1594 ( )

Still on the run Tom seeks the Source while Savoy turns vampire and we learn more of Toms rearing

The power of mutual belief is the major theme in this volume, as Tom journies to the heart of every whale story in the human subconscious. Not only does the whale keep popping up in every major literary culture, but the whale itself is the embodiment of every story that connects along the ages through the mutual human subconscious. It is this belief that turns the whale into a metaphorically physical being, and this is the reason why Tom's journey of self discovery must begin here. The whale is at once the created and the creator of power, as Tom's father has managed to harness the power of the mutual human subconscious through the doorknob and the wand (who's magic is believed by the legions of Tommy Taylor fans). This could potentially wind up with Tom losing his power though, since it is so reliant on the faith of others, but chances are this is one of the major storyarcs that the author deals with later! ( )

Now I get it. The root of Tom's power is finally explained, and in a fashion that doesn't explain all the mysteries in the story. ( )

This fourth installment of The Unwritten series was probably the most difficult to read. Tom Taylor gets separated from Lizzie and Savoy and travels through multiple stories, faces the great white whale and must figure out how to get back home. I feel like there was a lot I missed in this story so I'm going to have to go over it again before the fifth volume comes out but I did still enjoy it. I love the premise of these comics and how they illustrate how much the stories we read influence our lives. I also love the way the authors define stories through the series. One particular set of scenes in this volume stuck out to me. Our hero, Tommy, is being read a book by his father as a child and they begin discussing happy endings and how, as readers, we expect everyone to live happily ever after. Tommy's father tells Tommy,

"Nobody ever lives happily ever after, Tom. If that were to happen the story would have to stop. Because it's sustained on the endless agonies and exertions of the hero. . . At the close of each book, we promise him a respite. A moment's peace. And a moment's all it is."

I liked these lines a lot because they remind me that life isn't a happily ever after. We're going to have good days and bad days but neither one is going to last forever. So, when the going gets tough, we need to put on our big girl panties and muddle through it and know that better times are around the corner. Of course, we can't get too complacent in the good times because there are going to be bad days ahead.

This series also has some of the best and most interesting artwork I've seen. There are all kinds of hidden gems throughout the story. I recommend this series to anybody who's a lover of literature. ( )