The Unwritten, Vol. 5: On to Genesis

I started reading this today, and blitzed through it. This series, thus far, has been absolutely awesome, and I simply cannot wait for volume 6.

That said, I can't help but have one minor little quibble. The Cabal Of Arbitrary Evil - if they already all but rule the world, what purpose do they have in trying to quash humanity's will (which has clearly been their goal since volume 2)?

Wouldn't it be less expensive, in the long run, to more gently shape humanity's will to fit their purposes, then to force it into shape like a Japanese rectangular melon. What purpose does it serve. They're set for cash, and it seems that before they started clenching their fingers too much, their position was secure. However, their counter-attacks against Taylor, and particularly the actions of Pullman, seem to be doing more to screw themselves over, then to save themselves. It's like trying to put out a fire on a burning ship with gunpowder than with water - it probably won't put out the fire, unless you blow a hole in the ship, but then you have a bigger problem.

Well, maybe next volume will answer these questions.

A worthy continuation of the story. There are surprises and plot twists as always, of course, but the philosophical underbed continues to be the main draw. The exploration of story, collective unconscious, and myth-making is intriguing, but best of all is how utterly the story itself, not just the discussion of “story,” draws me in. I must keep reading.

This review is for books 1-5.

This is what one might call the graphic novel for book lovers. The whole idea is that books fuel the world. That people can come together to all love a book, think about a book and that will fuel the magic that the world is lacking yet needs. But there's this group of people who age incredibly slowly and they control the world by controlling the literature that the world is exposed to and they'll do whatever it takes to get that control.

I think.

These books have a lot going on and mostly at times I feel slightly confused. Still, they are exciting and, well, graphic. The only one I had a hard time with was Leviathan. All that Moby Dick talk bored the heck out of me. Not a fan.

But if you love books this could possibly be the best series of graphic novels you've ever read.