Reviews

I admit, when I picked this up, I knew a little bit about the story of the rape of Nanjing, but that was about as far as it goes. This, as most good war stories, is told from the view of a soldier in the conflict, a Chinese officer.

And of course, the way war is, this does not have a happy ending. Why should it? Well, most of the books I have that are set in war have some glimmer of hope in them, that the main characters will survive, and live another day. But I'm sure the point of this book is to show how horrific the war was. So, no such glimmer of hope for us here.

Still, this was well told, and for those who want to teach about what happened pre-WWII (there are those that say that this conflict should be when WWII started, rather than 1939), this is a good introduction.

I thought I was just going to look inside, and then finish this later, but read the whole thing in one sitting.

bribriny's review against another edition

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5.0

Through outstanding artwork, you get sucked into this little bit of time with these characters. Immediately connecting with them, and deeply feeling the story to it's conclusion. The fact that it's based on a real event adds so much emotion to the story.

Ethan has created something that allows us to see the horrors of war, and not forget the humanity that has to go through it.

chonkeyhong's review against another edition

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dark sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

nyah_ellexa's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Truly an amazing look into the Nanjing Massacre, and in a much more approachable medium for some people who may not know anything about it. A great introspective with complex characters and an art style that is the perfect fit for this gritty story. I can’t wait to read every book in its bibliography.

Content Warnings

jennybeastie's review against another edition

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3.0

If the point of this piece is to be revolted by war, it achieves that in spades. The book also introduced me to a part of history that I knew nothing about. It is deeply disturbing -- to the point where it almost felt prurient. Horrifying to a point that I wondered if there was a glorification of the horror. I don't know how to feel about it, but for all its effective portrayal of a tragic history, I don't want to ever read it again.

steveatwaywords's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

An ambitious and under-discussed subject suffers from its limited scale/scope. Two Chinese soldiers attempt to escape Japanese-occupied Nanking while encountering a set of horrors. The pacing is fast, the characters chosen realistic and tragic, and yet Young is able to offer us a complexity of motives and choices in these quick and dramatic moments. Don't look for "justice" from history; perhaps only from its telling. And while the storyline focuses (mostly) on the Chinese point of view, to not offer it would only perpetrate the erasure of history pervasive in Western education (by omission) and some Asian education (by political determination). For those unfamiliar with this story, Young kicks the door open but does not enter too far; for those who know, he underscores the human scene rather than statistical one. All in all, the Asian theater of the 1930s is one of the most under-explored: it deserves far more, yet.

Content Warnings

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