N D Stevenson is a cartoonist and animation producer. He is the creator, and executive producer of the animated television series She-Ra and the Princess of Power and science fantasy graphic novel Nimona.
Scarlet Morning is the first of a duology but works well as a story on its own, establishing an extraordinary world peopled by fantastic and fascinating characters that you are eager to follow. Viola and Wilmur are two friends who have grown up together, living by themselves on a sparsely populated and desolate island, who have an inseparable bond which drives the action. When they are visited by Cadence Chase, captain of the packbreaker Calamary Rose, they make a deal and board ship, embarking on a complicated series of fantastic adventures full of twists and turns, magic and mystery, that keep the reader hooked to the last page.
Stevenson excels in naming – creating exotic combinations that add a magical glamour to each scene such as Caveat, Faire Distance, Hail Meridian, Derringer, Garotte and Prickpost. He writes with an inventive enthusiasm not hampered by probability since this is a fantasy world and anything and everything is possible. There many questions, surprises, remarkable developments, quests, journeys, revelations and discoveries. Viola becomes the main protagonist as the story develops. She is courageous, curious and clever, gradually becoming more aware and confident. She says: I grew up on a dead island…and then someone came along, and I knew right away…Being with her felt like standing at the center of the world…maybe I did matter, p336. Viola is trying to work out if Scarlet Morning, the most black hearted pirate of them all may be someone totally different.
This fast paced romp through an original fantasy land is enriched by many expressive cartoon illustrations that can convey mood, menace, joy and horror in a single frame. There is plenty of humour and action, but also a deep seated emotional heart to the story. Fans of graphic novels ready to try something more wordy and also those who like something completely different in their fantasy will find this an appealing and satisfying read.
N D Stevenson is a cartoonist and animation producer. He is the creator, and executive producer of the animated television series She-Ra and the Princess of Power and science fantasy graphic novel Nimona.
