What has Brandon Been Reading?

Brian Sanderson Blog entry Posted on 02.09.09

What has Brandon Been Reading?

Just a quick update here, something for those of you who are curious. What's been on my reading desk lately? Well, beyond a few advance copies of books I've been asked to look into for potential cover quotes, I've recently read two novels. The first was Terry Pratchett's REAPER MAN. I'm slowly working my way through some of the older Pratchett books that I never read when they came out. Like always, his writing was excellent. A good dose of humor, quirky characters, and philosophy all in one container.

Secondly, I read WATCHMEN. And I'm still kind of reeling from the experience. People had tried to prepare me for the book, but I don't think you really can be prepared for this novel. It's unlike anything I've ever read before. Literary, yet visual, with an excellent plot and characters. Yet that doesn't really do it justice. Like those who tried to prepare me, I can't really prepare you. It's worth reading. Trust me. (Note, it does have some graphic content, though I think it was handled with a great deal of skill.)

Of course, I picked the book up in preparation for the movie. And now, oddly, I find I have no desire to see the movie. The graphic novel was SO well done, that it seems there's little a film adaptation could add. With a regular novel, it's always nice to see a visual take on the story you experienced in written form. But with WATCHMEN, we already have the visuals. I feel like I've already SEEN a film of the book--it was the book itself, in many ways.

I don't blame them for making a movie, and I hope it is a good film. But I don't know that I'll go see it. Either they'll do it scene-by-scene, and faithfully adapt the graphic novel. In that case, I think I'll be disappointed because I just got that same experience reading the book. (I'm not one who goes to see movies a second time, or even one who tends to re-read books I've already read before.) If they DON'T faithfully adapt the book, I think I'll be disappointed even more.

Though, speaking of film adaptations, I did just go se Coraline, and I enjoyed it. (I hadn't read the book.)