Reviews

Il Castello by Jane Yolen, Linda Medley

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asktheleaf's review against another edition

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funny hopeful lighthearted

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

magnetgrrl's review against another edition

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3.0

This is sort of a family friendly retake on the Sleeping Beauty fairy tale. The tone reminded me a bit of 'Fractured Fairy Tales' or whatever they were called from the old Rocky and Bullwinkle show, only with less slapstick and perhaps a tiny bit more introspection. The Brambly Hedge is a self contained story, and the introduces the characters and setting for the later ongoing series, Castle Waiting. After reading The Brambly Hedge, I think Castle Waiting has some promise, so I think I'll check it out.

chilotte's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.75

laissezfarrell's review against another edition

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4.0

Starts off a bit slow, with a faithful (although updated) retelling of Sleeping Beauty. After about 50 pages, it takes a complete left turn and gets increasingly enjoyable from there. Many loose ends, which makes me think we may see future stories about the characters.

robdabear's review against another edition

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4.0

As I said before, I'm quite new to graphic novels, my only experience being when I was younger, reading the Bone series, of which I really enjoyed. So I decided I would start giving them more of a shot, just as something fun to both read and look at. After some random searching, I found this, and let me tell you, I was not disappointed.

Castle Waiting, this particular version the volume one, is a fantastic merging of fairy tales in the world after all that we've heard about. It begins with the classic tale of Sleeping Beauty, though it is interpreted with a rather humorous twinge, as Medley takes her own creative bounds in essentially highlighting some of the more human truths to fairy tales. Eventually, however, the fairy tale ends, and the castle in which sleeping beauty (or Aurora, or whatever) once ruled is left in utter disregard. Years and years later (forwarded by the story, of course), the castle is once again taken under control by a humanoid crane or stork or something of that nature (after all, it is a fairy tale). A mysterious pregnant woman with almost no past embarks on a journey to find safety in the castle, and the story proceeds from there.

Castle Waiting is a lovely place, both in spirit and in Linda Medley's absolutely beautiful line drawings. Every panel is a joy to look at, and assists in telling the wide assortment of stories perfectly. Every character in the castle is friendly and agreeable, easy for the reader to fall in love with their pleasantness without the hospitality getting annoying. After the mysterious woman, Jain, arrives at the castle, her safe haven, Medley spends a considerable amount of time showing off the many quirks of Castle Waiting, all of which gives the reader these little emotional moments of finding such a wonderful pleasantness in this wonderfully drawn fantasy.

Medley, as she had intended with her original self-published issues, then proceeds to give the backstories of each tenant in Castle Waiting, while also taking occasional breaks to bring up tales of life in the Castle. This only being Volume 1, with 2 set to be released in mid-May, only a few characters are explained, most notably Sister Peace of the Solicitine Nuns, who, well...let's just say her story is tough to look at at first, but in a kind of humorous way.

I was surprised to know that Medley had taken a break from writing and drawing Castle Waiting after its little success, as it is such a wonderfully humorous fantasy in pictures, and in words. There are many culture references, most of which refer to other fantasies - you'll meet two hobbits, the three little pigs, a talking horse, a band of pirates, an evil witch, and

Spoiler

a cute reference to green eggs and ham

and more.

This needs more readers. It's just so wonderfully drawn, and the stories are great. As I guy, I can say that there were moments that were tragic, cute, beautiful, humorous, and serious, and I welcomed all of them. The frames just enhance the experience. A definite read for graphic novel fans and fantasy fans alike.