Product Description

Not sure what to make of this, Friday, January 01, 2010

I can't really give this an above average rating in good conscience, but I'm not entirely displeased that I made the commitment to read it.

On one hand, and the reason I bought it, and what many of the other reviewers have pointed out, is that this comic uses a lot of the currently in-vogue unearthed mysteries (a la Dan Brown) which can make for a very good story. I thought bringing in the Inklings was particularly clever. It always helps to get another reference point or interpretation of these enigmas.

On the other hand, while it helps to be slightly versed in some of these topics in order for it to grab you, there is a problem instantly setup in that, if you do know a little about these topics, the way they were incorporated into this plot might not really sit all that well with you. (At least it didn't with me, in particular the way Crowley was portrayed, but there are other mundane quibbles I have as well that aren't worth detailing.)

More importantly though, the title and cover are both equally misleading, the plot involved very little of what the title and cover both strongly hint at. I bought this on a whim in the flesh and didn't have the foreknowledge of reading amazon reviewers before making my purchase. "Da Vinci Code: Redux" would have been more accurate. The Rennes-Le-Chateau/Sauniere tie-in is both a blessing and a curse for this story, as it does provide an accessible entry point to the plot, but for me, didn't really deliver on the promises I set up in my own mind for this comic as I opened its cover and began getting into it.

Also, it seemed to me that the author(s) were slightly more interested in either taking me through a mental exercise in esoteric lore or simply impressing me, rather than doing their job of entertaining me with a solid yarn. I would think it should be the author's task to do much of the hard work for the reader by seamlessly weaving these facts into the story instead of making him or her consult a lexicon in the back. Notice I said "much of the hard work", I don't expect nor do I want to have everything spoon-fed to me, but I also don't want to have to interrupt my reading or read something a 2nd time while consulting the legend to the story in order to get it.

If you are okay with those things going in, then it might be worth your while to give this one a shot. Freewill can be such a burden sometimes, no?

Above all else, reading this comic may make you want to track down some of Charles Williams' books to get the real deal. This is a good thing, I think.

Rating: 3 out of 5

This is not a simple book..., Monday, December 18, 2006

The premise of the book is that 4 authors are drawn into a spiritual war, 3 on the side of Heaven (C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkein and Charles Williams) and one on the side of Evil (famed Satanist Alistair Crowley).

Based on my experience, a familiarity with the work of Charles Williams is recommended. Also recommended: Read the annotations at the end of the book as you read the text. I found it to be a big help and, in the end, much more interesting reading than the text.

I found the premise of the story to be odd and often unclear (what role did Crowley have throughout the book? What was he getting out of the situation?) The Lewis and Tolkein characters were wholly unnecessary - they did little except give the lesser-known Charles Williams a bit of gravitas-by-association.

It would also be helpful if the reader already had a familiarity with the beliefs of gnosticism, Alistair Crowley and the Holy Grail stuff that Dan Brown uses throughout the "DaVinci Code".

I give the text a grade of D. I give the annotations a grade of A-. That averages to a grade of C+.

Rating: 3 out of 5

A Definite Thumbs Up, If You're Willing to Invest an Effort, Tuesday, November 22, 2005

To appreciate Heaven's War, I had to give it a few rereads. First off, though CS Lewis and Tolkien are important characters, the story's central figure is the lesser known inkling, Charles Williams. I can't speak authoritatively, having never read Williams, but it apparently is written in his style and follows the themes of his books. I suspect some fans of Lewis and Tolkien will be slightly disappointed, but for what the author is attempting to accomplish here, I have to admit it works.

In short, Aleister Crowley is seeking secrets of the Rennes-le-Chateau and is pursuing an aging Arthur Waite for answers. Waite fears for his life and the secrets he believes he has nearly uncovered, and calls on Charles Williams for help. By association, this involves Lewis and Tolkien as well. Essentially, Crowley wants to find the gate to heaven and affect the battle between good and evil at the heavenly realm, with heavy repercussions for those on earth.

If you're immediately familiar with Crowley, Waite, Gnosticism and the Holy Blood, Holy Grail theories and such, you've got a great head start on understanding the plot. The focus on these pseudo historical and anti-Christian theories is concerning, though after reading the annotations in the back of the book, I'm confident that he views the claims made by such theories as essentially false. They advance the plot, but we're not supposed to assume that when Waite discusses Gnostic cosmology that he's describing the truth (in fact, without spoiling too much, a guide in heaven notes that the Gnostic Cathers find heaven disappointingly "sensuous"). The details of all this is mostly over my own head, I'm afraid. More familiar to me was the imagery Harris uses in his descriptions of heaven, though I didn't catch all this until reading the annotations.

The flow can be confusing if you're the sort to impatiently skip long pieces of dialog. This is not an easy reading book, if you haven't figured it out yet. The central conflicts are ideological, not physical (no, Tolkien doesn't pick up a sword and attack Crowley while he casts some black magic spell, get that expectation out of your head), the philosophical assertations of Lewis, Crowley, etc. drive the it, and in fact Lewis' idea of evil (as recalled by Williams) vs. Crowley's rather "post-modern" view is the driving point of the final climactic "battle."

The drawing is probably the weakest point of the novel, unfortunately. Of course this isn't an action based comic, so the story itself is a limiting influence, but the black and white with no shading just isn't that interesting to look at.

In summary, I liked it but I had to work at it to do so, which is something most people don't come to a graphic novel expecting to do. Having no prior knowledge of figures like Waite and Williams and only a "pop culture" knowledge of Crowley hurt me more than a little bit here. Still, a solid 4/5 star rating. I'm now interested in reading some of Charles Williams' work.

Rating: 4 out of 5