Oh my gosh, I loved this book. There isn’t really a genre to describe the post-apocalyptic-Conan/Heavy Metal (but-no-sex)/Moebius/Canticle for Leibowitz-light-hearted anti-war comedy this book is but trust me—that characterization will make sense once you’ve read it.
The story is a duology; both stories examine the theme of violence and war, but that’s not obvious in the first few pages. I spent the first half of the book wondering where the story was going. The fantasy setting feels very familiar but … it might not be what you expect!
The first story introduces a snowy post-apocalyptic village where an argumentative, impetuous, treasure hunting scribe-archeologist steals a priceless relic and a police constable with an overabundance of caution and sentimentality catches her. The second story introduces us to a conscientious objector cook who manages to be in the wrong place at the wrong time in the middle of a Conan-type war between two armies. Throw in some lost technology, a recently awakened proselytizing robot priest with a Chi-Rho on his chest (who knows a LOT of hymns, especially 1980s Christian Rock ones), and a war god in the body of a goose and you have a thoroughly original sword-and-sorcery fantasy mash-up that I absolutely laughed my head off over! Even though there is some violence, the pacing, plot, and character’s lines show that author Simon Roy has a strong knowledge of both fantasy/science fiction tropes AND human nature.
All the characters in both these stories have many reasons to use force, violence, and brutality on the NEXT PAGE to get what they want—but it doesn’t go the way you think it will. That kept me guessing all the way through 204 pages. The art lines are brushier than Moebius’s, but they’re rendered in a way that shows the grunginess of life on each planet. The colors are muted in the first story, which effectively depicts the snowy environment. They’re brighter in flashbacks, and in the second story, which is more of a desert/Miyazaki-like forest environment.
There’s a lot buried in both these deceptively simple stories—like, if you can’t remember your history, because it’s been lost or not recorded, whose story gets told? What beliefs persist? What if there were conscientious objectors in Robert E. Howard’s Conan? Does even a god of war tire of war? There’s a pseudo-advertisement backstory in the last few pages, along with several artists’ depictions of the different characters. Two characters are shown in their undies after they spent the night together, and there are some bloody parts near the end, but there are no explicit adult depictions. This is an enjoyable read for adults or older teens, especially those that have seen and read a lot of sword-and-sorcery stories. I’d shelve it in the adult section.
Griz Grobus and the Tale of Azkon’s Heart
By Simon Roy, Jess Pollard
Art by Simon Roy, Sergey Nazarov
Image, 2024
ISBN: 9781534397866
NFNT Age Recommendation: Adult (18+), Older Teen (16-18)
