Review: Blunderbore


Not all fairy tales are happily ever afters. Or are they? Not all graphic novels commit to a bright and cheery disposition. Or should they? But one thing's for sure - not all giants are Hagrid-esque friendly, so you'd better beware. 

Blunderbore by consummate creative duo, Sofie Laguna and Marc McBride, is a superlative example of colouring outside the lines of expectation, ripe for readers of middle grade fiction, lovers of fantasy and graphic novel aficionados. Although to be frank, every single line both sketched and scribed of this work is rendered with pencil sharp precision. 

Chapter One, enter the giant; Blunderbore the aforementioned not-so-beguiling baddie in this thriller. He is impressively large, grotesque with a fierce appetite for village livestock and bright shiny things aka gold. All this is painstakingly depicted in the first six or so pages with nary a word spoken. The villages are far too busy running for their lives to explain the direness of their situation.  

Enter Jack, entrusted by his mother after the attack to trade their only surviving cow for anything to keep them alive for another day. As we all know, Jack naively opts for magical beans and well, the rest is folklore, fairytale history. Except by Chapter Two, it isn't.

This Jack and the Beanstalk tale is being recreated in magnificent, hand drawn detail by Gemma, a young pre-teen whose passion for illustrating rivals the world's greatest love stories. Compassion courses through her veins alongside creativity which are temporarily curbed by an enforced stayover with her great Aunt Lucy. Her dad works hard to keep their family of two going which includes working away, a lot. On the way to Aunt Lucy's a freakish storm causes Gemma's drawing to rip, the damage becoming a rent in the final scene of Blunderbore's tale. It is this open seam into another world that warps reality and allows Jack and Gemma to experience each other's world. That's when things really get weird. And ratty. And really really grim. And we're barely past Chapter Four!

Blunderbore, unites fractured fairy retelling with gut-turning terror. Gemma and Jack display attributes reminiscent of Violet and Klaus Baudelaire from A Series Of Unfortunate Events, but with a very obvious difference; one being an ancient fairy tale character and one being a contemporary twelve-year-old. Their quest evolves into life and death desperation equal to any horror film with just as much unstoppable action and twists as they enter Blunderbore's domain, instigate a revolt and outwit a murderous horde of steampunk attired rats.

This is a riotous explosive tale where the devil is not just residing within a hideous bone-grinding giant but, most exquisitely, in the detail. As colourful as all that might sound, the truly beautiful thing about this graphic novel is its portrayal in black and white (and every shade of grey between). Even the cover allows the terror to shine in simple greyscale tones apart from the striking foil gilt title. It's intoxicating stuff, with an aura of warped-dystopian-fever-dream-within-a-dream surrealism; feels to keep you flipping pages to see where all this is heading.

Will Gemma make it back to her realm? Does Jack get his cow back? Who ends up with roast goose on the dinner menu?!

I had the good fortune to present alongside Marc McBride one Book Week yonks ago. It was a liberating experience featuring dragons and wild abandon. So is this graphic novel encounter; rich in Sofie Laguna's masterful storytelling and McBride's meticulously delicious artwork. With end pages offering 'behind the scene' reveals and author information, Blunderbore is an absorbing encounter with the familiar unknown, perfect for encouraging visual support and visceral reading.

Title: Blunderbore
Author: Sofie Laguna
Illustrator: Marc McBride
Publisher: Penguin Random House, $29.99
Publication Date: 27 October 2026
Format:  Hardcover
ISBN:  9781761352553
For ages: 9+
Type: Graphic Novel

Buy the Book: Penguin Books




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