Bib'li-o-phil'i-a

In libris libertas.

Thursday, February 02, 2006

Two graphic novels

I used up the last of my Barnes and Noble giftcard, but if I take 300 more surveys from Harris Polls, I'll earn another $5 one, so that'll be good.

I got Stephen King's new novel, Cell, and Alan Moore's Watchmen. This means I'm taking a break from The Historian. It's been awhile since I had three books going at once, so it's fun. Watchmen was incredible. I'd recommend it to anyone who loves a good story with original characters, but especially to people who read comics or love superhero movies. Along with Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns, this book is one of the most influencial on comics today. And although the tones are completely different, "The Incredibles" wouldn't exist without this book.

I'm loving Cell so far. It's different from the King books I usually love. The Shining and It have long sections of character development before anything really horrifying happens (apart from a few terrifying vignettes), but in Cell, the horrifying stuff happens immediately, and you get to know the characters as they deal with it. The plot seems similar to The Stand, but the novel feels more claustrophobic (think of Narnia compared to Middle Earth and you'll know what I mean).

What are you reading? I'm always looking for a good recommendation.