Bash! Vol.1

Gr 7 Up–In the future, people universe-wide revere “the BASH,” a hyperaggressive, basketball-like sport. Armor-clad BASH professionals play on courts that can change mid-game from standard to blazing desert to glacial, often turning the already challenging game deadly. Rudy is an exceptionally talented player in a BASH street league. He hopes to get noticed by recruiters and become a professional, escaping his life of poverty. This angers Rudy’s mother, who blames the game for his father Atlas’s disappearance 12 years earlier. During a pickup game, Rudy meets someone from Atlas’s past. Rudy learns about Atlas’s pro career and the surprising source of his talent—but Rudy has no idea what that is going to mean for him. This science-fiction sports story is written by NBA star Gobert and reflects his basketball knowledge, especially the role sports play in the lives of people with limited opportunities. The narrative is interesting, though somewhat choppy, and the characters are underdeveloped. The story has more set up than action, but it’s still an exciting read. The art is the strongest element of the book. It excels at showing the dynamic BASH games, the physicality and emotion of the characters, as well as Rudy’s depressed surroundings. Rudy has brown skin; other characters have a range of skin tones but no specific ethnicity.