Mouse Guard: Fall 1152.(Brief article)(Children's review)(Book review)

Mouse Guard: Fall 1152

David Petersen

Archaia Studios Press

c/o ASP Comics LLC

96 Linwood Plaza, PMB 360, Fort Lee, NJ 07024-3701

9781932386578, $24.95 www.aspcomics.com

Mouse Guard: Fall 1152 is a one-of-a-kind graphic novel about a civilization of intelligent mice with medieval-era technology, who struggle to survive the relentless onslaught of predators. They hide their cities, practice trades such as baking and pottery, and when a mouse must confront the dangers of the open road, the Mouse Guard is there to aid them. More than soldiers who fend off intruders, the Mouse Guard patrol borders, finds safe paths through treacherous terrain, monitor weather patterns, and more to help common mice live fully, rather than simply subsist. In Mouse Guard: Fall 1152, three of the guard's finest discover a traitorous plot against the guard itself, culminating in an enemy army. The color artwork brings the mice to vivid life while avoiding the temptation to give them excessive human features--aside from walking on their hind legs, wearing cloaks and wielding weapons, these are emphatically mice, not Mickey Mouse. The suspenseful, action- and intrigue-packed plot is utterly absorbing, and the satisfying conclusion leaves the reader eager for the upcoming sequel, "Mouse Guard: Winter 1152". Highly recommended.