V for Vendetta book review (redo)


I finally have a chance to catch up on my reading
I finally had a chance to sit down and read V for Vendeta and I begin to understand why the movie may have taken the direction it did.

I still haven't seen the film.

The story in the book is brilliant. Graphic novels aren't my usual thing, but I am a science fiction fan. The book pays deliberate tribute to at least a dozen influential works in the genre, but maintains it's own voice and theme. Not an easy thing to do. I can see why people were raving about it.

At the same time, the graphic novel works on a couple of levels. While the criticism of an ultra-right wing government is very much in your face, in the background there is a subtle but still incredible strong criticism of a left wing government that would allow itself to be subverted.

I found some of the political assumptions to be naive. Too soon people forget that Nazi meant National Socialist Party. The hard Left can be every bit as dangerous and seductive as the hard Right.

V is an anarchist, not a libertarian. I don't think we are quite to the point where V found himself.

One of the things that surprised me was growth of Evey Hammond. Even today, it is remarkable to see strong female characters in science fiction, much less one that you can relate to. In her own way, she is more driven than V. As the story begins, she needs V, but he needs her to have the strength NOT to need him. That is an interesting twist on sacrifice that caps the entire story.

Additional Technorati Tags
V for Vendetta , anarchist books

— NeoWayland

Posted: Sun - April 16, 2006 at 07:42 PM  Tag


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