The Cloven: Book One by Garth Stein

The Cloven: Book One Reviews

• 
  Rod Brown

  A bare sketch of a fairly generic story is offered up with some scratchy and splotchy art, including one of the most underwhelming four-page fold-out splash pages I've ever seen. Homelessness and parkour are shoved into the book as the protagonist escapes from the secret lab that produced him through genetic experimentation and wanders around Washington State trying to figure out who he might be in the real world.
  
  This quick read has a to-be-continued ending that fails to make me care about Book Two.
• 
  Dave Schaafsma

  Garth Stein's first comics series about Tucker, who has been genertically modified to be half-goat, half-human, thus the title Cloven. Set in the Pacific Northwest, the story focuses on the homeless, underdogs, but is really just okay for a beginning volume, like two stars, though I'll admit I like the premise, which was worked out in a short story initially.
  
  But the art by Mathhew Southworth, whose work I loved with Greg Rucka on Stumptown, set in Portland, Oregon, gets all the stars. It's really dramatic and moodily colorful and evocative and almost rescues the project on its own. And this is a terrific Fantagraphics production, an oversized book, hardcover, with a great cover, it looks so inviting, so yeah, I'll read the next volume.
• 
  Marco Cornejo

  I was hooked initially by the art style but unfortunately the story was not enough to keep me turning pages. While at first I found the art intriguing, I thought at point it became a bit self indulgent at the cost of clarity.
  
  I finished the book out of duty mostly. I wanted to be done and get on with the other book. I probably won’t be reading the rest of the series.
• 
  Susan

  The colouring and art are real standouts; bright and cheerful. The story is so dark and sad that it didn't really match the mood. Being a mountain girl I have often wished for the agility and balance of a goat. Those hooves are hard to hide though. Lol!
• 
  Ken Hunt

  So I think this is the first graphic novel I have ever read and it is the first in a trilogy. I've never been sure how to think about a graphic novel, is it a thicker comic book, or heavily illustrated novel. Given I read this one in one sitting, it feels like a thicker comic book. But why does it matter, it was good and I will finish the trilogy. I am a big fan of Garth Stein from Seattle and without knowing it I am a fan of illustrator Matthew Southworth, from Everett who was singer-guitarist in a band called The Capillaries. He is also the comic book artist for mystery mini series, Stumptown, now an ABC hourlong weekly drama for which he is executive producer and I am a fan. It should be noted that Garth Stein is also in a fun band of writers named The Rejections. All that said, my love of PacNW stories, music and authors is all in play here. The Cloven is about a boy with goat DNA named Tuck, born in a military lab on, of all places, Vashon Island in experimentation to genetically produce super soldiers. There are other failed experiments in the wild of greater metropolitan Seattle and Tuck, whose memory was erased is trying to find himself. Great local references, a bit of humor, good action......book one is great and I am looking forward to book 2....even though I feel I should not get credit for one book on my Goodreads 2020 Reading Challenge.
• 
  Kevin

  Great start! Here's going there's a volume 2.
• 
  Eli Bischof

  I finally got my hands on Book One of The Cloven and it blew my, already high, expectations out of the water. Aside from slowing to wipe drool from the beautifully illustrated pages, I didn’t stop reading until I’d finished, then I went back to drool some more.
  It’s clear that Garth has exhaustively explored the rabbit hole of genetic-manipulation, which appeals to the sci-fi nerd in me, then he went and worked his magic as a storyteller that makes non-human beings more human than humans 🤯 Beyond that, Matt Southworth brought the story to life with truly beautiful illustrations and I can’t help but be enamored with his renderings of familiar scenes around Seattle, which have been faithfully printed by Seattle’s own Fantagraphics.
  I’d just started working on my 1st novel when Garth came to me for his 1st tattoo. Naturally, I took advantage of having the NYT bestselling author of The Art of Racing in the Rain (which has sold over 6 million copies 😮) immobilized under my needle. Garth patiently listened to my ramblings and frequently gave sage writing advice, so, of course, I encouraged him to get more tattoos.
  Somewhere in our sessions, I was surprised to learn that Garth’s next book was going to be a graphic-novel about a genetically-modified human-goat hybrid, but I thoroughly enjoyed The Art of Racing in the Rain (which is narrated by a dog), so I didn’t doubt Garth’s ability to tell a powerful story from an unexpected perspective... like a goat-person, named Tuck, that lives in the Seattle area.
  Congratulations on your amazing creation Garth, Matt, and Fantagraphics! I can’t wait to get my hands on books 2 & 3 of The Cloven!
• 
  Lacey

  Garth Steins first graphic novel The Cloven is set in Washington and introduces us to James Tucker “Tuck” who is a genetically modified human crossed with a goat – a Cloven. An experiment that doesn’t realize he’s an experiment. After escaping a lab Tuck tries to find out who he is and where he belongs. Along the way he discovers that he isn’t alone and there are Cloven living in Seattle’s Jungle, on the margins of society, where they can be invisible. The story flashes between present day and the past Tuck doesn’t remember. Including his creation at a secret lab on Vashon Island, his childhood, and the woman he thought was his mother.
  This is book one of what is supposed to be a 3-part series. When I read the blurb, I really wasn’t sure this graphic novel was going to be for me, but I was wrong and gladly so. Mad scientists doing genetic experiments backed by a villainous rich guy… what’s not to like? The story is fast paced, a little dark, and a little gritty with some good social commentary. Matthew Southworth, who is one of the illustrators for Stumptown, is the illustrator for this graphic novel and his artwork really brought the story to life. I enjoyed this graphic novel way more than I thought I would and am really bummed that I’m going to have to wait at least a year to find out what happens next.
  I received this graphic novel as a digital ARC from a library conference
  
• 
  Kandice

  I wanted to like this, I really did. First, the cover seems to be referring to
  V for Vendetta by
  Alan Moore, and that simply cannot be an accident! Second, it's written by
  The Art of Racing in the Rain, who wrote
  Garth Stein, one of the most beautiful books I've ever read, and written exquisitely from the POV of a dog. This one is clearly about animals so I was very hopeful.
  
  I didn't like it.
  
  The illustrations were not to my liking, for one. They were very color saturated, which is fine in the right circumstance, but they were also splashy. Not splashy because the content demanded it, but seemingly as an excuse for two and four page splashes that served no purpose and didn't advance the story at all. They simply gave a larger canvas for art that was perfectly contained on a page level.
  
  Then the story. It just wasn't compelling. Not only were ineffective flashbacks used, to at first build a narrative, but later to unravel it, this felt very much like the first issue of 7-9 issue arc. Certainly not the first volume of a saga.
• 
  Wayne McCoy

  'The Cloven: Book One' by Garth Stein with art by Matthew Southworth is the first graphic novel in a three part story.
  
  James "Tuck" Tucker was born in a lab on Vashon Island in Washington State. He is a genetically modified human crossed with a goat (think faun for how he looks). He manages to escape and finds himself among the homeless population in Seattle, but he has questions about his past. Those show up in flashbacks as the story goes along. Will Tuck find others like him and can he be free?
  
  It's a great story and I loved that it took place in the Seattle area. The story jumps around a bit, but stays interesting. The art by Matthew Southworth is exceptional with dark tones and lots of deep colors. The hardcover book from Fantagraphic has nice heavyweight paper stock making the reading experience a plus. I really enjoyed this and can't wait to see what happens to Tuck along the way.
• 
  James Lyons-Weiler

  This is a fantastic entry into a current world science fiction palpably around the corner. Genetically modified humans designed with genes from goats to reduce carbon footprint (they can graze) are born with other features... destroy them? No, the inventor could not... they are released into the wild and come back into civilization...
  
  Garth is the author you know from The Art of Racing in the Rain... he stretches his story-telling legs here... the artwork by Matthew Southworth reflects the dark and disturbing tale.
  
  Sure to be a cult-classic.
• 
  Cbeppa

  I like the art, and the story is good. However, I have a factual gripe . . .
  
  In my experience, goats do eat lots of things--thistles, weeds, tree bark, paper, whey, banana peels, and even a plastic glove. But they won't eat meat. If you try to feed them beans with meat pieces, they won't eat it, even though they really like beans.
  
  Also, if this project was ostensibly to prevent world hunger, it would make pretty good sense for the mutant goat people to consume mainly plants.
  
  . . . so hold the hot dogs.
• 
  Minna

  Thank you to the author & publisher for an ARC of this title, given out at the Library Journal Day of Dialogue conference.
  
  Definitely an interesting idea although the graphics of the laboratory babies were a little too difficult for me (I'm a really softie about animals and babies and children being tortured, apparently) to get past. For sure, this is an older teens-and-up reading level.
  
  The timeline was a little hard to understand but I'd be interested to read further.
• 
  Jamie Gogocha

  I don't read a lot of graphic novels, but I heard about this one at a library conference. I thought it was a really interesting story and some compelling points that make me want to find out what happens next. I got a little confused with the back and forth timelines and the shifts in the story, but that might be partly due to my being new to the graphic novel.
• 
  Kendra

  I was unsure about the premise but I really like that I dont know where this story is going. Human mutation stories are facinating in that they are a necessary eventuality so I like seeing how different writers and thinkers see that happening.This is my first Garth Stein work but I am looking forward to Book 2.
• 
  Lauren Read

  This is a solid story told well visually and textually. It's not the most original idea and pleasantly reminds me a bit of the television series Dark Angel, but most stories have been told countless times, with original twists and voices. I especially appreciate the setting that reflects certain issues of our times as it explores timeless ethics. I will definitely read the follow-ups.
• 
  Sarah

  The story is a little out of sync-- the backstory isn't revealed until a fair way into the book, so the first part doesn't make much sense. The art is dark and a little bit vague, probably best for people who like "gritty" GNs-- although there isn't much gore or physical violence, the scientific experimentation is meant to be distasteful.
  
  Strictly an optional purchase for public libraries.
• 
  Sarah Metts

  Wasn't sure about it going in, but I did enjoy this one. The story can be a little too familiar at times (we want them as soldiers plot...ok) and for me the opening was a little too cold - needed some intro to Tuck's current life outside testing. Otherwise, enjoyed the story and art. It's only book one, so things are left on a cliffhanger.
• 
  Heidi

  I thought the concept was interesting, but not really what I expected when I dived into it. It wasn't terrible or anything like that - I'm sure it'd be someone else's cup of tea, but it wasn't mine personally.
• 
  Nicole

  Interesting graphic novel about a young boy discovering that he is a Cloven (half-human, half-goat). Takes a bit for the story to get good pacing, but the jagged, gritty art is captivating. The ending is a proper cliffhanger & introduction to what will be chaos in Book Two. I’ll definitely read it!
• 
  Bill Coffin

  A solid introduction to a world where genetic experimentation has created a hybrid race of goat-people forced to live on the fringes of society. The pacing is a little weird, with its flashing backwards, but overall, it sets the stage for what one hopes will be an engaging story to come.
• 
  Kara

  I liked how the Seattle area is incorporated into the story. I'm sure where the story is going. There is a backstory for Tuck that unfolds but it is a little disjointed. Curious to see what follows. The art is dark and more impressionistic than finely drawn.
• 
  C. K.

  This graphic novel is very unique from the story itself to the gorgeous artwork it contains. I have never read anything like it and am excited to see where the story will go.
• 
  Layne

  Really enjoyable start to the series. The artwork is little messy, but sort of fits the floating timeline/fever dream quality of the storytelling.
• 
  Joe Lopez

  Meh.
• 
  Sonic

  This is great!
  Hope volume 2 comes out soon!
• 
  Andréa

  Note: I received a signed ARC of this book at ALA Midwinter 2020.