Prince of Persia [Paperback]

Jordan Mechner (Author), A. B. Sina (Author), LeUyen Pham (Illustrator), Alex Puvilland (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 2, 2008

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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. 

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Arists LeUyen Pham and Alex Puvilland create vivid scenes against a stunning background of ruins, lush gardens, and desert landscapes in Prince of Persia. Inspired by the popular video game as well as The Arabian Nights, the graphic novel follows two princes living centuries apart whose lives nonetheless intersect: they live in exile, fight epic battles, and, of course, rescue a princess. In their transformations from the video game to the graphic novel, each character was revised multiple times. Some were discarded, like Farah, the female warrior, and others were refined, like Prince Guiv.

Take a look at how the authors transformed the Prince of Persia characters from their early sketches (click each image below to see the final sketch).

Farah is a young warrior who is the model for the 9th century princess, Guilan.	Originally an Arabian Nights character, this dancer became the 13th century princess, Shirin.	This sketch of Guiv combines the prince of the video game with the prince of the graphic novel.

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From Publishers Weekly

Video gamers should enjoy this byproduct of a popular franchise. As game creator Mechner explains in an afterword, the original Prince of Persia was widely played in the early 1990s and famed as one of the few video games that had a story line with literary merit. It's been upgraded several times with somewhat different versions of the hero, which Mechner justifies as reflecting the fluid, dreamlike nature of Eastern storytelling. Sina's script for this book lays out two stories simultaneously, echoing and overlapping each other. In the 9th- and again in the 13th-century Persian city of Marv, a rightful prince is denied the throne, a vizier lusts for power, a courageous damsel fights for her lover, etc. The characters can't be sure whether their knowledge of events comes from memory or prophecy, creating a multi-leveled narrative that reflects the game, although readers will need to keep track of which hero is performing on a given page. There's plenty of action, and the artwork by Pham and Puvilland is suitably vigorous and exotic; however, without the thrill of participating in the action on-screen, reader involvement is limited. (Sept.)
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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 14 and up
  
• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: First Second; 1st edition (September 2, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1596432071
• ISBN-13: 978-1596432079
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 6.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (41 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #748,714 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Prophecy as remembrance of the future, or time is stranger than we may think..., September 28, 2008

By 

OAKSHAMAN "oakshaman" (Algoma, WI United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Prince of Persia (Paperback)

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Actually, I found the storyline in this gem-like graphic novel to be somewhat challenging- I must have skipped back three or four times to figure out exactly what was going on. This is not a criticism, for the interweaving of the storylines from the ninth and thirteenth centuries is rather like that of a Persian carpet. As is brought out in the afterward, from the Arabian Knights to the Sufi tales, the conflict tends to be with the nature of reality itself. That is what makes you think, that is the challenge. If you want a simple-minded, chop-socky hero tale then look elsewhere.

If I was to compare this work to anything it would be with the Sandman graphic novels- I could readily see this story woven into those books.

In some places the artwork approaches that of an illustrated manuscript. Indeed, the overall design of the book is of high quality including the reflective lettering on the cover and the maps under its folding flaps.

Oh yes, I had heard of the original computer game, but I had never played it, but that doesn't seem to be necessary to enjoy the story.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great, intertwined story, decent art work., September 25, 2008

By 

Bryan Newman "alaskanoutfitting.com" (St Paul, MN) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Prince of Persia (Paperback)

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About a year ago someone recommended that I read a pair of graphic novels, Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood and Palestine. I was amazed at how well graphic novels could hold up to traditional books for strength of message and emotion. Now our seven year old son is really getting into comic books and graphic novels which seems like a great way to get him interested in reading. So I picked up a copy of Prince of Persia since I remember the video game from years ago.

I was a little disappointed that this book was a little too mature for a seven year old to read (some violence and adult themes, glad I read it first) but I was not disappointed by the story for myself. It is a well crafted intertwined tale which segues dreamily back and forth. It read quickly and sucked me in so well, I couldn't put it down once I started. It is not overwhelming strong artistically but not bad.

You definitely don't need to have experience with the game to appreciate the story, although it does kind of end like an open ended prequel. Don't worry though the story stands on it's own well. There is a short history of the Prince of Persian from the creator of the original video game which was a nice bonus. But for me, one of the best things about the book though was the list of other graphic novels that are available. We have a half dozen more coming to us now.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A fun read for me and my son., November 20, 2008

By 

K. Rule (Beaverton, OR USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Prince of Persia (Paperback)

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I loved comic books as a kid. My friends and I would buy and share our comic books. I remember the excitement when received a new issue of my favorite comics. Sadly those days seem to be part of a bygone era.

Being an older parent ([...]); I've been trying to share my enthusiasm for comics. Unfortunately, the few comics series that are still around are hard to find and don't appeal to my son. So I tried graphic novels. After reading "Watchmen" and a few others highly recommended novels, it was clear the themes in these are, well, mature. My son isn't old enough to understand the complex and mature tone of these graphic novels.

However, I was encouraged when I ran across this graphic novel. After looking through it, it appeared (at least from a fathers perspective) appropriate for my son. I gave it to him and he devoured it. It took him a couple of evenings to read it. He loved it and is asking for more for Christmas.

My son is a good reader for his age. However, he isn't really ready the chapter books that have mature enough stories for him (Ron Dahl books come to mind). Though we read these books to him, he's independent and likes to read to himself. This novel was at his reading level and he found it engaging. We also had several good discussions about people's motivations and the historical context in the story.

I'd say, for me and my son this novel was a definite winner.

Having said that, there are a few negatives about the book.

My wife and daughter had issues with the violence in this novel. To be fair, it is violent, but the violence makes sense in context and the language and themes in the book seemed appropriate for a mature 8 year old.

I found the art work to be average at best. The story was a little complicated for my son, but nothing some minor parental help couldn't resolve. But even with that, my son enjoyed the story and I was able to share the fun of comics with my son. So this was a good start.

My next comic purchase for my son will be the "Ender's Game" series. Hopefully, he will find that even more engaging.