Death Note, Vol. 1
Tsugumi Ohba, 2003
Graphic novels & humour FantasyHorror
A brilliant, bored student finds a notebook that kills anyone whose name it holds — and discovers he likes playing god. A tense, darkly funny manga that moves quickly, with a cold god-complex voice and a steady sense of dread.
Feels like dread and serenity. About power, death and morality.
Who it’s for
You may like it if you enjoy morally tense manga with a clever, unsettling antihero and sharp plotting. Be aware that the premise is bleak and the lead's god complex can make him hard to root for.
Why read it
It offers a tense, idea-driven story about power and morality, told with dark humour and a quick pace.
A page from the book
Certainty this total is usually the start of something terrible.
I AM RIGHTEOUS!! I’m the hero who’s liberating people from fear. I’m the savior who’s going to be like a god of this perfect new world! Tsugumi Ohba.Tsugumi Ohba is a pen name: the writer has never appeared publicly or confirmed their identity, while artist Takeshi Obata drew every panel of the series.
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Where to get it
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Questions readers ask
- Is Death Note, Vol. 1 for me?
- You may like it if you enjoy morally tense manga with a clever, unsettling antihero and sharp plotting. Be aware that the premise is bleak and the lead's god complex can make him hard to root for.
- What is Death Note, Vol. 1 like?
- A tense, darkly funny manga that moves quickly, with a cold god-complex voice and a steady sense of dread. Feels like dread and serenity. About power, death and morality.
- What should I read after Death Note, Vol. 1?
- If you liked Death Note, Vol. 1, try Under the Dome (Stephen King), An Ember in the Ashes (Sabaa Tahir) and Fourth Wing (Rebecca Yarros).
A taste of the feed
The moment care turns into a kind of ownership.
Denial gives way to acceptance; acceptance breeds dependence. Anyone who’s ever cared for a terminal patient will tell you that, too. Sick people need someone who will bring them their pills and glasses of cold sweet juice to wash them down with. They need someone to soothe their aching joints with arnica gel. They need someone to sit with them when the night is dark and the hours stretch out. They need someone to say, Sleep now, it will be better in the morning. I’m here, so sleep. Sleep now. Sleep and let me take care of everything.
Under the Dome · Stephen King
The difference between guilt that crushes you and guilt that steers you.
There are two kinds of guilt. The kind that’s a burden and the kind that gives you purpose. Let your guilt be your fuel. Let it remind you of who you want to be. Draw a line in your mind. Never cross it again. You have a soul. It’s damaged but it’s there. Don’t let them take it from you.
An Ember in the Ashes · Sabaa Tahir
The bargain at the heart of every dragon bond, in two sentences.
A dragon without its rider is a tragedy. A rider without their dragon is dead.
Fourth Wing · Rebecca Yarros
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