Rise of the Halfling King (Tales of the Feathered Serpent) by David Bowles

Rise of the Halfling King (Tales of the Feathered Serpent) Reviews

• 
  Danielle Booey

  A graphic series adaptation of Feathered Serpent, Dark Heart of the Sky by David Bowles leads to a really cool look at a Mesoamerican myth. In this volume King Sayam and the prophecy that led to him taking the throne of Uxmal and ushering in peace.
  
  I love the art and getting to see own voices myths and legends of Mesoamerica is extra special. I'm really looking forward to the next several volumes by David Bowles.
• 
  Dan

  I really enjoyed Rise of the Halfling King. I will look forward to purchasing the rest of this ten book graphic novel series as it becomes available from Cinco Puntos Press.
• 
  Katie Lawrence

  Really great 1st book in an anticipated 10-book series of Mesoamerican legends and myths based on Bowles' Feathered Serpent, Dark Heart of Sky.
• 
  Lorryn

  3.5
• 
  Sara

  A comic version of a Mayan legend about a boy born from an egg who must outsmart a tyrannical king, this first installment of a planned series falters by relying too heavily on text boxes instead of allowing the graphic format to tell the story.
  
  2/5
• 
  Steve Tetreault

  What it's about: The story of Sayam, the halfling king of Mexico. A thousand years ago, young Almah trains to be a witch so she can help her people. She makes her way to the underground hom of the Aluxes, magical fairy creatures who shun mankind, but occasionally bestow a favor on them. Almah impresses them with her courage, and when she grows older, the Aluxes gift her with a halfling child, Sayam.
  
  In the meantime, Kinich Kak Ek has risen to power, and as he grows older, he desires more control over his kingdom. With the help of the evil sorcerer Zaatan Ik, Kinich subjugates those who would defy him.
  
  Against this backdrop, Almah raises Sayam. When a repressed village comes seeking help against a giant snake demon that has been set upon their village, Sayam rises to the challenge, sending the demon away - and gaining the ire of the king.
  
  Sayam finds himself facing the prophesized challenge to the evil king. His cleverness, and the wisdom and love of Almah, help him prevail, and lead to Sayam's ascension to the thrown, where he was a wise leader for many years.
  
  What I thought: My Meso-American mythology is spotty at best, and this was a very enjoyable primer on one of the legends from that region. It's accessible and enjoyable, and will provide some history to both middle grades and YA readers.
  
  Why my chosen shelves: This graphic novel follows a mythological Meso-American half-fairy king on his quest to defeat an evil king. His connection to his adoptive mother is a cornerstone of the story.
  
  Why I rated it like I did: I'd give this 3.5 stars. The story is fine, but there is a lack of elaboration that leaves the story feeling thin and a bit flat. The story is probably addressed more fully in Bowles's text on Meso-American mythology. But this makes a nice introduction that might encourage readers to dig further into these stories.
  
• 
  Becky B

  An evil king has grasped control of much of the land, but there is a prophecy that some day he will be brought down by man not born. Almah is a good witch of the area who was put out of a job when the evil king took control. But she was entrusted with an odd egg by the aluxes (elfin people) and raises Sayam, the boy who hatches, as her grandson. When the evil king unleashes a giant serpent on a neighboring land to convince them to bow to him, Sayam rushes to save them and starts his path to challenging the evil king for the throne.
  
  This is a Maya-based myth story. I like that the illustrations incorporate echoes of the Maya language, and the myth explains some of their architecture that we've found in ruins. It's nice to be able to add another Central American myth story to our collection, I can only think of 1-2 other books based on this area's mythology. I can see this being a good addition to curriculum for those who already study Maya culture. This is just one book in the Tales of the Feathered Serpent series. I need to look into getting more of them. I would like more stories about the aluxes. They are an intriguing mythological species.
  
  Notes on content: No language issues. No sexual content. A giant snake gets a nasty booboo that's a little bloody (it isn't killed) and someone gets a very bad bonk to the head that's assumed to be fatal. (He just falls over backwards.)
• 
  Gabi ❀

  ________
  
  This book was kindly provided to me as an ARC by the author (Edelweiss+) in exchange for an honest review. The opinions are all my own.
  ________
  
  Even though this is an artistic adaptation of a myth that I have not heard of before, I enjoyed The Rise of The Halfling King because it delivers some of the things I like the most in this books world: fantasy, mythology, art and a touch of sensitiveness. It's an adventure packed with coming-of-age heroes, mesoamerican roots being explored and a general respect and appreciation that is essential when dealing with ancient mythology and children's literature.
  Art and design are excellent, very cute yet sober enough to represent divinities and sacred details, charming children and enthusiasts of Maya culture.
  
  ________
  
  Overall rating: 4/5
  Device used: Kindle Paperwhite 10G
  Language: English, basic level of ESL
  Reader's discretion is advised: no, this is family friendly and appropriated for all ages
  ________
• 
  Emily

  Solid enough to purchase for my library’s collection. The first in an intended series of ten graphic novels telling old tales from the indigenous cultures of Mesoamerica. Each will feature a different illustrator—I liked this one’s style and palette a lot. It’s hard to imagine investing in all ten—I’m not convinced kids are attracted to these graphic retellings, as Gamayun Tales (which I liked better—didn’t have great circ at my library. The publishers compare them to Rick Riordan (and friends), but it’s not an accurate comparison: those mix “real life” with myth and contain both lots of action and humor. This is mellow, a straightforward telling of a folk tale, not without excitement, but not with much (beyond an awesome-looking underworld serpent).
  
  Reviewed from a digital ARC provided by #edelweiss.
• 
  Stephen Andes

  I really loved this graphic version of the Maya halfling king. I found myself smiling at several points. Both David Bowles' script and Charlene Bowles' illustrations will delight young and old alike. I also plan to assign it to my Mexican History students in future semesters. Bowles has managed to translate (both literally and figuratively) the folklore of the Maya into contemporary storytelling idioms that will stick with young readers, and students unfamiliar with the lore of ancient Mesoamerica. Highly recommended.
• 
  Maeve

  Set in the Yucatan Peninsula thousands of years ago, an evil king has taken over the cities surrounding Uxmal. The king outlawed magic, which forced Almah (a witch who was given a magic stone from the Elfin Aluxes) to stop practicing. In her old age, she wishes for a family...and comes across an egg, which hatches a halfling boy, whom she names Sayam. He grows up learning magic and eventually overthrows the evil king.
  
  Could be a good read-alike for The Witch Boy by Molly Ostertag.
• 
  Jennybeast

  As mythic retellings go, I think this is awesome -- the graphic novel component is great; it's an interesting tale from a culture that many people aren't familiar with, and a classic good vs evil showdown. In many ways it feels like an updated, really well done picture book in the tradition of many folk and fairy tale picture books of the past. If you are looking for character development, or real depth of story, that doesn't appear to be the purpose of this series.
• 
  Kathy

  Mayan folk tale with echoes of MacBeth and Greek myths: a seemingly impossible prophecy about a "man not born of woman" taking over, the a destructive snake from the underworld, witches, and an evil king. I liked the author's note at the end about how the Mayan system of writing was heavily dependent on pictures as well as words, just like a graphic novel today.
• 
  Erin

  Resourceful witch: check.
  Boy who hatched from an egg: check.
  Power-hungry, cruel king: check.
  Enormous snake from the underworld: check.
  Illustrations that reminded me of Telgemeier’s warm, cartoonish style: check.
  Fantastic author’s note that talks about the ancient pictorial origins of our modern day graphic novels: check.
  
  A delightful retelling of a Mayan legend.
• 
  Kate Elizabeth

  This was such a cool graphic novel! Easy to read, fun, and a really informative look at Maya legends. I'm glad I get to have a book like this in my IMC, and I'm looking forward to the rest of the series as it comes out!
  
  Used for the Popsugar Reading Challenge prompt: The Shortest book on your TBR List
• 
  Edward Sullivan

  A middle-grade graphic novel adaptation of the Maya myth "The Dwarf King of Uxmal." This is the first of ten graphic novels David Bowles is adapting from his work of Mesoamerican mythology Feathered Serpent, Dark Heart of Sky (2018).
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  Aolund

  The first in a series of graphic novel retellings of legends from Mesoamerican culture written by Mexican-American author David Bowles. I found this an engrossing and enjoyable read and would be interested to hear what elementary/middle grade readers think of it.
• 
  Amy

  Bold, striking illustrations and an exciting story. This is a great option for fantasy graphic novel fans who need something a level below Amulet. I also love the exposure to Mesoamerican legends and look forward to more in this series.
• 
  Jamie

  Love the focus on Mayan mythology and it's a gripping story with illustrations that are both lovely and easy to follow. But readers should be aware that they kind of murder someone (he deserves it and all, I was just pretty taken aback).
• 
  All Things Library

  Comics and graphic novels; Fantasy comics; Mythological fiction
  Grades 4-8
  
  NoveList Link:
  
  https://search.ebscohost.com/login.as...
• 
  Julie Ann

  This is the first in a series of 10 graphic novels set in Mesoamerica.
  
  I wasn’t sure I was going to enjoy this, but it was a great little story and highlights a lesser known, or at least celebrated, history.
• 
  Andréa

  Note: I accessed a digital review copy of this book through Edelweiss.
• 
  Amanda [Novel Addiction]

  Interesting! I'm definitely looking forward to more in this series.
• 
  Jenn

  Fun retelling of little known myths are my jam. I love how the author explains the history of storytelling through pictures which is part of his (and many) cultures. More, please!