Praise for Shaka Rising
“Sharing stories are an important part of what makes us human. It shows our humanity and helps us build empathy for one another. What Molver has done in sharing the incredible story Shaka Rising is add to the well of empathy from which we all must drink in order to build a better society.”– Joel Christian Gill cartoonist, historian, activist. Author Strange Fruit Uncelebrated Narratives from Black History and Tales of the Talented Tenth.
Deftly written and superbly illustrated by Luke Molver, Shaka Rising: A Legend of the Warrior Prince is a truly extraordinary and entertaining graphic novel that will decidedly prove to be an enduringly popular addition to community library graphic novel collections for readers ages 16 to 86.” — Midwest Book Review
“The men and women in this story are shown with admirable nuance, as the principal actors in their own lives and era rather than as moving parts in a modern-day morality play. A sequel is planned for this first installment of Shaka’s story, which itself marks the launch of a welcome historical graphic-novel series set in Africa.”– Meghan Cox Gurdon, Wall Street Journal
“A worthy introduction that offers a young Anglophone audience entry into a legend of Africa” — Kirkus
“Shaka Rising is an innovative effort to use the comics medium to bridge the gap between academic history and folklore. In the hands of South African creator Luke Molver, this graphic novel converges the work of historians with oral tradition to propose an interpretation of Shaka’s story that is both intellectual and accessible, at once an epic legend and a work of historical fiction. Additionally, the reading guide gives readers insight into the production of this kind of history. Shaka Rising would work well in the classroom in combination with other, academic histories of this event of global and African significance, but is also immensely enjoyable read on its own.”– Trevor R. Getz, author of Abina and the Important Men
