Excellence is a story about political and cultural manipulations in a fictional magical society. It focuses on a family embroiled in keeping their "great" legacy and the lengths the patriarch goes to in making that happen, even at the risk of alienating his only son.

WHY I LOVE THE BOOK
The colour scheme of the art is attractive. The worldbuilding is solid and makes you want to know about its world. The fact that the writers and artists are from minority ethnic groups is personally a plus and I am happy to see their talent on display. I cannot wait to see how the story progresses.

DISLIKES
Excellence has all the makings of a classic graphic novel classic - great art, intriguing plot, believable protagonist, etc. However, it falls short (in my view) due to one thing - dialogue. The dialogue does not measure up to the high standards set by other parts of the work. Some sections of the protagonist's internal monologue do not make sense. There are also a few typos.

WHO IS IT FOR
Fantasy fans would like this series. The dynamics and motivations of each character (especially between the protagonist and his father) is a highlight of the story - this would please those who love complex personal relationships in their fantasy tales.

Many thanks to Diamond Books for a review copy.