Source: DC sent me this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This in no way alters my opinion or review.
Zawadzki
Series: House of El Book 1
Publisher: DC Comics
Publication Date: January 5, 2021
Rating:
Synopsis:
In House of El, Gray will explore life on Krypton through the eyes of Zahn and Sera -two teenagers who are different in every way -as they come together to investigate the dangers threatening their planet.Zahn is one of Krypton's elites: wealthy, privileged, a future leader. Sera is one of Krypton's soldiers: strong, dedicated, fearless. Their rule-bound society has ordained that their paths should never cross.But groundquakes are shaking the planet's surface. Rebellious uprisings are shaking the populace. Krypton's top scientists--Jor-El and Lara--conduct a secret experiment that is meant to reform their planet from the cellular level up. Zahn and Sera must join forces to investigate the hidden dangers truly threatening Krypton. In the process, they form a bond that will endure past the end of the world...
House of El: The Shadow Threat is the first book in a series that focuses on Krypton before its disastrous fate. In this story, Krypton is experiencing groundquakes that are wrecking the city but the city officials are not acknowledging the severity of the situation. The lower classes are getting hit with the brunt of the damage while the privileged classes are able to ignore the issues from there higher zones.
The story follows teens Sera, a warrior/soldier, and Zhan one of the elite family members on their journeys figuring out what is happening from their point of views. Sera is set to terraform planets that are un-terraform-able, and that makes her slightly suspicious of the tribunes (city officials) but she like other Kryptonians has been genetically enhanced for her 'soldier' persona and will continue to follow orders. Zahn is an elite, but feels different from the rest. He is able to see the issues with Krypton and is working to be a part of the rebellion and assist in any way that he can.
The overall plot focuses on Sera and Zhan and also the impending doom of Krypton, but we also learn that every person is genetically engineered to be what they are supposed to be. So Sera is engineered to be a soldier, while Zahn is engineered to be an elite member of society. Both are questioning their engineering, Sera because the House of El wants to change her and Zahn because he acts and feels so different from the others.
I am excited to see what happens next with these characters and the planet and how they attempt to handle it (I mean I know that the ending is not ideal, so I am also sad that I know the inevitable outcome). If you are looking for a new take on the Krypton lore and the before Superman timeline - this is a great add to your list.
Claudia Gray is the New York Times bestselling author of many science fiction and paranormal fantasy books for young adults, including the Defy the Stars series, the Firebird series, the Evernight series, the Spellcaster series, and Fateful. She's also had a chance to work in a galaxy far, far away as the author of the Star Wars novels Lost Stars, Bloodline, and Leia, Princess of Alderaan. Born a fangirl, she loves obsessing over geeky movies and TV shows, as well as reading and occasionally writing fan fiction; however, she periodically leaves the house to go kayaking, do a little hiking, or travel the world. She will take your Jane Austen trivia challenge any day, anytime. Currently she lives in New Orleans.
About the Illustrator:
Eric Zawadzki grew up in Vancouver, but he's recently relocated to Calgary. He's most well-known for the critically acclaimed THE DREGS and ETERNAL. His most recent work in comics is HEART ATTACK, for Image/Skybound comics, which he co-created and illustrated.
No comments:
Post a Comment