So we have a time travel story about a college student posing as a samurai and all things are going to heck in a hand basket because people are messing with the space-time continuum.It's an interesting premise, but for some reason, it comes across as a little... flat for me, and I'm not sure why. The art is so-so, the characters are okay, the pacing is decent enough, but it just doesn't speak to me at all.

https://nwhyte.livejournal.com/3495734.htmlIt's an interesting story of Japan just before the Meiji Restoration, with a woman from 2042 masquerading as a samurai and a time-travel screw-up potentially erasing our version of history. The plot is intriguing enough, and has some good gender-bending twists, but I'm afraid I found the art (also by the author) rather deficient; it was difficult to tell several of the key characters apart, and they sometimes seemed rather awkwardly posed, which rather

I received an ARC copy of this book from NetGalleyactual rating: 2.5I think this might just be a case of a series having a really slow start, because it definitely got more interesting towards the end of the volume, but overall I just don't feel like there's enough information presented here to really make me want to read more. The layout is kind of manga style, with only a few panels on each page and everything in black and white. There are also several pages with absolutely no dialogue so it d...

This book had fairly underwhelming reviews, so it took me a while to check it out, but actually it turned out to be quite good. A time travelling adventure with samurais…that sounds good, doesn’t it. The story follows a young Japanese woman from 2045 who finds herself stuck in the feudal Japan of 1864 and ends up having to navigate the turbulent politics of the time. It’s interesting, exciting…and book one of the duology, which now makes this a waiting game…wait and see if the ever inconsistent...

This started out as a historical Japanese graphic novel that I was completely uninterested in. Then three-quarters of the way through the book, I heard a record scratch in my head as the story went in a direction completely out of left field. I think you're better off not knowing where the story is ultimately headed to fully enjoy it so I suggest not reading the blurb as it spoils everything. The black and white art seems a bit amateurish. To do black and white comics well, they need to be well

The art and writing are a bit awkward, but I found myself drawn into this time travel saga as the book progressed. It helped that it was set in a place and time with which I do not have a lot of familiarity -- Japan in the 1860s -- instead of some overused time and place. Interesting characters dealing with an interesting scenario make for a good book.But the art was distracting. All the backgrounds were toned with a gray wash containing white speckles, making it look like the all-white figures

dnfi tried, i really tried. but the art is just... not good. and the story is hard to follow and not interesting enough to keep my attention.

I have no idea where I heard about this book but I'm glad it showed up at the library with my name on it.A fun and interesting time travel gone wrong story. Beautifully drawn. The backgrounds and scenery 😍

Another case of immediately judging the book by it's cover (which could you blame me, fellow visualists), Alison Wilgus's "Chronin, Vol. 1: The Knife at You Back" was nothing to detest, but it did not blow me away either. Instead, I felt myself feeling rather approving of the first in the series, but not enough to immediately tell everyone about it. If it was the illustrator's goal to make everyone monotone when it comes to appearance (and even gender) I appreciate it for the equality and cohesi...

I said to myself that premise is kind of interesting, I like time-travel stories, but as I started reading, I already knew this is not going to be okay. Art is just not nice at all, no, the proportions are weird and faces are.. I just, can't. I had no idea who is who, characters were plain, not funny, boring, not interesting, even Kristen Stewart has more facial expressions than all of the characters had in this together. This seemed to be like any other story a child in pre-school could write a...

Disappointment of the year? Might be! What I thought would be an amazing fantasy/science-fiction story about samurai finally end up being a contemporary book about sexually diversity with a slight touch of science-fiction. Not what I was going in for. Maybe I was badly inform. I mostly goes in book that pick my curiosity not knowing too much to not get spoiled in any way but I should have background check this one a bit deeper. I won't continue and regret buying it... I should't forget to mentio...

Chronin's story plays in a familiar sandbox: the time travel misadventure. The bulk of the story takes place during a dramatic turning point in Japanese history, and we follow a handful of characters, both contemporary and from the "future", as they navigate and (inevitably) affect that history.Adding to that, the main viewpoint character for the book is a woman who goes disguised as a male samurai. Within the larger context of the story, this is presented as a mostly practical matter: it is eas...

Time traveling to Edo Japan...that’s all I needed to hear to want to pick this up and I wasn’t disappointed. The sci fi is light, but sets the stage for an otherwise historically set story where two women travel through turbulent times in 1864 Japan, both with secrets and a need to get somewhere which brings them together and forms a tenuous friendship. But when does time travel ever go according to plan? Their journey isn’t action packed, but the story is well written and the characters realist...

I'm a sucker for time travel and for puns, so the title "Chronin" was perfect in that sense. The premise and setting of this book is really fun, and I'm enjoying the characters so far. I'm looking forward to the second volume. Unfortunately, I didn't like the art as much. I don't know if I'd like it better if it was either in color or with less emphasis on gray-shading, but it put me off a bit (most people would probably be fine, especially with the great story so far).

A super quick graphic novel telling the story of two college grad students from 2045 who find themselves stuck on 1846 Japan. Mirai and Kuji were classmates as well as a couple who were chosen to participate in a pilot program which allow them to travel back on history. Initially, their experience was going well until a differing of opinions between Mirai and Kuji to break up. After their break up, Kuji returns to 1864 Japan and begins a relationship with tea mistress Hatsu while Mirai disguises...

Science fiction and historical Japan? Say! No! More!This was a really well-paced, super engaging read; I devoured most of it during what could have been one of the dullest car rides of my life, and instead turned out to be a great day, because long after I got to where I was going I was thinking about Mirai. Time travelling babe of my HEART. She's pragmatic but brave but realistic but kind, and has got a GREAT jawline, so I'm pretty much in love. I adore time-travelling stories where the protags...

Wow, so good! I loved the drawing style. I had a bit of difficulty keeping the Japanese history straight, and there were a lot of names (besides the main characters’ names) to keep track of, but the story was good and worth the effort. The characters are great, especially Hatsu, and I really liked the friendship that developed between Mirai and her. I can’t wait for September when the sequel comes out!

Note: This review is only for an excerpt of the novel which I received via NetGalley in exchange for the honest review below. I would like to thank NetGalley, the publisher Tor Books, and the author Alison Wilgus for the opportunity to do so.Between my adoration of Japanese anime, non-Western historical fiction, and all things sci-fi, the premise of an action-packed time travel story with samurai (Yay!) had me from the get-go. Unfortunately things fizzled out fast and never recovered for me. The...

1.5/5 starsArc received through Netgalley by the publisher. All opinions are my ownI think this one sadly just wasn't for me. I didn't really like the plot nor the drawing style. The pace of this graphic novel is slow, maybe too slow for me and the characters felt a little bit blank.

The volume of this new series about the cautions surrounding time travel should not be missed by readers and fans of both graphic novels and manga. Alison Wilgus presents an excellent story in "Chronin: Volume 1: The Knife at Your Back." Anyone who enjoys reading about anything Japanese should read this book.After the introduction, the story goes on to follow a samurai who doesn't behave like a samurai. Given the era and the circumstances, Minoru Yoshida manages to blend into Edo, Japan in 1864....