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The Unwritten
The Unwritten Vol. 10: War Stories
The tenth volume of the critically-acclaimed new series from the Eisner-nominated creative team, Mike Carey and Peter Gross is the perfect jumping on point, as Tom Taylor is stranded at the beginning of all creation!
Lost in the unwritten scenes of all the world's stories, Tom Taylor is headed back to reality -- and all the gods and beasts and monsters ever imagined can't stop him. But there's a toll on the road that may be too high for him or anyone to pay...
Collecting: The Unwritten: Apocalypse 1-5
Lost in the unwritten scenes of all the world's stories, Tom Taylor is headed back to reality -- and all the gods and beasts and monsters ever imagined can't stop him. But there's a toll on the road that may be too high for him or anyone to pay...
Collecting: The Unwritten: Apocalypse 1-5
126 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 14, 2014
6 people are currently reading
576 people want to read
About the author
Mike Carey
1,267 books2,970 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
Mike Carey was born in Liverpool in 1959. He worked as a teacher for fifteen years, before starting to write comics. When he started to receive regular commissions from DC Comics, he gave up the day job.
Since then, he has worked for both DC and Marvel Comics, writing storylines for some of the world's most iconic characters, including X-MEN, FANTASTIC FOUR, LUCIFER and HELLBLAZER. His original screenplay FROST FLOWERS is currently being filmed. Mike has also adapted Neil Gaiman's acclaimed NEVERWHERE into comics.
Somehow, Mike finds time amongst all of this to live with his wife and children in North London. You can read his blog at www.mikecarey.net.
Mike Carey was born in Liverpool in 1959. He worked as a teacher for fifteen years, before starting to write comics. When he started to receive regular commissions from DC Comics, he gave up the day job.
Since then, he has worked for both DC and Marvel Comics, writing storylines for some of the world's most iconic characters, including X-MEN, FANTASTIC FOUR, LUCIFER and HELLBLAZER. His original screenplay FROST FLOWERS is currently being filmed. Mike has also adapted Neil Gaiman's acclaimed NEVERWHERE into comics.
Somehow, Mike finds time amongst all of this to live with his wife and children in North London. You can read his blog at www.mikecarey.net.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 123 reviews
September 16, 2023
So here's the big test, too many graphic novel series that show a lot of ongoing promise finish with a whimper, here's The Unwritten's chance to stand out. Tom has to find a way to get back to the real world, and the creative team play it nice by using the 'unwritten' scenes of all the world's stories as a means. But around every corner he knows that opposition awaits both on the journey and when he gets back. 7 out of 12, Three Stars.
2017 and 2015 read
2017 and 2015 read
May 28, 2017
Well, this one was my least favorite installment so far.
Lots of blah, blah, blah existential nonsense that just bounced around inside my thick skull, doing zero damage but pissing me off in a mighty way.
We're all stories within stories within worlds within books. The universe is a library made of lies we tell ourselves so we can sleep...and narwhale dreams. Our existence is really just the stories made up by children in fairytales who were created by the night terrors of mental patients. And if a tree falls in the forest and no one is there to hear it then an angel gets its wings.
Yadda, yadda, yadda...
I know there are readers who live for writing like that, but I honestly have zero fucks to give for that stuff.
Everything is moving toward the next and final volume at a decent pace, but something about this one just left me feeling discontented. Hopefully, everything will come together nicely and tie up the loose ends. I'd love it if all of these vague references to weird shit made sense when I close the last book.
War Stories wasn't terrible, but if was too filler-y to be truly satisfying. But hell, it got me one step closer to the end, and I am excited to grab the last one!
Lots of blah, blah, blah existential nonsense that just bounced around inside my thick skull, doing zero damage but pissing me off in a mighty way.
We're all stories within stories within worlds within books. The universe is a library made of lies we tell ourselves so we can sleep...and narwhale dreams. Our existence is really just the stories made up by children in fairytales who were created by the night terrors of mental patients. And if a tree falls in the forest and no one is there to hear it then an angel gets its wings.
Yadda, yadda, yadda...
I know there are readers who live for writing like that, but I honestly have zero fucks to give for that stuff.
Everything is moving toward the next and final volume at a decent pace, but something about this one just left me feeling discontented. Hopefully, everything will come together nicely and tie up the loose ends. I'd love it if all of these vague references to weird shit made sense when I close the last book.
War Stories wasn't terrible, but if was too filler-y to be truly satisfying. But hell, it got me one step closer to the end, and I am excited to grab the last one!
July 15, 2015
3.4 Stars
The penultimate volume of The Unwritten has its moments, most notably a fairly disturbing a scene in which Tom very nearly copulates with (or at least contemplates dousing with his manly seed) a cadre of wooden would-be people in need of the spark of life—thanks very much for THAT arousing potential spectacle, Madame Raush (aka, The Unwritten Totenkinder). Thankfully, Tom elects to utilize a more traditional bodily fluid to do the deed (much less chance of splinters that way, as Tom himself logically points out).
On balance, however, it feels disjointed, and even the foreshadowing at the end of the volume does little to clear up the murky picture of where things are headed. On the one hand, that’s a good thing—one of the aspects of this series that I’ve appreciated is that it has rarely telegraphed its punches; it’s kept me on my toes. On the other, I feel like I’ve lost the narrative thread a bit and it seems as though the story is meandering, marking time until more momentous (and decisively conclusive) events take place. On the third hand, I’m mildly sleep deprived, so this may be more a function of reader density than any problems with the narrative itself. Also on the third hand, there are only four fingers, so there’s that.
One consequence of that narrative running in place is that some of the characters—primarily Lizzie and Richie—have gotten short shrift, and they seem to exist solely as plot levers at this stage. They deserve better than that, especially Richie, and I hope that the concluding volume of the series gives them more spotlight.
Interestingly, the one character who has emerged more fully formed, and who, for my money, has become the most interesting in the book, is Pauly Bruckner. Is he a foul-mouthed, amoral, reprehensible specimen of humanity/rabbithood? Yup. Is he a compelling, all-too-human character who operates by a clear code, even if it’s a reprehensible one? Yup. In a book where anything is possible and everything can change, Pauly’s consistency is comforting (which, frankly, is a little bit frightening). I don’t think redemption is in the cards for Mr. Bruckner, but here’s hoping.
And so we prepare for the end.
The penultimate volume of The Unwritten has its moments, most notably a fairly disturbing a scene in which Tom very nearly copulates with (or at least contemplates dousing with his manly seed) a cadre of wooden would-be people in need of the spark of life—thanks very much for THAT arousing potential spectacle, Madame Raush (aka, The Unwritten Totenkinder). Thankfully, Tom elects to utilize a more traditional bodily fluid to do the deed (much less chance of splinters that way, as Tom himself logically points out).
On balance, however, it feels disjointed, and even the foreshadowing at the end of the volume does little to clear up the murky picture of where things are headed. On the one hand, that’s a good thing—one of the aspects of this series that I’ve appreciated is that it has rarely telegraphed its punches; it’s kept me on my toes. On the other, I feel like I’ve lost the narrative thread a bit and it seems as though the story is meandering, marking time until more momentous (and decisively conclusive) events take place. On the third hand, I’m mildly sleep deprived, so this may be more a function of reader density than any problems with the narrative itself. Also on the third hand, there are only four fingers, so there’s that.
One consequence of that narrative running in place is that some of the characters—primarily Lizzie and Richie—have gotten short shrift, and they seem to exist solely as plot levers at this stage. They deserve better than that, especially Richie, and I hope that the concluding volume of the series gives them more spotlight.
Interestingly, the one character who has emerged more fully formed, and who, for my money, has become the most interesting in the book, is Pauly Bruckner. Is he a foul-mouthed, amoral, reprehensible specimen of humanity/rabbithood? Yup. Is he a compelling, all-too-human character who operates by a clear code, even if it’s a reprehensible one? Yup. In a book where anything is possible and everything can change, Pauly’s consistency is comforting (which, frankly, is a little bit frightening). I don’t think redemption is in the cards for Mr. Bruckner, but here’s hoping.
And so we prepare for the end.
February 27, 2019
This seems mostly back on track and the witticisms are on point once more.
I still don't like or get the point of the whole sordid, depressing Mr Bun subplot.
And who was that one guy again and how did he get stuck in the mythic wood? Was he from the Australia tangent that what even happened with that anyway? Is this being made up as the author goes along?
Nice art. I think this one would resonate with authors.
I still don't like or get the point of the whole sordid, depressing Mr Bun subplot.
And who was that one guy again and how did he get stuck in the mythic wood? Was he from the Australia tangent that what even happened with that anyway? Is this being made up as the author goes along?
Nice art. I think this one would resonate with authors.
March 19, 2018
[sigh] I mean it was slightly more relevant than the last volume but I feel like this series unfortunately peaked somewhere around the middle and unfortunately is not going to get back on track. I'm still holding out a bit of hope that things will come together in the last seven issues but as of now I'm just like ...meh ...
May 18, 2016
Quite an improvement over the previous volume. I loved the first issue, a sort of journey through animal-themed stories. It accomplishes in one issue what the entire previous volume was trying and failing to do, which shows how superfluous that whole aside had been. I'm surprised with how interesting the gimmicky Pauly character has become. Actual character development! Between those two high points, this volume is good, but not great. Strangely, it doesn't feel like the second to last volume in a planned series. Maybe the last one will up the pace.
January 4, 2016
Unlike in the previous volume which I read just the other day, I became re-invested in the main character by the middle of this installment. Though I didn't remember at first what the two children had to do with the plot, it came back to me as I read along. The role of a character I didn't care for and had wondered about his purpose has become intriguing. The reference to literary geography reminded me of what I originally liked most about this series.
January 15, 2016
The penultimate book in The Unwritten was a bit of a letdown. It felt really unfocused. Granted, the whole thing is about stories coming unraveled, and that might be the point, but either way, it wasn't a super great reading experience. I feel like there could have been a better way to convey a world that's lost its purpose without having the story feel a little bit purposeless as well.
Tom has finally made it back to the real world after a year of being lost in storyworld. When we first started the series, the Cabal's messing with Leviathan to guide the political and economic landscapes could only be felt if you paid close attention, but now that Leviathan is dying, his death throes have resulted in an apocalypse. Because people don't have any connection to stories any longer, the stories are running amok, and Pullman is doing his best to antagonize everything, and bring on Leviathan's death that much sooner. We get appearances from all the players who are still in the game: Wilson Taylor, Madame Rausch, Pauly Bruckner, Richie, Lizzie, Cosima, Leon, Pullman, Didge, Armitage, and a whole bunch of others.
If you haven't read any of the other books in this series, you have NO IDEA what I'm talking about.
Man, I just really hope they stick the ending.
Tom has finally made it back to the real world after a year of being lost in storyworld. When we first started the series, the Cabal's messing with Leviathan to guide the political and economic landscapes could only be felt if you paid close attention, but now that Leviathan is dying, his death throes have resulted in an apocalypse. Because people don't have any connection to stories any longer, the stories are running amok, and Pullman is doing his best to antagonize everything, and bring on Leviathan's death that much sooner. We get appearances from all the players who are still in the game: Wilson Taylor, Madame Rausch, Pauly Bruckner, Richie, Lizzie, Cosima, Leon, Pullman, Didge, Armitage, and a whole bunch of others.
If you haven't read any of the other books in this series, you have NO IDEA what I'm talking about.
Man, I just really hope they stick the ending.
September 28, 2022
The penultimate collection. It does make a lot more sense, not having to read these issues months/years apart; go figure. I can see how it got to the “apocalypse” much better, but because the Fable finale is before it, I remember being pretty confused last time. This has some nice plot threads tied up from way back as well. The worlds splitting at the seams really was bound to happen. Excited for the last trade, I don’t remember what happens even a little bit.
September 26, 2015
I don't think anyone but Mike Carey fully understands what's going on in 'The Unwritten'. Despite being a convoluted mess, this series always leaves me with food for thought. Pauly Bruckner, the foul mouthed criminal, keeps being my favourite character.
June 9, 2018
It's almost over. Just one more volume after this. It was great diving back into this world, and the art is still fantastic. It does kind of painfully crawl to the end, Setting the stage, but it's a good stage.
October 17, 2022
This series has always been a bit off the rails, but volume 8 was a significant derailment. Vol 9, the weird piece of fan fiction that it was inserted into a series where it didn't belong, caused the 'train' to flip killing everyone on board. I don't think there's any righting the series at this point and if there is this isn't it. It's just absolute mayhem.
And despite this absolute mayhem in terms of story, there's actually been a regression. Everyone is back alive and their goals are exactly the same as they've ever been. The train derailment works as a good metaphor here because the wheels are turning but we're going nowhere.
And despite this absolute mayhem in terms of story, there's actually been a regression. Everyone is back alive and their goals are exactly the same as they've ever been. The train derailment works as a good metaphor here because the wheels are turning but we're going nowhere.
December 23, 2014
This series has totally lost its narrative. The plot turn post-wound has left the world a fractured place, but that doesn't excuse the degree to which every plot point and setting feels arbitrary. The stakes are simultaneously everything (what the exposition dumps would have us believe) and nothing (based on how disconnected characters are from consequences). The art is still top notch, and Carey has a gift for thinking up high concepts in ways that translate into amazing visuals, but as a series, The Unwritten is now just one of "stuff happens."
May 5, 2017
Far more uneven then previous volumes, I had trouble really getting into what was going on here. The characters meander in and out of a huge mess of stories (all of the stories really) without really seeming to go anywhere, accomplish anything, or have any real goals except for a nebulous "I'd like to save the world if possible." The most engaging issue here was probably the one at the end of the volume, dealing with the murderous sometimes-rabbit Pauly. Hopefully the next volume will get back on track and start moving the story forward again.
September 3, 2017
Things are getting ridiculously convoluted, but I like it. Having read all of Lucifer now though it makes more sense how things build and interweave.
August 17, 2014
I wish this book was better, seeing as how it's the penultimate volume in one of my favorite series (at least that's what the text indicates). The story does seem to be back on track somewhat, following crossovers to the Fables and elsewhere, but I still can't help but see this as rather an underwhelming conclusion to what's come before. Leviathan, the great creature that holds all of the world's stories within its belly, has been mortally wounded, and in the process, Tommy is bouncing from one story to another (this section is pretty well done, with Peter Gross taking great care to replicate the artwork--especially in the section from Alice in Wonderland), before finally finding his way back to his friends and his father. Once they've been reunited, the group find themselves under attack from an army made up of all the armies that have ever been in stories and fiction throughout the centuries. It's neat seeing Lizzie Hexam save herself from execution via her knowledge of Restoration comedies, but that element alone is almost too little, too late. This has turned into one giant battle and, at least in this volume, very little is resolved by the end. The final volume will really have to rise to the occasion.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 7, 2014
War Stories picks up where the previous volume in the Unwritten series ends. Tom Taylor is trying to find his way home, wandering through several fictional universes in his quest to find his own reality. When he finally makes his way back to Earth, however, he finds that the boundaries between fiction and the real world have broken down to the extent that the world is in Chaos, with the fictional bleeding into the real. Armed forces from fictional universes are battling it out in the streets of London, and no one is safe.
In this volume, the action moves forward, with the pieces slotting into place for the resolution of the story. Tom is struggling to figure out how to restore the boundaries between fiction and reality. Pullman continues to oppose him, directing the fictional military forces in their mayhem. And Pauly Bruckner returns to the storyline in a very unexpected, and pivotal, way.
I’ve really enjoyed the entire Unwritten series, and I can’t wait to see how Carey winds up the story. This volume is a must-read if you’ve been following the series!
An ARC of this graphic novel was provided by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
In this volume, the action moves forward, with the pieces slotting into place for the resolution of the story. Tom is struggling to figure out how to restore the boundaries between fiction and reality. Pullman continues to oppose him, directing the fictional military forces in their mayhem. And Pauly Bruckner returns to the storyline in a very unexpected, and pivotal, way.
I’ve really enjoyed the entire Unwritten series, and I can’t wait to see how Carey winds up the story. This volume is a must-read if you’ve been following the series!
An ARC of this graphic novel was provided by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
October 29, 2014
I miss the literary references in the early volumes that had me searching the internet to see what I was missing or feeling pleased when I recognized things. Or more the way that it felt that the literature was an intrinsic part of the plots. Maybe that's hard to sustain over this many issues without being totally hokey. It just used to seem more interesting. But the art is still great. And I'm interested to see how it all resolves in the last volume. And curious to see what it means that somehow this isn't just The Unwritten Volume 10, it's also The Unwritten Apocalypse issues 1-5, whatever that means. How this can be the first five issues of a new series is just odd, it's so very much a story midway through a series and not at all the beginning of anything, but I'm glad we'll be getting more stories. Though it's not looking too good for a happy ending with the word apocalypse in the new series title.
August 13, 2015
The penultimate chapter of "The Unwritten" does everything to prepare for what I hope will be a fulfilling conclusion of the series. Again, Carey's writing is deft and malleable as Tom Taylor bounces between fictional worlds, each painstakingly accurate to their original texts. Peter Gross' artwork continues to be a perfect fit for a series that straddles the line between realism and fantasy. If there is any fault to this volume it is that is follows up on the entirely missable ninth volume, so it has effectively been quite a while since I last saw Tom's supporting cast. As such, I had to do some minor refreshing to figure out what exactly had gone on in volume eight. I'm very excited to get to the end of the series and this volume continues to be an intellectual and fantastical rollercoaster. If you're still here, read on. "The Unwritten" is shaping up to be one of Vertigo's finest runs.
May 9, 2016
There is a point, where you are reading a novel, watching a TV series, watching an indie movie on cable, or reading a comic book trade, and you feel like you are the only person in the world who knows and appreciates the characters. It is just you and the writer and no one else. I used to have that feeling a lot more, before Social media came into power and before this website came into existence. I have felt this way with the Unwritten. I have felt this way with a lot of Carey's stuff, like Lucifer and Suicide Risk. Now, Lucifer is a successful show on Fox. I don't know if the Unwritten is ever going to anything more than a comic book series. It is way too dense, and out there, but even in trades like this one, which were so so, I really feel like this series was written specifically for me.
July 28, 2015
ALL stories no matter their origin are real & spilled fully into the real world
This sounds like a ridiculously cool concept, but this late in the game it just seems like the series isn't sure where to go next & is only filling uptime pages
However, the art in the beginning is not to be missed. As Tommy literally spills through different tales, the artstyle & coloring changes completely for each new "world"
This sounds like a ridiculously cool concept, but this late in the game it just seems like the series isn't sure where to go next & is only filling up
However, the art in the beginning is not to be missed. As Tommy literally spills through different tales, the artstyle & coloring changes completely for each new "world"
March 2, 2015
I think this series is finally come in to its own. All the ideas about stories and reality and the overlap are now playing together beautifully. The first issue in this collection was so strong (almost too strong as it overshadowed the others I think). I also love how terrible things got for our poor rabbit friend. I'm really glad I decided to stick with this series. I'm wondering how it will all end.
April 17, 2023
Kicking it up as it barrels towards what I hope is an explosive end. I’ve been disappointed before though. This one starts to bring all the characters we love together and ties thing in. Pauly, Pullman, Crazy Puppet Lady, Richie, Lizzie & Tommy are all on a bullet train and it’s shaping up to crash nicely.
One thing though, did I miss something with Wilson being back to normal? Asking for a friend.
One thing though, did I miss something with Wilson being back to normal? Asking for a friend.
May 14, 2015
I think this series has run its course. It could have ended four or five volumes ago. The stories all feel the same, the characters have seemingly reached their potentials, and the art is more or less utility. 2.5 stars.
January 23, 2016
Continues to be my favourite comic series,but after so long I found it difficult to follow the story... But the truth is that I enjoyed it the most when Tom & co still were in the dark and were just starting to realise what was happening.
So sad there's only one left... I don't want it to end...
So sad there's only one left... I don't want it to end...
February 5, 2016
I'm surprised there aren't many people enthusiastic about this volume. It seems to me that this series has been promising chaos and the breakdown of reality from the very beginning, and this chapter finally makes good on those promises.
June 20, 2023
Hear my deep dive podcast about it at https://www.storiedarcs.com/the-unwri...
A bit meandering, even for this series. Still, I enjoyed it and am glad to get a little more time with these characters and this world.
A bit meandering, even for this series. Still, I enjoyed it and am glad to get a little more time with these characters and this world.
July 6, 2017
I'm pretty sure the last volume has really messed with the whole ending of the series which really stinks because it had so much going for it! I can't even really tell you what happened in this one, because it was a lot of circles and having to remember what happened in the 8th volume. Which I guess can be another argument for skipping the 9th volume, because it'll only make you confused and it doesn't matter to the story. Everyone is back, but it also makes it more annoying because it undid all the seriousness of the previous volumes by letting everyone live and things are so distorted the sense of urgency and seriousness of what could happen is diminished. It's like a Superman book, Superman books are never really serious because Superman can never die. And it works on any book really if you take away danger and you make a world where anything can happen and the danger isn't really there then it takes away the intrigue and suspense away. At this point it seems more like this series is sick and dying from being so muddled up. There are still good call backs to what has happened in previous books, but it's still like how serious can it get when everyone is now back from the dead and reality is crumbling. It's like what are they really fighting for at this point.
October 24, 2018
War Stories is a clear improvement on the Fables crossover in terms of forward momentum for the plot, but it's also one of the more theory heavy Unwritten volumes. Tom Taylor returns to the land of the living - or at least I think he does because the real world appears to have been ravaged by numerous literature-based wars. But is this actually happening to humanity? Or are we still a level below the real, in a story somewhere?
Yet another example of Unwritten making my head hurt. It's probably good that I have to use the old noggin for a comic book now and then, but here in volume ten, I feel like it should really be clicking a lot better. So many characters are roaming around now, their own stories taking place in various other stories as they try to escape those stories to save the story of the world or the Leviathan or Tom Taylor or themselves. Exhausting.
At least Pauly Bruckner is understandable. He's grown into a largely detestable, but at least understandable, main character. I'm fine with that.
Yet another example of Unwritten making my head hurt. It's probably good that I have to use the old noggin for a comic book now and then, but here in volume ten, I feel like it should really be clicking a lot better. So many characters are roaming around now, their own stories taking place in various other stories as they try to escape those stories to save the story of the world or the Leviathan or Tom Taylor or themselves. Exhausting.
At least Pauly Bruckner is understandable. He's grown into a largely detestable, but at least understandable, main character. I'm fine with that.
December 22, 2017
The final battle is coming for Tom Taylor, his friends and, of course, his enemies. In the second to last installment of the wonderful series battle lines are drawn and defined as the stories moves towards its end.
While the overall album is hard to summarize, in a sense again is an album that sets up the battle before. Like the similar albums before, it manages to do this without seeming inconsequential. While the there are no great climaxes to be had, several character arcs move forwardly in a more than satisfactory manner and the richness of allusions and intertextuality keep the reader spell bound.
Once again, wonderful work from Carey, Gross & co. that makes you eager for the final installment of the saga.
While the overall album is hard to summarize, in a sense again is an album that sets up the battle before. Like the similar albums before, it manages to do this without seeming inconsequential. While the there are no great climaxes to be had, several character arcs move forwardly in a more than satisfactory manner and the richness of allusions and intertextuality keep the reader spell bound.
Once again, wonderful work from Carey, Gross & co. that makes you eager for the final installment of the saga.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 123 reviews