Rat Queens vol. 1: Sass and Sorcery by Kurtis K. Wiebe, art by Roc Upchurch
Reviewed by: Carey Gibbons, Reference Assistant
Genre: Fantasy, Graphic Novel
Suggested Age: Adults
What is the book about?: Hannah the foul-mouthed elven mage, Violet the unstoppable dwarven fighter, Dee the atheist elder gods style cultist and Betty the drug addled smidgen thief are the Rat Queens. They’re an adventuring team out to keep the city of Palisade from harm! If by “keep from harm” you mean instigate bar fights and destroy public property… not everyone is perfect. In order to make up for transgressions against the city, the Rat Queens are sent on a quest to clear goblins out of a nearby cave. However, this quest is a lot more dangerous than the Rat Queens have bargained for and none of them are stupid. Someone set them up to fail. The Rat Queens are going to find out who, and make them pay!
My Review: I loved this book so much that I immediately went out and bought volume two. Rat Queens is both a mockery of and homage to all things Dungeons and Dragons. While the basic plot has the trappings of a D&D campaign, Hannah, Violet, Dee, and Betty become real complex real fast and they’re easy characters to love either despite or because of their foul mouths and do-what-I-want attitudes. It’s nice to see believable, relatable female characters in the realms of swords and sorcery – characters who stand on their own two butt-whomping feet, who make their own decisions, and who will eat drugs and candy for breakfast if they want to, thank you very much. Wiebe tells an excellent story and Upchurch brings all of the smart, sexy, sassy fun of Rat Queens to life with his illustrations. This is a must-have for anyone who loves comic books or adventure gaming.
Note: Rat Queens is full of violence, profanity, nudity, drugs, and other adult themes. Do not read if these things make you uncomfortable.
Rating: 5/5
About FDL Reads
Welcome to FDL Reads, weekly book reviews from Fondulac District Library. Librarians (and possibly some other guest reviewers) review all types of books, from children’s picture books, young adult favorites, to the latest adult thriller, and share their thoughts each week at fondulaclibrary.org. If the book is owned by Fondulac District Library (or another local library), you’ll see a direct link to the catalog entry and whether or not it is available. If it is checked out or at another local library, you will be able to place a hold as long as you have your library card and PIN numbers. As with any book review, these are our opinions…we disagree amongst ourselves about books frequently. We all have different likes and dislikes, which is what makes the world an interesting place. Please enjoy, and keep on reading!