Review of London Deep by Robin Price

Part graphic novel and part adventure tale, this fantasy that takes place in the near future follows a spunky heroine living in a flooded London where rival police forces compete to keep the peace. Jemima Mallard doesn't have time to worry about the fact that the city has been sinking ever since the climate upgrade—she's having a bad day. Her boyfriend knocks her off a pier, some hooded youths scuttle her houseboat, and she loses two tanks of precious air that were gifts from her father. Even worse, the Youth Police accuse her of being mixed up with a criminal named Father Thames and her father—the Chief Inspector of the Adult Police—can't seem to fix the error. Ideal for manga fans and reluctant readers, this copiously illustrated story explores environmental themes in an accessible and exciting manner.

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I spotted this whilst at the Thought Bubble Comic Convention and had to buy a copy – I love the cover and it's a Dystopian! Plus the author was the one that sold it to me, he was really friendly and signed it too. I bought this along with Spartapuss, so there should be a review of that up too, assuming I enjoyed it as much as London Deep.

London Deep had me hooked from the very first page. Mostly a novel but with comic art on every page, it's a quick read and very addictive. The comic art complements the story and it's important too – it forms part of the story, sometimes showing the characters talking to each other about events that have just happened or showing the next scene etc, I loved the illustrations of Jem, I thought they fitted her character perfectly. She's ten years old, and has a habit of breaking the law, mostly due to her curiosity! Jem lives in a Dystopian world, where London has flooded and everybody has become pirates – just kidding, they all live in boats. Despite that fact, everything is quite similar too – you have shanty towns, just like today and the Police– now separated into 'Dults and YPD – Youth Police Department. I did feel that a little more detail would have helped here, as I was a little confused about the YPD, and why they are there, plus why there seems to be 'The Bloody Tower' – a tower thing filled with prisoners, who seem to be slaves too. I think.

Nick, the second MC in this book, has his really annoying moments but is still strangely likeable. He's one of those guys – quite power hungry and determined to hold up the law at all times. Unfortunately due to Jem he does find himself in some pretty sticky situations, but they do work really well together. I would like to see Jem and Nick becomes friends in the sequel, Father Thames.

4/5