Battle Born: Lapis Lazuli

Description

Lapis Lazuli is a rich blue semi-precious gemstone found deep within the Saresang Mountains of Afghanistan's Badakhshan province. For thousands of years, the people of Badakhshan have lived peacefully, seemingly untouched by time itself. However, in recent years, war has found its way into these remote villages, as the Taliban have sought the riches buried within the mountains of Badakhshan. This extremist group of Taliban fighters, known to the locals as the Horsemen, have recently taken control of the lucrative gemstone export market, focusing much of their energy on the sale of Lapis Lazuli. At the behest of the fledgling Afghan government, United States Marines are sent to this treacherous and remote region to combat the Taliban and restore the gemstone trade to the people of the mountains. Led by Sergeant King-a stoic and commanding presence whose contained exterior hides a violent shadow-the Marines find themselves in an epic clash of kings for control of the Badakhshan Mountains. Battle Born is about violence in all its forms--'civilized' and detached; close, brutal and extreme. But, most of all, it is also the story of human connection and human kindness.

Battle Born was written and illustrated by infantry Marine and Iraq veteran Maximilian Uriarte, creator of the hit comic strip 'Terminal Lance.' Uriarte enlisted in the United States Marine Corps in 2006 at the age of 19 and served for four years. During his first deployment to Iraq in 2007 he served as an MRAP turret gunner and dismount of India Company's 'Jump' platoon in the Zaidon region southeast of Fallujah. He deployed to Iraq again in 2009 as a billeted Combat Photographer and Combat Artist, then enrolling in California College of the Arts. He is the author of The Terminal Lance Ultimate Omnibus and White Donkey.

The vast landscapes rendered with vibrant colors bring the reader into the snow-capped mountains in Afghanistan's Badakhshan Province, while rhythmic textures of earth and flesh keep you there. Themes of heartbreak and racism weave through the narrative, creating a very somber contrast to Uriarte's more irreverent narratives of the infamous enlisted Marine.--Josh Terry, New York Times Magazine ...The story works best as a tragic meditation on the value of honor and justice in a world ruled by violence.--Library Journal An epic saga from the voice of a new generation of military veterans about kindness, brutality, and the remains of colonialism.--Veterans Today Thrillingly cinematic...This visceral war story reinforces the difficulty of decisions by forces fighting across blurred lines.--Publishers Weekly Uriarte uniquely tackles the difficulty of being a Marine and serving in the military with raw honesty and creativity through all of his work...Battle Born: Lapis Lazuli is a deeply compelling compilation of the human experiences that affect us all.--We Are the Mighty Uriarte's illustrations are lush and vivid, with an appealing manga-tinted realism...The effect is sumptuously cinematic with the depth of an action movie.--Kirkus Uriarte's manga-derived graphic chops and storytelling technique have grown immensely since The White Donkey; his deliberate pacing, especially in the book's final sequences, is daringly bold. But the combat-based verisimilitude he brings... is its strongest element.--Gordon Flagg, Booklist