The First Escape (The Dopple Ganger Chronicles) (Hardcover)

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Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 4–7—Part fiction, part graphic novel, and part picture book, The Escape is a tale of Saskia and Sadie Dopple, twin orphans, forcibly separated by an eccentric cast of characters; and ex-burglar Erik Ganger, who aids them in reuniting. Set in Britain in the early 20th century, the story has a gothic feel, if a slightly absurd one, reminiscent of Lemony Snicket's "Series of Unfortunate Events" (HarperCollins). Saskia is adopted by wealthy writer Muzz Elliott, whose grandfather lost quite a bit of gold at her estate. When criminals seek to dupe Elliott and replace her, both Elliott and Saskia are in mortal peril. Meanwhile, Sadie and Erik escape from the orphanage, only to fall into the clutches of an insane retired magician. The prose flows somewhat awkwardly into paneled storytelling and back out again, and while the style is innovative, the pacing doesn't work consistently in the two formats. Additionally, bits of religious philosophy seem tacked on rather than integral to the story. While fans of Snicket or Roald Dahl may enjoy the absurd tale, and the narrative's mix of prose, panels, and pictures is intriguing, the story itself falls short.—Alana Abbott, James Blackstone Memorial Library, Branford, CT
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From Booklist

Billed as an “illustronovella”—a mix of prose and graphic novel—this first entry in the Dopple Ganger Chronicles boasts an enticing design, moderately successful story, and Taylor’s signature blend of frenzied atmospherics that’s equal parts mayhem and mystery with a modern Victorian sensibility. Orphaned twins Sadie and Saskia Dopple are separated when Saskia is adopted and bustled off to live in a creepy mansion. Sadie escapes the tightfisted rule of the orphanage to reunite with her twin, and the children are beset from all sides by menacing grown-ups whose plots, while not always clear, are always nefarious. The points in which the action shifts from paragraphs to panels can seem arbitrary and disjointed, leading characters to sometimes speak things aloud that are better left to straight description. The brief cameo by an “angel,” who alludes to higher-purpose adventures, suggests the series’ religious theme. That hint is so understated here it may go entirely unnoticed, but expect a higher religious profile in subsequent books. Grades 6-9. --Ian Chipman

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: SaltRiver (August 20, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1414319479
• ISBN-13: 978-1414319476
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #214,068 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Intriguing..., September 13, 2008

By	S. Stevenson - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I'm always on the lookout for really good new books, and when I saw G.P. Taylor's newest book: THE FIRST ESCAPE, I thought it looked like it'd be pretty good. I had seen the cover art for some time and definitely wanted to read through it. When I finally did get my hands on the book, my emotions were mixed.

I knew that this book was a "new" format called the Illustra-Novel, and being a fan of comics / manga, I thought it sounded pretty good. While the cover art for the book looks great, I will say that when I saw the graphic novel sections, I was disappointed. First off, I'm a fan of old-school animation (not super old, mainly I'm thinking eighties, early nineties -- when animation was smoother). The drawings in the comic blocks are very squared off and modern-looking. Something I almost detest in modern cartoons. So initially it was a bit of a jump to get into it and get past the drawing style.

One thing I must point out is that this novel format is not revolutionary. All the buzz around the book is about how it's a mix of traditional novel and comics and illustrations. There have been other books before this one that have pulled off the same feat: THE INVENTION OF HUGO CABARET being one -- combining text and full page illustrations, where each page is a comic block in itself. And there are also the SPROUSE BROS. 47 R.O.N.I.N. books that contain sections in traditional comic-book format. I thought both of those pulled off the idea a little better than THE FIRST ESCAPE did. I will say however, that there are some very interesting graphics every now and again -- that I wish there had been more of -- where a real photo was used and then almost brushed to give it a very eerie, gothic look. Those were amazing, and had me wishing for more of the same rather than the block-look drawings.

Setting all of the comic and graphic elements aside, the one thing that Taylor really has going for him is the story here. He does a good job of presenting interesting twists into the story that definitely kept me interested. About thirty pages in (and they move very swiftly), he had me pretty much hooked. This, book one in the DOPPLEGANGER CHRONICLES, centers around three orphans, Saskia & Sadie (twins) and Erik. Together and separately, they come across a few very interesting mysteries when Saskia is taken away by an eccentric old lady to a huge mansion. Secrets and betrayals abound, and soon all three children find themselves in the biggest mess of their lives. Taylor throws in a few intriguing details here and there that definitely lead the reader to believe that there will be a bigger, more over-arcing storyline to come in later books.

The plotting is very tight, and while the climatic ending kind of circles around for a bit, it all goes down very smoothly and swiftlty. I definitely would say that the tween set is going to go for this Illustra-Novel, having grown up on the newer generation of cartoons. I only wish the drawing could have been in a different style -- if it had, I think I would have bumped this up to 5-stars for sure. Crossing my fingers that the next installment will be even better.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not appropriate for our children, November 23, 2008

By	Jennifer Bogart "@ Quiverfullfamily.com" (Alberta, Canada) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Saskia and Sadie Dopple are a pair of trouble-making, rebellious 14-year-old identical twins, abandoned teenagers in the care of Isambard Dunstan's School for Wayward Children. When Saskia is adopted by the wealthy and eccentric Muzz Elliot, Sadie finds herself on the run from the law as she searches for her sister, accompanied by Erik Morrissey - a teenaged caretaker at Isambard Dunstan's.

The First Escape represents the first in a new series of illustra-novels from the pen of bestselling author G.P. Taylor. Illustra-novels straddle the divide between a traditional novel and a graphic novel, alternating pages of traditional text - text intertwined with graphics and standard comic pages. A team of artists and a talented adapter have tackled Taylor's written work, the finished result an impeccable fusion of design, art, and story.

The main strength of the illustra-novel is creating a strong visual theme, and The First Escape oozes stylistic cohesion. The dark cover, orange spine, and carefully black edged interior pages lend an eerie impression to the title on first glance. While the maxim "Don't judge a book by its cover" is oft touted, the opposite can be applied to this work.

While we find the story contents in line with the overall design features there is a striking difference between the cover art and the comic panels scattered throughout the novel. The cover illustration by Paul Green featuring a fluid depiction of Erik and Sadie differs immensely from the angular, blocky style found in the comic panels drawn by Daniel Boulton. Trench coats, voluminous trousers, black boots and the dim, nearly monochromatic palette contribute to a film noir flavour.

Not being partial to the geometrically inspired comics, I found the work on the mixed media pages more inspiring. Regular text intermixed with black and white illustrations, white text on black background, and large, hand-drawn words - pulled from the text and amplified -- kept me reading to see which techniques would be incorporated on the following pages. The innovative design paired with a story replete with danger and mystery will keep readers moving along at a good clip. Reluctant readers will also find the alternation of text with comic panels an incentive to plow through the text in their efforts to reach the next set of illustrations.

The First Escape is published by Salt River, an imprint of Tyndale - the prominent Christian publishing house. While printed under a faith based imprint, and sold on the Christian retail circuit, any references to faith are glancing and inconclusive, though it is difficult to determine which path the story will take in future volumes.

In my opinion Taylor takes cultural relevance too far. Murder schemes, mad magicians, séances and a cast of creepy characters contribute to the eerie, otherworldly story that has more in common with Lemony Snicket than it does most Christian fiction for teenagers. Due to the edgy and questionable content matter some parents may decide to pass on this title for their children. However, with the marked popularity of A Series of Unfortunate Events, The Dopple Ganger Chronicles will likely find a wide readership. Based upon this first installment, our family will not be among them.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Akward and rude, June 17, 2009

By	Helado Chica - See all my reviews

I don't like negative reviews, so I waited for my husband and parents to read it. My husband is very much a grown up kid, and my parents are both junior high school teachers.

Surprisingly, my parents had the most positive reaction to this book. Both my husband and myself felt the book treated the behavior of the characters poorly. I found the adults to be idiotic at best, downright cruel at worst, and no one had any respect for anyone else. My husband was bothered by the inconsistancies of having a leader who was both completely feared and absolutly ignored.

All four of us were bothered by the "Companion" scenes. They didn't fit the rest of the book and were a weak attempt at any sort of religious aspect the author was trying to add.

I was also disturbed by the holding of a seance, even when it proved to be an elaborate set-up.

My parents' comments focused more on the style and quality of the writing than on the context. My mom liked the variety offered by switching between styles, but found some transitions to be rough to follow. My dad thought the comics were just too distracting.

They agreed that the best summary was my dad's first impression: "It looks like it was written by a junior higher."