Review - Gridley: The Hanging Tree
Out now digitally
I covered the first story of Magic and the Old West, and now, book two - Gridley: The Hanging Tree - is out digitally from Funcertainty Box.
New Companion. New Job. Old Troubles.
Giles finds himself reluctantly saddled with a new apprentice - a young Moggin named Hester Ariti.
With a difficult job on the horizon - will Hester prove herself to be more of a help or hindrance?by Sid Quade (Author), Michael Poleleyev (Editor), Jackson Spencer (Editor)
While the first book is an excellent introduction to the characters and the world we get here, this issue now builds on that and adds some new dimensions.
There are some interesting character interactions here as there is a degree of mistrust of the stranger in town. Giles isn’t the easiest person to get on with, so I can imagine this line of questioning about his background will wear him down. Talking of wearing down, there is also the question of his new apprentice…
Hester Ariti is a new apprentice who is learned in the arts but only by books. That could cause some problems moving forward and, in fact, could have made things worse at the end of this story. Hester Ariti’s chipper demeanor is a stark contrast to Giles's, and that makes the duo very entertaining.
The mission is to get rid of a wandering spirit, a recently hanged man who is asking for one last chat with his partner. Of course, there is more to this than meets the eye, but this combines some brilliant character moments and magic to finish off the tale.
I feel that there is a lot more to come from this larger story, and parts like this fill us in well on the details and smaller items of the story while also making them good standalone reads.
I enjoyed the artwork and there are some brilliant character expressions within, some were perfect to react to what is being said. There is some clever use of colour, and I like how it is used for magic and mystical/ghostly scenes.
This is a great pickup and something different from the usual fare. Get it if you enjoyed the first one, and if you haven’t read that, go back and get that, too!
I agree and I definitely enjoyed this. Now I just need to get back from my vacation to review it.