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momotan's review against another edition
3.0
All'inizio della lettura sono rimasto un po' perplesso, ma a causa di un mio errore.
Quando lo scorso anno avevo preso questo libro non avevo notato la dicitura in alto "Marvel Studios' Avengers: Infinity War" e pensavo quindi che, sfruttando la popolarità data dal film, il libro trattasse del Thanos fumettistico.
Quando le nozioni del libro hanno cominciato a contraddire ciò che ricordavo del passato del Titano ho cominciato a leggere più cercando indizi sugli eventi che godendomi la storia, finché non sono andato a controllare scoprendo che l'ambientazione era quella del Marvel Cinametic Universe.
A quel punto sono finalmente riuscito a godermi il racconto del passato di questo Thanos, dalla nascita infausta (affetto da una mutazione rara che oltre a dargli un aspetto estremamente differente da quello del resto della popolazione gli aveva donato il caratteristico colorito viola che su Titano associavano allegramente a morte, distruzione e sventura. La conseguenza, oltre a una vita di isolamento, solitudine e di consapevolezza di essere ingiustamente temuto e odiato, era stata la pazzia della madre alla sua vista. Benaugurante, eh) all'esilio da Titano, dal periodo di schiavitù su una nave moribonda all'incontro con gli Asgardiani, dai Chitauri alla scoperta della sua missione.
Un viaggio che partendo da un Thanos geniale e desideroso di aiutare il prossimo, benché forzatamente privo di empatia e di capacità di rapportarsi emotivamente con le altre persone, lo trasforma poco a poco nella macchina di morte spietata che conosciamo.
Parte da solo, e poco a poco raduna alleati intorno a sé, si crea nemici che elimina dal proprio cammino, e infine ottiene la sua strana, disfunzionale e psicopatica "famiglia".
Chiaramente questo libro non porta chissà quale rivelazione, non offre colpi di scena ed è godibile solo da chi abbia visto (e, immagino, apprezzato) i film.
Ma svolge bene il proprio compito, garantendo intrattenimento e soddisfacendo qualche curiosità sul personaggio che è stato al centro dei film Marvel degli ultimi anni.
Quando lo scorso anno avevo preso questo libro non avevo notato la dicitura in alto "Marvel Studios' Avengers: Infinity War" e pensavo quindi che, sfruttando la popolarità data dal film, il libro trattasse del Thanos fumettistico.
Quando le nozioni del libro hanno cominciato a contraddire ciò che ricordavo del passato del Titano ho cominciato a leggere più cercando indizi sugli eventi che godendomi la storia, finché non sono andato a controllare scoprendo che l'ambientazione era quella del Marvel Cinametic Universe.
A quel punto sono finalmente riuscito a godermi il racconto del passato di questo Thanos, dalla nascita infausta (affetto da una mutazione rara che oltre a dargli un aspetto estremamente differente da quello del resto della popolazione gli aveva donato il caratteristico colorito viola che su Titano associavano allegramente a morte, distruzione e sventura. La conseguenza, oltre a una vita di isolamento, solitudine e di consapevolezza di essere ingiustamente temuto e odiato, era stata la pazzia della madre alla sua vista. Benaugurante, eh) all'esilio da Titano, dal periodo di schiavitù su una nave moribonda all'incontro con gli Asgardiani, dai Chitauri alla scoperta della sua missione.
Un viaggio che partendo da un Thanos geniale e desideroso di aiutare il prossimo, benché forzatamente privo di empatia e di capacità di rapportarsi emotivamente con le altre persone, lo trasforma poco a poco nella macchina di morte spietata che conosciamo.
Parte da solo, e poco a poco raduna alleati intorno a sé, si crea nemici che elimina dal proprio cammino, e infine ottiene la sua strana, disfunzionale e psicopatica "famiglia".
Chiaramente questo libro non porta chissà quale rivelazione, non offre colpi di scena ed è godibile solo da chi abbia visto (e, immagino, apprezzato) i film.
Ma svolge bene il proprio compito, garantendo intrattenimento e soddisfacendo qualche curiosità sul personaggio che è stato al centro dei film Marvel degli ultimi anni.
sbsenpai's review against another edition
5.0
Thanos has succeeded in destroying half of the entire universe and taking many beloved characters along the way.
But he didn’t always start out that way.
This book has Thanos’ origin story from his life on Titan, the death of his world, meeting the Chitauri, the Black Order, and adopting Gamora and Nebula.
Everything that Thanos has been through is finally laid bare. We also see what his home life was like and what made him start his quest for decimating half the universe to achieve balance and the need for all six Infinity Stones.
This made him a fascinating character and ties in completely with Infinity War. If you’re a Marvel fan and want to read a great character driven book about arguably one of their best villains, read it. But only if you already saw Infinity War. And if you still haven’t, what’s taking you so long?
But he didn’t always start out that way.
This book has Thanos’ origin story from his life on Titan, the death of his world, meeting the Chitauri, the Black Order, and adopting Gamora and Nebula.
Everything that Thanos has been through is finally laid bare. We also see what his home life was like and what made him start his quest for decimating half the universe to achieve balance and the need for all six Infinity Stones.
This made him a fascinating character and ties in completely with Infinity War. If you’re a Marvel fan and want to read a great character driven book about arguably one of their best villains, read it. But only if you already saw Infinity War. And if you still haven’t, what’s taking you so long?
edcorcoran's review against another edition
2.0
Thanos as a depressed Teen YA protagonist with a Destiny is certainly a take on this character. It’s okay as these things go, but as a Thanos origin, it’s much less interesting than either the original Starlin origin or the even the 2013 James Aaron origin. It’s also very confused about light years and how long it takes to cross them at sub light speed.
lesserjoke's review against another edition
2.0
Originally announced and written as the first novel set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe before Disney walked back that claim just before publication, this book presents the backstory of its title character and the origins of his quest to destroy half of all life in existence. (The exact reasons for the Mouse revoking a canonical status remain unclear. I see no contradictions with any of the on-screen continuity through Avengers: Infinity War, so presumably there's something in here that goes against future plans for the MCU's cosmic inhabitants, unbeknownst at the time to author Barry Lyga.)
Even if this were still an official part of the series, though, I wouldn't be able to really recommend it to anyone. The plot is largely unremarkable, and there are so many ridiculous leaps in character logic, most of which hinge on Thanos's absolute conviction that he's mathematically determined the certainty of a planet's entire population dying off -- despite making numerous other miscalculations over the course of the text -- or him killing whole worlds of people anyway when they don't agree with his diagnosis or proposed cull.
And while there's definitely potential for someone to tell an interesting, compelling story about such a misguided savior, rich in dramatic irony about what he's overlooking, there's no attempt at that sort of complexity here. Instead the narrative is completely on Thanos's side, which makes it practically impossible to ever take seriously. It's just the tale of a bullied child who refuses to check his math, kills a lot of people, and eventually learns what Infinity Stones are. It's inessential, non-canonical, and generally not worth your time.
Even if this were still an official part of the series, though, I wouldn't be able to really recommend it to anyone. The plot is largely unremarkable, and there are so many ridiculous leaps in character logic, most of which hinge on Thanos's absolute conviction that he's mathematically determined the certainty of a planet's entire population dying off -- despite making numerous other miscalculations over the course of the text -- or him killing whole worlds of people anyway when they don't agree with his diagnosis or proposed cull.
And while there's definitely potential for someone to tell an interesting, compelling story about such a misguided savior, rich in dramatic irony about what he's overlooking, there's no attempt at that sort of complexity here. Instead the narrative is completely on Thanos's side, which makes it practically impossible to ever take seriously. It's just the tale of a bullied child who refuses to check his math, kills a lot of people, and eventually learns what Infinity Stones are. It's inessential, non-canonical, and generally not worth your time.
anthonybanthony's review against another edition
5.0
Can they make this into a movie? It can't be any worse than most of Phase 4/5
starwarrior91's review against another edition
5.0
Inside the mind of a madman!
What a fascinating read. You never sympathize with Thanos, but you understand his motivations and his passion. You also nearly recoil in horror at the lengths he chooses to go to in achieving his goals, and his unwavering belief that it is not only absolutely necessary, but the right thing to do. It’s a hero’s journey though the lens of madness. A great read for this excellent character study as well as the deeper exploration of the MCU as a whole. Nearly two dozen movies worth of continuity and world building are beautifully strung together in a cohesive narrative. Reading this book has made my enjoyment of the Marvel Cinematic Universe that much more complete and satisfying. Definitely recommend.
“I will not surrender. I will not give up. Life needs me on it’s side.”
What a fascinating read. You never sympathize with Thanos, but you understand his motivations and his passion. You also nearly recoil in horror at the lengths he chooses to go to in achieving his goals, and his unwavering belief that it is not only absolutely necessary, but the right thing to do. It’s a hero’s journey though the lens of madness. A great read for this excellent character study as well as the deeper exploration of the MCU as a whole. Nearly two dozen movies worth of continuity and world building are beautifully strung together in a cohesive narrative. Reading this book has made my enjoyment of the Marvel Cinematic Universe that much more complete and satisfying. Definitely recommend.
“I will not surrender. I will not give up. Life needs me on it’s side.”
kaloyan_woo's review against another edition
3.0
As a certified MCU fanboy stan I can say with confidence that this book is better than 80% of the movies.
(Aslo for a mass murder Thanos is strangly popular with the ladies)
(Aslo for a mass murder Thanos is strangly popular with the ladies)
djwills369's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
jessiehulk98's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this book. I love how Barry Lyga has given us the opportunity to learn about Thanos and his past and why he's the horrible monster we know him to be!
libreroaming's review against another edition
2.0
Disclaimer: I've always seen the MCU Thanos as an inferior, ill-conceived Malthus undergrad student to the more tragic comics origin. Largely because, while less sane, wanting to kill half the world with magical infinity stones as a "please date me" gesture to Death at least makes sense for the methods to achieve goals. MCU Thanos insisting that if you randomly kill half of all life it will let the overpopulation flourish instead of...any other methods, well, generously you could think he's just a genocidal maniac who wants the flimsiest excuse of what lets him kill untold millions. Or he's a total idiot who doesn't understand how biomes work.
Lyga tries to give a little bit of both. The prose as it stands is good, Thanos is a distinct character voice and the amount of brutality in some of the scenes lend well to his journey. But it's ultimately a boring venture, mostly because Lyga must write a character who is not sympathetic and also not very compelling. The prequel means readers know eventually where he ends up, but the stakes prior to it are slack. We know Titan is destroyed, but since Lyga was only able to give Thanos 1 friend and 1 love interest (that he talks to about a handful of times and there is no chemistry), there are no personal stakes. I will say the reveal where Thanos returns from his exile and discovers his father's plan after Titan's fate is already sealed is a great moment, but it's a blip 50% of the way through.
The moments where you might want more extrapolation: such as his recruitment of the Black Order or Gamora, are either mere notations or not there. I would say if you genuinely think MCU Thanos is an amazing and compelling character, Lyga delivers what the character is already drawn. But if you were hoping for a prequel to give some nuance to an otherwise flat character, this won't change your mind.
Lyga tries to give a little bit of both. The prose as it stands is good, Thanos is a distinct character voice and the amount of brutality in some of the scenes lend well to his journey. But it's ultimately a boring venture, mostly because Lyga must write a character who is not sympathetic and also not very compelling. The prequel means readers know eventually where he ends up, but the stakes prior to it are slack. We know Titan is destroyed, but since Lyga was only able to give Thanos 1 friend and 1 love interest (that he talks to about a handful of times and there is no chemistry), there are no personal stakes. I will say the reveal where Thanos returns from his exile and discovers his father's plan after Titan's fate is already sealed is a great moment, but it's a blip 50% of the way through.
The moments where you might want more extrapolation: such as his recruitment of the Black Order or Gamora, are either mere notations or not there. I would say if you genuinely think MCU Thanos is an amazing and compelling character, Lyga delivers what the character is already drawn. But if you were hoping for a prequel to give some nuance to an otherwise flat character, this won't change your mind.