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Monsters

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( 3,070 ratings, 496 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
In Barry Windsor-Smith's Monsters, the story unfolds through a gripping narrative combining elements of science fiction, horror, and family drama. It explores the life of a character whose future is altered by a secret government project during World War II. This graphic novel delves into themes of identity, trauma, and the lingering effects of past actions on both individuals and their loved ones, set against a richly illustrated backdrop.
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Format: Hardback
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This graphic novel may appeal to you if you enjoy deep and intricate storytelling combining historical fiction, horror, and the exploration of human nature. With its richly detailed artwork and complex characters, it offers a profound and emotional narrative experience that delves into themes of conflict, trauma, and transformation.

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Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

35 YEARS IN THE MAKING - THE MOST ANTICIPATED GRAPHIC NOVEL IN RECENT HISTORY.

A GUARDIAN 'BOOKS OF 2021' PICK

The year is 1964. Bailey doesn't realize he is about to fulfil his tragic destiny when he walks into a US Army recruitment office. Secretive, damaged, innocent, trying to forget a past and looking for a future, Bobby is the perfect candidate for a secret US government experiment, an unholy continuation of a genetics program that was discovered in Nazi Germany nearly 20 years earlier in the waning days of World War II. Bailey's only ally and protector, Sergeant McFarland, intervenes, which sets off a chain of cascading events that spin out of everyone's control. As the monsters of the title multiply, becoming real and metaphorical, the story reaches a crescendo of moral reckoning.

A 360-page tour de force of visual storytelling, Monsters' narrative canvas is copious - part familial drama, part thriller, part metaphysical journey. It is an intimate portrait of individuals struggling to reclaim their lives and an epic political odyssey that plays across two generations of American history.

Monsters is rendered in Barry Windsor-Smith's impeccable pen-and-ink technique. The visual storytelling, with its sensitivity to gesture and composition, represents the most sophisticated work of the artist's career. There are passages of heartbreaking tenderness, of excruciating pain, of redemption and sacrifice, and devastating violence. Monsters is surely one of the most intense graphic novels ever drawn.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Monsters by Barry Windsor-Smith has been a long time in the making, earning admiration for its intricate narrative and meticulously crafted artwork. The book blends stylistic artwork with deep exploration of trauma and grief, marking a noteworthy return for Windsor-Smith. It’s praised for its powerful storytelling, capturing the nuances of family relationships with delicacy and meditative pacing.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781787333413

Publisher: Vintage Publishing

Format: Hardback

Date Published: 29 April 2021

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Jonathan Cape Ltd

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 30.0mm

Width: 207.0mm

Height: 296.0mm

Weight: 1381g

Pages: 368

About the Author

Barry Windsor-Smith began his career as a young comics fan drawing mainstay Marvel characters such as the X-Men and Daredevil in 1969 in the traditional Marvel style. However, in 1971 he broke from the Marvel formula when he started drawing the Conan series, turning heads with a fresh and controversial stylistic approach, eventually winning the hearts and minds of fellow comics professions, fans, and numerous industry awards. Part of a young generation of artists that included compatriots Berni Wrightson, Mike Kaluta, and Jeff Jones, Windsor-Smith proceeded to carve an independent path for himself. In the '90s, he conceived, wrote, and drew three independent comics series, The Freebooters, Young Gods, and The Paradox-Man. In 1999 and 2001 Fantagraphics published two autobiographical coffee table art books Opus volumes 1 and 2. Monsters is his first book in 16 years.

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