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The Boys, Volume 8: Highland Laddie (2011)

by Garth Ennis(Favorite Author)

3.79 of 5 Votes: 5

ISBN

1606902075 (ISBN13: 9781606902073)

languge

English

genre

Fantasy

publisher

Dynamite Entertainment

series

The Boys

review 1: Steps away from the action and intrigue of the main thrust of The Boys' narrative. Hughie's left The Boys (nominally) and gone home to smalltown Scotland to reflect on his work, and the revelation that his girlfriend is in fact a member of The Seven - the most powerful and most dangerous of the despicable superhuman community.This is Ennis' change to give Hughie some more background, but more to reflect on the significance of "home", childhood friendships, and memory.
review 2: "The Boys" is a peculiarly uneven series both in tone and quality. At times it reads like a superhero comic parody, at times like a nihilistic tale of hate and violence, at times like a clever political allegory. Recently, the saga has gotten more serious and ambitious in its storytellin... moreg, delving into the grey, morally ambiguous shades of its characters. In "Highland Laddie" Garth Ennis takes a break after the dramatic events of the previous volume and gives us a calm character story about Hughie returning to his home village in Scotland. There our protagonist tries to reconnect with his past in an effort to find himself after all the darkness he has been through.Ennis tends to write these character pieces extremely well, and they are crucial to a series with so much politically incorrect humor and provocative storytelling. They make the universe of "The Boys" feel real and make it possible for the readers to care about what happens to the ambiguous-at-best cast of characters. About halfway through this volume I thought that Ennis was a bit lost here, though, writing with good intentions but somehow failing to find the depth of Hughie or the consequential drama in the scenes between him and his old friends and family. It all feels a bit calculated and by-the-book for an introspective character piece. But eventually Ennis shows that he knows perfectly well what he is doing, and the volume wins you over with its subtle tone. "Highland Laddie" sneaks up behind you and surprises with insight after what at first appears to be all effort with too little results. less

Download links for: The Boys, Volume 8: Highland Laddie

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