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Finder #2
Finder, Vol. 02: Sin-Eater 2
Jaeger Ayers is a Finder, a super-scout born -or maybe made- for a survivor`s life. He`s an explorer whose past is a mystery to him, a loner who finds himself returning to Emma and her children, the only people in his life who feel like family. In this second part of Sin-Eater, he must ask himself how far he will go to protect them from his best Brigham, Emma`s husband.
184 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2000
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
May 8, 2007
Jaeger is the sexiest imaginary man ever.
April 17, 2022
2022 reread.
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2005 review:
Sin-Eater is about Jaeger, a wanderer and trader and ex-soldier (and a couple of more things, too, but we don't find out what until fairly late in the book. He's also clearly inspired by a popular superhero, although it would be spoilerish to tell you which one; but this, along with the richness of the world presented, makes me wonder how long McNeil's been working out this universe). He visits the domed city of Anvard--and Emma, the ex-wife of his old army commander, and her three kids, Rachel, Lynne, and Marcie. Eventually he asks her why she left her husband:
Sin-Eater is about Emma and her husband Brigham and their children, and about how the past doesn't die; it's about Jaeger and his reluctance to get involved and his profound involvement; and it's full of extraordinary depth and richness, little throwaway details about the city and the families and the world, long extensive daydreams and dream sequences about these people's pasts and their complex inner fantasies. The present-day storyline takes place in the domed city of Anvard; there are extremely inbred clans, a complex social structure, genetically engineered animal people, fascinating glimpses of multiple and very distinct cultures, and the misunderstood fragments of a lost past which is clearly our present--although it's difficult to tell if this world is post-apocalyptic (environmental collapse, man-made catastrophe) or simply post-Dark-Ages (knowledge lost to merely human vagaries, warfare, the breakdown of social structures). The world is fascinating, and so are the people; I can't say I like Jaegar, but that doesn't have any bearing on whether I want to read about him. Everything seems to have history and context--and yet to be mysterious, not completely knowable, in the way real cultures and artifacts are. It is one of the best examples of anthropological sf I've read in a while.
A brief note on the art: I've seen it highly praised, but I'm not sure how I feel about it. I start each book finding it clear but kind of ugly: thick lines, cross-hatching, very solid outlines, a bizarre mixture of cartoonishness and unusually real texturing, in style somewhat reminiscent of woodblock printing. (Black and white, which of course I'm kind of used to by now.) By the middle of each book, I find it both compelling and unremarkable: of course this is what things look like, how else would they look? There are examples on McNeil's Web site; check it out for yourself.
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2005 review:
Sin-Eater is about Jaeger, a wanderer and trader and ex-soldier (and a couple of more things, too, but we don't find out what until fairly late in the book. He's also clearly inspired by a popular superhero, although it would be spoilerish to tell you which one; but this, along with the richness of the world presented, makes me wonder how long McNeil's been working out this universe). He visits the domed city of Anvard--and Emma, the ex-wife of his old army commander, and her three kids, Rachel, Lynne, and Marcie. Eventually he asks her why she left her husband:
We were living in a war zone. He told us we were in danger ... What reason did I have to disbelieve him? [...]
First it's don't go out alone at night, lock your door. Then it's don't go out at night at all. Lock your door during the day too.
Then it's sleep in the marble bathtub, in case someone shoots through the walls of the house. Don't go out even in daylight without an armed escort--Brig, of course, since he didn't trust the other soldiers or officers anymore.[...]
The danger was real, at first ... it must have been, that battle zone is in the news records ... but by the time I left him, I found that the fighting had been over for four years.
Sin-Eater is about Emma and her husband Brigham and their children, and about how the past doesn't die; it's about Jaeger and his reluctance to get involved and his profound involvement; and it's full of extraordinary depth and richness, little throwaway details about the city and the families and the world, long extensive daydreams and dream sequences about these people's pasts and their complex inner fantasies. The present-day storyline takes place in the domed city of Anvard; there are extremely inbred clans, a complex social structure, genetically engineered animal people, fascinating glimpses of multiple and very distinct cultures, and the misunderstood fragments of a lost past which is clearly our present--although it's difficult to tell if this world is post-apocalyptic (environmental collapse, man-made catastrophe) or simply post-Dark-Ages (knowledge lost to merely human vagaries, warfare, the breakdown of social structures). The world is fascinating, and so are the people; I can't say I like Jaegar, but that doesn't have any bearing on whether I want to read about him. Everything seems to have history and context--and yet to be mysterious, not completely knowable, in the way real cultures and artifacts are. It is one of the best examples of anthropological sf I've read in a while.
A brief note on the art: I've seen it highly praised, but I'm not sure how I feel about it. I start each book finding it clear but kind of ugly: thick lines, cross-hatching, very solid outlines, a bizarre mixture of cartoonishness and unusually real texturing, in style somewhat reminiscent of woodblock printing. (Black and white, which of course I'm kind of used to by now.) By the middle of each book, I find it both compelling and unremarkable: of course this is what things look like, how else would they look? There are examples on McNeil's Web site; check it out for yourself.
January 14, 2021
Brilliant well constructed speculative fiction of the future with amazing internal cohesiveness. Believable characters dealing with everyday issues not seen in real life or other fiction.
I ended up just reading the soft cover edition. It was easier. Every time I read this, I'm amazed at how good it is. The characters have great depth and individuality. The world is unique and fleshed out. The art is beautiful, too. I plan to reread all of the books in series. This will be the first time I've done this.
I'm rereading the soft cover while referencing notes on the Kindle edition. I think this is my fourth rereading. For some reason, Goodreads won't let me post both versions as reading at the same time.
I ended up just reading the soft cover edition. It was easier. Every time I read this, I'm amazed at how good it is. The characters have great depth and individuality. The world is unique and fleshed out. The art is beautiful, too. I plan to reread all of the books in series. This will be the first time I've done this.
I'm rereading the soft cover while referencing notes on the Kindle edition. I think this is my fourth rereading. For some reason, Goodreads won't let me post both versions as reading at the same time.
November 28, 2010
The first two volumes of Carla Speed McNeil's "FInder" series deliver a visual and narrative wallop. I can't deny my love for sequential art storytelling, nor can I deny that the storytelling part is painfully weak. But "Finder" is both beautiful in appearance and content. My only complaint would be that the story can be a little hard to follow, as the panels can jump from dreamscapes to reality, flashbacks to flashforwards, and all over the timeline. The "notes on the preceding" section of each book is invaluable in unravelling some of the more opaque narrative jumps. That being said, the dialog never feels stinted or phony, as most hero-book writing does. I'll definitely be checking out further volumes from the library.
February 21, 2011
Um. Wow.
While the previous volume in the Finder series gave me a small case of culture shock, this volume was all of the culture and none of the shock. The non-linear story was far less jarring now that I knew what to look for (for instance, Jaeger's tattoo fading, his hair growing, the different body shape of Brig, etc.) and it was easier to understand now that the initial introductions are all complete.
The artwork is gorgeous, the story engaging, and even moreso - I find myself thinking about the world that it inhabits. I'm very curious about the next volume, King of Cats, because the Nyima from the first volume greatly intrigued me.
The more I read of this series the more I want to immerse myself within the world. Speed has really created something worth diving into.
While the previous volume in the Finder series gave me a small case of culture shock, this volume was all of the culture and none of the shock. The non-linear story was far less jarring now that I knew what to look for (for instance, Jaeger's tattoo fading, his hair growing, the different body shape of Brig, etc.) and it was easier to understand now that the initial introductions are all complete.
The artwork is gorgeous, the story engaging, and even moreso - I find myself thinking about the world that it inhabits. I'm very curious about the next volume, King of Cats, because the Nyima from the first volume greatly intrigued me.
The more I read of this series the more I want to immerse myself within the world. Speed has really created something worth diving into.
January 30, 2017
Jaeger's first adventure with the Grosvenor family continues. As he tries to figure out what to do when he thinks he sees his military father-figure going bad, Jaeger starts to test the bounds of the man's sanity. Jaeger doesn't want to make the classic cop mistake-- leave the stalker alone until after he's hurt someone-- but he also wants to give his friend a chance. Trying to walk this line, Jaeger puts everyone in danger, creating a situation he cannot control and perhaps shoving his friend Brigham over the line into madness in the process.
My God, what a complicated story. I love it so.
For more on comics, horror, humanity, morality and the world check out The Stupid Philosopher, aka a place where I put my words.
My God, what a complicated story. I love it so.
For more on comics, horror, humanity, morality and the world check out The Stupid Philosopher, aka a place where I put my words.
December 22, 2012
Finder continues with the second installment of "Sin Eater," a tale of Jaeger, a rebel aboriginal in a futuristic world of domed cities and clan systems. The story continues much in the way it was begun, but there is some improvement in McNeil's storytelling as well as more plot overall. Still, Jaeger is every bit as disinteresting as a character, again crippling an otherwise compelling tale a bit too much.
June 26, 2015
This is part two of a single storyline, and the narrative becomes a bit more focused, though it's not really tighter.
It feels like an episodic scattered kind of story with awesome worldbuilding but just decent characters and stories.
I like it well enough, and I like this more than part one. Probably going to keep reading since I have most of them from the library, but, if I didn't, I would definitely be stopping here.
It feels like an episodic scattered kind of story with awesome worldbuilding but just decent characters and stories.
I like it well enough, and I like this more than part one. Probably going to keep reading since I have most of them from the library, but, if I didn't, I would definitely be stopping here.
January 23, 2010
A complex, rich story, told non-linearly. Though it was difficult to follow the story in "Sin-Eater 1", the pieces start coming together in this second book. There is lots that I must have missed on the first read-through, but it will be worth going back for a second read.
October 8, 2011
Check out my review of Vol. 01. They're basically one story and so everything I said applies here too :)
August 4, 2008
read about Carla Speed McNeill via Warren Ellis's Come In Alone book/artbomb.net (RIP) website...she creates worlds, has foot notes to her panels and writes good dialogue
May 12, 2011
Read "Voice" first, and *then* laid my hands on this, and Sin-Eater #1. So that's what brought all these people together. And what a wonderfully unique leading character Jaeger is!
October 10, 2013
An obligatory finish to what began in sin-eater 1.
November 7, 2017
UGH - what was the point of Sin-Eater?! I just could not get it nor get into it.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews