The Dormant Beast

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful Graphic Storytelling
Review: THE DORMANT BEAST IS AMAZING! It is the first episode in a new trilogy by the writer and illustrator of 'The Nikopol Trilogy,' Enki Bilal.

Enki Bilal is a Yugoslavian, born in Belgrade in 1951, who moved to Paris, France at age 9. He is one of the best know graphic novel artists in France and is virtually a household name in Europe. He started publishing his stories in 1975. He published many stories in the early and mid 1980s with author Pierre Christin. In 1992, 'Equator Cold,' the last book in his Nikopol Trilogy was chosen as The Book of the Year in France.

The Dormant Beast ('Le Sommeil du Monstre' in French) was published in 1998 in France. It is set in the future (the 2020s) and is about Nike, a Yugoslavian living in New York City. Nike has an amazing memory and everyday he remembers more and more about his very first days as an orphan in a Yugoslavian hospital during the conflicts in Yugoslavia. He remembers two other orpahns with whom he was in the hospital, Leyla and Amir. He was separated from Leyla and Amir on day 27. Now, he is trying to find Leyla and Amir again. Blocking his way are a group of ultra-religious fundamentalists called 'The Obscurantist Order' who want to destroy all things related to thought, culture, art, and science. They have made a list of many intellectuals, scientists, specialists, and artists from around the world who they either want to eliminate or instrumentalize. Nike is on their instrumentalization list.

The art of The Dormant Beast is fabulous. As always, Enki Bilal designs great characters and uses all forms of media to bring them to life. In my opinion the strength of Bilal's art is in his characters which are always incredibly realistic. The settings are great too. Bilal paints a beautiful futuristic New York. The Obscurantist Order's base in Siberia is very haunting and at the same time amusing.

The story is even better. It may seem a bit confusing at first, but Bilal manages to tie everything together for a great ending. It draws you in, connects you to the characters, and keeps you wanting for more. At times, it is quite terrifying. The villians, The Obscurantist Order, are definately very scary.

The translation from French to English is great and makes it an easy read.

Overall, this is a great book (as all of Bilal's books are). I recommend it to EVERYONE. I can't wait until the next episode in this trilogy is released and published in English.