Sable | |||||
Mike Grell | |||||
Tor Books, 352 pages | |||||
A review by Lisa DuMond
Sable (for those who are not in the comics loop) is a Vietnam vet, pentathlete, mercenary, safari
guide, game warden, and writer. When a savage attack by an unknown enemy wipes out his family, he becomes an
animal set on vengeance. The lengths he goes to find his enemy edge just past the border of sanity. Finally,
these exploits will result in his exile from the Africa he loves.
You can just picture the illustrations that would tell that story, can't you? Well, take the artwork away from
Grell's work and he paints every detail with intense strokes. Without the brush in his hand, Grell is still every
bit the artist, laying down the words that conjure the images in the reader's mind. It's a gorgeous canvas to experience.
Through Grell's words, we get a chance to see Africa in all its pain and glory. It becomes one of the
strongest characters in the novel, surpassed only by Jon Sable in a cast of diverse and fascinating people and animals.
The portrayal of Africa cannot be accurately described as anything but a character analysis.
Why else would we feel so deeply every injury inflicted on the continent, its people, and its creatures?
Sable's wounds mirror Africa's, both external and internal. Some of the attacks leave behind scars, marring the
face of the man and the place. The deepest damage is often buried too deep to see with the naked eye. These
wounds are the ones that threaten the very life of man and land. These are the killing blows.
The question that propels Sable is not so much whether he will find his prey, but whether he can survive
the hunt. He emphasizes the necessity of a clean kill; never leave an animal alive but wounded. The animal may
eventually die, but until it does, a wounded beast is the most dangerous enemy.
Grell does an impressive job of conveying the ravishing of the land and keeping Sable's story moving at a
tense pace. It's a difficult juggling act, but the author makes it look effortless -- perhaps because Sable and
Africa are so much a part of each other.
If you are getting some weird looks on the Tube, the bus, or any other human sardine contraption, and you think
it might be the physiologically impressive but impossible characters that adorn the comic you are carrying, keep the
graphic stuff at home for awhile and sink your teeth into Sable.
There's nothing wrong with comics, but be aware that there is more out there. And you will get the same charge out of it. No question.
In between reviews and interviews, Lisa DuMond writes science fiction and humour. DARKERS, her latest novel, will be published in early 2000 by Hard Shell Word Factory. She has also written for BOOKPAGE and PUBLISHERS WEEKLY. Her articles and short stories are all over the map. You can check out Lisa and her work at her website hikeeba!. |
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