Petit: The Ogre Gods Book One is a blend of graphic novel and novel written by Hubert Boulard, with design and artwork by Bertrand Gatignol. Parts of the story are fully in graphic novel format, while other sections are in text with the occasional image.
Petit is the son of the Ogre King, and the littlest giant in the royal clan. Scarcely larger than a mere human, he is the latest sign of the family's rapid degeneration, which makes each generation smaller than the one before.His father wants him killed as an embarrassment, but his mother sees in him the possible regeneration of the family lineage, since he could mate with a human, just as the Founder of their lineage once did. Confused, she confides in great Aunt Desdee, the oldest of their clan, who was once dishonored because of her love for the humans, whom the Ogres consider little more than labor and food. But contrary to her guidance, she decides to raise Petit in the family traditions, including the violent impulses that this entails. So Petit grows into manhood, torn by the hunger he inherited from his upbringing and the sympathetic education he received from Aunt Desdee. Can he find his place in this world divided between humans and giants, neither of which truly accept him? And will he survive the voracious appetite of his own monstrous family?
Petit: The Ogre Gods Book One is as dark as the description promised, and a read that mirrored some of the real world a little too closely for my tastes. Petit has seen the horror his family has become and the way they treat others, he also has an aunt that shows him the arts and gentler side of life. He is toward between the two worlds. I did get a solid sense of his characters through the book, and I liked that while readers can tell he really wants to be a good person he is not perfect, and makes his share of mistakes. However, he continues trying to do right, even when it is not easy. I liked the character of his aunt, Desdee is still caught by the trappings of the family but rises above the violence and cruelty. Petit's mother, the queen, is a mix between the two. There are moments when readers can almost think well of her, then she does something cruel or violent with no thought to how it affects others, and clearly puts power and her wants about just about anything. Even when she seems to be doing something good, it quickly twists into something much different. The art style is very interesting, and I found the giants to be suitably horrifying, and they actually reminded me a bit of the REd Queen in Alice in Wonderland- both in personality and appearance. The black and white art lent itself to the dark mood of the story, and the lne work was very well done. I found the text backstories to be a good break in the story, both explaining the history and giving readers a break from the danger and horror of the main story. I found these brief interludes gave me a much better understanding of the culture, history, and power struggles between the giants. I did find one or two characters to be a little much, and the romantic hints to the story really did not add anything to the story for me, rather I found them distracting even though I know it did serve a purpose. So, that was just something that did not work for me, but might not be an issue for anyone else.
Petit: The Ogre Gods Book One is a gothic, horror graphic novel full of characters that are unnerving through their appearance and their actions. THe art and the story are engaging and I just might pick up the next volume. I am not certain yet and think it will decide on my mood when I see that it is available.
