lightreads: a partial image of a etymology tree for the Indo-European word 'leuk done in white neon on black'; in the lower left is (Default)
Agatha H and the Voice of the Castle, Agatha H and the Seige of Mechanicsburg

4/5. Third and fourth novelizations of the webcomic, which bring us through a bit more than half of the published comic. Delightfully zany, with a lot of heart. And I realized that I am going to be genuinely upset if the comic is not setting up the OT3. Let's get real, I have well-developed skills of consuming media that does not give me what I want, and shrugging, and going to get it on the AO3. I do not generally get upset about these things. But here I really would, because not following through on the OT3 would feel like a betrayal of the terms the text itself has set out. The text is joking about having a love triangle, and the boys sort of playact one on occasion for the look of the thing, but the text is totally uninterested in actual dumb love triangle toxic jealousy crap, and that whole she must choose one and the choice defines everything about who she is thing. In reality, the text is interested in how they all three strengthen and balance each other, and how to become really good friends with your supposed romantic rival while vigorously pretending you aren't, and the three of them caring a lot about each other and showing up over and over again in ways that count. So yeah. If it's not the OT3 I am going to be deeply let down.
lightreads: a partial image of a etymology tree for the Indo-European word 'leuk done in white neon on black'; in the lower left is (Default)
Agatha H and the Airship City (Girl Genius)Agatha H and the Airship City by Phil Foglio

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Honestly, I haven’t’ had this much fun in months.

Novelizations of the webcomic, and adorable, absurd, alarming hilarity from start to finish. It’s “gaslamp fantasy” about historical not!Europe. Not about science but instead about mad science, which is a completely different thing. A classic/cliche story about a young orphans adventures on-the-run from the powers chasing her, with all the expected familial entanglements, and also about being dangerously gifted. Except told so freshly and charmingly, it all feels new again.

Sight unseen, I would bet the novels follow the comic frame-by-frame, which I know sounds horrible, but really isn't. There's definitely a . . . visual sensibility here, and a particular timing optimized for moments of frozen physical humor, but they really make it work in another medium.

The two prose novels barely cover the first third of the published comic so far. I await the next book with a lot of stomping and sulking -- no spoilers, please.



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