The Legend of Zelda

Gr 2—5—As the young adventurer Link is traveling the seas, his captain and friend, Tetra, discovers a ghost ship and is spirited away. Link therefore joins forces with the avaricious Captain Linebeck and Ciela, a fairy spirit, to save her and defeat the malicious ocean monster Bellum. In this manga, the essential structure strives to capture some of the absurdist puzzle structures featured in the original Nintendo DS game, alternating quickly between various short trials and challenges and Link and Linebeck's banter. This culminates in a hilariously unbelievable battle where the ultimate magic weapon—that Link can't win without—is being forged even as Link battles the final boss. Drawn in an overtly comedic style, the book nevertheless presents the rakish cowardice of Linebeck in a sufficiently charming manner, and the final plot twists contain ample pathos to move unjaded readers. But mostly the book is content to coast on fine draftsmanship and whimsy. It's a sure-handed presentation of a guileless children's narrative, utterly lacking in subtlety, but long on a certain innocent charisma. Critical eyes may be irritated or interested in how it deviates from the game's original story line.—Benjamin Russell, Belmont High School, NH