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A Once Crowded Sky: A Novel Paperback – July 9, 2013

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Tom King (Author)
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4.2 out of 5 stars 77 customer reviews
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Product Details

  • Paperback: 336 pages
  • Publisher: Touchstone; Reprint edition (July 9, 2013)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1451652011
  • ISBN-13: 978-1451652017
  • Product Dimensions: 6.1 x 0.9 x 9.1 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (77 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #358,864 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Top Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 starsThe comic book hero that saved the novel
By Eric on July 10, 2012
Format: Hardcover
Usually, comic books are not novels, novels are not comic books. King has done something UNusual by mixing the two genres. For the most part, he does so without sacrificing the power of either one, which is impressive. Imaginative and carefully done, the book is both literate in the dense and self-reflexive world of superheroes and complex enough to offer long-form character development. You need to know comic books to really get everything out of the book, but it works on other levels too. King seems well-read in many kinds of literature and has come up with fresh sets of characters and ideas. It's a terrific first novel, and I'm curious to see its effect on literary conventions. But mostly, I think readers will like reading it.
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5.0 out of 5 starsA Literate Take on Super Heroes
By James Joyce Fan on July 10, 2012
Format: Hardcover
My husband is one of those lucky comic book nerds who found a fellow comic book nerd to marry. Long before I met my hubby, I was turned on to Watchmen a couple years after its release when I was about ten or so. It was easily the smartest piece of literature I touched until high school, by which time I'd read Watchmen twenty times. I've been trying to amass a collection of comics and graphic novels--or any literature for that matter--which sets out to deconstruct the genre, and I've sadly concluded over the years that all of these works generally do little more than expound on Moore's original work, AT BEST. I think that the Incredibles must have done more to introduce comic-deconstruction themes to a mass audience than most comics since Watchmen.

AT LAST, we have another work to look deep into the meaning of comics and the idea of metacomic writing in Mr. King's work. For the first time since my read of Watchmen all those years ago, I find myself reading this title, now for the second time since I got it yesterday and blew through it in one night. I'm happily finding new insight in both the storyline and the greater themes that King must have considered at length before he wrote word one of this novel.

And, not for nothing, it is an exciting read, with well thought out and believable characters, particularly with regards to one of the characters (Soldier). I judge most of what I read in any fiction by my ability to believe in the motives of the main characters, which accounts heavily for my high rating.

Happy reading!
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5.0 out of 5 starsThe power of good literature is alive and well
By Amazon LLon on July 10, 2012
Format: Hardcover Verified Purchase
It's hard to believe that this is a first novel by this young writer. It has the wit, fluidity, and page-turning intensity that one generally gets only from veteran literary writers. I truly enjoyed every minute of it, and when I had to put it down a few times to take care of some business, its characters haunted me. I couldn't wait to get back to it.

If you are looking for depth and complexity, for literary muscle, King's novel, which turns Dante's Paradiso on its head, has plenty of all of that, but the most thrilling thing about this book is that its depth and complexity and literary muscle don't weigh the book down a bit. For all its abundant intelligence and literary playfulness, the book reads like a summer thriller. It is truly a joy. I also love the little pieces of graphic novel that blend perfectly into the text now and then.

I hope somebody in Hollywood picks up on King's story. It would make a great film. I'd love to experience it as a movie. These are great characters battling a world gone completely wrong, learning how to fight all over again. In this sense, the book is a metaphor for King's own experience. I understand he applied to join the CIA the day after the World Trade Center was attacked on 9/11, abandoning plans to go to law school, and then served as an undercover CIA agent in some of the most dangerous places in the world doing what his characters in this book do: learning to fight an unexpected and deadly battle with tools and fortitude they never imagined they would have to use.

It's a wonderful book, deep and meaningful but truly entertaining. I hope this guy keeps writing. He is somebody to pay attention to.
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4.0 out of 5 starsProfoundly sad, exceptionally original exploration of the personal cost & moral dilemmas created by loss of superhuman powers
By Robbster on February 17, 2013
Format: Kindle Edition Verified Purchase
What happens when you cross Dante with Comic Superheros, mix in a profound melancholy, and add to this a rigorously human interpretation of each Hero's personal needs, dilemmas and relationships, as they are shaped and warped by the possession of these powers, and subsequent lack thereof? Answer: this novel, "A Once Crowded Sky".

To me, there is no categorizing this novel by genre, it is a unique work in that sense as well.

Here we explore these themes primarily in brutally direct prose, interspersed with small but delightful sections of comic book format story-telling. The suffering of the characters is unrelenting, however, and this is one of the primary ways in which the story relates to the Inferno. The message is that there would be a very high personal cost indeed to the unending possession and exercise of such powers, no matter how well intended the outcomes. And further, that there would also be a similarly high cost to the loss of those powers.

There is allegorical story-telling here as well, on many levels, depending upon how one chooses to interpret certain plot elements and events, e.g., "the Blue" and "DG".

As with most of the rest of the book, it is up to the reader to interpret the ending. After reflecting for a couple weeks, I realized that I liked the book quite a lot, though the melancholy was a bit wearying (-1 star even though I understand how essential it is to the message), and I wound up firmly rooting for certain characters and their potential for a brighter future.

A remarkable accomplishment overall, perhaps even destined to become a classic. I'd really like to see what Tom King does next... can't imagine, which makes it much more fun! Recommended.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 starsLoved it

Just having read this novel for the first time, only initially enticed to read it based on a split-second decision influenced by the title and cover art, I found myself totally... Read more

Published 8 months ago by Thais Morton
5.0 out of 5 starsFive Stars

This book is amazing!

Published 9 months ago by Josh Pond
3.0 out of 5 starsMeh

Just meh. It's all just meh. I've read way too many books about super heroes where the super part is left out. Read more

Published 11 months ago by greenranger2005
1.0 out of 5 starsThe hardest, least enjoyable genre book I have ever read.

After three months, I finally dragged myself through this waste of paper. This has got to be the hardest, least enjoyable genre book I have ever read. Read more

Published 12 months ago by PrimeTechie
5.0 out of 5 starsGreat Book, Great Author

This book captures the imagination and lets it run wild. A well written and intricately woven story, “A Once Crowded Sky” pays homage to the comic book genre without being... Read more

Published 22 months ago by Steven Davis
2.0 out of 5 starsneeds editing

Sort of meta plot felled by enthusiastic but poor prose and writing. Had hoped for better, but was tiring to read.

Published on February 8, 2014 by Juba Lee
3.0 out of 5 starsInteresting, literate, flawed examination of a comic book world

When I read the cover blurb for this, it sounded like something I would really like--an examination of super heroes, power, failure and redemption along the lines of Watchmen, but... Read more

Published on December 12, 2013 by Bill Weinberger
5.0 out of 5 starsLiked the book so much, got multiple copies to give to friends.

I really enjoyed this book. I just happened to come across this book on one of my many trips to the bookstore and decided to give it a try. It has become my new favorite book. Read more

Published on November 20, 2013 by Greg
5.0 out of 5 starsFive Stars

Great read and quick delivery!

Published on November 3, 2013 by Dream Photography
2.0 out of 5 starsconfusing layout

Good idea but poorly executed. The layout of this novel is incredibly confusing. Chapters attempt to mimic comic book layouts. Read more

Published on September 30, 2013 by Dussan

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