I did not finish this title, I thought it would be really fun and interesting to read, but I honestly found it to be quite boring and just hard to get into. Nothing against the author, it is a great work. It just wasnt for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and The Captain's Log Publishing for access to a digital copy of Once Upon a Pandemic by Kieran Butler in exchange for an honest review.

What in the world.....was this.......

I honestly had to DNF it because I legitimately did not understand the extended metaphor that this author was trying to use to explain the pandemic and the environment and capitalism? It was just a mess and a single metaphor cannot explain the all the nuance accurately. I was just lost....

This book was simultaneously an oversimplification and an over-complication of the reality of the COVID19 pandemic. I hate that the subtitle was "A bedtime story about waking up." That brought in some confusion as to who the intended audience of this book was. It also tells me that the author was not sure whether the intention of the book itself was to provide an accurate portrayal of a real world event, or if the focus was purely on dismantling corrupt systems.

Overall, just a mess and not worth the time and energy that I spent trying to decipher it. Also who was this guy's editor? I can't believe this made it through to publication.

I was really expecting to enjoy this book, but I found it to be too abstract and rather text heavy for a graphic novel. This one definitely missed the mark.

Once upon a time in a pandemic is a graphic novel describing the wake up call we got from Mother Earth, trying to heal itself from all the devastation caused by mankind.

Okay.. so this was all right. As I understood, this was a satire book describing the pandemic we experience(d). I did expect something else, and what we got was a bit bland? The word “slime” is permanently itched into my head, and I skipped most of the text. The pictures was okay. I didn’t feel like this was my type of book, unfortunately! Better luck next time.

Happy reading!♥️

I got this book for free from netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.

I feel really sorry that I gave 2 stars for this book.
This content and the illustrations just under my expatiation. Although it says for Big Kids on the cover.
Maybe it is so abstract for me to digest.

My thanks to The Captain’s Log for a digital review copy via NetGalley of ‘Once Upon A Time In A Pandemic: A Bedtime Story About Waking Up’ by Kieran Butler.

On the cover the words ‘for big kids’ is inserted after ‘Bedtime Story’ indicating that despite its bright cartoon-like cover, this graphic novel is not suitable for children.

Kieran Butler is an Irish artist and author. His stated aim was to convey timeless wisdom in an accessible and fun way. On the whole I felt that he succeeded.

‘Once Upon A Time In A Pandemic’ explores the idea that the 2020 pandemic was a wake-up call for humanity with respect to their collective relationship with Mother Earth as well as the toxic nature of fear, symbolised within the graphic novel as ‘FearZilla ‘.

I found Butler’s artwork whimsical and very colourful. I was a little disappointed that the pandemic didn’t feature more prominently though the situation became so politically charged that it was likely wiser to focus on the abstract.

The conflict between fear and love is symbolically portrayed by FearZilla’s allies, the Minions, versus the awakened seekers known as the LightSabers.

Overall, with ‘Once Upon A Time In A Pandemic’ I felt that Butler created a thought provoking graphic novel that utilised his distinctive artistic style and humour to convey its important message.

Thank you Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this graphic novel. Once Upon a Time in a Pandemic by Kieran Butler is a graphic novel about the pandemic, the fear it caused and the battle for human nature to persevere. Filled with colorful and interesting artwork paired with a thought provoking message throughout. The topic not only being about the pandemic but also discussed a few topics that plagued our current society. I expected to find more comic relief in this which I did not unfortunately. But the message to take care of our planet, do better, be better, and create a brighter future was appreciated.

I was expecting something different when I saw this book on here. I wasn't completely disappointed but I wasn't a huge fan of it.

This was a really interesting graphic novel. I knew from the title and cover that I would be diving in to a story detailing the destructive nature of mankind in many different ways but was surprised to see it encompassed a lot aside from just the pandemic. The artwork is simplistic but it tells the story it needs to and brings up a lot of topics so many people would rather turn a blind eye to.

Once Upon a Time in a Pandemic by Kieran Butler is a thought provoking graphic novel that is not only about the pandemic but human nature.

This colorful graphic novel follows the progression of the pandemic across the world and how it continually spreads fear amongst the people. This fear can either push people further into hiding or encourage them to look within themselves to find their happiness.

Although the concept of this graphic novel is to convey the idea of healing ourselves, which in turn will heal the world, it somehow falls flat for me. I felt like I knew where Butler was trying to go with the story and the message that was trying to be sent, but depending on your stance in the world and how open minded you feel you are, this book may miss the target for some. All in all it was an enjoyable read, but not as impactful as I had anticipated it would be.

This is a sombre look at the current – and possible – state of affairs on Earth told in an imaginative graphic novel. It examines man's relationship with the world we live in, as the impact and destruction that we have had on it, as well as a wide array of other issues that plague us and what mankind is up against.

There is a lot of symbolism in what appears to be an adventure story, but I found it too abstract for my full enjoyment. The content was also bit dry and boring for a graphic novel, though I liked the vibrant and fun artwork. I thought there would be more focus on the pandemic, but it feels more like a non-fiction book about environmentalism.

Nevertheless, this was an interesting read and might just be the wake-up call we all need.

An interesting book with colourful artwork. It is more than a book about the pandemic, it is a view about the human condition, the destructive and oppressive way in which we live and the challenges facing humanity.

It manages to highlight these complex issues by telling our story in a gentle fairytale like way, a bit like a parable. When the reader scratches the surface it is clear to see that there is some solid thinking here about the complex divisions in society and ways that they could be overcome. It is a book that is humorous but one which should leave the reader thinking.

Copy provided by publishers via Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

Cute graphics with a strong message throughout. This was a quick an easy read but with topics to stop and make you think. I thought this was going to be solely about the pandemic but it actually surprised me with the direction it took and included issues such as misinformation.