The One Hundred Nights of Hero

Description

In the tradition of The Arabian Nights, a beautifully illustrated tapestry of folk tales and myths about the secret legacy of female storytellers in an imagined medieval world.In the Empire of Migdal Bavel, Cherry is married to Jerome, a wicked man who makes a diabolical wager with his friend Manfred: if Manfred can seduce Cherry in one hundred nights, he can have his castle–and Cherry.
But what Jerome doesn’t know is that Cherry is in love with her maid Hero. The two women hatch a plan: Hero, a member of the League of Secret Story Tellers, will distract Manfred by regaling him with a mesmerizing tale each night for 100 nights, keeping him at bay. Those tales are beautifully depicted here, touching on themes of love and betrayal and loyalty and madness.
As intricate and richly imagined as the works of Chris Ware, and leavened with a dry wit that rivals Kate Beaton’s in Hark! A Vagrant, Isabel Greenberg’s One Hundred Nights of Hero will capture readers’ hearts and minds, taking them through a magical medieval world.

A New York Times bestseller
A Guardian (UK) Best Graphic Book
An NPR Best Book
A Publishers Weekly Best Book“The most sumptuous and captivating graphic novel of 2016 is surely The One Hundred Nights of Hero. . . . A wondrously intricate book, and a witty attack on the patriarchy, this is an instant classic, to be loved and kept for all time.” —Rachel Cooke, The Guardian (UK)
“[Greenberg] is able to touch upon themes of betrayal, love, loss and even madness, approaching the reality of each situation with a touch of humor and honesty. . . . One Hundred Nights of Hero is as much about the power of storytelling as it is the act of doing so. And much like her titular character, Greenberg succeeds.” —Entertainment Weekly “Greenberg’s enchanting graphic novel returns to the strange world of her award-winning debut, The Encyclopaedia of Early Earth. . . . Greenberg’s artwork is whimsical, and her plots reference countless fables. But there’s also a real darkness, and the stories speak movingly of the desperation of a narrow, patriarchal world.” —The Guardian (UK)
“While The One Hundred Nights of Hero will certainly delight feminist fans of fables and folklore, these handmaid’s tales will also charm anyone seeking well-crafted stories told with enthusiasm and compassion.” —Winnipeg Free Press
“If any book is a labour of love, it’s this one. . . . This gorgeous volume comes from a female voice, tapping into themes of betrayal, danger and, above all, love. . . . These are stories about women and their secret tradition of storytelling, and they’re compelling stuff.” —Metro 
“There’s . . . an element of childlike wonder in Greenberg’s storytelling, but it’s in service of a powerful message about the importance of stories (written, illustrated, or spoken) in providing hope and strength for oppressed people. . . . Greenberg gracefully balances light and dark elements throughout, and her sense of humour is largely responsible for making Hero’s stories so engaging.” —A.V. Club“You’ve never encountered a gathering of fables as funny and sapphic as this graphic novel.” —O, The Oprah Magazine“Greenberg is a staunch believer in the power of stories. . . . Readers get sucked into each one she tells. Highly recommended.” —Library Journal, starred review
“Greenberg combines elements from fairy tales, children’s books, and folklore from around the world to create an original but teasingly familiar mythos. . . . Above all, it’s a book about the power of storytelling. . . . Greenberg’s primitive woodcut-style illustrations suggest folk art from another planet.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review ISABEL GREENBERG is a London-based illustrator and writer. She studied illustration at the University of Brighton. She won the Cape/Comica/Observer Graphic Short Story Prize in 2011 with “Love in a Very Cold Climate.” Her debut graphic novel, The Enyclopedia of Early Earth, won two Eisner Awards and was a New York Times bestseller. CN