From: mechanteanemone	Date: November 26th, 2007 07:41 pm (UTC)		(Link)

Man! We bought this book as soon as it was out a couple of weeks ago -- hardcover. I liked the idea of a book constructed as a dossier, but I felt the plot was non-existent, and the text tedious and obscure. In my opinion, Kevin O'Neill did his job but Alan Moore did not!

I'd been eagerly waiting for this book, and I was SO disappointed. In fact, I sold it back on Saturday in pristine condition so I wouldn't have to stare at it anymore (and got store credit I used to buy Dirt Devils, so I'd feel better about my purchases).

	From: inkbrush76	Date: November 26th, 2007 07:56 pm (UTC)		(Link)

I have to admit that I personally didn't enjoy the Black Dossier very much at all. It really felt as though exposition was substituted for plot. Also, it seems by my eye that the main theme of the work is described, at best, as pedantic. Moore goes to great lengths to set up a way in which the characters who were the main movers and shakers of the previous LEG novels more or less climb into a hole and pull everything about themselves in after them. In that respect, it very much mirrors Moore's public behavior of late. (Or, to be fair, it mirrors what we've been told/what I've heard of his behavior. I think most people would agree that they have better things to do than follow the explicit details of someone else's life too closely.)

Anyway, back to the theme. I find it a little hard to find a cohesive theme in the work, but if there is one, I'd say it is probably summed up this way: "It's not what happens that's important, it's the details about what happens that are important." This is supported at least in part by the sparse plot. (Mina and Allan steal a book and run, climb into an airship and leave.) It is further supported by the lavish detail spent on creating false pieces of history in the book. At least equal time is given to the fake plays, fake Cthonic/Wodehouse mashups, and dry government documents. These are executed very well, although in a few places they could've taken it further. Some of the government documents look as though they are supposed to resemble type-written documents. Unfortunately, those pages in particular wind up being nearly illegible for having entirely too many characters per line. This would be fine if what they had done really resembled what a typewriter of the day tended to produce, but instead, it looks as though it was intentionally designed to induce headaches.

The fact that Moore dispenses with an engaging plot altogether forces the reader into the position of being forced to read the background material. This is a gutsy move, because it is a move that will either work or fail miserably, depending on the reader. If the reader finds the background material fascinating or engrossing, then the book has a greater chance of success. If the reader can't drum up interest in Moore's world-building, then the book will pretty much be a flat experience for them, because there's not enough else there to grab onto and get interested in.

I did enjoy some of the tricks played in the 3-D section, especially some of the effects achieved in some of the text balloons with scribbled text and legible text taking up the same space. Clever and delightful stuff, that is.

I didn't really enjoy it, but that's a personal thing. I found it to be tedious without any reward. I'm glad to hear that other people enjoyed it, but it was not for me. So it goes.

	From: jcfiala	Date: November 26th, 2007 11:45 pm (UTC)		(Link)

I liked some of the fanfic, and some of the plot bits, but as a work on the whole... I'm afraid I don't think it's that good. Art's great, but it just doesn't gel as a work for me.

	From: geekchick	Date: November 27th, 2007 09:43 pm (UTC)		(Link)

	From: panthergirl	Date: November 28th, 2007 08:46 pm (UTC)		(Link)

Hmmmm....as I need a brain eatingly intense book after the Holidays, what would you recommend?