I debated on reviewing Sithrah V01 Kingdom of the Air by Jason Brubaker. I found this fascinating series recently on WebToons. It is completed; therefore, this is one of the reasons I decided to tell you about Sithrah as you can find it there. But I found that the publisher should have copies, too, so find your local independent bookstore and make an order!
At first, this story is simple and almost “girly” in format. I was not sure I wanted to finish it. Who cares that this girl torments dangerous creatures in the mud? She has a cat. A nice cat, but okay now what? Why do I want to know about Nirvana Page, a seven-year-old who is more than just precocious, she is downright bratty at times? But then again, if you are an only child, with just your cat and dad for company (okay that’s interesting, where is mom?), you probably would be a bit spoiled, too. But there was something about her that I wanted to know more about. Then it happened: one plane crash, one missing father (and cat), and miraculously Vonna survives. Here is where she meets this creature, that is surprised that she can see them. After all, you are not supposed to be able to see this (what we come to learn as a sort of guardian angel) being. In their language we cannot say their name, but we can call them Sithrah.
Now things got interesting. The second part of the story (not found in this volume) focuses on the relationship between the two characters, trying to find her father, and new people get introduced. Some would rather shoot you than ask your name, others are willing to give a helping hand. Then shoot you. But there are friends, almost friends, maybe friends, and some BFWLCWBTs (Big F’ing Worm Like Creatures With Big Teeth).
We will meet Dino in Sithrah 2: Propositions and here is when the tone changes. We go darker and see some crazy doo-doo! Dino has secrets and they bite harder than those worm-things! I am pretty sure I made it to at least Sithrah 3: The Symbol and probably Sithrah 4: The Deep on WebToons before I lost my “fast internet” and can’t have things “download” like they should. I am looking forward to reading Sithrah 5: Light City and Sithrah 6: The End to see how this journey ends.
I was really getting into the fantasy, the dystopian society/world we found ourselves in. I was wondering who the mysterious woman in Dino’s dreams was. Why do some people have a Sithrah, and others don’t? I think you would consider this “diesel punk” as the images are desolate, as if there was some sort of war or situation that causes some serious have and have nots and serious crime without consequences. And of course, there is the “golden city” that everyone wants to go to, but you know it is bad news. What is that all about. Once I got into the story, it really takes off. There is mystery, danger, little magic and a lot of twists and turns. The publisher description says it is for all ages. I would say that it true, but once I got into it, like I said, it got darker. Know your reader as it might seem sweet, but it is far from innocent.
Then, I read reMIND: Volume 1. And all I am going to say is: Just read Jason Brubaker, okay? He is bada$$ and knows how to kick you in the gut so you say, “Thanks! Please, do it again!” You will hunt down the sequels and open your wallet wide to pay whatever you need to get your fix. And in ReMIND you can’t go wrong as you have a cat named Victuals, lizard people, a cute girl named Sonia, and another not-so-nice world to explore.
