Review
Heart it’s Simone Pace’s new work and, as soon as I heard it was coming out, I was immediately passionate about it and couldn’t wait to browse it. My expectations were amply rewarded: Heart it turned out to be an original, in-depth and exciting narrative.
Plot
In an unspecified future humanity lives in some sort of post-technological Middle Ages in which he is at war with the last remaining androids. Once upon a time the Heart allowed the development and well-being of entire cities through the work of the androids born from it and sent into the world to help humans progress.
Now, however, since energy drops have become more and more frequent, there is only misery, destruction and desperation and the automatons are being hunted and persecuted, together with the people who still support them.
It is in this context that A1M4, known as Almaarrives in the district where the Heart is based and where little Estrella lives, determined to understand what is really happening.
Style
I admit, I’m a fan of Simone Pace since the days of Tale of Ash: in that case he had created a compelling story by revisiting the fantasy genre and had managed to capture me thanks to an exciting writing style and incredibly personal drawings.
I expected a lot from Heart and I can only recognize that it has fully repaid the wait.
The volume immerses us in another world, far from what we experience every day and yet incredibly detailed and “lived”. The author leads us by the hand to discover a complex and realistic narrative universein which humanity had reached a very high technological level only to then fall into an abyss of barbarism, for reasons that we will discover as we continue reading, together with Alma.
On a graphic level, Heart it’s a real spectacle: even in this work Simone Pace maintains his own extremely personal style, using colors to distinguish the future it tells. It is a metallic universe, in which the shades of pink and blue, cold and far from the natural colors we are used to. I particularly appreciated this aspect, because it allows us to immerse ourselves without difficulty in another context.
However Heart it’s not just a good sci-fi story but a revelation a deeper interpretationan acute reflection on the human being, on the relationship between technology and nature, on free will and on interpersonal relationships, whether they concern people or machines.
I won’t reveal too much more, why Heart it’s a read that gives us the pleasure of discovery and I certainly don’t want to be the one to ruin it for anyone who reads it.
Edition
Heart is published by BD Editionswhom I thank very much for sending me a preview copy: as always, great care has been taken in the edition, which is hardback and in colour, in a format that allows you to appreciate Simone Pace’s style in all its splendor.
The volume is available from 19 April 2024, at the cover price of €26.00.
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Nerding in short
Heart It’s a visionary and intimate cyberpunk story that I advise you not to miss! Written and illustrated by Simone Pace and published by Edizioni BD.
