suis en avance, mais je ne tiens plus) et de la plus belle des saisons, l'automne ♡
✏️
Scénarisé par Mike Carey, illustré par Mike Perkins, La Malédiction de Rowans est un one shot efficace et très bien mené.
On y suit le personnages de Katie, dans un récit fantastique, à la croisée de The Holiday et de Sixième Sens. Échange de maison. Échange de fantômes. Échange de passé. On signe. Alors certes, le récit ne renouvelle pas le genre et si le scénario peut s'avérer un poil convenu et sans grande surprise, il n'en est pas moins précis et soigné.
Graphiquement Mike Perkins installe quant à lui une véritable ambiance, à la fois austère, fantasmagorique, à la limite du baroque. Il mélange la banalité de la réalité avec la violence de visions mortiphères avec virtuosité.
Une lecture pour ceux qui veulent frissonner à l'approche d'Halloween (oui je suis en avance, mais je ne tiens plus) et de la plus belle des saisons, l'automne ♡
June 24, 2016
Creepy little horror story reminiscent of Lois Duncan's YA novels from the 90s.
December 1, 2016
A good little ghost story.
December 9, 2016
An excellent job of keeping a creepy atmosphere while also defying all expectations!
June 3, 2017
Prévisible.
April 5, 2016
Story has been tried before, there's nothing new in it.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews