Title:

Quest for the Spark

Author:

Tom Sniegoski

Category:

Fantasy / Science Fiction

Rating:

Date Reviewed:

April 4, 2023
he nine volume Bone graphic novel might be the best comic book ever created - it is a masterpiece created, written and drawn by Jeff Smith. So when I saw that there were further adventures of Bone available, naturally I was interested. Big warning sign: this story is not written by Jeff Smith, though he does provide about a dozen excellent full page illustrations. This is a prose children's story, written by Tom Sniegoski, though presumably Jeff Smith had some input. I give Quest for the Spark five stars for its artwork, and one star for its text. The prose is forced and flat, devoid of wonder or wit. It is hard to read, I was hoping something that sparkled like the original Bone, but this reads like fan fiction. It could be used as exhibit A why authors should not allow other creators to touch their original creations.

Tom Elm is a young lad, the son of a turnip farmer. He dreams of adventure, but it seems his life is destined to a humble turnip farmer, just like his father, grandfather and great-grandfather. Tom has a pet racoon named Roderick. Tom has found a glowing rock that he wears around his neck as a good luck charm. Tom has been having frightening nightmares, but he awakens to a frightening reality - no one else can be roused from slumber. It seems that an evil Nacht hopes to take over the Valley for its own evil purposes.

Abbey and Barclay are young twin Bones. Alas - their parents went off to seek adventure, never returned, and now Abbey and Barclay are apparently orphaned. Abbey and Barclay are being raised by Percival, who happens to have a flying airship. Percival is also about to embark on an adventure, to seek the amazing Valley described by his cousin Fone Bone (from the original Bone graphic novel). Naturally, circumstances result in Percival, Abbey and Barclay flying in the airship to the Valley.

There are two rat creatures - Rat Creature and Other Rat Creature (only rat creature royalty are bestowed names). They want a dead squirrel that was taken from them by the cruel Rat Creature King. Are the risks of angering the King worth the reward of stealing the dead squirrel back? Of course! Things go badly, of course!

A Veni Yan priest spends his life in misery, wallowing in shame and sorrow that he was not at home when Rat Creatures attacked and killed his wife and children.

All of the characters will be united in the Quest for the Spark. Unfortunately, the Quest seems awfully pre-ordained. The glowing Spark stone hung around Tom's neck gives him visions - telling him who he will meet and where. Unfortunately, this plot device robs young Tom of any initiative, he simply obeys the visions he receives from the Dreaming, which tell him what to do next. Tom might be trapped on the roof of a burning building, and his stance is that certainly the Dreaming won't let his Quest end so soon, surely the Dreaming will provide an escape, however unlikely - and his trust is rewarded, of course.

Sniegoski tries so hard to make his characters likeable that his efforts had the opposite effect on me. I found myself indifferent to the fate of the heroes. I recognize that this is meant to be a children's book, and thus the story cannot be too scary, but Sniegoski manages to make everything seem inevitable. Abbey and Barclay's constant bickering isn't charming, it's annoying. Everyone justifiably has reservations about having Rat Creature and Other Rat Creature joining their fellowship, but because the Tom's visions indicate that the Rat Creatures have a part to play, all commonsense is ignored and the message of the Dreaming is followed.

Jeff Smith's artwork is delightful, but it doesn't save the book. Abbey and Barclay appear in one drawing in which they are not present in the novel, so clearly the prose went through some rewrites after Smith had submitted his final artwork.

Perhaps a reader who is new to the Bone universe will find something to like here, but I believe any lover of the original series will find Quest for the Spark to be quite a letdown.