Beautifully told story of Felix Manz and other Radical Reformers, nicely illustrated. I applaud the publisher for offering this and hope for more.

Thank you to Netgalley and Plough Publishing for a copy of By Water in exchange for an honest review.

An interesting look at a historical period that I'm not familiar with. I feel like I learned something new while admiring the lovely and fitting illustrations.

so like i didn't know who felix manz was prior to receiving this arc from netgalley (&Co) but it seemed like an interesting read. and it was, very informative indeed.
i didn't know alot actually, not about baptism nor anything about religion in Zurich. personally i think this was an eye opener to cultures that don't necessarily mesh with mine and it being a graphic novel also helped me digest the information. art style was very kind on my eyes, definitely not over stimulating.
all in all, this is a good recommendation for people who love to read about history, specially if they like books with pictures.

A beautifully, if graphically told true story of the reformers efforts during the mid 1520's Zurich religous struggles. The story is a fascinating look at this violent time in history. Told in graphic novel style, it brings it to life in a very visual manner. I love historical novels both true and fictional and this style adds a dimension I was not aware was missing from my reading experience. I'm recommending it to my reading circle, I'm sure they will love it too.

I felt a strange frisson reading this, remembering my visit to Zurich three years earlier. It does a great job of capturing a side of the Protestant Reformation that doesn't get discussed much in America (at least, not within the American evangelical circles I circulate). The dark irony of Zwingli's reformation to remove legalism becoming a new kind of legalism, the struggle to use non-violent protest against violent authorities, combine to make a powerful tragic vision.
I'm looking forward to what looks like a series of books (if I'm reading the ending correctly), and the chance to read this alongside Plough's Martin Luther graphic novel from 2017.

I know very little about this period in time, but this was a fascinating story. I really enjoyed the illustrations too. I think the dialogue could’ve been a little more explanatory, but I still got the dangerous feeling of the times. I also didn’t know this was the start of a series, but I’d be very interested in reading more.

It took me a while to get through this graphic novel. It focuses on the religious revolution in Zurich. Not being familiar with Christian theology, I floundered a bit because I struggled to understand the arguments that people disagreed about.

What anchors the book is the central character of Felix Manz, someone who was prepared to suffer for his beliefs. The crux of the book is how his life was changed by Huldrych Zwingli. Zwingli mentored Manz, and together they were able to take over Zurich's religious establishment. Manz subsequent disillusionment with Zwingli's leadership forms the main body of book. The writing captures the tensions felt by everyone in this time of social upheaval and how dangerous it is for charismatic leaders to gather people around.

The art here is gorgeous. It's hard to describe the style. The colours are faint yet bright, almost as if they used colouring pencils or very light paints to illustrate the book. The palettes of blues and browns contrast nicely. It captures the excitement of young people being exposed to world-change ideas as well as any comic I've read.

Looked at as a book about how revolutions inevitably end up disappointing some of its most ardent supporters and how those supporters react By Water is a compelling read.

This was a very well-researched graphic novel. At times, I felt like Zwingli and Manz's issues with the Catholic Church were a little underexplored, but I do appreciate the tendency to keep the story moving as opposed to bogging down the reader with fact after fact. The additional information in the back is really nice as well.

Felix Manz was the son of a Catholic priest who became an unlikely leader of the Radical Reformation. His childhood was spent in the church-ruled city of Zurich which was known for its mercenary fighters. Felix’s mother I joins a crowd celebrating Zurich’s patron saints, learns of his schooling and the beginning of his belief. Zwingli is revered by Fritz as a father figure for him. There are other historical figures will come into play as Fritz goes from eager university student to zealous reformer to leading a Christian pacifist community. Zwingli’ orders Fritz for death as he is insisting that only believers should be baptized.

I knew about Martin Luther’s participation in the first split of Christianity. I did not know about Felix Manz. “By water” was written by the author drawing from historical records. This is a graphic biography of a leading figure in the Radical Reformation period. In this dramatic visualization of the birth of the Radical Reformation, water is both wonder and weapon, a symbol of new life and a death sentence. It is an exciting narrative style that delivers information as a seamless part of the action with beautiful watercolors.

This is incredibly dense and fascinating. I loved all the detail in the storytelling. Since I knew almost nothing about the topic, it was hard for me to know how accurate it was, so I just suspended my disbelief and fact-checking brain and immersed myself in the story. I would def save this book for the older kids I work with. The information is just so dense and the pictures are so detailed, I suspect it would overwhelm my younger readers. But for those who love historic fiction and immersing themselves in other time periods, this is going to be a perfect slam dunk.

Interesting read on a piece of history that I was unfamiliar with. I would recommend it for someone looking for something different.

A heartbreaking yet hopeful friendship and betrayal during the reformation. The story is compelling, and the illustrations are amazing. I couldn't put this book down. Another gripping story of faith from Plough Publishing

Going in, I wasn’t sure if I would like it, but I really enjoyed BY WATER. It’s an interesting true story about a lesser known part of Swiss history, and a super quick read.

While this book centers around young adults, it definitely appeals to all ages. Yes, it’s about religion, but it’s not preachy. It’s about religious freedom and standing up for your most treasured beliefs against corrupt politicians, which I think would really resonate with teens and all adults today.

I would recommend this book to graphic novel readers looking for something new, history lovers who want to expand their knowledge, and parents/grandparents who want a gift that the teen in their life will actually want to read!

This was an amazingly beautiful read and I loved every minute of this. This should be read by everyone.

This is an ARC review

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

This is a graphic novel style story about Felix Manz, an Anabaptist reformer. I'm not particularly religious, but I love history and did study the Reformation in college. We covered Luther, Calvin, and Zwingli, of course, but I don't remember reading about Felix Manz specifically, so I was pretty happy with the idea of this story.

I like graphic novels, and I love history, so I this is right up my alley. I really liked the artwork and it looks like a lot of effort went into it. I also thought the story was done well. A few parts were a little confusing/hard to follow, but nothing major.

At the end of the novel, there is a section that gives some information about the major players, a timeline and a bibliography. I thought the timeline and historical figures was a really nice touch. I'm interested for more from the team that worked on this. Whether it's a follow-up to this, an Anabaptist (or Reformation) series, or history in general, I look forward to it.

This is a graphic interpretation of the Anabaptist movement in Zurich. Zurich had a peaceful turnover from Catholic to Protestant, but there were many different ideas of how far the Reformation should go. Felix Manz and the Anabaptists wanted to go further than Martin Luther and Zwingli. They started a movement, but didn't have the political clout to sustain it and were persecuted because of the social upheaval that came with their beliefs. The story was decently easy to follow. Historical details were accurate. I especially appreciated the costumes in the parade through town (see Wilder Mann by Charles Freger) and the depiction of the Zurich martyrs. Also, it seems this may be a series, since they mention "By Fire" and historically that's what happens with Georg. It's not a spoiler if it's history, right?

Felix knew from a young age that he'd been chosen by the saints. He became an adult during the protestant revolution and became an important member of the Anabaptist movement. He was arrested and eventually killed, becoming the first Anabaptist martyr.

On the one hand, this book was helpful and informative, bringing to light events and situations that I'd never heard of or had only heard of in passing. On the other hand, there was a lot of gratuitous gore and nudity. I'm not really sure what rating to give it. If I were to make recommendations for improvement, I'd suggest making a few of the characters more visually differentiated and making it clear when a new character was being introduced. This is a grim story, and I have no doubt that gore and suffering were (and are) significant elements of war and plague, but i was constantly distracted from the story by my revulsion, which I don't think was the goal.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

This was an interesting graphic novel with well done watercolors and an intriguing way of informing teens and even adults about the birth of the Anabaptist movement. I knew very little about this particular religious movement, but I feel like I now have an interest in this period of western Christian history.

3.25 stars out of 5 stars due to some lack of clarification of who was who in the novel - similar character models were used for multiple people.

Recommend for those that like history but don't like dry texts.

Interesting biography and makes me want to read more about Felix Manz. The artwork depictions of each character and the rhythm of the timeline took me a little to get used to. This book did a great job of placing me in a different time-period. I found the historical materials at the back really fascinating.

This was an interesting way to read the story of the anabaptists. It was hard to follow at some points and I think some more exposition would help as the story seemed rushed and like pieces were missing. The art was great and overall a good read. I received this as an advanced reader copy and am giving my review voluntarily.

A very interesting read about Felix Manz and his part in the Protestant Reformation. Loved the art and storyline even when a bit more clarification could have made the book better. The time jumps didn't always have a solid segue and felt like the reader missed something.

I really enjoyed the political information at the end of the graphic novel for clarification purposes. Looking forward to the sequel, Fire, to learn more about what happened during the Reformation. Overall it was an interesting way to deliver history and I would read more historical accounts like this.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sending an ARC for an honest review.