Vampires, demons, hunters and the East India Trading Company in the 18th century. The story tells of ancient evils woven with stunning artwork depicting savage acts in such a beautiful way.

tldr: Vampires vs. RakshasaBlood suckers vs. man eaters. The simple idea of this secret history dark fantasy made me slap my head. I never ever thought that kind of idea.The middle part of the story is a bit dragging due to historical setting. The final fight as if answered my mind. (view spoiler)[ "I wish there are more rakshasa, not just one". And then the protagonist kinda summons his fellow rakshasas battling the ultimate vampire. I was satisfied with the climax. (hide spoiler)]

Blew it away with this one. Great story, great context and amazing art

3.5 stars. This was solid. The story deals with Vampires, a vampire hunter and a mystical demon in India protecting a young prince while enjoying time with his lover. Ram V does a decent job of taking you on the journey of how all these moving pieces collide all while dealing with the history of India during the mid 1700s. The standout is Sumit Kumar on the art. It’s really beautiful and he does a great job creating this world in India with the characters and the lush landscapes. Not extra great...

Absolutely stunning. Ram V's story execution, Sumit Kumar's gorgeous art, all of it is brilliant. This is the best thing I've read in awhile. Set in 1760's India where the English are trying to invade, a vampire is exiled from London to India where he comes across an Indian demon, a Rakshasa. The story spirals out from there. It's beautifully narrated through letters with perfectly paced art. Kumar's art looks like an old Rudyard Kipling illustrated novel. I can't say enough good things about it...

(4,7 of 5 for a refreshingly excellent comics story about monsters and humanity)I tried to pinpoint the main trope, sum the story but it seems to be rather difficult. Maybe it's an absence of the main trope, the story is composite of few lines - the immortals - England's vampires, hunting and being hunted, Indian demon questioning the farce of his humanity on account of his immortality, the ruthless colonization effort of England in India and the power struggle between Indian royalty.Huh, it see...

As the British East India Company trying to gobble up the resources of the Indian subcontinent leads to the First Anglo-Mysore War, British vampires descending on India to gobble blood find themselves in a parallel conflict with a powerful, shapeshifting, mythological being called a rakshasa. The deliberate pace and ominous tone are spiked with thrilling moments of conflict. But I felt a little lost in the political intrigue due to my ignorance of Indian history and the real people featured in t...

A terrific surprise, These Savage Shores is a Victorian-era melding of Vampiric feeding frenzy and Hindu monster myths. Vampires as a metaphor for English colonialism? Oh dang, yes please. The art is superb, intricate and nuanced, with spectacular coloring. I considered skipping These Savage Shores as a mysterious third-party title until I caught a glimpse of the pages - the art sold me. And Ram V didn't let me down with his storytelling either. It can be a bit obtuse at times, but the broad str...

The unfamiliar backdrop that the Vampire subject is set against gives this book a fantastic sense of atmosphere. I think there are two major reasons for why this book is so good. One, the plot and more specifically, the pacing of the plot. Ram V uses the silent panel to give us "beats" in between moments of dialog and narration. These silent panels show a reaction, setting, or character profile that gives the rhythm of the book a really engaging pace. The book never feels slow or tedious even in...

More reviews (and no fluff) on the blog http://surrealtalvi.wordpress.com/ This was a beautifully written and executed story with quite a punch. Using an urban fantasy tale to give strong metaphors as to the actual situation in 1770s India, there is a lot more here to enjoy that just a simple tale of new and old world monsters. The illustration, coloring, and lettering work are all superb, further enhancing the story. It can be difficult to create something truly original using the vampire g

What a masterpiece this was. Easily among the best comics I've ever read. Depth, poetry, fantasy, action; the sins, guilt and burdens of war; love, politics and history, monsters and human nature. This has it all, packed in and expertly paced throughout a single volume. Truly amazing.Also, vampires.

A graphic novel that takes you not only back in time but to a far away land, These Savage shores are awashed in blood. Appropriately enough for a vampire novel. Appropriately enough for a novel of Indian colonization. Lavishly drawn and colored, this graphic novel begins very Dracula-like, but then acquires a distinct local flavor and spice, not to mention local mythology. The vampires or vampire-like creatures are different too, The British and the local, which only highlights the power strugg

This was excellent. Well written and exquisitely drawn, with some really creative use of frames. Would LOVE to see more of this, and more stories in a setting like this. Well done to all involved.

Such a beautiful graphic novel. The art is... breathtaking. For me that was absolutely the strongest feature; in fact, I consider this the best art I’ve seen in a comic book this year. Mesmerizing. And I’m not talking only about the quality of the drawings, I’m referring specifically to how each panel is connected to the others and to the page's grid-structure. Incredible work. The story is well written and well crafted although not something that resonated with me a lot, mainly because I do not...

There are several interwoven threads here. The ruling class of colonial era England has been penetrated by wealthy vampires (a rather on-the-nose metaphor). They send one of their more careless number--he was caught killing in public--to India to represent the Crown while he hides out. His actions there provide the excuse for war and colonization as well as a personal conflict between opposed immortal beings.This is not a particularly linear story; the narrative wanders and it doesn't become cle...

This is one example of potential in subcontinent comic scene. It's beautiful story carrying elements of Indian and Western Mythology. I think 'alternate history' genre had been missing in subcontinent literature. I just want to imagine that what could have been happened if we defeated The English in 1857. Ram V should move forward for some more for native readers like us.

1766. The East India Company seeks to secure the Silk Route. Among the English ships that arrive in Calicut, one is bringing along a being far more evil than the Englishmen who have settled here. But what the strange man doesn't know is that this land is full of its own creatures, some of which are far more evil and powerful than himself.These Savage Shores is a masterfully narrated story that blends the history of the East India Company with various myths and legends. The result created is a su...

A odd, slow paced, yet beautifully told and drawn tale. This is basically 3 stories in one. The first issue revolves around a vampire who's been outed. He decides to leave his homeland, or forced out by his fellow vampires, and heads to new lands. Soon he discovers he is not alone. Next issue would be about the vampire hunter and his travel to the new land as well. Last but not least we have the creature of the new lands, something different than you expect, protecting a prince and a lady. It so...

I loved the artwork in this. Some of the panels reminded me of John Atkinson Grimshaw’s work, especially his moody nighttime pieces. The cover gallery at the end of the book is gorgeous. Historical horror is one of my faves, and I really liked getting this story, set during the first Anglo-Indian Mysore War from 1766-1769, mostly from the perspective of the Indian characters. Some of the supernatural elements were new to me, and that made the story extra interesting. This volume felt like a comp...

Absolutely perfect. Every creator is putting their best effort in and it shows. Ram V users various elements of vampire folklore to tell a story about greed, colonialism, and identity. There's a whole subtheme about the main character's origin story, and how insidious the passing of time can be towards one's history. The art can go from beautiful settings to chilling monster designs in an instant, and I love the little touch that every character's narration has their own style of hand-writing an...