Hey guys!
So today I wanted to do a book review on the graphic novel Vattu. Vattu is graphic novel that was first created by Evan Dahm in 2013. Evan Dahm is an American webcartoonist famous for webcartoons such as Rice Boy (2006) or Order of Tales (2010) or other short stories like the Thinker [1] [2].So let’s go ahead and review this book.
- The plot
The story begins with the birth of a girl in the fluter’s tribe, during a fire ritual. The fluters are nomads, and usually migrate from from one point to another after every warm season. They always make sure to stay by the Ata river, as they believe it is their god and their protector. They all look pretty much alike, except for their height, clothing and a mysterious mark they paint on their forehead. Each Fluter carries a different mark on his forehead. For example, Vattu’s mark is shaped like the wings of Shira, a bird. The fluters have two leaders: a hunter who usually goes to hunt with other hunters and a priest who brings wisdom and tries to anticipate the future. Vattu is a very independent person who does not like to do things by the book and who wants to become a hunter despite being a girl. Vattu is also quite intellectual, as she can read unlike many of her people.
It is a very difficult time, for the fluter’s tribe. The torguts that they prey on are getting more rare and for some reason, their priest is anticipating something really bad happening to the tribe thanks to “the world in A-Box”, a mysterious board game that allows wise people to anticipate what’s coming up next. Before they know it, the flutter tribe receives a proxy order stating that their land will become territory of the Sahta empire, a rich, technologically and militarily advanced empire that aspires to conquer all the wild land. Vattu is used by the priest as a tax exchange during that process, and thus become a slave of the Sahtas, who take her back to their empire …
- My opinion on Vattu
I found the drawings pretty good although I think that may be the author could have emphasized a better distinction among the male flutters and the female flutters. The book is very emphasized on power and territory as portrayed by the fight between the flutters and the dead’s tribe for the “world in a box” or by the Sahta’s empire who just doesn’t cease to try to get more territory. Other tribes or empire really think low of the fluter’s tribe, as they see them as a very primitive one.
I like the character of Vattu. As soon as the story starts, the reader clearly understands that she is the main character of the story. She is quite different from other people of her tribe because she really does not like injustice and never let go when she sees such a thing. She also deeply cares for her people at the same time. Intellectually, she can learn and adapt pretty fast as well. Vattu has a fighter’s mentality as well, and she does everything to fight for her freedom during her stay on Sahta’s territory.
3- Specifics:
Author: Evan Dahm
Licensed under: Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share
Can be purchased on: Amazon, rice-boy.com
Picture 1 and 2 were taken from the Vattu digital book that I purchased on rice-boy.com
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