The Encyclopedia of Early Earth: A Novel
An Amazon Best Book of the Month, December 2013:IfThe Encyclopedia of Early Earthis to be believed, the primitive days of our planet were icy landscapes drawn with thick, stark lines and highlighted with the careful use of bold colors. This beautiful comic, Isabel Greenberg's first, pulls on stories from cultural and religious traditions--Genesis, Nordic legends, Greek myths--as well as the work of other influential cartoonists--Kate Beaton, Seth, Jason--to create something unique and timeless. The stories here are imbued with such wit and heart: Two lovers--one from the North Pole, the other from the South--cannot come within two feet of each other because of their polar magnetization; an old woman defeats a giant with her storytelling; a cartographer is aided by three "genius monkeys from the Island of What." Greenberg uses our familiarity with archetypes to play with our expectations, bending these layered stories into something strange and delightful.The Encyclopedia of Early Earthis a journey that takes us from one end of the Earth to the other--just perhaps in the direction you'd least expect.--Kevin Nguyen