Lucas Blogs About The Daughters of Ys

 So, what's this book's dea—you've been reading a lot of comics lately, haven't you?

Guilty. Lately it's been taking me forever to read regular books, but I've been ripping through comics pretty fast. Anyway, the deal with this one is that it's called The Daughters of Ys and it was written by M.T. Anderson and drawn by Jo Rioux. It's based on a Breton folk tale.

So like a fairy tale?

Yeah.

So less gruesome than say Head Lopper?

Hmm, it's still pretty gruesome. You know how fairy tales can be. Although I will admit that I first checked it out because I thought it might be a good Christmas gift for a young reader. Let's just say that the book was quick to disabuse me of this misapprehension.

So not appropriate for kids?

No. Oh, but let's actually talk about the book.

Let's.

So, it begins with King Gradlon adrift at sea after an unsuccessful attempt to quell a rebellion. He's rescued by Lady Malgven, a sorcerer's wife and almost certainly a fairy. Anyway, Malgven saves Gradlon's life on the condition that he kill her husband. She also promises to be his wife and build him a new capital, Ys. Together they have two daughters, Rozenn and Dahut, however, Malgven ages unnaturally quickly and dies when the girls are very young. Over time they grow apart, with Rozenn spending her time among the animals on the moors and Dahut retreating into her duties as a princess and studying her mother's magic. As they grow up, the split deepens as Dahut gives up her own personal satisfaction into order to fulfill her duties as a princess and Rozenn spends more of her time communing with nature.

Oh, it's kinda like Frozen?

Not really. Well . . . maybe a little. Superficially at least. Like I said before, this is definitely not a story for children. Although it isn't graphic there is a fair amount of violence and sexual content that is not appropriate for younger readers. Which I feel I've reiterated too many times now. So, fairly early in the book, it's revealed that the Atlantis-like city of Ys is maintained through a bargain with fairies. Every so often, Dahut has to seduce a young man and kill him in order to keep the walls from falling and the waves from swallowing the city.

Woah, this book's fuckin' metal!

So it is, Hypothetical Reader. As you can imagine, the fact that Dahut is the one paying the price to hold back destruction leaves her pretty resentful of the relative freedom enjoyed by Rozenn. She's been eschewing her duties in favor of romancing a young fisherman named Briac. Oh, and I didn't mention this, but as the elder daughter, Rozenn is the next in line for the throne, something that she doesn't particularly want. So yeah, I mean, it's all a pretty standard set up for a fairy tale. You've got a deal with magical beings that comes at a heavy price, you've got jealous siblings clashing over responsibilities, you've got betrayals, you've got a hermit named Corentin. The works.

Is it any good?

It's pretty good, yeah. Anderson and Rioux's storytelling skills are solid, alternating between passages dense with dialogue and several pages of visuals. In the style of a folk tale much of the dialogue is declarative and expository. For example, the holy hermit Corentin explains that God has blessed him with a fish that will revive itself everyday so long as he eats only half of it. The connection to the bargain that keeps Ys from being devoured by the seas is immediately apparent.

It'd be hard to miss.

Another running theme in the book is the alienation brought on by the maintenance of power. Dahut is cut off from the people around her because of the demands of her bargain. Meanwhile Rozenn is able to form connections, but only has the freedom to ignore her obligations because of the privilege of her position. It's a folk tale that doesn't ignore the ways in which wealth and power insulate people from hardship.

Well, you do tend to like stories that interrogate the assumptions of their settings.

That I do.

What about the art?

It's real good.

Care to elaborate?

Sure. Rioux's illustration is reminiscent of the simplified figures in a medieval manuscript, though with a more contemporary understanding of perspective and movement. As I've mentioned, she shines in the stretches without dialogue, conveying action and emotion through drawings alone. She also uses color effectively to create atmospheric effects and ensure visual interest. Although the panel layouts are fairly conventional, the drawings within those panels are striking and memorable.

So, you'd recommend it?

Yeah, if you're into mythology, folklore, fantasy, whatever, that takes a critical view of authority you might like this. Though, I would say that it's definitely aimed at a more mature audience.

We get it . . . mom!

🙄

Oh no! You found out that you can use emojis!

The Daughters of Ys written by M.T. Anderson and drawn by Jo Rioux, First Second hardcover edition, 2020, 206 pages, pairs well with infinitely reviving fish

Links:

M.T. Anderson doesn't seem to maintain much of an online presence, but here's the publisher's page for the book itself which includes a few pages.

You can also check out more of Jo Rioux's art on Instagram, if you're into that kinda thing.