The first book I have read this year is called Watchmen. It is a graphic novel written in the 80's by Alan Moore. It is set in an America on the brink of a nuclear war. The story line follows a group of former costumed heroes called The Minutemen, and their life after the Keene Act which outlawed masked vigilantes.
The story begins when one of the former members of the Minutemen, Edward Blake aka the Comedian(smoking the cigar in the picture) is killed. Rorschach(front and center), another masked avenger, suspects a mask killer conspiracy rather than a political killing.Another aspect of the story follows Dr. Manhattan(the Blue man in the photo), a former scientist who because of an accident with some equipment was blasted into just particles. After this he was presumed to be dead, but he somehow recollected himself and became almost like a god. He is able to control matter, teleport, and multiply himself(did I mention he knows the future). He and the Comedian were soon hired by the united states government to work in Vietnam, perform experiments, and serve as a military defensive weapons.
The book also goes back to tell the back stories of the other members of the Minutemen, like Nite Owl, Rorschach Captain Metropolis, Ozymandias, and Silk Spectre. All of the group, except for Ozymandias, went back to their normal lives. Well except for Rorschach, and Ozymandias. Rorschach refused to give up his life of fighting crime after the Keene act an continued to work outside of the law. Ozymandias on the other hand gave up crime fighting and began marketing himself, becoming the richest man in the world.
Nite Owl and Silk Spectre put on their suits once again when Rorschach was framed with a murder an thrown into jail. Nite Owl, convinced of his innocence gets dressed up once again to help his 'friend'.
I would continue with an explanation but I just want to give a short intro, not a school paper. Also, I wouldn't know when to stop without giving too much away. I encourage everyone to read it(it only took me about two days), or at the very least see the movie that comes out later this year, which from the previews seems to follow the novel pretty closely.
Total Pages Read:416
Next Book: A Brief History Of Time By: Steven Hawking