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A review by saidtheraina
Timeless: Diego and the Rangers of the Vastlantic by Armand Baltazar
4.0
This book has so many gimmicks I can barely stand it.
It takes after [a: Brian Selznick|38120|Brian Selznick|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1201028714p2/38120.jpg] ([b: The Invention of Hugo Cabret|9673436|The Invention of Hugo Cabret|Brian Selznick|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1422312376s/9673436.jpg|527941], [b: Wonderstruck|10128428|Wonderstruck|Brian Selznick|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1327885739s/10128428.jpg|14826219]...) in style, with illustrations telling parts of the story, often in full-spread. Baltazar's background, however, is in feature animation, and his illustrations are full-color and have an air-brushed quality to them.
So, when you look at this book as an artifact, it's a brick. The pages are glossy and heavy stock. It's colorful, inside and out. Its looks EPIC.
Then you add the setting. The concept is complicated and involves something science-fictiony happening which causes time periods to exist simultaneously. Or maybe people and places from those time periods are transported to the future. Anyway, I never fully wrapped my head around it, but suffice it to say that robots and dinosaurs and hoverboards and 18th century manners all coexist along with late 20th/early 21st century sensibilities. It feels a bit like Baltazar just packed a duffel of a story with everything he thinks looks cool.
And it works, to an extent. Yes, there are some damsel-in-distress moments I could have done without. The writing isn't always awesome. The illustrations, taken alone, occasionally disappoint.
But as a whole, as a sum of its parts, it's a great package.
I loved the maps, Volcambria, and the #ownvoices diversity of the piece.
Check check check. Will booktalk to middle schoolers in January 2019.
It takes after [a: Brian Selznick|38120|Brian Selznick|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1201028714p2/38120.jpg] ([b: The Invention of Hugo Cabret|9673436|The Invention of Hugo Cabret|Brian Selznick|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1422312376s/9673436.jpg|527941], [b: Wonderstruck|10128428|Wonderstruck|Brian Selznick|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1327885739s/10128428.jpg|14826219]...) in style, with illustrations telling parts of the story, often in full-spread. Baltazar's background, however, is in feature animation, and his illustrations are full-color and have an air-brushed quality to them.
So, when you look at this book as an artifact, it's a brick. The pages are glossy and heavy stock. It's colorful, inside and out. Its looks EPIC.
Then you add the setting. The concept is complicated and involves something science-fictiony happening which causes time periods to exist simultaneously. Or maybe people and places from those time periods are transported to the future. Anyway, I never fully wrapped my head around it, but suffice it to say that robots and dinosaurs and hoverboards and 18th century manners all coexist along with late 20th/early 21st century sensibilities. It feels a bit like Baltazar just packed a duffel of a story with everything he thinks looks cool.
And it works, to an extent. Yes, there are some damsel-in-distress moments I could have done without. The writing isn't always awesome. The illustrations, taken alone, occasionally disappoint.
But as a whole, as a sum of its parts, it's a great package.
I loved the maps, Volcambria, and the #ownvoices diversity of the piece.
Check check check. Will booktalk to middle schoolers in January 2019.