Prince of Persia (Paperback)

~ Jordan Mechner (Author), (Author), LeUyen Pham (Illustrator), Alex Puvilland (Illustrator)

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: Young Adult
  
• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: First Second; 1st edition (September 2, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1596432071
• ISBN-13: 978-1596432079
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (36 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #435,550 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 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 (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

(What's this?)

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 (REAL NAME)

(What's this?)

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.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars confusing storytelling with average artwork, November 9, 2008

By	Krishna M. Sadasivam "pcweenies dot com carto... (Tampa, FL USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

(What's this?)

Prince of Persia debuted in the late 80's as a title originally available for the Apple II computer. It's popularity has spawned numerous sequels on nearly all console and computer platforms over the past 20 years.

This graphic novel addresses the back story behind the legend. My familiarity with the game is only tangential; I played the original Prince of Persia game when it was released on the Apple II platform. I approached this book with an open mind and dove right in. Readers of this book need not be familiar with the game.

First, the book itself. The quality of the actual book - including binding, printing, and cover - is uniformly excellent. That said, it's time to move onto the contents of the book itself:

Story: This is not a casual read, by any means. The book intertwines two separate stories, each taking place in separate time periods - and the shift between them can be confusing to follow if you're not paying particular attention. I found myself re-reading certain sections over again to clarify my understanding of the story. There are flashbacks, and time shifts - and I think that's where one can get easily confused.

Art: I have mixed feelings about the artwork. On the one hand, the panel breakdowns were spectacularly done. The action is easy to follow. However, there was some confusion on my part with two of the lead characters in the story. Their looks are very similar, and this - coupled with the time shifts that take place in the story - lead to my confusion. The colors used in the book serve to delineate the passage of time, but I think it was a bit too subtle.

Content: This is not a book for children. There is violence - from tongue slicing to bloody decapitations. The violence is not gratuitous - it fits the story well - but caution must be given if you are a parent considering this book to give to your children to read. This book is best suited for teenagers on up.

As a computer aficionado, I quite enjoyed the section concerning the history of the game itself, which follows after the story's conclusion.

While this book isn't necessarily bad, it's not necessarily a standout either. My recommendation would be to check the book out in person first, before making a purchase.