One of the highlights of 2009 for me was discovering the work of Mike Carey. I first got into his writing through the Felix Castor novels, a series of wonderfully bleak and atmospheric supernatural mysteries involving a hardbitten exorcist and his adventures in the darkest corners of London. But my growing addiction to Carey’s particular mix of baroque imagination but rigorously pared-back prose led me to his comics writing – and then I was helplessly hooked. From his smaller projects like Faker and Crossing Midnight to his triumphantly mind-bending eleven-volume run on Lucifer (which I’m halfway through right now!) I’ve loved everything of his I’ve read. And now he’s got a new series…

The first volume of THE UNWRITTEN has just been collected and released in trade paperback. Carey’s writing combines with Peter Gross’ gorgeous artwork to tell the unusual and intriguing story of Tom Taylor, a man whose boyhood was immortalized by his late father in a series of bestselling children’s fantasy novels, beloved worldwide by millions. These ‘Tommy Taylor’ adventures give off a strong whiff of Narnia and Harry Potter. But Tom Taylor’s story carries echoes of real-life ‘characters’ like Lewis Carroll’s Alice or AA Milne’s Christopher Robin: the fame that Taylor’s fictional life has given him is as much a curse as a blessing. The sudden discovery that Tom may not have been his father’s son after all causes international scandal. Worse yet, the fantasy characters of the ‘Tommy Taylor’ stories may be more real than they seem – and a sinister conspiracy that appears to involve not just those books but every book ever written is lurking in the wings…

Like Elmore Leonard (but with monsters!) Mike Carey is now an author whose books I buy on sight: when I open each one I’m excited, because I know I’ve got a treat in store. THE UNWRITTEN might turn out to be his best yet. If you want to be in at the beginning, now’s your chance.

Sam

PS: I’ll also second Andy’s recommendation of CHEW, by John Layman and Rob Guillory. It’s delicious!

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