Faith Erin Hicks

Every time it is invaded the City gets a new name, but to the natives in is the Nameless City, and they survive by not letting themselves get involved--but now the fate of the City rests in the hands of Rat, a native, and Kaidu, one of the Dao, the latest occupiers, and the two must somehow work together if the City is to survive.

The Nameless City

Kaidu and Rat have only just recovered from the assassination attempt on the General of All Blades when more chaos breaks loose in the Nameless City: deep conflicts within the Dao nation are making it impossible to find a political solution for the disputed territory of the City itself. To complicate things further, Kaidu is fairly certain he's stumbled on a formula for the lost weapon of the mysterious founders of the City. . . . But sharing it with the Dao military would be a complete betrayal of his friendship with Rat. Can Kai find the right solution before the Dao find themselves at war?

The Stone Heart

Sarah Sammis

Although this book is set in a fictional world inspired by thirteenth century China, the motifs make this very much a North America book. 

http://pussreboots.com/blog/2017/comm...

Book two will be The Stone Heart. Woohoo!

http://pussreboots.pair.com/blog/2016...

Maggie Gordon

I adore Faith Erin Hicks' work, and the Nameless City volumes are her strongest releases so far. Having followed her progress for quite a long time, it's wonderful to see just how strong her artistry has gotten. The Stone Heart is a gorgeous book with intricately illustrated backgrounds and characters with delightful sense of movement. 

Story-wise, it continues directly from the first volume. Rat and Kaidu are no longer secret friends, and the General of All-Blades and Kaidu's father are hard at work trying to organise an all-people's committee to lead the city. The General's son, however, is not happy about this development, and his actions gravely threaten the peace that the city is tenuously holding to. 

The power of this series is in the deep themes it struggles with while also keeping it understandable for a younger audience. The Nameless City is about conquest, colonialism, and the difficult journeys it takes to try and correct past injustices in order to create a better, more equitable future. The Stone Heart forces characters like Kaidu to come to grips with his position as a coloniser. He feels bad for the actions of his people, and, instead of dwelling and stopping there, takes actions to try and change his behaviour and challenge that of others. It's a beautiful example of how to react to injustice that I think young readers will understand. 

Some might suggest that The Stone Heart is a slow book, but that is part of its strength. There is some action, but much of the struggle in this book is quieter. However, I was never bored nor did I think the narrative dragged. 

All in all, this is a fantastic graphic novel for kids and adults alike. Looking forward to the final volume next year!

I have always been a fan of Faith Erin Hick's work. While sometimes her stories (or the stories of her writing partners) are a little lacking, her art is just a delight to look at. The Nameless City, fortunately, excels at both art and story, and sets up a new universe that I hope Hicks continues writing about for more than just the sequel that has been announced. 

The Nameless City is a place constantly under external rule, and our main protagonist is a young teen Dao boy who is part of the current ruling people. He has just arrived in the city ready to train to become a soldier to defend it. However, his heart is really not dedicated to the pursuit of war, and he meets a young City girl who makes it impossible to forget about the humanity and the struggles of the people who have always dwelled in the City. The two slowly become friends, and uncover a plot to kill the ruler of the city. 

The pacing of this volume is excellent. For a story that is as big as it is, the focus is often on the smaller, day-to-day realities of the two main characters, but done in a manner that really illustrates the bigger problems that are happening in the City. The friendship between the two feels natural as Hicks shows that two individuals from such differing worlds are never going to become instantaneous best friends. Trust is slowly won through reciprocity and hard attempts at understanding one another. Though the City is obviously fictional, this story provides some interesting narratives for real countries in the midst of trying to figure out how to engage in the difficult process of reconciliation between colonisers and colonised. I think the conversations that arise from this book are invaluable for younger readers in middle/high school (and good for adults too!).

As always, Hick's art is expressive, detailed, and also in beautiful, rich colour. Every page is carefully designed, and there's real life to the people and world that she has designed. I am a bit sad that I have the softcover instead of the hardcover, but I'll mollify myself that I'm trying to save space for my ever-expanding graphic novel collection.

Nadine 

Good middle grade graphic novel that encourages thought about incumbents and invaders and what it takes to maintain a repressive hold on a community/ society and for how long before a natural weakening of the strongmen occurs or the local populace rebels.
Good to see a strong (physically and mentally) female protagonist.

The Nameless City

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