The Shepherd's Tale is a short graphic novel given much of the back story behind Shepherd Book, one of the characters from Firefly and Serenity. I enjoyed it greatly, but I am a fan. In truth it's a quick read, but it seems important back story for the series. I wish it could have been fleshed out in the original medium, though, rather than in book form.
An interesting device is the telling of the shepherd's story in reverse, starting at the Haven Mining Colony and working back through his life, linking formative incidents and events in a chain.
Recommended for fans. Those who don't know Firefly and Serenity need not bother until they do know them.
An interesting device is the telling of the shepherd's story in reverse, starting at the Haven Mining Colony and working back through his life, linking formative incidents and events in a chain.
Recommended for fans. Those who don't know Firefly and Serenity need not bother until they do know them.
Heh... "cult-hit" is right, I guess, if no one else has reviewed this or updated info before ME.
It always did make me curious, those small glimpses into the life of enigmatic Shepherd Book. (The episode he got shot in, and they had to allow the Alliance to treat him- and he had identification that got scanned and called 'sir.' Or the time in bar fights when he could just wham-bam dispatch an enemy without thinking.)
And then they tell it- in a deceptively simple set of flashbacks: starting right at the end of "Serenity" when he dies. *cries*
All I can say (without wrecking it) is that... if Mal only knew who he had on his ship... if only the show had survived for it to come out in little pieces and mess with the crew, it would have been high drama.
Worth picking up (I know, hardback is expensive) because it shows the Whedonistic [sic] brilliance the storyteller is capable of.
It always did make me curious, those small glimpses into the life of enigmatic Shepherd Book. (The episode he got shot in, and they had to allow the Alliance to treat him- and he had identification that got scanned and called 'sir.' Or the time in bar fights when he could just wham-bam dispatch an enemy without thinking.)
And then they tell it- in a deceptively simple set of flashbacks: starting right at the end of "Serenity" when he dies. *cries*
All I can say (without wrecking it) is that... if Mal only knew who he had on his ship... if only the show had survived for it to come out in little pieces and mess with the crew, it would have been high drama.
Worth picking up (I know, hardback is expensive) because it shows the Whedonistic [sic] brilliance the storyteller is capable of.
