Spill Zone by Scott Westerfeld and Alex Puvilland
Reviewed by: Dave Gibbons, Library Volunteer
Genre: Science Fiction (Graphic Novel)
Suggested Age: Tweens, Teens, Adults
What is the book about?: Collectors are paying top dollar for Addison’s photography, and for good reason. The photos she takes are of the reality warped weirdness of the Spill Zone – an area devastated during the cataclysmic event that claimed her parents and struck her sister mute. She has successfully skirted the law so far but when she is tasked by an eccentric millionaire to acquire something from within the Zone she will have to break the rules for survival one last time, but at what cost?
My Review: This is a graphic novel that really takes advantage of the medium. Using a seemingly simple technique of “coloring outside the lines” Puvilland’s skillful color use contrasts the “real” world with the Spill Zone, providing a quasi-abstract feeling that heightened my sense of unease in a way that can only be done in a comic. The stunning art enhances bestselling author Scott Westerfeld’s masterful storytelling in which he weaves a tale that in less skilled hands could quickly fall back on genre tropes and become forgettable. If there is any downside, it would be that this book feels more like the first chapter of a longer epic then a standalone book. Though the critique of “I want more” is not a bad problem to have.
Three Words That Describe This Book: color theory, mysterious, intense
Give This a Try if You Like… Stranger Things, Paper Girls by Brian K. Vaughan, original X-Files
Rating: 4/5
About FDL Reads
Welcome to FDL Reads, weekly book reviews from Fondulac District Library. Librarians (and possibly some other guest reviewers) review all types of books, from children’s picture books, young adult favorites, to the latest adult thriller, and share their thoughts each week at fondulaclibrary.org. If the book is owned by Fondulac District Library (or another local library), you’ll see a direct link to the catalog entry and whether or not it is available. If it is checked out or at another local library, you will be able to place a hold as long as you have your library card and PIN numbers. As with any book review, these are our opinions…we disagree amongst ourselves about books frequently. We all have different likes and dislikes, which is what makes the world an interesting place. Please enjoy, and keep on reading!