Esperanza: The Graphic Novel by Andrew Daily
What's It About?
Step into the world of Esperanza, a mysterious dystopian city struggling under the weight of its own corruption. Will you join the fight to save this city? Or will you succumb to the darkness that threatens to consume it all?What does insanity taste like? I think a bit like cheese puffs and politics. Would you like a bite?
The first line of Andrew Daily’s Esperanza: The Graphic Novel tells us a lot and also provides plenty to, ahem, chew on.
For one thing, the “insanity” card points readers in a direction fitting of the book’s definition as a dystopian sci-fi thriller: an imagined state or society where there is great suffering or injustice. As we’ll learn, this takes the form of people and places.
The sentence also gives us insight into the author’s voice and attitude — intelligent, clever, creative, engaging, informative and thought-provoking.
Stunning AI Adaptation of Traditional Novel
What it doesn’t give us is the full reader experience of this 76-page graphic novel which employs artificial intelligence (AI) graphics in bold and dramatic style, hardly replacing the plot but greatly enhancing it into a different art form.
Daily takes full advantage of AI graphics, an industry still in its infancy. If readers truly wanted a lengthier narrative, it’s available in the traditional book format as Esperanza: City of the Fallen, published late last year. But one need not read that version to truly enjoy and catch all the movement and messages in this one, which the author calls his pet project.
“I needed to rewrite a large portion of my novel — 244 pages into 76 with images while maintaining the integrity and writing quality,” says Daily. “Every image had to be crafted to meet each specific scene I envisioned in the book.”
Sci-Fi Journey to Save Crumbling City
In the story, Will is a young man who suddenly awakens in a strange land with no memory except his name. While he tries to piece together who he is and what mission lies ahead, he finds himself in the city of Esperanza, described as “a paradox of beauty and decay, a testament to both heights of human achievement and the depths of human depravity.”
Daily’s writing is masterful in describing the eerie venue and is worth sharing here: “A metropolis of towering skyscrapers that touch the clouds, the smell of smog mixed with exotic scents. A neon cacophony of new experiences and hidden dangers lurk everywhere.”
Will tries desperately to find answers, occasionally hinting at recognition of a person or place from his past without being able to make the connection. In doing so, he navigates a city in ruins, once a thriving destination. Along the way, he meets a wide array of well-defined characters, each of whom serve a purpose — friend, foe, fighter, spy, scoundrel, lover. Each character represents emotions, and their names often are no coincidence — Will, Rage, Grace and others. Throw in some sci-fi and technical wizardry to embellish the atmosphere.
Will is on a journey, following light signals that transport him to dark and dangerous settings and situations. He is in search of the remedy to a plague that is destroying the people of Esperanza. He also is in search of himself.
Adventurous Story Any Reader Will Enjoy
There’s plenty of action and adventure, appealing to sci-fi junkies whose pleasures are founded in unlimited imagination. But one also has to assume there’s much more to Daily’s purpose than just a swashbuckling story.
Cheese puffs and politics?
“I created this as a modern-day parable to help those struggling in life, looking for answers,” says Daily. “Is this story literal, metaphysical or the musings of someone trying to grasp their own broken life? This answer will be unique to each reader.”
“The words and story came to me at a moment of great pain and despair. My mother was dying from dementia. I was watching her slowly fade away each week. At times I felt useless and alone. My mind and heart were shattered. I simply let the words and the lessons of my life start to flow into a narrative.”
Esperanza: The Graphic Novel can be processed on so many levels. Its delight is pure adventure, marvelous storytelling and exciting visuals that are on the cusp of greater universality. But it will also find a home with deep thinkers and faith-oriented readers, allowing for much contemplation about self-identity, bigger-picture themes, and a world with endless traumas, tangles and teachings.
Would you like a bite?
About Andrew Daily:
Andrew Daily is not your average author. Born and raised in Nashville, TN, Andrew has a passion for writing and a heart for philanthropy. He’s the founder of the Daily Foundation, a non-profit organization that helps victims of drunk driving wrecks, inspired by a tragic car accident that killed his father and two grandparents when he was just two years old.
But Andrew doesn’t just give back through his non-profit work; he also offers hope and guidance to readers in his writing. His latest creation, Esperanza, is a modern daily parable that speaks to those looking for answers during difficult times. Andrew drew inspiration from literary giants like Tolkien, CS Lewis and Cervantes, as well as classic films from his childhood. He poured his heart and soul into the story, writing it during his mother’s battle with dementia.
