The Unwritten: Tommy Taylor and the Ship That Sank Twice

by Mike Carey, Peter Gross

Overview

One of Publishers Weekly's Hot Fall Books of 2013!

Tom Taylor has lived his life being mistaken for Tommy Taylor, the boy wizard from the world-famous series of novels penned by Tom's long-lost father Wilson. However, after a series of strange events start to parallel the lives of both Taylors--fictional and real--Tom realizes that he might be the character on page made flesh.

In this first-ever original graphic novel spinning off from the pages of the critically acclaimed THE UNWRITTEN series, writer Mike Carey explores the origins behind Tom's mysterious powers and the odyssey his father has sent him on.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781401247409
Publisher:	DC Comics
Publication date:	09/24/2013
Sold by:	DC Comics
Format:	eBook
File size:	74 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Writer Mike Carey, best known for his work on Vertigo's THE UNWRITTEN, LUCIFER and JOHN CONSTANTINE, HELLBLAZER has made his mark in comics. Born in Liverpool, England, Carey worked as a teacher for fifteen years before gaining regular work writing for several independent companies. In 1999 he wrote THE SANDMAN spinoff miniseries THE SANDMAN PRESENTS: LUCIFER. This led to the Lucifer solo title which earned him a nomination for the 2001 Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards - Best Writer. His additional Vertigo projects include FAKER and CROSSING MIDNIGHT. Beyond DC, Carey was also recognized for his work on Marvel's X-Men titles. He makes his home in London with his wife, Lin, and his children, Davey, Ben and Louise.

Editorial Reviews

★ 11/15/2013
After seven volumes of "The Unwritten," the Eisner-nominated series about the entwined lives of fictional fantasy hero Tommy Taylor and his real-life counterpart, Carey reveals here the story behind the story: Tommy's origin. Son of the most powerful mage in Albion, the infant Tommy survives the shipwreck that kills his parents and lives his youth at the Tulkinghorn Magical Academy—where he wishes to study magic but can only be a servant because he has no spark of magic within him. There's an argument that this tale, which within its own fandom has Harry Potter-scale popularity, should have remained unwritten for fear that it could never live up to such billing. But Carey quashes such fears brilliantly with a narrative that, while decidedly Potteresque, is exciting and compelling in its own ways. Carey also reveals the metastory behind the metastory, showing Tommy's coldly manipulative creator, author Wilson Taylor, plotting to bring reality and fiction together when his son Tom is born on the day the first Tommy Taylor book is published. VERDICT An indispensable volume for fans of this highly acclaimed series. A recommended stand-alone as a way into the series for new readers.—S.R.

Library Journal

05/01/2014
Gr 7 Up—This title can serve as an entry point to the author's "Unwritten" series, or as a standalone prequel. Tom Taylor is magically linked to the fictional character, Tommy Taylor, from the fantasy book series written by his father, Wilson Taylor. While looking for his missing dad, Tom and friends cross over into this fantasy world, and fiction slowly becomes reality. The fictional Tommy receives his magical powers in this volume, and in a parallel narrative, Wilson crafts his first book, and orchestrates a twisted publicity stunt to make his son and his book character the same person in the eyes of the public. This is the first time that Carey has tackled these subjects, so longtime fans of Carey's comics will be eager to pick this up, while those new to this world may be confused about the complexity of the two plots. Both story lines are equally compelling and balance each other out wonderfully—Tommy's sections is filled with magical adventures and Harry Potter—esque whimsy, while Wilson's tale is filled with dark, psychological mind games. Art style and coloring changes throughout the piece to perfectly match the changing moods—an epic storm at sea is drawn with rich pastel and heavy-textured color, while scenes of Wilson are often drawn with simple lines and blue-shading. An excellent installment to the series.—Peter Blenski, Greenfield Public Library, WI

School Library Journal

★ 09/23/2013
Tommy Taylor’s father destroyed his childhood by penning popular novels about a boy wizard based on his son. In the ongoing Unwritten comic, fantasy literature’s wish-fulfillment machine gets coated in a sardonic darkness reminiscent of Lev Grossman. With this superb standalone graphic novel, Carey and Gross explore the roots of their mythology. The action pivots from the diaries of Tommy’s cold-blooded father, Wilson, to the actual novels that he’s grinding out with mechanistic precision while regarding his baby boy Tommy as nothing more than a publicity tool. The Tommy stories are a clever riff on popular fantasy tropes, mashing up Superman and C.S. Lewis right at the start before kicking straight into Harry Potter–land, with the orphaned boy wizard battling a Voldemortian vampire-wizard with his two best friends at his side. Carey and Gross have the knack for drawing a certain kind of reader in (you know who are) just before flipping back to Wilson’s diaries. If there’s any flaw in this richly rewarding novel, it’s that it romps too long in J.K. Rowling’s playground—one longs to see Carey and Gross take on other genre clichés. Give them time. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

Fantasy literature’s wish-fulfillment machine gets coated in a sardonic darkness reminiscent of Lev Grossman.… With this super standalone graphic novel, Carey and Gross explore the roots of their mythology.”—Publishers Weekly, Starred Review


Praise for Mike Carey's The Unwritten:

"Incredibly fun and ridiculously addictive.... For fans of literature (from classics to contemporary) this series is worth a read.... The Unwritten is a roller-coaster ride through a library, weaving famous authors and characters into a tale of mystery that is, at once, oddly familiar yet highly original."—USA Today

"A wish-I'd-thought-of-it premise, beautifully executed. Highly recommended for anyone who thinks that fantasy can do more than just help you escape the real world."—Brian K. Vaughan, Y: The Last Man

From the Publisher