I picked this book up because I felt inspired to see some ass kicking against a corrupt, overzealous, powerful oligarchical governmental system in a dystopian future police-state after reading 1984, wherein I was heartbroken to learn that the supposed “counter-revolution” is a mean trick to find counter-revolutionaries and imprison them, torture them and re-educate them using the people’s own fears against them.
Alan Moore doesn’t disappoint, of course. But I couldn’t help read this and compare it to the movie, which I’ve seen only a few thousand times (one of my favourites). I’m sure Mr. Moore appreciates that fact too. At least I don’t feel as bad as the Occupy Wall Street kids he met, wearing the Guy Fawkes’ masks because they liken their movement to “what happened in the movie.“ Kids these days.
In any case, I believe I can enjoy both the movie and the book, even though they are very different. It feels like the book is more about the message, where the movie tends to focus more on the violence and V’s revolution. They even add more people he needs to slaughter into the movie. And in the scenes in which he does kill, it’s very stealthy and low-key, almost anti-climactic in the book. Moore doesn’t seem like he wants to focus much on V’s methods or his killing of guards, henchmen &cetera.
And I quite like that. The characters, save for V, Evey and Detective Finch, are all magnificent pieces of shit.
Really love to hate those types of characters, not only for how they treat other people and their views on racial/political supremacy, but also their goals and what they value. And it feels great to watch them destroy themselves with very little prodding and setting up from V. It really is comforting to think that, of all the horrible people in life we come across, it’s okay not confronting them and pointing out their wretchedness, because eventually their own misery will catch up with them. And they likely wouldn’t understand any sensible conversation anyway.
Alan Moore seems a fan of letting crappy, awful people carry on and continue to be crappy and awful until they learn their ultimate lesson, whatever that may be. That alone makes this book worth reading, but I also loved V himself. A really amazing, driven character who’s even quirkier and stranger than I expected. I’d recommend it just for him alone, but the misery of the other characters and his vengeful, yet hands-off approach to watch them destroy themselves combines a very Count of Monte Cristo feel to it all.
Furthermore, I love the idea of Anarchy being a ruling system for society. He makes clear the difference between Anarchy and Chaos, which most people confuse, and maintains that it’s okay for humanity to operate without any central ruling body, taking care of themselves and enjoying their own personal freedoms, giving up only what they choose. I first was taught about the difference between anarchy as a political ideal and simple chaos amongst the public by the professor in The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, and I love when an author can defend these ideals.
I also love Moore’s ideals towards sexual freedom, his dears of government and leadership that aims to criticize and even ban homosexuality in some circumstances. Written during the reign of Margaret Thatcher, I can’t really sympathise with his fears, but I do have this to bring to the table:
(Is that the theme from Red Dawn?)
Always a pleasure to read anything Alan Moore wrote, his strange nature draws me in and I thoroughly enjoy the warnings he issues about the direction he thinks society is headed.
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