For his first Marvel novel, The Harrowing of Doom – part of the Marvel: Untold range from Aconyte Books – David Annandale tells a tale of iron will and fierce obsession as Doctor Doom sets out to turn the tables on Hell itself. Each year at midsummer, Doom must battle a champion of Hell to try and free his mother’s soul, an impossible task that he’s fated to lose every time. Setting out to change the terms of the duel and weigh things in his favour at last, Doom enlists the help of the sorceress Maria von Helm and a reluctant Father Zargo and embarks on a bold but risky gamble. Even as he works feverishly on this new project, the security of Latveria is threatened by the deposed crown prince Rudolfo Fortunov.
The main thrust of the narrative focuses on Doom and Helm’s great work creating the Harrower, a powerful but deeply dangerous fusion of sorcery and technology, and Fortunov’s campaign of intimidation and guerilla warfare in search of a way to regain control of Latveria – something he considers his god-given due. Along the way, however, this becomes a compelling examination of life in Latveria (specifically in the capital Doomstadt), where the shadow of Doom hangs over everything and the people rightfully fear their sinister ruler. And yet, whether it’s Zargo’s begrudging return to a life he thought long behind him, palace guard Captain Kariana Verlak’s fierce loyalty to her lord, or the general population’s decidedly cold response to Fortunov’s attempts to rally them, it’s clear that Doom’s relationship with Latveria and its people is complex, deep-rooted and in some respects genuinely progressive.
For anyone not entirely familiar with the character, Doctor Doom can seem a bit…well…silly, on the face of things. Not here. He may normally be the villain but in this story he makes a fascinating protagonist – Annandale doesn’t worry about giving too much of his backstory, instead focusing on his unwavering determination to move forward and his ironclad certainty in his own power, both literal and metaphorical. His fierce will is clearly a big part of what makes him such a compelling bad guy normally, and clearly he’s not a likeable person, but when contrasted with Fortunov – who, for all his plucky underdog spirit, is a much more selfish, entitled character – it’s hard not to empathise with him. That will and sense of purpose leaves little room for introspection, however, so the other POV characters – Helm, Zargo, Verlak, even Fortunov – play a big part in building up a full picture of Doom.
From Doom’s laboratory to the gates of Hell, this is about as grandiose and epic a story as you could imagine, and after a relatively quiet opening it quickly builds up an unstoppable sense of momentum. Much like the blend of sorcery and technology that fuels Doom’s daring plan, Annandale mixes gothic tragedy and bold, cinematic action (along with a fair amount of surreal occult antics) to create something powerful and exciting, and it proves to be as spectacular, characterful and downright entertaining as any Marvel movie. Doctor Doom might usually play the role of the bad guy, but with this fantastic exploration of his character and his relationship to Latveria it’s clear that there’s much more to him than just monomaniacal villainy. Annandale’s love for the character comes through strongly, and he’s undoubtedly done Doom justice.
Review copy provided by the publisher – many thanks to Aconyte Books, Marvel and David Annandale for providing me with a review copy of The Harrowing of Doom, in exchange for my honest review.
See also: my Rapid Fire interview with David Annandale talking about The Harrowing of Doom
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