This graphic novel from 2012 is a Victorian Era mystery set on the Hudson River. Strange occurrences result in a steamboat owner's disappearance. When his body is flushed from the river, authorities declare it a suicide but the owner's brother has other thoughts. He becomes convinced he can bring his beloved brother back. Soon he too begins acting strangely. Eventually, the sibling begins to correspond with a mysterious writer who is an expert in paranormal and mythical creatures, particularly mermaids.
The captain of the ship has other thoughts. With his new owner striving to acquire seven lovers and staring off into the mighty river below for hours on in, the mariner believes that his new boss is going off the deep end like his brother did before he went missing. Nearly ready to send his crew off into a mutiny, Captain Twain finds that there just may be a method to the brothers' madness when discovers an injured mermaid the deck of his ship.
Sailor Twain was engrossing. I was captured from just about the very beginning and I could not put this fantastic book down. The book is 400 pages, but I devoured it in one day. The story along with the mystery of the mermaid on the Hudson was that good.
The art was also very good. The mermaid was gorgeous and the scenery of 1800s New York was breathtaking. I did think that Capt. Twain and a few of the guests on the steamboat looked a little cartoony. With his triangular nose, Twain looked like Guy Smiley's (from Sesame Street) ancestor and I swear that Dr. Brunson Honeydew from the Muppets Show was a dinner guest in another scene.
But I thought this book was excellent. I wasn't a huge fan of the ending, but that's because it was ambiguous. I know that the reader is given the chance to decide Capt. Twain's fate at the end of the book with the numerous clues peppered throughout the story as to how those captivated by a mermaid's song met their fates. But I just happen to favor story with concrete endings and that's more of a matter of personal taste opposed to evaluating the quality of this story.
One last caveat. There is quite a bit of sex and nudity in this book. Some scenes are downright sensual. If this isn't your cup of tea that I recommend that you choose another beverage.
A fantastic work by Mark Siegel. I hope to encounter more of his works in the future. I also wouldn't be opposed to a sequel as I feel that the story for some of the characters in this book was far from over.
Worth Consuming
Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.
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