The Nice House on the Lake - Review

Author: James Tynion IV

Genre: Graphic Novel

Format: Paperback

Pages: 200

How do you think the world is going to end?

I watched the characters in this struggle to come up with an answer to the question, but my first thought was, alphabetically or chronologically. Maybe it's the state of things these last few years, but honestly, maybe we aren't too far away from that. Shame I don't have a friend like Walter to invite me to a house on the lake like this one. 

I'm slowly working through James Tynion's original works and have yet to find one I didn't like. The Nice House on the Lake was no exception. I mean the cover alone is what pulled me in, the story itself had me staying. It's a great trope in science fiction, surviving the end of the world. What I love about this series is how these people saved the world and just Tynion's ability to tell a story. Yes, it's a trope we've seen before, both the end of the world and what Walter is doing, but the way Tynion tells it keeps you invested.

The symbols, the mail system, where exactly is the house, why don't they remember getting to the house. You learn a lot about the plot in two hundred pages through alternating points of view. From how the characters met to Walter's overall plan. To wondering if maybe Walter is a bigger plan than what his 'people' have planned. I'm also a bit in Reg's camp of maybe the world didn't exactly end, maybe it's all a test to see if their system works, or if we're even worth saving.

What I do know is that something big happens in volume two to separate our cast from a unit to solo travelers. Because each of them narrators a new issue, they aren't together, and they are around different symbols. The foreshadowing in this is spot on, from issue to issue and volume to volume. This is one of the stories where I feel like I understand what is about to happen, but also know there might be a twist in the next volume to throw a wrench in that plan. 

The whole concept of this is great and pulls you to the point where you want to know what everything means. The symbols, why Walter picked these people, is the world is really gone, is Reg right. Also, just how good is Walter's mind wipe after that last page. Holy Cow. 

I have so many books and graphic novels waiting for me to read. Books I should read before jumping into volume two. Honestly, this could wait since I'm borrowing them from the library, but I'm not gonna. First chance I get I'm running over there to pick this one up. Because I need to know how it ends. This is only a two-part series, and I need that second part in my life like yesterday.

HAPPY READING!!