Once Our Land Book 2 Review- A Familiar Evil

By Nolan P. Smith

When I reviewed the first book for Once Our Land, I was blown away. The story, the artwork, it was all so unique, so fresh, I loved it. Now with the Book 2, can Once Our Land meet the high standard the first book set.

From Peter Ricq, we dive back to Germany to see where Fritz and Ingrid are now, as well as dive more into the past of Fritz before he went down the box and into a new world. We get a glimpse at Fritz’s childhood, which ends up tying into the present time. Six years have passed since Fritz and Ingrid, with the help of a small army, fought off the monsters that terrorized the land. Ingrid and Fritz have gone their separate ways, but when Ingrid comes across a band of evil men threatening the lands, they reunite to find out who is behind this. Oh, and Meemo is back, too, so rejoice!

The army is led by a madman known as The Wolf: cold, deranged, and interested in ruling and profiting by the fear of his people. By managing the supplies of salt, the one weapon that hurts the monsters, The Wolf has a monopoly on safety. Plus, The Wolf’s second in command has a tie to our heroes, which complicates the whole situation.

With book 2, we see that humanity can be far worse monsters than the real thing, which I feel is an excellent point to drive home. Ricq’s story is grand in scope and expanded on the first book in all regards. We get more dialogue, more background, more enemies and more at stake. The monsters are still here, just overshadowed by the evil of The Wolf. Dominated by the evil of man.

Book 2 is a fitting end to the story, or is it? The last panel makes us think there might be more, and I, for one, would love to revisit the land, revisit Fritz, Ingrid and Meemo. Once Our Land Book 2 shows that the words “sophomore slump” are just that: words. Pick up books 1 and 2, and get ready for one wild ride.

Rating: 9.5 out of 10.