Saga Volume 5

I was hesitant, going into this volume of Saga. The fourth volume felt like so much treading water, moving pieces around without really advancing the story. Then there was the fact that it's been so long since I last read any Saga that I wasn't sure I'd still be able to follow the plots. I considered re-reading the whole thing. But I ultimately picked up just the fifth volume, figuring I could go back if I needed to.

I shouldn't have worried. This volume does a good job of catching everything up in the first issue. I was a little lost on one or two characters, but it didn't matter too much. I was able to follow the story well enough and the emotional beats all landed as intended.

Most importantly, I really enjoyed this volume, and I think that's because a fair number of plot points finally get wrapped up. There are new plot threads spinning out, but there's also a significant time jump which necessitates a few endings. Prince Robot IV finds his kid, The Will is cured, and Sophie's parents are reunited. A few extraneous characters die, thinning out the ranks so there isn't quite so much happening. And the groups all get slightly shuffled around again. It was a great installment, and I'm once again genuinely excited to see where this story is going next.

I will probably have to go back and start from the beginning at some point, though. Maybe it'll be a good summer project, for one of those hot, lazy days we're bound to get soon.

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