Blind Prophecy

So, an innocent trip to the bookstore turned bad this evening when I suddenly dipped much further into my “I wanna go to the Big Damn Board Meet” account than I should have. It’s not all tragedy, but I need to use more caution in the future.

On the other hand, the stack of books ought to keep me occupied long enough to keep me from making the same mistake again too quickly.

On the list: Marvel: 1602 by Neil Gaiman.
Stadust by Neil Gaiman. (for the upcoming ATPO melee)
Mist of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley… to replace my lost copy and because I’m in the mood to reread it.
Light Before Day by Christopher Rice. Because… well, I guess Annie’s little baby is the gay novelist of our time. Actually, I have enjoyed his first two books and after reading only part of the first chapter I can say that he’s revealing our [the gay publishing industry's] secrets!
Plus a few reference books for my writing projects in progress.

I’ve already finished 1602 and loved it. It helped that prior to reading it I knew nothing of the forces that brought the series into being (but if you’re interested, a good account can be found here). Having now learned about Neil’s post 9/11 mindset (which he discusses in the afterward), I see the story differently than I did at the time I first read it.

I’m admittedly only recently reaquainting myself with the Marvel universe (I know X-men better than the rest of the ‘verse), but it seems to me that Rojhaz not being willing to “do the right thing” was taking a real risk. I mean, only a British writer would dare cast Captain America in a less than idealized light… unless you are one of those people who take issue with the Ultimate Cap’n.

Then there’s the matter of Angel and John… I mean, Jean… Grey. Only Gaiman could get away with taking the diverse American heroes and casting them in such unexpected ways. I love the fact that Gaiman so subtley placed a gay character in the least expected place. Another way to reinforce the mutant as metaphor for society’s hated outcasts. It’s clear that Gaiman understood the key to the X-Men that has always kept me coming back – particularly in this caucasian-heavy story. (Racial diversity is, to be honest, nearly nonexistant. Matthew Murdoch is Irish, The Grand Inquisitor is Jewish, Wanda and Petro are described as “gipsys” at one point… But the Native American is blonde and not Native American at all. No African-American characters appear. Obviously no Asian or Native Australian characters)

Anyway, it was a great read, and one that I’m looking forward to returning to when I have time to sink my teeth deeper into it. Not as revolutionary, deep or timeless as The Sandman books, but unmistakenly Gaiman doing what he does best… finding the essence of the characters, the archtypes that draw us into these modern myths, and subverting our expectations in ways we never see coming. In short: thoughtful, worthwhile and intelligent storytelling.

Filed under: livejournal by Jere Keys