Review of Unsounded (2010)
Ashley Cope (writer-artist).
This review refers to the first three printed volumes, or 12 chapters.
I’ve let a child keep me like a dog, for at least a dog has purpose.
Intrigue and family in a high-fantasy world of different political systems and religions, where magic alters the philosophical aspects of materials and the minds of the dying shatter into the khert, “a force to arbitrate the systems of a finite reality”. The title refers to a deeper realm beyond the khert where human sorcerers cannot go and the gods are thought to live.
The artwork is gorgeous. The dialogue is surprisingly intelligent, but the whole thing is shot through with minor weaknesses. No time is spent explaining how, for instance, the “command economy” of Cresce is supposed to work. The worldbuilding comes out thin, as when we learn that one faction rides familiar-looking pet dogs the size of horses. The pacing and characters feel inconsistent, except in the set pieces.