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MARVEL's Avengers: Infinity War
MARVEL's Avengers: Infinity War: Thanos: Titan Consumed
In this new original novel by bestselling author Barry Lyga, learn the origins of the most feared force in the universe, and see how Thanos became the Titan consumed by his quest for power.
Time Reality. Space. Mind. Soul. Power.
Born on a doomed world and made an outcast for his physical deviancy and intimidating intellect, Thanos believes he sees something everyone else chooses to a way to save his home and the people of Titan for generations to come. But what he perceives as genius, they see as madness.
Now exiled from his home world, Thanos is determined to find the means to return to Titan and implement his plan. His journey through the galaxy is a desperate race to save everything. Thanos will be successful-no matter how many billions have to die to bring balance to the universe.
Learn the origins of the most formidable foe the Avengers, Doctor Strange, the Guardians of the Galaxy, and Black Panther have ever faced-a foe whom even a group of remarkable people, pulled together to fight the battles nobody else could, failed to stop.
Time Reality. Space. Mind. Soul. Power.
Born on a doomed world and made an outcast for his physical deviancy and intimidating intellect, Thanos believes he sees something everyone else chooses to a way to save his home and the people of Titan for generations to come. But what he perceives as genius, they see as madness.
Now exiled from his home world, Thanos is determined to find the means to return to Titan and implement his plan. His journey through the galaxy is a desperate race to save everything. Thanos will be successful-no matter how many billions have to die to bring balance to the universe.
Learn the origins of the most formidable foe the Avengers, Doctor Strange, the Guardians of the Galaxy, and Black Panther have ever faced-a foe whom even a group of remarkable people, pulled together to fight the battles nobody else could, failed to stop.
283 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 20, 2018
120 people are currently reading
1037 people want to read
About the author
Barry Lyga
71 books2,194 followersBarry Lyga is a recovering comic book geek. According to Kirkus, he's also a "YA rebel-author." Somehow, the two just don't seem to go together to him.
When he was a kid, everyone told him that comic books were garbage and would rot his brain, but he had the last laugh. Raised on a steady diet of comics, he worked in the comic book industry for ten years, but now writes full-time because, well, wouldn't you?
The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy & Goth Girl is his first novel. Unsoul'd is his latest. There are a whole bunch in between, featuring everything from the aftermath of child abuse to pre-teens with superpowers to serial killers. He clearly does not know how to stick to one subject.
When he was a kid, everyone told him that comic books were garbage and would rot his brain, but he had the last laugh. Raised on a steady diet of comics, he worked in the comic book industry for ten years, but now writes full-time because, well, wouldn't you?
The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy & Goth Girl is his first novel. Unsoul'd is his latest. There are a whole bunch in between, featuring everything from the aftermath of child abuse to pre-teens with superpowers to serial killers. He clearly does not know how to stick to one subject.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 161 reviews
March 8, 2019
So in the past I had not-so-great experience with Marvel prose, well at least more recent Marvel prose.
Jason Reynolds’ version of Miles Morales is fucking terrible. That Avengers: A Heroes’ Journey thing while not terrible was a poor quality cash-grab.
This book however? This does a put a smile on my face.
What’s it about?
The origin story of Thanos. A dark, tragic backstory that goes from his childhood all the way to right before Avengers Infinity War (this is an MCU tie-in book, BTW).
Pros:
The story is pretty interesting. Sometimes with this kind of thing I start thinking “please don’t re-hash the same shit we’ve seen in the movie” and fortunately this book doesn’t do that. It’s like an MCU film we haven’t seen before except... well... it’s a book. That and it’s not just focused on good guy punches bad guy, there’s quite a bit to this story.
The characters are interesting and well written. I like how Lyga manages to write Thanos in a way that makes readers who consider him a villain from the films and comics to be a protagonist that many (myself included) will actually feel a bit sorry for, that takes talent.
This book is not too predictable. I mean, sure I knew some stuff that was in the movies but quite a bit of it was unexpected.
This book is very well written, it is written in such a way that it tells a pretty big story without going on and on too much so I like that.
This book is pretty emotional at times. You can really see how things are from the point of view of the characters, how they feel in various scenes and why they respond to things the way they do, especially for Thanos.
I listened to this in audiobook form and it is perfectly narrated, as all audiobooks should be. Seriously though, the narrator does a great job, even at the various voices for the characters.
Why not 5 stars?
This book is pretty slow paced. I get that this isn’t a super action book in general but there were a few parts that I would dare say were slightly boring. Fortunately it gets less boring as it goes on and there’s a little bit of action but just saying, it’s still a Marvel story so I would have liked/I expected a bit of a faster pace.
Overall:
Despite a slightly slow pace this is a really well written book set in the MCU that I would recommend, especially for people who want some MCU before Endgame but don’t really care about Captain Marvel.
I won’t be surprised if I walk in to Avengers Endgame feeling more sympathy and such for Thanos TBH. This book is very well written, has an interesting story, interesting characters, it isn’t too predictable and is often very emotional.
Recommended for people who want a not really action filled but still interesting sci-fi story with emotion and highly recommended to MCU fans.
4/5
Jason Reynolds’ version of Miles Morales is fucking terrible. That Avengers: A Heroes’ Journey thing while not terrible was a poor quality cash-grab.
This book however? This does a put a smile on my face.
What’s it about?
The origin story of Thanos. A dark, tragic backstory that goes from his childhood all the way to right before Avengers Infinity War (this is an MCU tie-in book, BTW).
Pros:
The story is pretty interesting. Sometimes with this kind of thing I start thinking “please don’t re-hash the same shit we’ve seen in the movie” and fortunately this book doesn’t do that. It’s like an MCU film we haven’t seen before except... well... it’s a book. That and it’s not just focused on good guy punches bad guy, there’s quite a bit to this story.
The characters are interesting and well written. I like how Lyga manages to write Thanos in a way that makes readers who consider him a villain from the films and comics to be a protagonist that many (myself included) will actually feel a bit sorry for, that takes talent.
This book is not too predictable. I mean, sure I knew some stuff that was in the movies but quite a bit of it was unexpected.
This book is very well written, it is written in such a way that it tells a pretty big story without going on and on too much so I like that.
This book is pretty emotional at times. You can really see how things are from the point of view of the characters, how they feel in various scenes and why they respond to things the way they do, especially for Thanos.
I listened to this in audiobook form and it is perfectly narrated, as all audiobooks should be. Seriously though, the narrator does a great job, even at the various voices for the characters.
Why not 5 stars?
This book is pretty slow paced. I get that this isn’t a super action book in general but there were a few parts that I would dare say were slightly boring. Fortunately it gets less boring as it goes on and there’s a little bit of action but just saying, it’s still a Marvel story so I would have liked/I expected a bit of a faster pace.
Overall:
Despite a slightly slow pace this is a really well written book set in the MCU that I would recommend, especially for people who want some MCU before Endgame but don’t really care about Captain Marvel.
I won’t be surprised if I walk in to Avengers Endgame feeling more sympathy and such for Thanos TBH. This book is very well written, has an interesting story, interesting characters, it isn’t too predictable and is often very emotional.
Recommended for people who want a not really action filled but still interesting sci-fi story with emotion and highly recommended to MCU fans.
4/5
March 10, 2019
What an entertaining and good backstory on Thanos! Lyga really delivered on this book, and his Marvel fandom really came through in this book and I absolutely loved it! I would recommend anyone to read this before going to see Avengers: Endgame next month. Also if you haven’t seen Avengers: Infinity War then maybe you could read this and then watch Infinity War before going to see Endgame.
My quick and simple overall: this was imaginative and fun!
My quick and simple overall: this was imaginative and fun!
July 8, 2021
Would you like to know what Thanos' childhood was like on Titan before it was destroyed? Or would you like to know how Thanos learned about the infinity stones? This book answers those questions and more. Basically, this book is an origins story for Thanos.
I liked this book and I thought it was an excellent book for background information. But that is what it is. It is a book that contains an abundance of background information and very little action. We get to see Thanos on Titan and how he knew about its impending doom but no one would listen. We get to see his struggles in the universe and how he acquires his army, his daughters Gamorra and Nebula, and how he learns about the stones. I thought the author did a terrific job with its characterization of Thanos and there were times I was actually sympathetic towards him. I never thought that would happen towards a character who wants to wipe out half the universe. I believe the reason this book wasn't a higher rating for me is there is very little action. When reading a book based on comics I expect unreal battles and they were not present in this book. That could be on me as I was expecting something that wasn't there.
If you cannot get enough material on the antagonist from the two biggest Avengers movies this is the book for you. I would just go into it not expecting your typical comic book experience. This was a dive into the character and how he becomes the character we see him in the movies with a little bit of easter eggs sprinkled throughout. Go for the head is sound advice.
I liked this book and I thought it was an excellent book for background information. But that is what it is. It is a book that contains an abundance of background information and very little action. We get to see Thanos on Titan and how he knew about its impending doom but no one would listen. We get to see his struggles in the universe and how he acquires his army, his daughters Gamorra and Nebula, and how he learns about the stones. I thought the author did a terrific job with its characterization of Thanos and there were times I was actually sympathetic towards him. I never thought that would happen towards a character who wants to wipe out half the universe. I believe the reason this book wasn't a higher rating for me is there is very little action. When reading a book based on comics I expect unreal battles and they were not present in this book. That could be on me as I was expecting something that wasn't there.
If you cannot get enough material on the antagonist from the two biggest Avengers movies this is the book for you. I would just go into it not expecting your typical comic book experience. This was a dive into the character and how he becomes the character we see him in the movies with a little bit of easter eggs sprinkled throughout. Go for the head is sound advice.
March 28, 2019
This book was definitely worth the wait!
If you watched Infinity War and you're wanting Thanos' backstory/more depth to his character, I 100% recommend you pick this book up as it's also MCU canon. I loved it!
If you watched Infinity War and you're wanting Thanos' backstory/more depth to his character, I 100% recommend you pick this book up as it's also MCU canon. I loved it!
July 4, 2019
I have not had much luck with Marvel tie in/YA stuff so I was still wary upon starting this one. My friend got it for me as a birthday gift but I just couldn't start it still. I kept picking it up and putting it back on my shelves.. still not sure why the timing worked out now.
This was better than I thought it would be. It was a trip being inside Thanos' head and watching how he got to the point that he did when we first meet him.
He was/is a very well done villain in the MCU (no I haven't read the comics yet... its somewhere in Mount TBR though). I love how he's written even though at the same time hate him.. so kudos to the writers there.
Would love to see more from Gamora/Nebula's eyes, growing up with him. And him
All in all, I did enjoy this.. and reading in it the characters' voices in my head was an extra bonus for me.
This was better than I thought it would be. It was a trip being inside Thanos' head and watching how he got to the point that he did when we first meet him.
He was/is a very well done villain in the MCU (no I haven't read the comics yet... its somewhere in Mount TBR though). I love how he's written even though at the same time hate him.. so kudos to the writers there.
Would love to see more from Gamora/Nebula's eyes, growing up with him. And him
All in all, I did enjoy this.. and reading in it the characters' voices in my head was an extra bonus for me.
October 23, 2020
All'inizio della lettura sono rimasto un po' perplesso, ma a causa di un mio errore.
Quando lo scorso anno avevo preso questo libro non avevo notato la dicitura in alto "Marvel Studios' Avengers: Infinity War" e pensavo quindi che, sfruttando la popolarità data dal film, il libro trattasse del Thanos fumettistico.
Quando le nozioni del libro hanno cominciato a contraddire ciò che ricordavo del passato del Titano ho cominciato a leggere più cercando indizi sugli eventi che godendomi la storia, finché non sono andato a controllare scoprendo che l'ambientazione era quella del Marvel Cinametic Universe.
A quel punto sono finalmente riuscito a godermi il racconto del passato di questo Thanos, dalla nascita infausta (affetto da una mutazione rara che oltre a dargli un aspetto estremamente differente da quello del resto della popolazione gli aveva donato il caratteristico colorito viola che su Titano associavano allegramente a morte, distruzione e sventura. La conseguenza, oltre a una vita di isolamento, solitudine e di consapevolezza di essere ingiustamente temuto e odiato, era stata la pazzia della madre alla sua vista. Benaugurante, eh) all'esilio da Titano, dal periodo di schiavitù su una nave moribonda all'incontro con gli Asgardiani, dai Chitauri alla scoperta della sua missione.
Un viaggio che partendo da un Thanos geniale e desideroso di aiutare il prossimo, benché forzatamente privo di empatia e di capacità di rapportarsi emotivamente con le altre persone, lo trasforma poco a poco nella macchina di morte spietata che conosciamo.
Parte da solo, e poco a poco raduna alleati intorno a sé, si crea nemici che elimina dal proprio cammino, e infine ottiene la sua strana, disfunzionale e psicopatica "famiglia".
Chiaramente questo libro non porta chissà quale rivelazione, non offre colpi di scena ed è godibile solo da chi abbia visto (e, immagino, apprezzato) i film.
Ma svolge bene il proprio compito, garantendo intrattenimento e soddisfacendo qualche curiosità sul personaggio che è stato al centro dei film Marvel degli ultimi anni.
Quando lo scorso anno avevo preso questo libro non avevo notato la dicitura in alto "Marvel Studios' Avengers: Infinity War" e pensavo quindi che, sfruttando la popolarità data dal film, il libro trattasse del Thanos fumettistico.
Quando le nozioni del libro hanno cominciato a contraddire ciò che ricordavo del passato del Titano ho cominciato a leggere più cercando indizi sugli eventi che godendomi la storia, finché non sono andato a controllare scoprendo che l'ambientazione era quella del Marvel Cinametic Universe.
A quel punto sono finalmente riuscito a godermi il racconto del passato di questo Thanos, dalla nascita infausta (affetto da una mutazione rara che oltre a dargli un aspetto estremamente differente da quello del resto della popolazione gli aveva donato il caratteristico colorito viola che su Titano associavano allegramente a morte, distruzione e sventura. La conseguenza, oltre a una vita di isolamento, solitudine e di consapevolezza di essere ingiustamente temuto e odiato, era stata la pazzia della madre alla sua vista. Benaugurante, eh) all'esilio da Titano, dal periodo di schiavitù su una nave moribonda all'incontro con gli Asgardiani, dai Chitauri alla scoperta della sua missione.
Un viaggio che partendo da un Thanos geniale e desideroso di aiutare il prossimo, benché forzatamente privo di empatia e di capacità di rapportarsi emotivamente con le altre persone, lo trasforma poco a poco nella macchina di morte spietata che conosciamo.
Parte da solo, e poco a poco raduna alleati intorno a sé, si crea nemici che elimina dal proprio cammino, e infine ottiene la sua strana, disfunzionale e psicopatica "famiglia".
Chiaramente questo libro non porta chissà quale rivelazione, non offre colpi di scena ed è godibile solo da chi abbia visto (e, immagino, apprezzato) i film.
Ma svolge bene il proprio compito, garantendo intrattenimento e soddisfacendo qualche curiosità sul personaggio che è stato al centro dei film Marvel degli ultimi anni.
June 7, 2020
Premetto che di Thanos non ho mai letto nulla, lo conosco solo grazie al MCU, eppure nelle battute iniziali questo libro mi ha preso tantissimo. Una costruzione del personaggio abbastanza canonica, il classico reietto, eppure assai solida. Il giovane dal malaugurato colorito viola mi ha fatto emozionare, grazie alle vicissitudini di una vita privilegiata eppure travagliata, a causa anche della componente genitoriale.
La sua stazza ingombrante sembra essere un ostacolo, la sua profetica intelligenza una maledizione che lo condannerà all’esilio. Ma la prigionia sotto il giogo di un folle, a bordo di un’astronave ad anello di disadattati, non fa certo venire a mancare l’entusiasmo per questa lettura.
Il determinato protagonista ha un obiettivo e farà di tutto pur di raggiungerlo. I problemi cominciano proprio quando inizia a riuscirci :(
Il suo incontro con i...
Avvia la parabola discendente di questo romanzo, risucchiando tutto quanto in un’atmosfera di apatia. Man mano tutto perde valore: Ora che tramite l’Estraneo può comandare un esercito in continua espansione e miglioramento in grado di superare ogni ostacolo, che senso ha tutto il resto? Confesso che nonostante reclami a gran voce la necessità di uno stratega (lui stesso) che conduca la “mente alveare” in battaglia, la sua tattica mi richiama quella di un altro famoso condottiero: Zapp Brannigan :P
“I killbot? Quisquilie. Li ho solo superati in intelligenza. [...]
I killbot hanno un limite di vittime prestabilito.
Conoscendo questa debolezza ho solo inviato contro di loro ondate e ondate di uomini.
Superato il limite si sono disattivati.”
E infatti i Chitauri sciamano come cavallette su ogni pianeta prima annientando, poi smezzando, secondo il volere del proprio ‘Signore della Guerra’. Ogni evento successivo: Che si tratti dell’aver adottato due figlie messe poi in competizione, aver accoppato il suo migliore amico, aver nominato degli araldi, ecc… sembra contare davvero poco in confronto all’espansione su larga scala della sua minaccia, portata avanti quasi senza sforzo alcuno.
Solo quando realizza che così facendo non “farà mai in tempo” a salvare tutti - o meglio la metà di tutti – ci sarà un cambiamento, che porterà poi alla cerca del Favoliere e conseguentemente delle Gemme dell’Infinito. Ma ormai sarà già troppo tardi per tentare di recuperare pagine diventate noiose, a compimento di una lettura portata a termine per inerzia.
La storia di un individuo quantomeno singolare estremamente interessante, che ha impreziosito il valore di un villain così famigerato. Peccato che il colpo di fortuna che gli capiterà fra capo e collo gli spianerà la strada in modo così elementare da rasentare l’assurdo, rovinando tutto. Con questo libro il titano s’è portato a casa una gemma, lasciandoci in cambio l’intero percorso delle proprie origini.
La sua stazza ingombrante sembra essere un ostacolo, la sua profetica intelligenza una maledizione che lo condannerà all’esilio. Ma la prigionia sotto il giogo di un folle, a bordo di un’astronave ad anello di disadattati, non fa certo venire a mancare l’entusiasmo per questa lettura.
Il determinato protagonista ha un obiettivo e farà di tutto pur di raggiungerlo. I problemi cominciano proprio quando inizia a riuscirci :(
Il suo incontro con i...
Avvia la parabola discendente di questo romanzo, risucchiando tutto quanto in un’atmosfera di apatia. Man mano tutto perde valore: Ora che tramite l’Estraneo può comandare un esercito in continua espansione e miglioramento in grado di superare ogni ostacolo, che senso ha tutto il resto? Confesso che nonostante reclami a gran voce la necessità di uno stratega (lui stesso) che conduca la “mente alveare” in battaglia, la sua tattica mi richiama quella di un altro famoso condottiero: Zapp Brannigan :P
“I killbot? Quisquilie. Li ho solo superati in intelligenza. [...]
I killbot hanno un limite di vittime prestabilito.
Conoscendo questa debolezza ho solo inviato contro di loro ondate e ondate di uomini.
Superato il limite si sono disattivati.”
E infatti i Chitauri sciamano come cavallette su ogni pianeta prima annientando, poi smezzando, secondo il volere del proprio ‘Signore della Guerra’. Ogni evento successivo: Che si tratti dell’aver adottato due figlie messe poi in competizione, aver accoppato il suo migliore amico, aver nominato degli araldi, ecc… sembra contare davvero poco in confronto all’espansione su larga scala della sua minaccia, portata avanti quasi senza sforzo alcuno.
Solo quando realizza che così facendo non “farà mai in tempo” a salvare tutti - o meglio la metà di tutti – ci sarà un cambiamento, che porterà poi alla cerca del Favoliere e conseguentemente delle Gemme dell’Infinito. Ma ormai sarà già troppo tardi per tentare di recuperare pagine diventate noiose, a compimento di una lettura portata a termine per inerzia.
La storia di un individuo quantomeno singolare estremamente interessante, che ha impreziosito il valore di un villain così famigerato. Peccato che il colpo di fortuna che gli capiterà fra capo e collo gli spianerà la strada in modo così elementare da rasentare l’assurdo, rovinando tutto. Con questo libro il titano s’è portato a casa una gemma, lasciandoci in cambio l’intero percorso delle proprie origini.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 1, 2019
What would it cost to save one's people? Everything.
The journey through Thanos's years growing up on Titan to his quest for the ultimate power in the universe are explored. The joy of exploring a villain’s mind is when they have no idea they are a villain. They’ll hear people throw about “heretic” and “mad” but remain unaltered in their resolve. This was a great character story from start to finish. The pacing was was even, strong supporting characters, equal motivations and development are granted to most elements in the MCU. There are several nods to MCU phrases and events but I must remind people this was shortly declared non-canon shortly before it’s release. It would be best to watch up through the Avengers: Infinity War movie first before reading this novel. I would recommend reading it. For younger readers, perhaps purchase this on ereaders where it is vastly easier to look up less common words. Lyga will use words that aren’t YA friendly but it’s a relatively minor note.
The journey through Thanos's years growing up on Titan to his quest for the ultimate power in the universe are explored. The joy of exploring a villain’s mind is when they have no idea they are a villain. They’ll hear people throw about “heretic” and “mad” but remain unaltered in their resolve. This was a great character story from start to finish. The pacing was was even, strong supporting characters, equal motivations and development are granted to most elements in the MCU. There are several nods to MCU phrases and events but I must remind people this was shortly declared non-canon shortly before it’s release. It would be best to watch up through the Avengers: Infinity War movie first before reading this novel. I would recommend reading it. For younger readers, perhaps purchase this on ereaders where it is vastly easier to look up less common words. Lyga will use words that aren’t YA friendly but it’s a relatively minor note.
December 21, 2018
This is book is... wow. It's just wow. That's the only way to describe it. I knew it was going to be good, Barry Lyga is an incredible author. However this vastly exceeded my expectations. If you are a fan of the MCU, if you enjoyed Infinity War, if you have questions about Thanos, YOU MUST READ THIS BOOK. I promise you won't be disappointed.
February 24, 2019
All I know is that if Thanos doesn't die in Avengers: Endgame I will track him down and kill him myself. But anyway this was a fantastic book, it really brought to light a lot of Thanos personality and beliefs. I hated every second I spent with Thanos, but at the same time never hating that I was reading from his perspective. Awesome book! I totally recommend it your a fan of the Marvel movies like I am.
April 28, 2019
”I blame myself for much. If I learn from it, it will not be so bad.”
If there is nothing I can do in my current predicament, then I will have to change the predicament. And this will call for drastic measures.
The sheer existence of me is at once a weighty and weightless thing.
If there is nothing I can do in my current predicament, then I will have to change the predicament. And this will call for drastic measures.
The sheer existence of me is at once a weighty and weightless thing.
August 1, 2019
FANTASTIC and PERFECT are the only words I can use to describe this book. Prefect companion and even a prequel to Infinity War. Explains the back story of Thanos and even answers some questions to the Infinity Saga. Highly recommended for any Marvel fan. This book will make you root for the villain.
October 10, 2020
So there I was, sitting on my stumpy backside, and thinking about the Avengers movie that is coming out soon. I’d just rewatched Infinity War (for, like, the 10th time – and I basically have enough Marvel movies now that I more or less watch them on a loop, as the spirit moves me) and had an afternoon to kill and, I’m not going to lie, I didn’t really want to be in the house (No kids, down to only one dog, even the missus was out of the country – was pretty lonely in there).
I ran out to the bookstore and this little thing was on the shelf, so I did something I’ve not done in a long time, I mean, a very long time. I sat in the comfy chair of the bookstore and read a book this book in a single setting.
And my hat’s off to the author, I’ve read a bunch of tie-in books before, they lean towards sucking. And I’m unsure if it’s the dictates of Marvel, or the author’s own fancy, but the idea of taking a teenaged Thanos out clubbing and kissing a girl was… bad. But somehow, I ended up enjoying this novel.
Seriously, it was better written than most. Even if I wasn’t totally thrilled with the plot.
And thank the gods no one tried to film this and stick it in one of the movies. In fact (I’m assuming it doesn’t in the next one), I find the backstory presented for Thanos here very non-compelling. If this is the official Marvel history on the movie version of the character, then I hope it’s simply never mentioned on film.
But that said, it did make for an okay read, for the most part. It did fall victim to the need to fill in the blanks in regards to things we do know about him: Learning about the infinity stones, getting Gamora & Nebula and forcing them to fight, collecting the mind-stone, you know, that stuff.
So the book is structured weird, like these discreet time frames. My frustration with it all centers around young Thanos’ life on Titan. None of that part of the story worked for me, it was a good third of the novel’s page count (probably, I don’t know) and was not great at making a character there that I could get behind for when he turns batshit bonkers at some point.
His part as a prisoner aboard a broken-down space faring vessel under the boot of a would-be warlord was cool. This attempt at taking over Asgard was pretty great (I enjoyed the running gag of the Asgardians have a god for everything, then later on, learning that Thanos had his ass handed to him in close-quarters-combat by fighting the goddess of close-quarters-combat).
Anyhoo – Thanos the Warlord, which was the latter portion of book, also not great, and again, this is due (IMO) mostly to the writer painting by numbers to get to the events leading up to Avengers: Infinity War.
So, weirdly, the beginning and end of the book wasn’t great, but the middle portion was… that’s almost never my complaint when reading a novel, most authors kill the beginning and get bogged down in the middle. I wonder if this is because the middle section is where the author had the most freedom to tell whatever story he wanted to.
Regardless of all that, I liked it. I didn’t love it, but I did like it. I think it could have been structured better, it was a frame story, but the framing was literally the instant of the ‘snap’ that took place during the Infinity War movie.
I wish there was a larger, current task Thanos was dealing with, maybe, and the backstory was smaller, way less time on Titan, way more connective tissue with the current obstacle he faced being tied to all this background stuff.
I dunno. I’m just thinking through how I’d do it if I was going to fan fic my own Thanos story. I’m not gonna, I’m still working through my epic be-all end-all Star Trek TNG fan fic, which will blow the world’s mind when it’s complete.
I ran out to the bookstore and this little thing was on the shelf, so I did something I’ve not done in a long time, I mean, a very long time. I sat in the comfy chair of the bookstore and read a book this book in a single setting.
And my hat’s off to the author, I’ve read a bunch of tie-in books before, they lean towards sucking. And I’m unsure if it’s the dictates of Marvel, or the author’s own fancy, but the idea of taking a teenaged Thanos out clubbing and kissing a girl was… bad. But somehow, I ended up enjoying this novel.
Seriously, it was better written than most. Even if I wasn’t totally thrilled with the plot.
And thank the gods no one tried to film this and stick it in one of the movies. In fact (I’m assuming it doesn’t in the next one), I find the backstory presented for Thanos here very non-compelling. If this is the official Marvel history on the movie version of the character, then I hope it’s simply never mentioned on film.
But that said, it did make for an okay read, for the most part. It did fall victim to the need to fill in the blanks in regards to things we do know about him: Learning about the infinity stones, getting Gamora & Nebula and forcing them to fight, collecting the mind-stone, you know, that stuff.
So the book is structured weird, like these discreet time frames. My frustration with it all centers around young Thanos’ life on Titan. None of that part of the story worked for me, it was a good third of the novel’s page count (probably, I don’t know) and was not great at making a character there that I could get behind for when he turns batshit bonkers at some point.
His part as a prisoner aboard a broken-down space faring vessel under the boot of a would-be warlord was cool. This attempt at taking over Asgard was pretty great (I enjoyed the running gag of the Asgardians have a god for everything, then later on, learning that Thanos had his ass handed to him in close-quarters-combat by fighting the goddess of close-quarters-combat).
Anyhoo – Thanos the Warlord, which was the latter portion of book, also not great, and again, this is due (IMO) mostly to the writer painting by numbers to get to the events leading up to Avengers: Infinity War.
So, weirdly, the beginning and end of the book wasn’t great, but the middle portion was… that’s almost never my complaint when reading a novel, most authors kill the beginning and get bogged down in the middle. I wonder if this is because the middle section is where the author had the most freedom to tell whatever story he wanted to.
Regardless of all that, I liked it. I didn’t love it, but I did like it. I think it could have been structured better, it was a frame story, but the framing was literally the instant of the ‘snap’ that took place during the Infinity War movie.
I wish there was a larger, current task Thanos was dealing with, maybe, and the backstory was smaller, way less time on Titan, way more connective tissue with the current obstacle he faced being tied to all this background stuff.
I dunno. I’m just thinking through how I’d do it if I was going to fan fic my own Thanos story. I’m not gonna, I’m still working through my epic be-all end-all Star Trek TNG fan fic, which will blow the world’s mind when it’s complete.
November 23, 2018
To say I am a fan of Barry Lyga’s work would be an understatement! But even as a megafan I was amazed by this book. From the masterful pen of Lyga comes an origin story of one of the most hated villains’ in the comic universe. And yet while reading this book I could not help but find myself feeling empathy, sympathy, and even compassion for Thanos of Titan. I could not put the book down and read it in three sittings. It is a page turner, and to be honest has eclipsed all other comic novelizations I have ever read.
This book follows the life of Thanos of Titan, from infancy to learning about the infinity stones. From his first friend, to a first kiss, to killing a friend with his bare hands. It is hard to write about this book with out spoiling the story. But we read about his rejection from birth, by his mother, and his whole society, just because of the color of his skin. We read about his vast intellect, and his realization that his own people were doomed. And yet unbale to save them. Forced into exile, rescued and forced into near slavery. His first battle with asgardians. We read about the first few true friendships the titan had. And we read about his loss time and time again. The authors favorite line in the book is:
““Thanos!” His Lordship boomed with exhilaration. “You marvelous lavender bastard!”
And the book begins with these words:
“There are as many tales of the origins of the Mad Titan, THANOS, as there are stars remaining in the sky. This is but one of them.
It is also the truth.”
As truth it does not pull any punches. He clearly shows the rumours and legends that surround Thanos. But it does so through his eyes and his reasoning. It sheds a very different light on the man, the legends, and the rumours.
The story is tightly written. It was near impossible to put down, and for an hour after finishing it I just sat in silence thinking about it. In fact, I spent the whole rest of the day thinking about it. Since then I have shared with several friends and many are intrigued and picking up the book to read for themselves. Lyga has written a story in the Marvel Universe that is exceptional. It is exceptional in the quality of the story. It is exceptional in portraying characters we know, a few we love, and one till now we have hated, in a whole new light.
I read over 100 books a year. This story has surprised me more than any other fiction book I have read in the last few years! But even with as much as we learn about Thanos in this book, there are still many unanswered questions. And to be honest could not but hope that Lyga writes more backstories in this universe … Gamora, Yondu Udonta, Wong, so many more characters that it would be thrilling to read how Lyga would handle the stories.
But let me be absolutely clear, this is an exceptional read. Excellent for fans of the comic books, and stories, or the more casual fans of the movies. If you have been following the MCU at all you owe it to yourself to give this book a read! I am certain you will not be disappointed!
Read the review on my blog Book Reviews and More and reviews of other books by Barry Lyga. As well as an author profile and interview with Barry.
This book follows the life of Thanos of Titan, from infancy to learning about the infinity stones. From his first friend, to a first kiss, to killing a friend with his bare hands. It is hard to write about this book with out spoiling the story. But we read about his rejection from birth, by his mother, and his whole society, just because of the color of his skin. We read about his vast intellect, and his realization that his own people were doomed. And yet unbale to save them. Forced into exile, rescued and forced into near slavery. His first battle with asgardians. We read about the first few true friendships the titan had. And we read about his loss time and time again. The authors favorite line in the book is:
““Thanos!” His Lordship boomed with exhilaration. “You marvelous lavender bastard!”
And the book begins with these words:
“There are as many tales of the origins of the Mad Titan, THANOS, as there are stars remaining in the sky. This is but one of them.
It is also the truth.”
As truth it does not pull any punches. He clearly shows the rumours and legends that surround Thanos. But it does so through his eyes and his reasoning. It sheds a very different light on the man, the legends, and the rumours.
The story is tightly written. It was near impossible to put down, and for an hour after finishing it I just sat in silence thinking about it. In fact, I spent the whole rest of the day thinking about it. Since then I have shared with several friends and many are intrigued and picking up the book to read for themselves. Lyga has written a story in the Marvel Universe that is exceptional. It is exceptional in the quality of the story. It is exceptional in portraying characters we know, a few we love, and one till now we have hated, in a whole new light.
I read over 100 books a year. This story has surprised me more than any other fiction book I have read in the last few years! But even with as much as we learn about Thanos in this book, there are still many unanswered questions. And to be honest could not but hope that Lyga writes more backstories in this universe … Gamora, Yondu Udonta, Wong, so many more characters that it would be thrilling to read how Lyga would handle the stories.
But let me be absolutely clear, this is an exceptional read. Excellent for fans of the comic books, and stories, or the more casual fans of the movies. If you have been following the MCU at all you owe it to yourself to give this book a read! I am certain you will not be disappointed!
Read the review on my blog Book Reviews and More and reviews of other books by Barry Lyga. As well as an author profile and interview with Barry.
January 25, 2019
I'd say Barry Lyga's a pretty equal-opportunity fanboy. This book couldn't be any less like Lyga's Flash trilogy: not only is it Marvel, but it's a pretty epically crushing secret origin for Thanos. Following the Mad Titan from his birth onward, we get a glimpse of how great a world Titan used to be, until all that prosperous veneer came crashing down in the end, as we all knew it would.
And of course, that's not the end of the book there. Even as an adolescent, Thanos is already proposing what Itex Corporation in Maximum Ride would've called the By-Half Plan. Already there's a lot of sympathy for Thanos going around in the real world, with people focusing on what remorse he shows even when he tries to squash that down, his utter devotion to his schemes, and his complete sense of justification. But this book explains Thanos so well as only Lyga, prototypically one of the darkest writers in all of YA, can do.
It all goes back to his childhood, when his mother was nowhere to be seen because she was locked away in a psychosylum (yeah, Titan already ain't perfect, ain't it? Kinda get some shades of Omelas there), his father would literally buy him friends (and, at one point, even suggested buying his son some pleasurable company to, uh, "unburden himself," as Mr. Robot would say), and Thanos was himself severely ostracized and forcibly hidden from most of society due to a combination of racism (his purple skin is exceedingly rare, and despised because the Titans consider it the color of death) and ableism (I hate to say it, but Lyga's characterization of Thanos is very autistic-coded to me - though rather than being offended, as an autistic person, I applaud Lyga for adding that detail into an already complex character and making him, even for a moment or ten, actually super bloody relatable.)
When Thanos is eventually exiled from Titan, he manages to find his way into a new band of travelers, and from there starts the ball rolling on his involvement with all the forces of destruction he'll come to bring against the rest of the universe. He travels from world to world like a dark, twisted second coming of The Little Prince, at first struggling to reason with leaders who refuse to listen to him any more than the leaders of Titan, and then as a warlord of increasing might. And that's before he finds his adoptive daughters in Gamora and Nebula, before he gains a bunch of extra-dangerous acolytes, and before he learns of the Infinity Stones' true abilities from a trolling Lorekeeper.
I gotta say, the Lorekeeper scene is the single greatest thing Lyga ever wrote. I seriously wish that scene would be filmed for real, even if it winds up being a secret Easter egg featurette on the Endgame Blu-ray 3D 4K UHD digital download edition or something.
It seems like every January I find at least one backlist book from the previous year that, had I read it the year before, would've made the Top 5 in the Pinecone Awards for sure. It's a grand tradition including such examples as Victoria Schwab's The Archived, Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff's Illuminae, S.A. Chakraborty's The City of Brass...and now, Barry Lyga's Thanos: Titan Consumed.
And of course, that's not the end of the book there. Even as an adolescent, Thanos is already proposing what Itex Corporation in Maximum Ride would've called the By-Half Plan. Already there's a lot of sympathy for Thanos going around in the real world, with people focusing on what remorse he shows even when he tries to squash that down, his utter devotion to his schemes, and his complete sense of justification. But this book explains Thanos so well as only Lyga, prototypically one of the darkest writers in all of YA, can do.
It all goes back to his childhood, when his mother was nowhere to be seen because she was locked away in a psychosylum (yeah, Titan already ain't perfect, ain't it? Kinda get some shades of Omelas there), his father would literally buy him friends (and, at one point, even suggested buying his son some pleasurable company to, uh, "unburden himself," as Mr. Robot would say), and Thanos was himself severely ostracized and forcibly hidden from most of society due to a combination of racism (his purple skin is exceedingly rare, and despised because the Titans consider it the color of death) and ableism (I hate to say it, but Lyga's characterization of Thanos is very autistic-coded to me - though rather than being offended, as an autistic person, I applaud Lyga for adding that detail into an already complex character and making him, even for a moment or ten, actually super bloody relatable.)
When Thanos is eventually exiled from Titan, he manages to find his way into a new band of travelers, and from there starts the ball rolling on his involvement with all the forces of destruction he'll come to bring against the rest of the universe. He travels from world to world like a dark, twisted second coming of The Little Prince, at first struggling to reason with leaders who refuse to listen to him any more than the leaders of Titan, and then as a warlord of increasing might. And that's before he finds his adoptive daughters in Gamora and Nebula, before he gains a bunch of extra-dangerous acolytes, and before he learns of the Infinity Stones' true abilities from a trolling Lorekeeper.
I gotta say, the Lorekeeper scene is the single greatest thing Lyga ever wrote. I seriously wish that scene would be filmed for real, even if it winds up being a secret Easter egg featurette on the Endgame Blu-ray 3D 4K UHD digital download edition or something.
It seems like every January I find at least one backlist book from the previous year that, had I read it the year before, would've made the Top 5 in the Pinecone Awards for sure. It's a grand tradition including such examples as Victoria Schwab's The Archived, Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff's Illuminae, S.A. Chakraborty's The City of Brass...and now, Barry Lyga's Thanos: Titan Consumed.
March 29, 2019
5 ⭐
It was interesting to learn more about Thanos. Sad that his people ostracized him. I don't really find him sympathetic in trying to kill half of the universe. It was sad that his planet died but that doesn't mean that he needs to start killing other planets. Hope he sees the errors of his ways. Don't really like his training of Gamora and Nebula either. Think he was too violent. RIP Cha.
It was interesting to learn more about Thanos. Sad that his people ostracized him. I don't really find him sympathetic in trying to kill half of the universe. It was sad that his planet died but that doesn't mean that he needs to start killing other planets. Hope he sees the errors of his ways. Don't really like his training of Gamora and Nebula either. Think he was too violent. RIP Cha.
January 7, 2019
I loved this book. I love how Barry Lyga has given us the opportunity to learn about Thanos and his past and why he's the horrible monster we know him to be!
February 4, 2019
5/5 stars.
Yes. This was the PERFECT origin story for MCU Thanos. I loved every bit of it!! God, I hope we get some of the stories from this book told in Endgame.
Yes. This was the PERFECT origin story for MCU Thanos. I loved every bit of it!! God, I hope we get some of the stories from this book told in Endgame.
July 2, 2023
As a certified MCU fanboy stan I can say with confidence that this book is better than 80% of the movies.
(Aslo for a mass murder Thanos is strangly popular with the ladies)
(Aslo for a mass murder Thanos is strangly popular with the ladies)
August 13, 2019
I loved this book - great background regarding the origin of one of the most notorious villains in the Marvel Comics universe. If you've seen the MCU movies, this book will give you greater insight to the mind and character of Thanos and how he found his path to pursuing the Infinity Stones. I really hope more Marvel novels like this are written.
October 22, 2019
Starts really interesting but halfway thru 😴
April 30, 2019
I'm DNF'ing this at 80 pages. I'm just finding it boring.
September 23, 2021
Marvel’s Thanos: Titan Consumed by Barry Lyga is Young Adult movie tie-In novel acting as a prequel to the Fourth Avengers film “Avengers: Infinity War”.
One of the biggest reasons why Avengers: Infinity War worked on so many levels was because Thanos is such an engaging and fleshed-out villain. Barry Lyga’s novel explores the origin story of Thanos, the Mad Titan, who ultimately decimates half of all life in the universe with the snap of his fingers.
Set decades before the various Avengers films, Thanos is a ‘Deviant’ child born to A’Lars and Sui-San. Because of his purple skin (the color of death), Thanos grows up isolated from the rest of Titan and is homeschooled by his father. A chance remark from the first girl he kisses leads him to an epiphany that Titan was going to run out of resources and that 50% of the population needs to be euthanized. When he relays his message on a hologram, even offering his own life, it causes mass panic and he is exiled from the planet. From this point the book jumps through Thano’s space-faring adventures over a course of 10-20 years as goes from an unknown exiled person to a ruthless warlord feared thought out the galaxy. The story moves on to show how Thanos recruited Gamora, Nebula, the Chitauri, and The Black Order While leading into the events of the Avengers: Infinity War.
There is a lot I loved about it, but also a big issue that weakened the story. Infinity War did a good job of building Thanos despite having only one film to do it in, but he was still mostly one-dimensional as an antagonist. The ultimate ecoterrorist who also loved his daughter. author Barry Lyga never manages to make me sympathize with Thanos, but he does make him a more complex and fully formed character.
The worldbuilding, the society, and Thanos’ life on Titan are all expertly crafted and take up more than half the book. It was time well spent! The book absolutely shines throughout this part. Liga goes into detail about how Titan is structured, and where the flaws are in that structure. This was the closest I felt to identifying with Thanos. The tried and true Daddy issues are his foundation, but Liga builds upon that very well with his outsider status. The people of Titan come in many hues, but not purple. That is the color of death (hello, foreshadowing!) and Titans, despite being so technologically advanced, are superstitious about it. Very realistic. I also liked how the book focuses on Thanos’ super genius intellect, which was completely set aside in the film, that further ostracizes him from his people. He reminds me of Ultron. Thanos is the only one who can see, through calculation and data analysis, what will befall his homeworld. But, his moral compass is too skewed to see how his people were sure to react, or why his “solution” is wrong.
Unfortunately, the flaw in the structure here is time. The timeline of the novel feels VERY compressed - Thanos is an Eternal, but the whole story seems to take place in only 10-20 years. His exile from Titan, The Chitauri, the Fall of Titan, rise as a Warlord, Gamora – it all flies by in a rush after he leaves Titan. This is especially noticeable when Thanos just happens to fall into the lap of an army, the Chitauri, who send him straight to Warlord. The author made a valiant effort to make it work with the hive mind concept, but it still felt overly contrived. But, my biggest disappointment was that the Black Order received only a few throwaway sentences. They were nothing more than muscle in the film, and they get even less here. This may be a result of the book being written/marketed for Young Adults, but another few chapters would have helped. I was initially torn about the Loremaster. He was also an expeditious way to give Thanos information, but he was such a “comic book character” that I didn’t mind at all. He helped give the book a solid conclusion.
Overall, I enjoyed the book. It was a great expansion of the MCU storyline. Despite its flaws Thanos: Titan Consumed manages to create a interesting backstory to one of the more interesting villains in the Marvel Cinematic universe, and I would definitely recommend any fan of the Marvel comics/movies give this book a read.
One of the biggest reasons why Avengers: Infinity War worked on so many levels was because Thanos is such an engaging and fleshed-out villain. Barry Lyga’s novel explores the origin story of Thanos, the Mad Titan, who ultimately decimates half of all life in the universe with the snap of his fingers.
Set decades before the various Avengers films, Thanos is a ‘Deviant’ child born to A’Lars and Sui-San. Because of his purple skin (the color of death), Thanos grows up isolated from the rest of Titan and is homeschooled by his father. A chance remark from the first girl he kisses leads him to an epiphany that Titan was going to run out of resources and that 50% of the population needs to be euthanized. When he relays his message on a hologram, even offering his own life, it causes mass panic and he is exiled from the planet. From this point the book jumps through Thano’s space-faring adventures over a course of 10-20 years as goes from an unknown exiled person to a ruthless warlord feared thought out the galaxy. The story moves on to show how Thanos recruited Gamora, Nebula, the Chitauri, and The Black Order While leading into the events of the Avengers: Infinity War.
There is a lot I loved about it, but also a big issue that weakened the story. Infinity War did a good job of building Thanos despite having only one film to do it in, but he was still mostly one-dimensional as an antagonist. The ultimate ecoterrorist who also loved his daughter. author Barry Lyga never manages to make me sympathize with Thanos, but he does make him a more complex and fully formed character.
The worldbuilding, the society, and Thanos’ life on Titan are all expertly crafted and take up more than half the book. It was time well spent! The book absolutely shines throughout this part. Liga goes into detail about how Titan is structured, and where the flaws are in that structure. This was the closest I felt to identifying with Thanos. The tried and true Daddy issues are his foundation, but Liga builds upon that very well with his outsider status. The people of Titan come in many hues, but not purple. That is the color of death (hello, foreshadowing!) and Titans, despite being so technologically advanced, are superstitious about it. Very realistic. I also liked how the book focuses on Thanos’ super genius intellect, which was completely set aside in the film, that further ostracizes him from his people. He reminds me of Ultron. Thanos is the only one who can see, through calculation and data analysis, what will befall his homeworld. But, his moral compass is too skewed to see how his people were sure to react, or why his “solution” is wrong.
Unfortunately, the flaw in the structure here is time. The timeline of the novel feels VERY compressed - Thanos is an Eternal, but the whole story seems to take place in only 10-20 years. His exile from Titan, The Chitauri, the Fall of Titan, rise as a Warlord, Gamora – it all flies by in a rush after he leaves Titan. This is especially noticeable when Thanos just happens to fall into the lap of an army, the Chitauri, who send him straight to Warlord. The author made a valiant effort to make it work with the hive mind concept, but it still felt overly contrived. But, my biggest disappointment was that the Black Order received only a few throwaway sentences. They were nothing more than muscle in the film, and they get even less here. This may be a result of the book being written/marketed for Young Adults, but another few chapters would have helped. I was initially torn about the Loremaster. He was also an expeditious way to give Thanos information, but he was such a “comic book character” that I didn’t mind at all. He helped give the book a solid conclusion.
Overall, I enjoyed the book. It was a great expansion of the MCU storyline. Despite its flaws Thanos: Titan Consumed manages to create a interesting backstory to one of the more interesting villains in the Marvel Cinematic universe, and I would definitely recommend any fan of the Marvel comics/movies give this book a read.
December 14, 2018
Thanos has succeeded in destroying half of the entire universe and taking many beloved characters along the way.
But he didn’t always start out that way.
This book has Thanos’ origin story from his life on Titan, the death of his world, meeting the Chitauri, the Black Order, and adopting Gamora and Nebula.
Everything that Thanos has been through is finally laid bare. We also see what his home life was like and what made him start his quest for decimating half the universe to achieve balance and the need for all six Infinity Stones.
This made him a fascinating character and ties in completely with Infinity War. If you’re a Marvel fan and want to read a great character driven book about arguably one of their best villains, read it. But only if you already saw Infinity War. And if you still haven’t, what’s taking you so long?
But he didn’t always start out that way.
This book has Thanos’ origin story from his life on Titan, the death of his world, meeting the Chitauri, the Black Order, and adopting Gamora and Nebula.
Everything that Thanos has been through is finally laid bare. We also see what his home life was like and what made him start his quest for decimating half the universe to achieve balance and the need for all six Infinity Stones.
This made him a fascinating character and ties in completely with Infinity War. If you’re a Marvel fan and want to read a great character driven book about arguably one of their best villains, read it. But only if you already saw Infinity War. And if you still haven’t, what’s taking you so long?
July 20, 2022
Avete mai letto un film?🤔
È questo quello che ho provato leggendo questo romanzo. Un susseguirsi di immagini ad ogni singola parola ( non so perché ancora non lo abbiano trasformato in un film devo dire). Non è canonico con l'mcu ma è un prequel che non intacca i precedenti film, magari per possibili idee future che potrebbero andare in contrasto con quanto scritto hanno deciso così 🤷
L'idea di raccontare la storia di un cattivo dagli inizi della sua vita, per capirne la psicologia dietro è stato un'ottima mossa. Thanos non nasce "cattivo" e alla fine non lo diventa neppure, a suo modo.
Ci ritroviamo approssimativamente qualche istante dopo il blip ( chi ha visto Avengers Infinity war capirà), tutto il libro sono il suo passato visto e rivisto infinite volte in quel momento, un prisma tra passato, presente e futuro che lo fa sentire parte integrante del tempo stesso.
Ho trovato molto interessante l'idea che sta dietro, ho adorato il suo personaggio nel film e scoprine il passato, le scelte che ha fatto e cosa ha subito per portalo ad arrivare a fare quel determinato gesto è stato molto interessante. La psicologia del cattivo è una cosa che viene messa di lato per la maggior parte dei casi ma qui riusciamo a capirla a pieno.
Non è il classico libro che alla fine ti fa passare dalla parte del cattivo solo perché è il protagonista, ma ti da modo di comprenderlo, non accettarlo, perché capire una persona non implica il dover stare dalla sua parte.
Se posso criticare un difetto forse l'ultima pagina un po' "aperta" nonostante si ricolleghi alla prima pagina (che consiglio di rileggere a fine libro per capirla), ha qualche differenza che mi ha lasciato perplesso sul significato di quelle piccole variabili...👀
Ogni fan Marvel dovrebbe leggere questo libro🤩 per chi cerca un libro diverso dal solito, che racconti la nascita di un villan che merita!
È questo quello che ho provato leggendo questo romanzo. Un susseguirsi di immagini ad ogni singola parola ( non so perché ancora non lo abbiano trasformato in un film devo dire). Non è canonico con l'mcu ma è un prequel che non intacca i precedenti film, magari per possibili idee future che potrebbero andare in contrasto con quanto scritto hanno deciso così 🤷
L'idea di raccontare la storia di un cattivo dagli inizi della sua vita, per capirne la psicologia dietro è stato un'ottima mossa. Thanos non nasce "cattivo" e alla fine non lo diventa neppure, a suo modo.
Ci ritroviamo approssimativamente qualche istante dopo il blip ( chi ha visto Avengers Infinity war capirà), tutto il libro sono il suo passato visto e rivisto infinite volte in quel momento, un prisma tra passato, presente e futuro che lo fa sentire parte integrante del tempo stesso.
Ho trovato molto interessante l'idea che sta dietro, ho adorato il suo personaggio nel film e scoprine il passato, le scelte che ha fatto e cosa ha subito per portalo ad arrivare a fare quel determinato gesto è stato molto interessante. La psicologia del cattivo è una cosa che viene messa di lato per la maggior parte dei casi ma qui riusciamo a capirla a pieno.
Non è il classico libro che alla fine ti fa passare dalla parte del cattivo solo perché è il protagonista, ma ti da modo di comprenderlo, non accettarlo, perché capire una persona non implica il dover stare dalla sua parte.
Se posso criticare un difetto forse l'ultima pagina un po' "aperta" nonostante si ricolleghi alla prima pagina (che consiglio di rileggere a fine libro per capirla), ha qualche differenza che mi ha lasciato perplesso sul significato di quelle piccole variabili...👀
Ogni fan Marvel dovrebbe leggere questo libro🤩 per chi cerca un libro diverso dal solito, che racconti la nascita di un villan che merita!
March 23, 2019
Omg as a Marvel fan, I loved this book! And I’m so glad I read it before Endgame! Ideally I would’ve wanted to read it before Infinity War, but nonetheless, this was a worthwhile read! Before reading this, I wasn’t very big on the Thanos solo comics. I just didn’t see anything that intrigued me and made me wanna pick them up. The Inifinity storylines did enough for me. I decided to read this knowing it’s MCU canon and might come into play in Endgame. It was a gamble. And it was worth it. I now feel both sympathy and understanding for Thanos, while also still remembering that he’s the big bad. I can definitively say now that he’s one of the best Marvel villains of all time, alongside Magneto, Loki, Doctor Doom, Doctor Octopus, etc. This novel covers every inch of Thanos’ backstory, his origins, his path to becoming the mad titan, and his journey to finding the Infinity Stones. This book literally leaves no stone (ha!) unturned and covers everything I needed to know about Thanos and kept me in my seat the whole way. If you’re a Marvel fan, I highly recommend this. It’s an ultimate prequel to the entire MCU. Hopefully you read it before Endgame like I did, even if it doesn’t come into play. It’s still a really good read into what makes Thanos the Mad Titan.
April 22, 2019
A Madman Consumed
This was an excellent insight into the character of Thanos. It's focus is on the Thanos of the MCU, not the comics. If you are not as familiar with the character, it is an excellent account of the aptly named, Titan consumed. Thanos is a complicated foe, more so than many the Avengers (both individually and as a group) have encountered. I personally Think Loki was the other best foe, since both are richly textured, with many facets to their personality. Thanos is a superior intellect combined with power, strength and in his own twisted way, compassion. His original mission failed and it helped to mold him into the villain he is. This is a must read for Avengers fans giving insight into Infinity War and preparation this week for End Game. I am so looking forward to Thanos getting what he deserves from the Avengers. A well written insight. I read this book using immersion reading while listening to the audiobook. Tom Taylorson did a fantastic job on narration.
This was an excellent insight into the character of Thanos. It's focus is on the Thanos of the MCU, not the comics. If you are not as familiar with the character, it is an excellent account of the aptly named, Titan consumed. Thanos is a complicated foe, more so than many the Avengers (both individually and as a group) have encountered. I personally Think Loki was the other best foe, since both are richly textured, with many facets to their personality. Thanos is a superior intellect combined with power, strength and in his own twisted way, compassion. His original mission failed and it helped to mold him into the villain he is. This is a must read for Avengers fans giving insight into Infinity War and preparation this week for End Game. I am so looking forward to Thanos getting what he deserves from the Avengers. A well written insight. I read this book using immersion reading while listening to the audiobook. Tom Taylorson did a fantastic job on narration.
December 16, 2018
Inside the mind of a madman!
What a fascinating read. You never sympathize with Thanos, but you understand his motivations and his passion. You also nearly recoil in horror at the lengths he chooses to go to in achieving his goals, and his unwavering belief that it is not only absolutely necessary, but the right thing to do. It’s a hero’s journey though the lens of madness. A great read for this excellent character study as well as the deeper exploration of the MCU as a whole. Nearly two dozen movies worth of continuity and world building are beautifully strung together in a cohesive narrative. Reading this book has made my enjoyment of the Marvel Cinematic Universe that much more complete and satisfying. Definitely recommend.
“I will not surrender. I will not give up. Life needs me on it’s side.”
What a fascinating read. You never sympathize with Thanos, but you understand his motivations and his passion. You also nearly recoil in horror at the lengths he chooses to go to in achieving his goals, and his unwavering belief that it is not only absolutely necessary, but the right thing to do. It’s a hero’s journey though the lens of madness. A great read for this excellent character study as well as the deeper exploration of the MCU as a whole. Nearly two dozen movies worth of continuity and world building are beautifully strung together in a cohesive narrative. Reading this book has made my enjoyment of the Marvel Cinematic Universe that much more complete and satisfying. Definitely recommend.
“I will not surrender. I will not give up. Life needs me on it’s side.”
December 27, 2018
As the title alludes, this book takes part in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It focuses on Thanos and covers the time between his birth and when he started hunting the infinity stones. I watch a lot of Youtube MCU theorise and after reading this I know there's going to be a lot of adjustments. The reason being is that a lot is based off of the comic books, but MCU Thanos isn't the same as comic book Thanos. He isn't as old or powerful. Now, I'm curious to see what theories come using this book. If you're like me and want to know more than what you see in the MCU movies, I highly recommend this book. It's a page turner and fun to make the connections between the book and the movies.
September 13, 2019
A Review of the Audiobook
Published by Disney in 2018.
Read by Tom Taylorson.
Duration: 10 hours, 4 minutes.
Unabridged.
This book is a prequel to the record-breaking Marvel Cinematic Universe's Infinity War movies, telling the early life story of the villain - Thanos.
The story starts with the birth of Thanos on the planet Titan. Thanos is born deformed. His face is deformed, he is freakishly large and he is purple on a planet where people are born all sorts of colors, but not purple. Purple is the color of death.
And so starts the tragic story of Thanos...
Well, it's sort of tragic.
Thanos has a horrible early life but he is pretty horrible in his own ways, even without external prompting. The author, Barry Lyga does a commendable job of breathing life into this story and making Thanos a character that the reader alternately hates and pities. The journey from Thanos: the scorned child to Thanos: the Mad Titan and Destroyer of Worlds makes sense in this telling. I found myself wishing that Lyga had had a hand in the writing of the Star Wars prequels and had told the story of the conversion of Annakin Skywalker (Jedi Hero) of Darth Vader, the evil Sith Lord. George Lucas' story is most unsatisfying on that point.
This is an excellent sci-fi novel. It was made all the more enjoyable by the reader, Tom Taylorson. He created a whole universe of voices and characters with his voice. A first-rate talent.
I rate this audiobook 5 stars out of 5.
Published by Disney in 2018.
Read by Tom Taylorson.
Duration: 10 hours, 4 minutes.
Unabridged.
This book is a prequel to the record-breaking Marvel Cinematic Universe's Infinity War movies, telling the early life story of the villain - Thanos.
The story starts with the birth of Thanos on the planet Titan. Thanos is born deformed. His face is deformed, he is freakishly large and he is purple on a planet where people are born all sorts of colors, but not purple. Purple is the color of death.
And so starts the tragic story of Thanos...
Well, it's sort of tragic.
Thanos has a horrible early life but he is pretty horrible in his own ways, even without external prompting. The author, Barry Lyga does a commendable job of breathing life into this story and making Thanos a character that the reader alternately hates and pities. The journey from Thanos: the scorned child to Thanos: the Mad Titan and Destroyer of Worlds makes sense in this telling. I found myself wishing that Lyga had had a hand in the writing of the Star Wars prequels and had told the story of the conversion of Annakin Skywalker (Jedi Hero) of Darth Vader, the evil Sith Lord. George Lucas' story is most unsatisfying on that point.
This is an excellent sci-fi novel. It was made all the more enjoyable by the reader, Tom Taylorson. He created a whole universe of voices and characters with his voice. A first-rate talent.
I rate this audiobook 5 stars out of 5.
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