Starred review from July 25, 2022
This ambitious graphic novel by Shiga (the Demons series), reminiscent of early 2000s web browser games in which players facilitate their own unique story lines through a series of choices, features an unnamed, pony-tailed protagonist seeking the power to control a frightening sea monster. Operating as the hero, readers must decide what to do about the monstrous Leviathan terrorizing the waters beyond the protagonist’s coastal village, while navigating varying obstacles, which includes obstinate and change-resistant locals. One path leads toward the Starlight Wand, an ancient and mysterious power that can control and, if necessary, defeat the Leviathan. Various choices, including specific conversational responses, examining items, and traveling from one area to another beget one-of-a-kind story progressions, and purposeful narrative dead ends and visually twisty pathing occasionally disorient. Information seeded across locations and dispensed by characters becomes meaningful later, as when a visit to a specific locale nets an answer to unlock an otherwise restricted area. Shiga uses wiry ink and a blue-hued palette to depict a moody environment, while clever dialogue and stout character design impart good humor, expertly composing extraordinary tales that interrogate the lengths to which communities will go to maintain the status quo. Ages 8–12. Agent: Daniel Lazar, Writers House. (Sept.)■
July 1, 2023
Find your own laughs in this labyrinthine comedy, the latest in Shiga's choose-your-own-adventure-style series. Though this installment follows the same structure as Leviathan (2022), it stands alone; readers need not be familiar with the previous volume. An introduction includes instructions for navigating this puzzle story, which opens with a tutorial that leads into the main narrative. Pink-skinned Mario Rivera ventures forth from a mysterious waiting room into the worlds of different books. Readers make a variety of choices for Mario, from the mundane (pushing or pulling on a door) to the dramatic (whether to force a pirate to walk the plank). Mario's guide, light-skinned Xochitl, helps orient Mario and readers to the rules of entering and exiting books. Cheaters who disregard the story's unique structure and flip around will rob themselves of the joy of discovering the various solutions to its clever password system. New routes and characters are their own rewards, as they bring with them an unpredictable sense of humor that ranges from slapstick to wordplay. The restricted palette of reds, grays, and browns and simple, almost stick figure-like illustrations are used to depict all routes; though readers will notice clues as to what's going on, they aren't readily apparent on a quick flip-through. A brief bonus chapter of gags closes out the book. The riddle of what to read for a day of wily what-ifs is answered here in fantastic fashion. (Graphic fiction. 8-12)
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