The Lion of Rora

This book was engaging and enlightening. I was immediately drawn to it after having visited the Asheville area and finding the connection to North Carolina. I was intrigued by the actions of a single man making such a profound difference. The writing is wonderfully paced and carries you gently through the beautiful illustrations. The emotion is conveyed so that you get a real feel for the intensity of these encounters. I was unfamiliar with this particular story and believe it would be a great resource of inspiration in the classroom. Not only could it inspire action within someone who thinks they might not be able to make a difference but the graphic novel format Will easily inspire a lifelong love of reading and history. I was instantly thrilled to know that it would be in hardback. I was equally impressed when I opened my package to see this beautiful velvet enhanced cover with beautiful lettering and illustration. This is a book that you will want to share with others. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

A quick read that delivers a more substantive message than books 4 times it's length. The Lion of Rora is a story that transcends time and demographic. This is the well researched and passionate tale of religious persecution of the Waldenses in 17th century. The take away from this story is so much more global than that. "Do you think it's right to let someone frighten us into changing the way we live?" This is the question to start the book and is applicable to any generation to have blessed this earth. This book brings heart and perspective to struggles that face every generation, in a well researched and poignant tale.

First things first: this is easily the most beautiful book I have ever purchased. The cover is a work of art, and the photo doesn't do it justice; the title area is velvet, with gold lettering. This is my first graphic novel, and it won't be my last. The story comes alive with complex and engaging writing, and the illustrations, coupled with the writing, convey the story so well. It is a quick read that tells a substantial and beautiful story. The Gages should write more of these; they're masters at the form.

Great story and pics about a hero of my ancestry. Very proud to one of the authors .

The childish cartoon characters used in this book tend to trivialize these tragic events in history.

In the 1600s, a boy who saw his people decimated and ground under the iron heel of a despot grew to command an unlikely army. His name was Joshua Janavel and this is his story.In The Lion of Rora, Christos and Ruth Fletcher Gage--a husband and wife team whose work includes being staff writers on Netflix's Marvel's Daredevil--take on a very different kind of project. Joshua Janavel was a member of the Waldenses, a splinter sect of Christian Protestants who were not well tolerated by the King of France. Although they lived on France's Italian border and had pledged their loyalty, they were harassed, plundered and often killed by the men of the Duke of Savoy.Janavel refused to bend his knee to the duke's larcenous and sadistic lackeys. When the demand was his dignity, he took action and sent the duke's man packing. The duke marched a detachment of soldiers into their territory, but it did not go well for him and his defeat dishonored the duke in the eyes of the king.Matters take a turn for the worse, as England (led at that time by the arch-Protestant Oliver Cromwell) and others take an interest in the Waldensians. Support comes to them, even as Janavel insists he does not want a war. Sadly, it is too late: France has declared war on them.A small army, all that can be spared from an interminable war with Spain, is sent against them. Janavel and his allies, a French Protestant general and his loyal friend Jahier, lead the villagers into one engagement after another, cleverly using guerrilla tactics to strike and then vanish. They enjoy considerable success, until a devastating betrayal gives the duke a crucial bargaining chip.Janavel faces a choice of betrayals, unless he can come up with the most audacious plan he could imagine...and hope to pull it off.The Gages deliver a rousing epic fit to stand alongside Sabatini and Dumas. Janavel is a heroic swashbuckler, for all that he's a simple man who only wants what is best for his dwindling people. He fights a battle that should not succeed--a holy war, one of the first like it--and is dedicated to justice when it would be easier to step away. Although Christos is well known for his work on superheroes including Spider-Man and Bloodshot, and Ruth has a filmography including Law and Order: Special Victims Unit, they prove that they can construct just as compelling and gripping a tale from history. (It's worth pointing out that this is a true story.)Jackie Lewis gives the tale its structure with sharp, stark line work akin to wood cuts or etchings. Her style gives the story a strong historic flair, while keeping it grounded in real world physics and very practical cinematography.Oni Press has done a wonderful job presenting this piece of little known but fascinating history. One can only hope that Oni and other publishers will continue to branch out like this, delivering exciting stories that have the added benefit of being true.Those looking for something different in graphic storytelling will be well rewarded by reading this adventurous saga.Highly recommended.