That Difficult First Novel - reviews

[bobblybear]

I think maybe you have to be in a certain frame of mind to enjoy Murakami. I recently read The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle and loved it, despite giving up on it years ago. I also read Kafka On The Shore several years ago, but felt a bit 'meh' about it, but I think it just wasn't the right time for me. Because his books are so surreal and strange I think you have to be thinking in that sort of open-mindedness way at the time you read them.

 

1Q84 is on my wishlist, but because it's such a big book I'm going to wait till I really want to read it before I start it. I don't recall hearing that many 'meh' reviews about it though. Most people are positive about it.

[Nollaig]

I've only read one Murakami book, Norweigan Wood. I hated it. It seemed utterly pointless and (mildly) shocking for the sake of being shocking. I've asked people numerous times what makes his books so good, but it seems to be some mystical, unquantifable quality because nobody has actually managed to tell me. I've been meaning to give another of his books a go, in case NW was a fluke but I honestly just don't think I'm smart enough to 'get' whatever it is that makes him apparently such a good writer.

[Athena]

Here is another look at a book I haven't read (I hope people don't mind me posting these types of reviews!):

It's your book blog, personally I'm happy to read these kinds of posts .

 

I've read one free short story by Haruki Murakami, and I've got three of his books on my shelves, unread. I liked the short story, Scheherazade, but I can imagine you have to be in a certain mood to read his books.

[thatdifficultfirstnovel]

What books do you have?

[thatdifficultfirstnovel]

I think maybe you have to be in a certain frame of mind to enjoy Murakami. I recently read The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle and loved it, despite giving up on it years ago. I also read Kafka On The Shore several years ago, but felt a bit 'meh' about it, but I think it just wasn't the right time for me. Because his books are so surreal and strange I think you have to be thinking in that sort of open-mindedness way at the time you read them.

 

1Q84 is on my wishlist, but because it's such a big book I'm going to wait till I really want to read it before I start it. I don't recall hearing that many 'meh' reviews about it though. Most people are positive about it.

 

I didn't hear many, it was just that of the few people I heard talk about it, they were much more ''meh' than 'yay'.

 

I've only read one Murakami book, Norweigan Wood. I hated it. It seemed utterly pointless and (mildly) shocking for the sake of being shocking. I've asked people numerous times what makes his books so good, but it seems to be some mystical, unquantifable quality because nobody has actually managed to tell me. I've been meaning to give another of his books a go, in case NW was a fluke but I honestly just don't think I'm smart enough to 'get' whatever it is that makes him apparently such a good writer.

 

There is a meandering beauty to what he writes. I think people either 'get it', or it is just baffling. There is a dreamy, ethereal quality at times to his prose, that is just perfect for slipping into and being carried along by. I can see why someone wouldn't like Marukami, but in terms of the people I read, he is one of the more interesting for sure in my eyes.

 

Maybe I could suggest reading 'The Elephant Vanishes' - it is a collection of short stories. They may come across as fairly pointless, but it is his essence of writing distilled down.

Edited July 5, 2015 by thatdifficultfirstnovel

[Nollaig]

I've heard of The Elephant Vanishes before, I think that might be a good idea for me. Shorter nuggets of his writing, rather than throwing myself into another full length novel. I don't mind things that don't have a point once the experience of them can be enjoyed, but I found nothing enjoyable in Norwegian Wood.

[Athena]

What books do you have?

I have Kafka on the Shore, 1Q84 and The Elephant Vanishes.

[Kylie]

Hi, TDFN (I hope you don't mind me shortening your name!) Your reviews are fantastic. I hope you'll stick around for a long time and continue to contribute the way you have.

[Raven]

I've only read one Murakami book, Norweigan Wood. I hated it. It seemed utterly pointless and (mildly) shocking for the sake of being shocking. I've asked people numerous times what makes his books so good, but it seems to be some mystical, unquantifable quality because nobody has actually managed to tell me. I've been meaning to give another of his books a go, in case NW was a fluke but I honestly just don't think I'm smart enough to 'get' whatever it is that makes him apparently such a good writer.

 

Norwegian Wood is touted as being Murakami's most mainstream novel; it is the book that won him wide acclaim in Japan and led to his leaving the country for a number of years to get out of the limelight.  It is also, to my mind, his most atypical.  

 

I enjoyed the book when I read it, even though it is a bit grim in places, but I liked the picture of Japanese life that it painted.  I found the film version of it a let down, though, because it was just so bleak (what humour there was in the book was completely missing on screen). 

 

I've read a number of his novels, and I would suggest you try either After the Quake, which is a collection of short stories that take place around and in the aftermath of the Kobe Earthquake, or After Dark, which is the first of his novels I read and I still mean to re-read at some point.   

 

By the way Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage is £3.79 on Kindle at the moment, if anyone is interested!

[thatdifficultfirstnovel]

Hi, TDFN (I hope you don't mind me shortening your name!) Your reviews are fantastic. I hope you'll stick around for a long time and continue to contribute the way you have.

 

Thank you so much for your kind words. I'm quite busy writing on a different blog I do (about the wacky world of wrestling - probably couldn't be more polar opposite in nature!) so haven't had time to write anything for a little bit - feel like its also eaten into my reading time somewhat as well, so mid-way through a lot of books without any particularly close to being finished.

 

Will throw up something over the next few days, though it might be a what I haven't read one more than a what I have read.

 

Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage is a very good book, so would second the recommendation in the last post. Well worth that price.

[thatdifficultfirstnovel]

I felt inspired to offer something up by the kind words, so here is my latest blog entry.

 

 

Books I Haven't Read: 'Notes of a Dirty Old Man' and 'Hollywood' by Charles Bukowski

 

Note: This was going to be an article about 'Lord of the Rings', but I worried that it would just begin to look like the books I didn't read were books that were too long. 'NOADOM' and 'Hollywood' are both relatively small - no complaints to be had!

 

Reading my first Bukowski novel was a revelation. This may sound like hyperbole, but having reflected on my formative reading experiences recently, it is the only way I see fit to describe it. This is not to say I read badly before Bukowski per se, just that I'd never read an author with such a distinctive voice. A gritty, unapologetic voice.

 

Whilst it would be unwise to suggest that all my reading before Bukowski had been sunshine, lollipops and unicorns, I honestly believed I hadn't encountered someone so willing to lay bare the seedier aspects of life. The work by Bukowski was recommended to me by a friend I knew from secondary school, at a time I was working in a betting shop to help fund my way through university. He used words to the effect of 'maybe you should become like Bukowski', which seems to suggest a desire for me to sleep and drink my way through a completely unfulfilled and unstable adult life.

 

Still, these words made me choose to seek out one of Bukowski's books - I chose 'Factotum' - and see what the fuss was all about. The book was short, the narrative simple, it was all over in a matter of days...yet it was hard to shake what I had read from my mind. Bukowski was able to allow me, for 200 pages, to inhabit life in the US from the view of someone on the bottom rung of society. A life that saw more value in the next glass of wine or the next bunk up over and above the staples of employment, relationships and family. It was unflinching in its crassness, and I was completely enthralled.

 

Looking back at a synopsis (I read this over ten years ago), I even begin to question now how much of Bukowski I embody. Sure, I've got a fiance and a daughter and the staples of what would be considered a 'good life', but doesn't a certain unsatisfactory edge lie, bubbling, below the surface? How much solace and enjoyment do I get out of the next drink, and how much does the next drink help mask my own flawed creativity? Maybe there were elements of the writer that my friend perceptively teased out within my own personality.

 

I digress.

 

A few years later, I walked into HMV and saw the two aforementioned books on sale for £2 each. I remembered the exhilaration of reading 'Factotum', and decided that I couldn't really pass up the offer. I bought both books, and looked forward to delving back into Bukowski's world, with all that entailed. I opened up 'Hollywood' and read the first fifty pages or so.

 

I never picked it up again.

 

'Notes from a Dirty Old Man' didn't even get the proverbial literary test drive. Whilst I appreciate that 'Hollywood' is in no way a spiritual link to the Henry Chinaski stories told in books like 'Factotum', I felt like I had grown up in the years the followed my initial reading. What was once shocking or engaging just ceased to grab me in the same way. There is no doubt in my mind about my own perceived quality of Bukowski's writing, and how important the one book I did read came to be to my reading odyssey, but I couldn't recreate that moment or that feeling. I had moved on and left Bukowski behind.

 

Will I ever look to read him again? I truly doubt it. I would argue that I have since read books by novelists that take his self-destructive narratives and applied them in more interesting and exciting ways. Does this devalue my original experience with Bukowski? Not at all.

 

If I hadn't have read Bukowski, would I have moved towards the books of Michel Houellebecq, J.M. Coetzee or even Patrick Hamilton? Though not all of these novelists are obvious successors to Bukowski, they all have elements that I may not have enjoyed had I not previous read 'Factotum'; the crass discussions of violence and sex in Houellebecq; the simmering tension of Coetzee; the explorations of social obscurity within Hamilton's work. In some ways, Bukowski was the gateway, and even if I never read a book by him again, I will have no difficulty trumpeting the value of my limited time spent reading his work.

[Raven]

Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage is a very good book, so would second the recommendation in the last post. Well worth that price.

 

I'm probably going to buy the paperback as it is in Waterstone's buy one get one half price offer and I have one of their £10 vouchers all filled in and ready to reclaim.

 

 

Bukowski . . .

 

I first heard his name mentioned in the film Sideways, but didn't know anything about him until I picked up a copy of Post Office just over a year ago, which I enjoyed so much I went straight out and bought Factotum and read that through as well.  I like the matter-of-fact way he writes and that he doesn't make any excuses about his life, it's just all laid out there for you to draw your own conclusions. 

 

I read his novel Pulp earlier this year and didn't enjoy it as much, but I do intend to read some more of his books (I have two more, Women and Tales of Ordinary Madness - another HMV bargain - already sitting on the shelf).

 

 

[thatdifficultfirstnovel]

Book 51: 'Platform' by Michel Houellebecq

I was recommended 'Platform' with the suggestion that it would be 'brutal', and a more succinct and correct review of the book there couldn't adequately be. It is, at times, brutal and unflinching in its depiction of relationships, violence and sex, but at heart, there is a fairly simple and effective love story right through the core of this story. It is this element of a story that I didn't quite expect from someone such as Houellebecq that allows the shocking elements of the narrative to really stand out, and provide the book with its emotional wallop.

 

Michel Renault is the main character, and in a similar nature to his namesake in 'Atomised', he is a man who skirts around the edges of society, a fact that is highlighted effectively within the first part of the novel, a description of a tour around Thailand. His boredom of, and frankness to, the other guests is contrasted with his enjoyment of the sexual tourism side to Asia. As seems to be a common thread in Houellebecq's novels, he is graphic in his depictions of sex, with it often showcased as a primal human desire that usurps many of the desires we are made to feel are necessities within life, such as friendships and relationships. Even with his occasionally caustic nature, he is able to woo one of the women on the trip to the point where, upon returning to France in the second part of the story, they strike up a relationship.

 

It is this relationship that surprised me and was so brilliantly used to create a real emotional impact on me as a reader. Unlike in 'Atomised', Michel seems to be truly happy with Valerie, the woman from the trip, and this love is unquestioned throughout. She is as sexually adventurous as he is, which helps, but the love which we see through the protagonists eyes feel real and tangible. We are left to believe in their love without question, which makes the events of the story all the more compelling. It is also way that this love story, which would be powerful at the center of a romance novel, is developed against the backdrop of sexual tourism, a subject that would be considered taboo to many.

 

The narrative thrust of the story sees Valerie working with her boss to help turn around the fortunes of a travel agency. With help from Michel, they are able to develop holidays catered specifically to those desiring sexual tourism, looking to effectively cut out the middle man and assuage the feelings of those let down by the lack of company found on holidays of this nature. The success the industry has within the book could be seen as a promotion of this type of excursion from Houellebecq, though it may be more of a celebration of the carnal desires inherent within every person. Once again, it is difficult to make a defining judgement on the morale or the message, and there is definitely more bubbling under the surface for the discerning reader.

 

As stated in reviews before, I don't want to ruin endings or give spoilers, and this is no exception, as the ending is paramount to my enjoyment of the book.  All I can say is that I felt as if I'd been punched when I closed the book for the last time, emotionally and physically drained in as positive a way as you can suggest that as a concept. The book, once again, is not for everyone, but at its base, it is a beautiful love story with ultimately tragic consequences, and who doesn't enjoy a good tearjerker every once in a while, even if it is surrounded by a lot of nudity and sex in the process?

[thatdifficultfirstnovel]

Reading Challenge: Book 52 - 'Go Set a Watchman' by Harper Lee

This is a very difficult review to make, and it can realistically be tackled in several different parts. (I've spoilered the rest for those who still haven't read it...it doesn't contain massive spoilers outside of what has already been aired about the book, but still...)

 

 

Part 1

I'm not a big fan of 'To Kill A Mockingbird'. Unlike a lot of my friends who read it either when they were at school or at a young age in general, I only managed to read it earlier this year, at the tender age of 28. It was alright. I can see why people liked it as much as they did, but it didn't wow me in the same way that it has other people I know. I can only assume that my relative age when reading it plays a fair part in that - if I'd come across this novel earlier in my life, perhaps my view of it would have been different. Instead, in buying this book, I was just looking forward to being a part of the wider picture that constitutes this book release.

 

Part 2

This was the first time in my life that books usurped films and games in terms of my impulsive desire. Whilst I would argue that I've always probably had a softer spot for the written word over these two other forms of media, this is the first time that I've been swept away by the media circus around a novel to the point where I have invested money in it in the form of a pre-order. An oddity, really, if you consider my general apathy to the initial story. However, just like a new big game on the PS4, where I promise myself I won't be swept away by the discussion and debate leading up to release, before buying it on day one, this became a 'must have' purchase in my mind. Arguably, no book release has been bigger in my lifetime outside of the release of the last Harry Potter novel, and to not be someone who could share my opinion on such an important literary landmark seemed hard to legislate for. Thus, I received the book at 12.01am on Tuesday.

 

Part 3

Don't view it as a sequel. This will be a difficult concept for many, but I just feel that you can't enjoy it if you see it as the next progressive step in the story of the Finch family.  For those who aren't aware, this was effectively the first draft of a story that would eventually end up being 'To Kill A Mockingbird' - apparently (if stories are to be believed), the editors felt the flashbacks to Scout as a child were the most interesting parts of the story, so Lee was told to focus on that rather than the story she was trying to tell. Therefore, these characters work within a different timeline to those in 'To Kill A Mockingbird' in my eyes, and are effectively not the same people. Between this 'first draft' and 'To Kill A Mockingbird', the representation of characters changed, but they can't necessarily be viewed in the same light. I'll be honest, I don't have the same feelings towards Atticus Finch as a character as some do, but him being somewhat of a bigot in this novel shouldn't really devalue how important and valiant his character is presented in 'TKAM'.

 

Part 4

To steal a concept from 'Community', this is very much 'dark timeline' To Kill a Mockingbird. Yes, the characters that you have grown to love are not the same, and generally for the worst. Rather than questioning the story itself, it does leave me wondering what happened in the sequence between Lee's writing of '....Watchman' and 'TKAM' that led to the radical alteration of some characters? The big shift that got the media's attention was the aforementioned representation of Atticus - such a radical alteration changes the relationship between the characters and the message of the story, for sure.

 

Part 5

I think I prefer the story being told if I'm being honest. Maybe it is my lack of emotional attachment to the initial novel, maybe it is my age and the divergent nature of the two narratives, it is hard to tell. I can see why the editor (if the story is to be believed) suggested a focus on the time of Scout's youth, as I feel that they are the best parts of the story in terms of how well written they are. Also, 'GSAW' doesn't have narrative features such as the trial of Tom Robinson and the character of Boo Radley. Indeed, I wouldn't try to make the argument that it is necessarily a better book, and I'm sure it won't go down in history in the same way that '...Mockingbird' has.

 

However, it felt like the story Lee was trying to tell was more interesting to the person I am now than '...Mockingbird' ever really was. As a father, the idea of the perception of your child towards you is a huge concept, as you struggle to be the best Dad you can be, yet also to hide your inadequacies from bubbling to the surface. '...Watchman' felt like it was exploring that very concept, something that spoke to me more than anything really did in the previous novel. At what point is it right as a child for you to realise that your parents are just as flawed as the rest of us? Can you still love someone when your perception is radically altered about a core facet of their being, even when they haven't fundamentally changed themselves in the process? Is it ever possible to truly escape the life and place you were born into?

 

Will it go down in history in the same way as the first book? Of course not. Is it a valuable piece of literary fiction? I definitely feel like it is, and hope that unrealistic expectations don't crush the potential of the story before it has truly had a chance to flourish.

 

[Athena]

(I've spoilered the rest for those who still haven't read it...it doesn't contain massive spoilers outside of what has already been aired about the book, but still...)

(note: making the text bold was done by me)

 

I haven't read the second book, but.. wasn't it only just released ?

[frankie]

I've read Disgrace and I found it a rather uncomfortable read. Not a bad one, but uncomfortable. 

 

Brilliant review! I've tried Disgrace twice but never got very far. I don't recall why though....it may have been something with the writing style. However I did love Life of Pi, but have not read A Sense of an Ending.

 

I know you love dogs, bobbs, and so I feel I must warn you: dogs are mistreated in the novel and it's horrendous to read.

[thatdifficultfirstnovel]

(note: making the text bold was done by me)

 

I haven't read the second book, but.. wasn't it only just released ?

To be fair, I think I got caught up between my desire to talk about the book, which was just released, and the rumours/spoilers that had been floating around in the week up to it. My spoilers technically only cover the spoilers that most people had been subjected to which was what I meant to refer to, but it does read as if I'm talking about the book.

[bobblybear]

I know you love dogs, bobbs, and so I feel I must warn you: dogs are mistreated in the novel and it's horrendous to read.

 

Maybe that's why then. I thought the cover had an out-of-focus image of a dog, but wasn't sure. One to avoid then - thanks for the heads up.

[frankie]

Maybe that's why then. I thought the cover had an out-of-focus image of a dog, but wasn't sure. One to avoid then - thanks for the heads up.

 

Always looking out for fellow dog enthusiasts  

[thatdifficultfirstnovel]

'The Uncommon Reader' by Alan Bennett

 

In two weeks, I am due to get married. An exciting new step in me and my fiancee's life, following the purchase of our first house in the summer last year. Due to both of our occupations being that of secondary school teachers, major events are always timetabled into the six week holiday in an attempt to make the most of the long period of rest and relaxation afforded to us following a tiring and turbulent year.

 

Preparation for a wedding leaves little time for reading. When coupled with the inevitable parties and functions that liberally litter the end of a school term, I've felt like I had stalled in my progress. Sure, I was reading books, but I just wasn't anywhere near completing one - not something so important per se, but as my attention has spiraled from one book to the next, nothing has really gripped me, leaving me feeling adrift and unengaged. I needed a 'quick win': a book I could read and finish, picking up some much needed momentum along the way.

 

Taking back to the library a selection of books on poetry (my latest attempt to break the back of that beast, to moderate success), I saw a copy of 'The Uncommon Reader' by Alan Bennett. Slim, small and by an author that I had begun to dabble in during this year, it fit the profile of the 'quick win' I needed, so I loaned it out (along with a book about making a good wedding speech).

 

Forty five minutes later, I'd finished the book and added one more to my challenge. However, it would be crass to view this book as something as little as another notch on the metaphorical literary bedpost of my year. It is a delightfully funny, if slight, look at the Queen's burgeoning love of reading, inspired by an altercation with a traveling librarian. Soon, she is spending more time reading than actually being Queen, with even her most basic duties supported by a hidden book away from the gaze of the public. This is neatly contrasted with the responses of her help, as confusion reigns as to why the Queen might want to read.  The idea of reading being an act of exclusion, due to the number of people who don't read, is an interesting concept which is explored throughout the book.

 

This book is effectively a love-letter to reading, which is an easy sell for anyone who enjoys books as much as many of my fellow readers do. It celebrates the ability to explore worlds outside of your own in a truthful manner, rather than the highly polished representations you may get through other media or even presented to you face to face. It allows you to delve into the mindset of people who live myriad different lives to the one you lead, even if you are someone as well traveled and exposed as the Queen, for example.

 

There is a melancholy within the book that I can empathise with: I'm never going to read all the books that I want to read, and wish that I'd started to read as voraciously when I was younger. Other ideas that the books seeks to explore in its mere forty minutes (or thereabouts) are the all-encompassing strain of reading on your time, coupled with the concept that, as wonderful as reading is, it is not the same as actually experiencing or doing. At some point, it should be a gateway to develop your own voice and creativity - something that has been awoken in me over the past few years.

 

Some of the prose stylings of Bennett I do find difficult - I'm not sure why. Whilst his narratives are good (considering I've dipped into a few of his other stories this year), I feel that the written word doesn't flow off the page as easily as I would like to. It isn't the use of complex vocabulary per se, but the narrative voice can feel a little stilted for me personally, yet probably wouldn't be an issue for many others. Just a word of warning, really.

 

So this was how I got my 'quick win' and my reading mojo kickstarted. I finished another book the same day, which I'm sure I would have done anyway, but felt that the Bennett tale reignited a desire in me to read and finish some of the books I had in front of me.

 

.....now back to the wedding planning.

Edited July 28, 2015 by thatdifficultfirstnovel

[Athena]

I read this book last year and I liked it a lot too. Great review, well written, and I agree with a lot of it (but I couldn't have said it as nicely as you did!).

[thatdifficultfirstnovel]

Thank you for your kind words. I've been meaning to read more Bennett, just seems to keep slipping to the bottom of my pile.

 

Bit of a change up, as I do my yearly attempt to get more engaged in comic books/graphic novels.

 

Reading Challenge - Book 54 'Marvel Comics: The Untold Story' by Sean Howe and Book 57 'Secret Wars'

 

Ever since my move to using a Kindle (as well as tried and trusty paperback books), I've had a yearning to try and experience the world of comic books. Outside of Asterix books when I was young and Persepolis when I was older, I'd never made a concerted effort to read anything from Marvel, DC or any of the other companies producing graphic novels. Primarily, this was due to the difficulty in working out the continuity - a story with fifty potential years of backstory is difficult to get your head around, and a jumping on point is not always obvious. Also, the ability to acquire the comics/trade paperbacks for a reasonable cost was often difficult.

 

Enter Marvel Unlimited.

 

For £9.99 a month, I'm in a position where I can check out most of the old Marvel stuff, covering years, storylines, characters and major events across the timeline. Rather than feeling I need to read everything leading up to a story arc, it allows me just to pick and enjoy. However, I did feel that I needed to get the most out of it and read around the subject a little more - I was recommended 'Marvel Comics: The Untold Story' and purchased it straight away.

 

For someone wanting to get an overview of the machinations behind the development of Marvel as a company, from the initial production all the way up to the heady heights of the Avengers movie release, you can't ask for a better book. As a comic novice, some of it went over my head, but Howe tries to do his best to explore the characters behind the comics, as well as give some over-riding understanding as to the development of the superheroes on the page. Maybe I'd have got more out of the book if I had a working knowledge of some of the people who worked in the industry, but I didn't feel like it necessarily hampered me and I left the book feeling like I had a better knowledge with which to tackle the Marvel Universe.

 

The big issues coming from the book center around the peaks and troughs of the comic book industry - riding high and selling huge at times, barely registering culturally at other points. At times, it feels like Marvel survived in spite of the management of the company, with owners bumbling from one failed venture to another, yet with workers creating stories and characters that continued to appeal to an audience over the course of fifty years. Another problem over the half century that arose several times was the idea of who the characters belonged to, with some writers battling Marvel for the rights to better remuneration for their intellectual property. Finally, we saw the battles between Stan Lee and Jack Kirby (often centred around this idea of intellectual property) as their relationship turned sour, and arguments pervaded over who created the foundations for the Marvel Universe.

 

It is fitting that it ends at the time of the Avengers film release, as almost fifty years is spent trying to get Marvel onto cinema screens in a lucrative manner. Stan Lee comes across as melancholic at times, yearning for the red carpets of Hollywood, yet stuck in the Marvel bullpen churning out comic stories. The book highlights this desire effectively, thus giving the ending a sense of a real peak and the accomplishing of a dream, at least on Lee's part.

 

During the 1980s, the Marvel writers decided (as another gimmick, amongst Number 1 issues and fancy covers) to have an event that brought many of the main characters together in one place. 'Secret Wars' was really the first of its kind, as heroes and villains are taken away by the Beholder, and tasked with fighting to the death in competition for the Beholder's promise to grant the victor's true desires. The fact that Howe's book suggested that this was a cash-grab designed to shift comics and merchandise doesn't detract from what must have been a huge deal for comic book fans at the time. Even now, it holds up...relatively well.

 

There are a lot of chances for the heroes and villains to go at it in large (impressively rendered) set pieces, and any opportunity to see Doctor Doom or Galactus in action is  worth reading. That nothing really changes by the end (a staple concept within the world of the Marvel 'Event' style, seemingly) outside of Spiderman's new suit - a concept developed during the Venom storyline later on in the canon - and that the women are presented how you might expect women to be presented in a male dominated creative industry in the 1970s is something that, as a modern reader, you are forced to get your head around.

 

Still, as an oppurtunity to check out the biggest names in Marvel in one neat, packaged storyline, it works well and is an excellent jumping on point for a newcomer. At the least, it is the first full storyline I've read from Marvel, and it has me excited to check out more.

 

Note: I finished the book and waited until I finished the comic to write this. Therefore, I've got two other books that I've not yet reviewed waiting in the wings, thus the numbering.

[Athena]

It's interesting to hear of your experiences with these books / comics .

[thatdifficultfirstnovel]

Do you read any yourself? Either Marvel/DC, or just graphic novels in general?

[thatdifficultfirstnovel]

I'd been tempted to do this for a little while, but it wasn't until I noticed it in another topic that I thought I might as well. Over the past couple of months, I've bought a huge number of books. Currently (more or less), these are all the books that I have bought (outside of the last two of the Mistborn trilogy and one or two other random books) recently. Slowly....slowly making my way through them.