Book Review - Song of the Lioness Book 1: A Graphic Novel Adaptation
A beautiful gem of a book.
A few days ago I finally got around to reading an anticipated book, which came out recently: the graphic novel adaptation of Tamora Pierce’s very first book, Alanna: The First Adventure. It is also the first book in the Song of the Lioness Quartet, which in turn is the first series in her vast and ongoing Tortall universe. The book follows the titular character as she disguises herself as a boy in order to train as a knight.
I’ve been a huge fan for years, since before I was a teenager, and have reread almost all of her books spanning two universes multiple times. I knew the graphic novel would be special from the start, where they immediately take the time to create an introduction to the story’s world, recent history, and current socio-political state (in a beautifully-illustrated way to boot). I read it in two sittings and absolutely loved it. The art, the story, the pace, the heart. The action scenes, especially the climactic one at the end. Seeing baby Alan of Trebond on the page properly was such a different experience (in a good way) than simply reading her exploits. As the original book is fairly short and compact, and given that I’ve read it a few times, I remember the plot decently well. I’m pretty certain that the graphic novel adapts it practically moment-by-moment, scene-by-scene.[1] The only main difference I noted, apart from them failing to mention that Alanna at one point trained with her non-dominant hand since her arm was broken and that served her well in the long run, was that Raoul is depicted as POC. I really didn’t mind and found it cool, but I don’t believe he’s POC in the books.
There are some books that you finish and leave you breathless. Where you close the cover (or mark it as finished) and go, “Damn!” Where you have to sit with how good or profound or perfect the story was for a long while after. In recent times, that was me with January Fifteenth by Rachel Swirsky (though it was more the unsettling yet thought provoking kind),[2] and now with this beautiful story.
In my opinion, this book isn’t just a good graphic novel adaptation of a beloved series, like First Test (the first book of my favourite Tamora Pierce series, The Protector of the Small), or Graceling by Kristin Cashore – both of which I bought in physical copies and tremendously enjoyed. It’s a good graphic novel, period. Not just an entryway into an amazing world for new readers and a wonderful addition for long-time fans. Not the kind of story, where I at the very least, remember the actual lines and inner monologue and mentally add it to the scene depicted on the page. It’s a complete story on its own.
To explain further, I’m always reminded of two Tamora Pierce acknowledgments (I forget which books they were in, but I swear one of them was Trickster’s Choice or Trickster’s Queen) when I think about Alanna: The First Adventure. She references JK Rowling and Stephanie Meyer who respectively allowed publishers through their flagship series to see that both kids and teens have an appetite for longer and meatier books. Alanna: The First Adventure was published in 1983, and was actually re-written from its original adult fantasy concept into a children’s story (YA as a category didn’t really exist then as it does now). Despite the now-unfortunate connotations of JK Rowling,[3] both of these notes speak in part to my first read of this book. While I can’t remember if First Test or The Woman Who Rides Like a Man (the third book in the Song of the Lioness series) was my first Tamora Pierce book, I read both (and the rest of the Protector of The Small series) before Alanna: The First Adventure. Unfortunately, this led to a similar experience to my complicated history with Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. I have grown to love and appreciate both, but my first experience and impression was one of confusion and slight dismay.
I was used to meatier, complex stories. I’d been expecting a format similar to the POTS Quartet (one book per year or stage in life). Book 3 Alanna is different than her childhood self. All this to say, despite enjoying the plot and the story, I felt the pace was too fast, there wasn’t a lot of depth, and Alanna was too quick to give up sometimes compared to Kel (POTS). This book just wasn’t like the books I was reading and enjoying, and expectations coloured my enjoyment of that first read. I do like the book; have read it probably at least three times. I even got all four ebooks of the series when they came on sale a while back, in preparation for another read-through.
What struck me as I read the graphic novel was that a lot of elements I found lacking in the book actually made for a breathtaking and meaty graphic novel. The tone, pace, and lack of longer inner monologue (compared to later books and series) translates beautifully to a more visual format. I loved how the story was situated, placed, and translated. I loved seeing the character’s personalities shine through. I loved Alanna, fierce and fiery and adorable and determined.
This is a me problem, for sure, but sometimes I don’t like to watch/read multiple adaptations of the same story together or in close proximity, because in my mind it’s the same story and I worry it will be too repetitive and I will burn out on the story, Then, of course, great reminders of why it’s worth to do this exercise come along. The Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation manhua (I’m only on volume 2 of the Seven seas translation) is one of them. The way the story is formulated and framed evokes what I love about the novel and the live action yet adds a fresh perspective and layer. I got a similar feeling when reading the Song of the Lioness Book I Graphic Novel. That is some great writing, composition, and artwork right there.
I am so glad I committed to finally picking it out of my TBR. I’m not saying I got Kobo Plus solely to read it, but it certainly was an important factor in my decision. If you’re a huge fan of the original books, I’m sure this will at least be a lovely companion as the First Test Graphic Novel was to me. If you’re a Tamora Pierce fan in general, I highly recommend picking up The Song of the Lioness Book 1: A Graphic Novel Adaptation. If you’ve never read her books, or never read her Tortall books at least, this is a perfect way to enter this amazing world. In fact, unless one is just not a graphic novel person at all, I honestly recommend starting with this rather than the book itself. Supposedly the other three books will be adapted into graphic novels, and I sincerely hope that is the case.
Since lady knights are apparently the trend in adult fantasy this year, this is a perfect time to try out this tale of magic, adventure, friendship, training, and pursuing one’s dream of becoming a knight.
[1] Fans who are more eagle-eyed, please feel free to correct me if I’m wrong
[2] Highly recommend it!
[3] While I once believed that it was possible to separate the art and the artist, I don’t think it is possible – nor should it be – in this particular case. Trans lives matter more than a children’s book series.