The Harrowing of Doom: A Marvel Untold Novel Paperback – December 1, 2020

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.The Harrowing of Doom by David Annandale tackles notorious villain Doctor Victor von Doom from a whole new perspective. This time around, Doom teams up with the wise Maria von Helm to create the Harrower, a device that will rescue his long-gone mother from the depths of Hell. But when a rebellion begins to rise to knock Doom from power just as his invention nears completion, all Hell breaks loose. Literally.A tale told through Marvel’s signature cinematic nature, The Harrowing of Doom plays out like a movie, an ensemble cast with a variety of quick take vignettes dropping its audience all throughout Latveria -- Doomstadt in particular -- as its leader endangers himself while trying to protect his city -- while a quiet revolution grows ever louder day by day.Most definitely written with Marvel movie fans in mind, this cinematic exploration of Victor von Doom’s enigmatic mind is just that: enigmatic. I never quite knew the specifics of what was going on or why, but I didn’t really mind? That said, the ensemble of characters was so diverse that Doom didn’t really stand out as the protagonist, and his murky motives prevented me from truly supporting his actions -- except for, that is, attempting to do his best for Doomstadt. As a die-hard Marvel fan, I enjoyed this look at Doom’s motivations and schemes; I just wish it felt like a deep dive rather than a surface level scuba.#TheHarrowingofDoomaconytebooksMarvel #NetGalley #Marvel #MarvelEnt #Aconytebooks #reviewAbout Marvel EntertainmentMarvel Entertainment, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, is one of the world’s most prominent character-based entertainment companies, built on a proven library of more than 8,000 characters featured in a variety of media for over eighty years. Marvel utilizes its character franchises in entertainment, licensing, publishing, games, and digital media.For more information visit marvel.com. © 2020 MARVEL

Each year on the summer solstice, Doom does battle with Hell to free his mother's soul. Each year he fails. Until now. Now he has a plan with hope for success.I liked that Annandale brought in a bunch of other characters and told parts of the story from their perspective as well. I also enjoyed how Doom is more of an antihero here instead of a straight up villain like he's often portrayed in the comics. Annandale gives him more nuance. He cares for his subjects. It's just that he knows what's best for everyone. It's the same reason he plans to one day rule the world, because only Doom can fix everything. I also enjoyed how Annandale brought in the former Prince to foment rebellion among the ex-royalty of Latveria.

The book started off fairly well with a good premise. But as more characters are introduced the wording got muddled. You may be reading about one character and then the next thing you know you are reading about another character without realizing it. There should be a break between sections or more chapters. Sections and thoughts flowed together as one long paragraph.As the book went on i started losing interest because i didn't know who i was reading about until they finally said the characters name. Very frustrating read

A well written tale of Marvel's greatest supervillain.

The Harrowing of Doom by David Annandale is a free NetGalley ebook that I read in mid-November.It's all very majestic with a heavy use of the works of Byron and noble European swaggery in its description, when I really think it's trying hard to be dark, Gothic, and foreboding. Doom designs himself to be a charismatic benefactor, inviting people to be near him, among him, while unwittingly treating them like peons, then fighting against comparative evil to 'save' them and to protect the world from devastation, I guess.

The Harrowing of Doom: A Marvel Untold Novel is a gripping journey into the dark and twisted mind of Doctor Doom. The story is intense, filled with suspense, and perfectly captures Doom’s complexity as a villain who believes he’s the hero of his own story. The writing is vivid, making it easy to visualize the dark, gothic settings and epic battles. A must-read for Marvel fans who appreciate deep, character-driven narratives with a darker tone.

I'm beginning to have a great deal of respect for Aconyte Books. Much of the time, media tie-in novels suffer from a feeling of "that'll do"- hit a few of the same beats as the source material, repeat some popular bits, job done. This seems to be the fault of editors rushing books out to a deadline, without the love and attention they and their authors deserve. I see evidence of no such attitude at Aconyte from what I've read. Their Arkham Horror novels are sublime, and now this- a glorious dive into the world of Latveria's monarch Victor Von Doom over the course of a year in which he plots to rescue his mother's soul from Hell- might possibly be the best-served I've ever seen the metal masked meanie.The Harrowing of Doom is by no means a cheap and tawdry knock-off. Davis Annandale makes plain his love for the character and does him a treat. Neither is it just a plain, distracting, adventure story- this one asks some pretty big questions and goes further behind the mask than any before it. Doom is very much the anti/ hero here, his complete loyalty to his beloved subjects never in question. This is the supervillain as hero in their own story, which immediately makes it 100% more interesting than just another round of fisticuffs with the FF.Annandale populates Latveria with fascinating characters- and the threads involving a priest struggling with his faith in the face of his obvious penchant for witchcraft, and the trans gay woman who heads Doom's security forces, are as involving as the main story and Annandale's treatment of Doom himself.There is a sequel coming in April, and I will be purchasing it on publication day.

This was a great insight into the lengths Doom's ambition will not only take him... But also those brave, foolish and hopeful enough to be around him.I also appreciated the representation found within.Fans of Doom should be pleased.