School Library Journal
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Gr 10 Up-Most of the manhwa translated into English have been comedic romances: sweetly ironic stories populated with pretty, wide-eyed girls and darkly mysterious love interests. With its mix of heart-pounding action and thin layers of political intrigue, this novel is different. Set in a desert wasteland of the primitive past, it focuses on Batu, a powerful shaman warrior capable of feats beyond the skills of normal men, who is entrusted to protect the son of a warrior-wizard hated by a jealous king for his power. Batu and his ward live in hiding until a second shaman warrior stumbles across their doorstep; he's on the run from a relentless militia. Batu must decide whether to remain in hiding or to join forces with his fellow shaman and take the fight directly to the enemy. The artwork is highly accomplished, particularly when conveying fight scenes built around complicated martial-arts choreography and vicious swordplay. The tightly composed visuals add to the frenetic pace of the plot and bring to mind the style of Kazuo Koike's manga classic "Lone Wolf and Cub" series (Dark Horse). Warrior's one failing is that it's all action, with little below the surface. While there are hints of deeper stories down the line, this volume by itself won't have much appeal to readers looking for strong character development or complex plotlines.-Matthew L. Moffett, Pohick Regional Library, Burke, VA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Book list
From Booklist, Copyright © American Library Association. Used with permission.

For readers who love grunting warriors and roaring battle scenes, this Korean manhwa fits the bill. Master Yarong, an elite Shaman Warrior, and his loyal servant, Batu, are enmeshed in a political plot only hinted at in this introductory volume. The beautiful, clear art avoids the visual confusion of many combat-driven graphic novels, and the tenderness Batu shows for Yarong adds an element of sweetness to the otherwise brutal tale. This may be just prologue to what's to come, but it provides a complex political and emotional backdrop to what might have been a rote battle tale.--Brenner, Robin Copyright 2007 Booklist