A Distant Soil: Coda

I've also been a fan of A Distant Soil since its inception at WaRP graphics in the 80s. Colleen's artwork has always been extremely beautiful and moving. This time around the storyline has evolved to a level of exquisitness that it matches the poinancy of her visuals. I eagerly anticipate the 5th and final book in this series. And am hoping I can get my copies of the first four books back from my sister who is ALSO a huge fan....LOL!

I've loved this series from its inception, and have carefully preserved all of my single issue copies, as well as the (now) 4 graphic compilations. Colleen's imagination and her incredible artwork are breathtaking, and the ever-changing landscape and intricate subplots leave you always on the edge of your seat wondering what's going to happen next and who's going to turn on whom. D'mer is my favorite character, and while I wasn't that crazy about him in the earlier versions, the redo and his complicated relationship with Seren are fantastic. From one Virginian to another, Colleen, hat's off to you and waiting breathlessly for the next installment!

I ordered this in February 2005, and finally got it in March 2006. That may seem long, but since I have been following "A Distant Soil" since the eighties, a year wait was almost inconsequential. In this fourth volume of the series, the storyline about the effort to overthrow the corrupt Hierarchy gathers momentum once again and builds up to the series finale that will be in the next volume. The main characters, Seren, D'mer and Lianna, are all transforming into their new roles. Jason, alas, is still out of the action. The villains, Lady Niniri and Emeris, almost steal the show with their unbridled sadistic nature in full display. As for the large group of supporting characters, only Kovar and Bast have a significant voice in this volume, while the others are heard from here and there. Hopefully, they will all get to play a role in the finale. Overall the artwork is quite good and the whole-page montages in the latter half of the book are spectacular. The exposition and dialogues tend to get overly wordy but they manage to move the story along. The occasional humorous touches lighten up the rather precarious fates of the characters. All in all, a good effort with some flaws creeping in probably due to the fact Ms. Doran was juggling many other projects along this one. Now we may have to wait another four or five years for the final installment.