Graphic Novel Review – The God Machine by Chandra Free (4/5 stars)

Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Graphic Novel/Fantasy
Size: 160 pages
Publisher: Archaia
Release Date: November 23, 2010
ISBN: 978-1932386875
Stand Alone or Series: 1st book in the God Machine series
Source: Bought
Rating: 4/5 stars

I stumbled upon this graphic novel while browsing the graphic novel section in Half Price Books. The absolutely stunning artwork on the cover grabbed my attention. When I pulled it down and paged through it I was hooked on the unique and fabulous art.

Guy Salvatore’s girlfriend has gone missing and is presumed dead. He is dwelling in a state of self pity and grief and manages to catch the attention of the Gods. Good God, Evil God, and Limbo God run things from a parallel realm and this boy is messes everything up when he sees them (humans aren’t supposed to be able to see the Gods). In the midst of much mayhem they try to figure out what the heck is going on here.

I cannot emphasise how stunning and beautiful the artwork is throughout this book. It is just wonderful. It’s done in a beautiful full array of colors and is just absolutely eye-catching…and at times a bit disturbing.

The story is decently done, but a bit ambiguous and scattered at times. It’s a very creative story but you have to really concentrate on what is happening to not get lost. The story bounces between Guy, the three Gods, and a number of Guy’s rather disturbing dreams.

It’s a fun and interesting read….and I just love, love love the artwork.

Overall this was a very good and interesting graphic novel. I enjoyed the artwork throughout a ton and though the story was very creative. The story is a bit ambiguous though and kind of jumps between different POVs, so you really need to concentrate on what’s going on. I enjoyed it alot and hope that Free writes future installments to the God Machine.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
– Graphic Novel Reading Challenge
– 150+ Reading Challenge