THE UNWRITTEN, VOLUME 1: TOMMY TAYLOR AND THE BOGUS IDENTITY by Mike Carey and Peter Gross

 

978-1401225650

I don't read many graphic novels, although Big Chimp introduced me to Neil Gaiman's work a couple of years ago and I really enjoyed the Sandman series. This graphic novel is similar (not surprisingly as the author also wrote the Lucifer series, a spin-off of Sandman) in that it is packed with many literary and historical references, making it more of an adult-level read. The illustrations, done by Peter Gross, are vivid and do a great job of setting the mood of the story.

Tom Taylor is the son of best-selling writer Wilson Taylor, author of a wildly successful fantasy series starring Tom as a (Harry Potter-esque) boy wizard. Ever since Wilson mysteriously disappeared -- leaving his son none of his immense fortune -- Tom has been forced to earn a living making appearances as his magical alter ego, Tommy, at comic book conventions. But suddenly things turn very strange. A cult springs up, members of which believe that Tom Taylor is actually his fictional counterpart brought to life by magic. And lurking in the shadows is a powerful group that seems to control literature for its own sinister ends. Could members of this group be behind the malicious rumors that Tom Taylor killed his father, and was Wilson even Tom's father at all? The solution may lie in Wilson's mysterious map, which marks the geographical locations of all the major novels in the western canon. As crazed fans call for his assassination, and self-professed "characters" from his father's books begin to make contact with him, Tom wonders just how firm the line between fact and fiction really is... and whether it exists at all.

I really enjoyed reading The Unwritten, and I'm looking forward to the next volume. I loved the overload of literary allusions: there was Harry Potter, obviously, but there were also references to Charles Dickens, Mary Shelley, Oscar Wilde, Rudyard Kipling, and Mark Twain. And there was plenty of philosophical discussion about the power and importance of stories, which appealed to me, but the book definitely wasn't short on plot. There was plenty of action, suspense, and just plain gore to go around.

I would recommend this book to anyone familiar with, and interested in, the western literary tradition. You don't have to be a comic book fan to appreciate it. The only real complaint I have is that the cursive handwriting in certain sections is difficult to read. And for those less acquainted with the classics, the long section told from Kipling's point of view might be a bit on the tedious side. Overall there's plenty here for fans of fantasy, horror, and the classics to be excited about, as well as those who are interested in the power of stories and the ways in which they help shape society.