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gretchen3's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
It is a bit disjointed. A friend described it as Rosecranz and Gilderstein if R and G were the actual main characters in Hamlet.
tansy's review
mysterious
relaxing
slow-paced
3.0
As a sort of new year's resolution I promised myself that this year I would read 12 books that have sat unread on my shelves for more than a year. Some of them have been there for many years! This is the first one I tackled, I've owned it for 8 years without doing more than flick through it, and reading it brought home how my tastes have changed and how the world has changed in the last 8 years.
"Dicebox: Wander" is a very slow-paced, slice-of-life story about two women, Griffen and Molly, migrant workers who travel the universe looking for work. It's nominally science-fiction, but its focus is firmly on the characters looking for work, food and a place to sleep alongside their network of friends and lovers. The plot really only starts to appear in the last couple of chapters as figures from Griffen's past show up. It's fine; if you like a meandering story with rich world-building you will probably enjoy this.
My biggest problem with this series is that it's still unfinished. "Dicebox" is actually a webcomic and Lee apparently has 4 books planned out. The first book, "Wander", was released in print form in 2012. It looks as though the second book, "Chase", is not quite finished now, in 2021. At the current rate of progress I guess you can expect to finish "Dicebox" some time in the 2040s?
"Dicebox: Wander" is a very slow-paced, slice-of-life story about two women, Griffen and Molly, migrant workers who travel the universe looking for work. It's nominally science-fiction, but its focus is firmly on the characters looking for work, food and a place to sleep alongside their network of friends and lovers. The plot really only starts to appear in the last couple of chapters as figures from Griffen's past show up. It's fine; if you like a meandering story with rich world-building you will probably enjoy this.
My biggest problem with this series is that it's still unfinished. "Dicebox" is actually a webcomic and Lee apparently has 4 books planned out. The first book, "Wander", was released in print form in 2012. It looks as though the second book, "Chase", is not quite finished now, in 2021. At the current rate of progress I guess you can expect to finish "Dicebox" some time in the 2040s?
elenia's review
5.0
I've read the webcomic up to the most recently updated page (as of Friday 20th January), and loved it. The artwork is beautiful, and the paperback is high up on my 'to buy' list next month. Full review will come then.
claredragonfly's review
5.0
How do I review this book? I've been a fan of the webcomic for years. The book is (somewhat to my surprise) even better than the webcomic; it's beautifully designed, the pages are big and colorful, and it's got all this great extra stuff. There's a glossary in the back! Plus, all the "asides" (by other artists), most of which I hadn't read.
I'll try to describe the story a bit. The main characters are Molly and Griffen, a pair of interplanetary itinerant factory workers. The sci-fi elements are at the same time subtle and right there in your face; Molly and Griffen take everything for granted, since it's the world they grew up in, but there are advanced communications/internet devices, and hopping from planet to planet, and ways to download information into your head... I also adore the social elements. Molly and Griffen are married, and all the people they have sex with tend to think that they're just being borrowed from each other, but the only odd thing there is that they don't actually have sex with each other. Same-sex and poly relationships are easily accepted (one character refers casually to having two husbands). Wherever Molly and Griffen go, they find friends, as well as occasionally enemies.
It's hard to describe the plot without giving things away, since it sort of creeps up on you subtly (this is book one of a planned four-book series), but the plot isn't really important. The beautiful art, the world, the characters--they'd be worth reading even if it never went anywhere at all.
I'll try to describe the story a bit. The main characters are Molly and Griffen, a pair of interplanetary itinerant factory workers. The sci-fi elements are at the same time subtle and right there in your face; Molly and Griffen take everything for granted, since it's the world they grew up in, but there are advanced communications/internet devices, and hopping from planet to planet, and ways to download information into your head... I also adore the social elements. Molly and Griffen are married, and all the people they have sex with tend to think that they're just being borrowed from each other, but the only odd thing there is that they don't actually have sex with each other. Same-sex and poly relationships are easily accepted (one character refers casually to having two husbands). Wherever Molly and Griffen go, they find friends, as well as occasionally enemies.
It's hard to describe the plot without giving things away, since it sort of creeps up on you subtly (this is book one of a planned four-book series), but the plot isn't really important. The beautiful art, the world, the characters--they'd be worth reading even if it never went anywhere at all.
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