inthebelljar's review
3.0
Honestly, I think a huge part of this being 3 stars for me is because I had very high expectations. Sentient has been recommended by multiple reviewers and the AIs-with-feelings is one of my favorite tropes of all time, especially if that AI isn't necessarily supposed to have feelings. So, upon finishing this graphic novel, I think I most of all just felt...underwhelmed. This is a short graphic novel - only 160 pages with no sequel - and it ultimately felt like I was getting snippets from a larger, more moving story.
The ship's AI, Val, was super endearing. I liked her a lot and I actually was super interested in how her initial reaction to being left alone to take care of the kids was panic - I don't feel like most AIs in sci fi get a chance to be uncertain, and it felt warranted in this case. Another thing I found interesting was that she wasn't made to be taking care of children, and at times this showed. For example, when Val parrots back things that she heard the parents say to their children before they were killed. Lil, the oldest of the kids and one of the main characters, points this out and tells her to stop - leading to Val speaking to her more stiffly, more formally, more like she's an adult. Like Val was still struggling to be a more human-like mom to these children if she wasn't parroting what she had heard before. I only wish that these sorts of things were explored more.
Which is a big complaint I felt overall - great ideas, but very little exploration of them. I felt like I kept being told how much Val had changed, but we as the readers only really see a handful of scenes of how Val was before there's a timeskip and the children and her are settled into a routine and she's taken on a very mom-like persona. I'm told that this is wildly different and that she has changed so much but I barely knew Val as a character before this happened, which really flattened any effect this could have had.
Same with the children; obviously, the events that occur have traumatized them and having to run a ship without any adults when all of them are age 10 or younger made them grow up fast but I rarely saw any evidence of this. They fight, they argue, they cry about things that have happened but ultimately they still are literal children doing adult jobs with no problem, defending their ship and keeping things running smoothly. The kids didn't feel very child-like to me besides a few ridiculous arguments that felt like okay, yeah, I guess kids would argue about these things because they're children, but not much beyond that. Yes, it's unfair and tragic they lost their childhood to these events but I never really....bought it? I didn't get attached to the kids, either. There's really only focus on two of them throughout the whole graphic novel despite this being a large group and even then I felt like the two main children only had maybe two traits each - the boy is timid and sad, the girl is angry and defiant.
Again, I felt like the narration kept telling me how traumatizing and important and life-changing these events were but I witnessed very little of it as a reader. I could probably go on for longer but I feel like all of my complaints go back to "I wanted more and I was so underwhelmed." The art was great, I enjoyed the style and the looks of things. I liked the ideas and themes. Val was interesting at times. But I just felt mostly disappointed by this title and felt like I had read the same themes in sci fi, done better, many times before.
The ship's AI, Val, was super endearing. I liked her a lot and I actually was super interested in how her initial reaction to being left alone to take care of the kids was panic - I don't feel like most AIs in sci fi get a chance to be uncertain, and it felt warranted in this case. Another thing I found interesting was that she wasn't made to be taking care of children, and at times this showed. For example, when Val parrots back things that she heard the parents say to their children before they were killed. Lil, the oldest of the kids and one of the main characters, points this out and tells her to stop - leading to Val speaking to her more stiffly, more formally, more like she's an adult. Like Val was still struggling to be a more human-like mom to these children if she wasn't parroting what she had heard before. I only wish that these sorts of things were explored more.
Which is a big complaint I felt overall - great ideas, but very little exploration of them. I felt like I kept being told how much Val had changed, but we as the readers only really see a handful of scenes of how Val was before there's a timeskip and the children and her are settled into a routine and she's taken on a very mom-like persona. I'm told that this is wildly different and that she has changed so much but I barely knew Val as a character before this happened, which really flattened any effect this could have had.
Same with the children; obviously, the events that occur have traumatized them and having to run a ship without any adults when all of them are age 10 or younger made them grow up fast but I rarely saw any evidence of this. They fight, they argue, they cry about things that have happened but ultimately they still are literal children doing adult jobs with no problem, defending their ship and keeping things running smoothly. The kids didn't feel very child-like to me besides a few ridiculous arguments that felt like okay, yeah, I guess kids would argue about these things because they're children, but not much beyond that. Yes, it's unfair and tragic they lost their childhood to these events but I never really....bought it? I didn't get attached to the kids, either. There's really only focus on two of them throughout the whole graphic novel despite this being a large group and even then I felt like the two main children only had maybe two traits each - the boy is timid and sad, the girl is angry and defiant.
Again, I felt like the narration kept telling me how traumatizing and important and life-changing these events were but I witnessed very little of it as a reader. I could probably go on for longer but I feel like all of my complaints go back to "I wanted more and I was so underwhelmed." The art was great, I enjoyed the style and the looks of things. I liked the ideas and themes. Val was interesting at times. But I just felt mostly disappointed by this title and felt like I had read the same themes in sci fi, done better, many times before.
joshgauthier's review against another edition
5.0
Lemire's character work and gripping storytelling shine from the first page to the last. Doing something fresh with the idea of deep-space generation ships, Lemire delivers a story that is complex, heartbreaking, hopeful, and full of the questions that make good science fiction great.
Bringing Lemire's writing to life, Gabriel Walta's art and color palate capture the character emotions and dramatic moments with excellent style, embodying the triumphs, tragedies, and dramatic twists of the USS Montgomery and her crew and their fight for survival against forces and interests much larger than themselves.
Bringing Lemire's writing to life, Gabriel Walta's art and color palate capture the character emotions and dramatic moments with excellent style, embodying the triumphs, tragedies, and dramatic twists of the USS Montgomery and her crew and their fight for survival against forces and interests much larger than themselves.
baggednboarded's review
4.0
If you're into sci-fi this is a good one. Sentient is an adventurous and endearing story.
becksthewreck's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
nodogsonthemoon's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood, and Death of parent
Moderate: Gore, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Violence
themtj's review
5.0
Beautiful story, incredible illustration. I wanted it to go on, I would have spent a full year in great detail with this crew. That being said, I always appreciate when something is well done and the author knows when to leave well enough alone. I think the door is open for a follow-up series, but I don't expect it since this is a complete story.
elia25's review
3.0
Jeff lemire no hace nada mal, pero no me gusta nada cuando crea una historia como ésta y la da por acabada en tan poco tiempo. Quiero más, tiene vibes villain origin story.
library_bookwyrm's review against another edition
5.0
A really good origin story! You have to wonder - what happens next?!
sarahsnacks's review against another edition
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
4.0