Graphic Novel Review of Prince of Persia by Jordan Mechner

Read for: Graphic Novel Challenge

Synopsis: "BEYOND THE LEGENDARY GAME – THE LEGEND ITSELF

Long ago in Persia, there lived a Prince -- a man of honor, of valor, and full of strength -- a man for his people, who lived with them and took on their trials and hardships.  And he was loved.

His name is no longer remembered.  When people speak of him, they call him merely, 'The Prince of Persia,' as if there have been no others, and his descendants are enjoined to live like him, to be like him, to the ends of their days.

Long ago in Persia, there were many princes, one following another, sometimes quick, sometimes slow, sometimes fat, clever, joyous, and all more or less honorable.  And in some of those princes there shone the spirit of The Prince of Persia, for in Persia time spins like a wheel, and what is to come has already happened, and then happens again, year in and year out. 

This is the story of two of those princes, and of the destiny that threads their lives together. 

Created by Jordan Mechner, the Prince of Persia graphic novel is beautifully written by poet A.B. Sina and opulently illustrated by LeUyen Pham and Alex Puvilland."

My Review: I picked this book up in a swap, I really liked the cover and thought I would give it a shot. I don't know the story of the Prince of Persia but this was not at all what I imagined. I really struggled following this story, it has 2 timelines running side by side throughout the book but there isn't a lot of definition to make it clear which you are reading when, and the connection between the timelines isn't clear either, possibly a prophecy playing out. The story definitely needs a lot more filling out and clarification. Aside from that, the artwork that originally drew me in was stunning if taken as just artwork and not a part of the whole.

My Rating: I was so confused for most of this story that there just wasn't any way to enjoy it. I didn't connect with any characters and other than the art, there wasn't any draw for me. I give it a rating of Two Paws.