book thoughts: The Unwritten by Mike Carey

Unwritten Vol. 1: Tommy Taylor and the Bogus Identity

Mike Carey

At first, it's easy to dismiss 'The Unwritten' as a massive mocking of Harry Potter and it's fandom.  The story opens with Tom Taylor signing copies of the 13th book in the Tommy Taylor series, written by his father, at a fantasy convention.  But then things start to get weird...people begin to address Tom as though he was the fictional character, during one of the panel sessions a women claims that Tom has no birth record.  And then we see the meeting of two mysterious men, hidden in shadow, discussing some dark mission.

I don't want to say too much about the story because it was watching it unfold that made this first volume so hard to put down.  It did not go where I was expecting and I'm still not sure what it's all leading up to.  There are references to pop culture and literary fiction all mixed together. 

Just do yourself a favor and pick this one up.  Even if you're not into comic books, this one is worth a look.  Can't wait to read Volume 2!

Originally posted on orangerful.vox.com