Sailor Twain (edit title/settings)

• Rated 4 stars

“I loved the unique setting for this eerie and sad fairy tale. There's one small character that was drawn as Amy Winehouse which drew me out of the story for a bit, and that I thought was an odd choice, but must have been a way for the author to memorialize her. ”

• Rated 0 stars

“My first graphic novel and I am devouring it! I just love it! Perhaps it's because of the mermaid!!?? Oh yea, and it's set on the Hudson River (1887), my home :) ”

• Rated 5 stars

“Here is a tale of fantastic creatures, lost honor, love, tragedy, and heroics. It is a grand ol' sea yarn, told graphic novel-style. It has the feel of reading the classics, but it's a lot more fun. There's a lot of appeal here for (older)teen boys, but there's some racy material, so know your audience. ”

• Rated 4 stars

“In the year 1887, while Lafayette, the owner of the steamship Lorelei, is lost in his own romantic endeavors, Captain Twain keeps the ship steadily plying the waters of the Hudson. One night, as the Captain patrols the deck, he discovers a wounded mermaid. Rescuing her from her fate, Twain secures the mermaid in his quarters as he nurses her back to health. What ensues is a slow revelation of details, as the entangling web of the mermaid that spans the life of each character is unraveled, allowing readers to understand their motivations and the expansive nature of the story.

Sailor Twain offers a historical and romantic peek at life on the Hudson River in the late 1800’s. The author evokes a sense of desperation with his use of charcoal pencil to create this haunting graphic novel. This title, that had its start as an online serial, is an interesting read that will keep readers spellbound. Unfortunately, the graphic nature of this book with its numerous sexual references, use of derogatory language, and picture frames displaying full frontal nudity make this an inappropriate choice for school libraries.
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• Rated 4 stars

“Fun read, great illustrations, and wonderful twists on Greek Mythology, but definitely for mature readers only...especially since part of the mystery revolves around adultery, a vivacious Frenchman, and a bare-breasted mermaid!”

• Rated 2 stars

“My first graphic novel. Interesting and beautiful drawings. Still I found the story style difficult. Maybe I need more practice? I suspect this is an excellent graphic novel, just not my cup of tea. Eager for book club discussion to maybe improve my attitude toward it.”

• Rated 4 stars

“From RA for All: http://raforall.blogspot.com/2012/12/what-im-reading-sailor-twain-and.html

Let's start with the new. Mark Siegel is getting a lot of great reviews for his new Gothic graphic novel Sailor Twain: Or, The Mermaid on the Hudson. And after reading it, I have to say I am in complete agreement. Not only is this an interesting and well crafted story, but the art also perfectly matches the feel.

Let's start with the story.

Mark Siegel had previously published children's books, but this is decidedly an adult story. It is a historically set tale about obsession, addiction, infatuation, revenge, and love, but despite its setting in the past, it is also a fable for our current times. It has nudity, violence, and an unsettlingly (but satisfying for readers who like that) psychological darkness. Some readers may have encountered this story first as a webcomic, but it is really a treasure in its printed and bound form.

Sailor Twain is set in 1887, the story is not only set in that era, but it feels like it was written in that era, not ours. It is a Gothic Romance in the traditional sense. The entire story is told in flashback as a distraught former river boat captain tells a story to a beautiful, mysterious woman in a seedy riverfront bar. It is a well known story of life on the romantic river, the loneliness of the captain whose sick wife is back in his home port, and the mysterious French brothers who own the ship line, one who has disappeared and the other who is nothing more than a womanizing fool.

However, in the true Gothic tradition things are not always as they appear. What follows is a story out of mythology, deeply rooted in our storytelling tradition as humans. And, also in the true Gothic tradition, things only go from bad to worse.

This is not the story of a mermaid like Disney's Ariel who loves humans; rather, this is the mythological mermaid who want to steal souls and trap humans in the deep with her. She wants to kill. She is angry because she has been banished to the Hudson to be tormented by the mix of fresh and sea water because of her evil ways; she never gets the true salt water she craves. She can never leave the river and feel the freedom of the ocean unless she can get a human to love her for her, without using her song to hypnotize him. Here is a picture of Twain and the mermaid.

Speaking of this picture, now is the time to take a pause in the appeal of the story to talk about the art. Everything is done in this charcoal style. The fuzzy edges add a dreamlike quality to this mythological story. The shades of gray color palate adds to the overwhelming darkness of the story.

Here is another example of the art in a more traditional storytelling page. The story is set during the summer of 1887 when there was non stop rain. This art depicts the melancholy, suspicion, secrets, and despair the story.

In Sailor Twain the time period and the setting, the Hudson River, are also characters. The romance of steamboat travel between New York City and Albany (a popular route for powerful people in the 1880s) enhances the story. But you also have the undercurrent of the area's creepiness (think Sleepy Hollow).

There is also a book within a book frame here as a female author plays a huge part in the story.

Twain is our narrator, as I mentioned above. The book is his confession, so we see everything through his eyes. The mystery of the mermaid unfolds through him, and while it ends fairly resolved, there is a final twist that leaves it all open and questioning who and what we should believe. And to underscore the importance of the both the art and the writing in the best graphic novels, the twist is unveiled visually only (which I found very satisfying).

Sailor Twain is a perfect pick for fans of Gothic fiction whether they normally enjoy graphic novels or not. It is a haunting tale that will remain with you long after you finish it. It is also a good choice for fans of well executed literary graphic novels.

Three Words That Describe This Book: Gothic, mythological, obsession

Readalikes: The Gothic story in Sailor Twain reminded me of a few other darker Gothic tales I have read over the years. Use the links to see my reviews of The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield, Drood by Dan Simmons, and Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger for details. All three are a good readalike option here in their unsettlingly atmosphere, darker tone, and overall themes. It is also important to note that all four of these novels have twist endings and unreliable narrators.

If you want to read more about mermaids in folklore I would also suggest Mermaids: The Myths, Legends and Lore by Skye Alexander (2012). I cannot seem to find a fiction book about mermaids that captures the feel of Sailor Twain, however. Most of today's mermaid novels are in more of the Twilight mold. The 3 novels mentioned above more accurately capture the feel of this graphic novel even though they have zero mermaids.

If you really want a graphic novel as a readalike, I would suggest a book from the 2011 best lists, Anya's Ghost by Vera Brosgol. It follows Anya and her new best friend, who happens to be a ghost, a not always nice ghost. It also uses a similar color palate (shades of gray), but it is drawn with crisp pen lines, not the fuzzy charcoal.”

• Rated 3 stars

“Nicole R said: 3.5 stars (round down to 3)

Sailor Twain is a graphic novel done in charcoal - so, black and white. It tells the story of Sailor Twain, Captain of the boat Lorelei, as he misses his girlfriend Pearl, deals with the overly-amorous boat owner Monsieur Lafayette, and.....nurses a wounded mermaid back to health in his personal cabin.

The story was pretty good, but not fantastic. I liked the mythical elements of the mermaid aspect but because it was a graphic novel - and one light on the dialogue at that - I was left feeling like we only scratched the surface.

The pictures are very well done and I have to give full credit to anyone with that kind of artistic talent, but two things really stuck out to me. First of all, all of the characters had such detail and really popped off the page. They looked like real people. Except for the main character, Sailor Twain. The one character I wanted to be expressive and detailed had a flat face with big eyes that looked like something a beginning drawer would put on paper.

Secondly, while the pictures were great, I didn't feel like they told a silent story. With other graphic novels (and not that I have read a lot of them) the pictures contain details that are woven in to the story and add to the experience. In Sailor Twain - unless I am majorly missing something - the dialogue-less panes didn't seem to add anything extra to the story or give us much insight. They were just pretty drawings.

The one exception to that was the first page of each section which contained "news clips" that were interesting to read and gave a little foreshadowing to the pages to come. Also, while it didn't add much to the book, the section dividers were old nautical maps of the Hudson River which were just fun to look at.

Overall, it was a quick, fun read that kept me interested but didn't meet all of my expectations for a book that has been so highly touted. Also, with the nudity and sex, I would definitely not consider this book for young adults....just a heads up!”

• Rated 3 stars

“Sailor Twain is a graphic novel done in charcoal - so, black and white. It tells the story of Sailor Twain, Captain of the boat Lorelei, as he misses his girlfriend Pearl, deals with the overly-amorous boat owner Monsieur Lafayette, and.....nurses a wounded mermaid back to health in his personal cabin.

The story was pretty good, but not fantastic. I liked the mythical elements of the mermaid aspect but because it was a graphic novel - and one light on the dialogue at that - I was left feeling like we only scratched the surface.

The pictures are very well done and I have to give full credit to anyone with that kind of artistic talent, but two things really stuck out to me. First of all, all of the characters had such detail and really popped off the page. They looked like real people. Except for the main character, Sailor Twain. The one character I wanted to be expressive and detailed had a flat face with big eyes that looked like something a beginning drawer would put on paper.

Secondly, while the pictures were great, I didn't feel like they told a silent story. With other graphic novels (and not that I have read a lot of them) the pictures contain details that are woven in to the story and add to the experience. In Sailor Twain - unless I am majorly missing something - the dialogue-less panes didn't seem to add anything extra to the story or give us much insight. They were just pretty drawings.

The one exception to that was the first page of each section which contained "news clips" that were interesting to read and gave a little foreshadowing to the pages to come. Also, while it didn't add much to the book, the section dividers were old nautical maps of the Hudson River which were just fun to look at.

Overall, it was a quick, fun read that kept me interested but didn't meet all of my expectations for a book that has been so highly touted. Also, with the nudity and sex, I would definitely not consider this book for young adults....just a heads up!”