Publisher's Weekly Review
Four women from a colonialist interstellar empire are sent to a remote planet to civilize the alien natives, in the latest SF tale from Goldstein (The Oven). As they get to work making a home in the forest, setting up a laboratory and school and digging latrines, an air of danger hovers over them. Maybe it's the mystery of what happened to the failed previous mission, which left behind a ravaged base and no clues. Maybe it's the presence of the planet's only other nonnative resident, who exudes a certain magnetism as the only man in their new world. Or maybe it's the planet itself, which draws the women into its liquid depths and haunts them with alien fevers and strange dreams. Goldstein's fluid black-and-white art, echoing illustration styles from European woodcuts to Japanese hell scrolls, is a far cry from the attempted realism of most science fiction comics. It gives the story a fairy tale's sublimated horrors and unpredictable psychic depths. It's another remarkable graphic novel from a creator whose approach to SF consistently defies expectations. (Oct.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Booklist Review
Four women mother, maiden, temptress, and crone land on the planet Mapu on a mission to civilize the native creatures in the name of the Empire. Aided by Jael, a former convict and the only man on the planet, the women establish a base at the site of an earlier, failed mission. As time passes, the women fall into archetypal roles: the mother projecting human emotions onto her native children; the maiden confused by the attention paid to her by Jael; the temptress driven mad with jealousy; and the crone knowing from experience what is bound to happen next. People, creatures, and relationships all undergo extreme transformations that mirror the giant murals left behind by the previous missionaries that depict images of fertility, sex, and destruction. Goldstein's black-and-white art is heavy and fluid, heightening the tension as the story swirls toward its conclusion. A creepy twist on the classic morality play that will leave readers shivering.--Volin, Eva Copyright 2017 Booklist
Library Journal Review
The uncivilized planet of Mopu is about to "benefit" from the attention of four women who serve the Empire and intend to form and educate a female-dominated population there, a goal similar expeditions have attempted yet failed to achieve. Arriving on Mopu, the ladies are greeted by Jael Dean, who has promised to help them acclimate to their new surroundings. Jael is not only a liaison to the Empire but Mopu's Don Juan, who has succeeded in keeping the male species of the colony at bay by marking his territory. Ultimately, it's Jael's attention toward one member of the newly arrived quartet that could completely destroy their mission. Verdict Goldstein (The Oven) offers readers much to reflect on in this sexually visceral tour de force, filled with intense black-and-white imagery and exploring what it means to "civilize" people without first weighing the consequences. Highly recommended for book groups and all adult graphic novels collections. Explicit sexual content makes this an adult-only read.-Laura McKinley, Huntington P.L., NY © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
