Official Review: Shadows At Noon by B C Woodruff

[CataclysmicKnight]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Shadows At Noon" by B C Woodruff.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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Long before I was a book reviewer I was a game reviewer, and at the age of 36 I've spent more than 3 decades playing video games whenever I have the chance. With that said, I never hesitate to dive into a book that's even remotely related to video games or game-like worlds. The second I found out that Shadows At Noon: Simpleton's first-listed author - B C Woodruff - is a game developer, I needed it in my life! Some of my favorite stories are from games: Quantum Break and A Way Out, for example, let alone actual narrative games like those made by Telltale Games or the Life is Strange series.

Shadows At Noon: Simpleton is a graphic novel set in a near-future era where the Ni-Fi has altered the lives of everyone by giving the vast majority of people superpowers. However, those with new powers are far from lucky, as the Ni-Fi has wrought some terrible side-effects upon those who have been changed. Oh, and did I mention that the powers are far more likely to be silly than awesome, like a man who helplessly turns peanuts into tiny little "no entry" signs when they hit his mouth.

This dark situation is told to us throughout a much lighter story. Maxime is killing time in a bar where the bartender, Trista, strikes up a conversation with her. Trista wants to know what Maxime can do, and while Maxime clearly doesn't want to be personable, Trista is relentlessly cheery and friendly. Trista displays her own ability - sliding her finger into the glass of beer creates a small beer tornado - and their conversation moves on to other people's abilities before a sinister plot unfolds.

The book is made up of three parts: the graphic novel itself; "The Making of Simpleton" where the illustrator, Jo Painter, shows off character designs of the two main characters and how one of the funnier scenes was built; and the short story that B C Woodruff and Ian Morgenheim wrote together, the short story that the graphic novel is based on. All of this exists in a 70-page book, so it's hard to mention much of the story at all without spoiling things, but it's certainly safe to say I enjoyed both of the stories in their own way.

The graphic novel has less actual story to it, but the art is terrific. Mostly comic-styled, there are some touches of anime, allowing Jo to capture looks, funny scenes, and darker moments in their own unique, fitting ways. The majority of the story is the same in both, but where the written text goes into more detail, the graphic novel adds a bit to the beginning and end (including a "to be continued") and the art had me smiling and chuckling to myself rather often, which made the ending even more shocking. The story of both creates a rather unique future and lets it unfold in one of the most natural ways I've seen in any type of media. While the book certainly creates as many questions as it answers, it seems that the people of this world have lots of questions of their own as well.

This all leads up to the main characters of the book, Maxime and Trista, who make a fun pair. Where Maxime is cold and tries to keep to herself, Trista is the opposite: she's outgoing, friendly and personable despite the world being a rather crappy place. Trista has her reasons and her motivations that are revealed throughout the story, but Maxime's remain a mystery aside from a note that asked her to meet someone less than an hour from the beginning of the tale. That mystery, along with the promise of further details about the world, are more than enough to get me interested in the second book. Luckily, that second half (Shadows At Noon: Behind the Curtain) is already released!

When I finished reading the graphic novel, I figured it was a pretty cute, fun story, but it wasn't until the short story that I was fully invested. A re-reading of the graphic novel with the depth added from the text version really improved it, so I wish that either the entire short story was delivered in the graphic novel or that the short story came before the graphic novel. I also wish the writing in the graphic novel was edited better; while I found no errors in the 10-page short story, I found 6 in the graphic novel. All six errors were contractions missing apostrophes, such as "wasnt" instead of "wasn't", "didnt" instead of "didn't", and "whats" instead of "what's".

All in all, Shadows At Noon: Simpleton was a fun read with a surprising amount of depth. While there's a bit of naughtiness, it's not at all detailed, merely a mention of someone's awkward new powers. If the book was a movie I'd definitely call it PG-13, and this mention in the book was not only a perfect example of the Ni-Fi's not-so-beneficial affects, it's also hilarious. Anyone above that recommended age who likes sci-fi, superpowers with a twist, or humorous graphic novels should get a kick out of it. Just keep in mind that you'll definitely want to read the second part of the series since this one cuts off right when things get the most interesting. My rating of Shadows At Noon: Simpleton is 3 out of 4 stars.

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Shadows At Noon
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Like CataclysmicKnight's review? Post a comment saying so!

[Book Lover 35]

Interesting book. The characters sound fun to get to know. Thank you for the review!

[Demionjoshua]

Nice book, personally I like ferrytales.

[kandscreeley]

Okay, I have to say that I love the silly superpowers. I personally would be okay with never eating peanuts again, but I know those who would just be devastated. It sounds like there's merit to this, but it needs a bit of reworking to make it truly great. Thanks.

[MsTri]

I like video games well enough, but I LOVE graphic novels and superpowers - silly or not - so I'm pretty much sold. It sounds like a good plot, too, so I'll go in for both books at the very least.

[Nhien Vu]

Wow, this book seems terrific. Everything (including the setup, the plot, the characters, and the art style) intrigues me, so I'm going to check this out for sure. Thank you for this extremely detailed and engaging review.

[Nusrat_Shabnam_]

Sounds like a really interesting and terrific read. I think that I will surely try it. Great review!

[Fatima_Palacios]

This sounds like a great read, the art style has specially caught my attention. I will be reading this soon.