Christopher Moore is best known as the author of such
comic novels as Lamb, The Stupidest Angel, and The
Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove. It
comes as a surprise then that his graphic novel, The Griff, written in conjunction with Ian Corson, a scriptwriter
and producer, is a more serious tale of survival in a post apocalyptic
world.
Opening with an attack by the griff, an alien race
which resembles griffons of folklore, Earth is left practically depopulated,
except for a few, like Liz, who happened to be underwater for the duration
of the attack, or others like Oscar, who just happened to be lucky.
The novel follows the adventures of five of these survivors, Curt
Armstrong, Mo Payne, and Steve in New York and Liz and Oscar in Florida as
they try to survive and make sense of the new world in which death can swoop
out of the skies at any moment.
The belief that multiple people are easier for the
Griff to find means that forming an alliance is not the most likely
scenario, however humans are essentially social creatures and even the most
individualistic characters quickly come to realize that strength can come in
numbers and even an unlikely prospect, like the skateboarding swag monkey
Steve, can provide unforeseen strengths.
Although the character struggle for survival, not only
in trying to avoid the Griff, but in just finding what they need, they also
discover that the destruction of everything they knew can allow them to
create new identities for themselves. Curt,
a paratrooper, isn’t exactly what he appears to be and Mo is able to use
the tragedy to embrace parts of her life which were only theoretical as a
video game designer. The characters aren’t the only ones who have
surprises and eventually a face-off with the Griff reveals more about the
invasion than was at first evident.
The action jumps back and forth between Liz and
Oscar’s attempts to survive in Florida with the journey the New York trio
make, often quickly and without given the plot a chance to advance between
the changes. In some cases, the
rapid switching is designed to show parallel action, but often it just
appears to be an attempt to keep the story from having too much of a focus.
Despite the death and destruction, mostly, but not
entirely, taking place off the page, The
Griff is essentially an optimistic story.
Moore and Corson’s characters survive and grow, squabble and form
relationships, even in the bleakest moments.
Furthermore, when everything is dark and Mo, Steve, and Curt may be
the only living people in New York, they still manage to find a purpose to
their lives.
For those who don’t enjoy graphic novels or are
desirous of more traditional fare by Moore, his novel Sacre
Bleu is scheduled for publication in September. However, for those who
are willing to give alternative forms of story telling, whether stylistic or
in format, a chance, The Griff
allows the reader to see into a part of Moore’s mind that doesn’t always
come through in works like Fool.
