ASRC 2022 Week 7 (8/1-8/7/22)

Hello and welcome to Adult Summer Reading Club 2022 Week ! Don't forget to register. And if you need a refresher, here are the rules. For any newcomers, you're in the right place. You can comment on this week's (or the most recent week's) post. No need to go back to week 1.

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Week 7 Board

Here are our staff reviews for the week:

Elias: The one week I land on my favorite category, and the one I'm usually pretty up on, I spend most of the week finishing my previous week's book. Oh well. I read quite a number of single issue comics but I'll talk about one we actually have in our collection right now. Tuki: Fight for Fire is Jeff Smith's newest graphic novel series. Smith, the creator of Bone, RASL, and one of my favorite DC mini-series, Shazam!: The Monster Society of Evil, is back with a tale from pre-history.

Tuki is the story of, well, Tuki, an early hominid trying to survive during a changing era, ostracized from the Habiline whose territory he is in because of his species' use of fire. Yes, species. We're so far back in time - 2 MILLION BCE - there are multiple species of humans roaming the world: Australopithecus africanus, Homo habilus, Homo erectus, Australopithecus sediba, Homo rudolfensis, and Paranthropus boisei.

Even with this large time displacement, Smith crafts an intimate story of found family set within a larger adventure narrative. One never forgets the constant danger these characters are in but the story never feels rushed or fast. Smith takes his time, creating a sense that we're in this bygone era, where events happen in fits and starts, long stretches of movement and time punctuated by brief flurries of activity.

Smith is a master of his craft, of subtle emotions, and clean, clear images. It's easy to see why all his books are must reads and why Bone in particular has stood the test of time. Fight for Fire is just the start of Tuki's story and I cannot wait for more. (Volume 2 should be out soon, too.)

5/5 Stars

We'll see you back on the 8th of August for the start of week 8!