Enemies & Allies: A Novel (Hardcover)

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Anderson's latest is a hokey, contrived imagining of the first meeting between Batman and Superman, set during the thick of the cold war and hobbled by flat characters and flatter dialogue (My source was murdered shortly after she spoke with me. That tells me that Luthor must not have wanted her talking). The two superheroes are initially introduced when Clark Kent interviews Bruce Wayne for a feature in the Daily Planet, and their alter egos cross paths again as Batman and Superman are drawn into Lex Luthor's dastardly scheme for world domination. (It involves the Soviets and Death-ray transmitters.) To stop it, Batman and Superman embark on a ludicrous globe-trotting mission that's equal parts camp and Forrest Gump. A schlocky mediocrity for die-hard fans only. (May)
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Review

Positioning all the superpowered heroics squarely between the era's futuristic optimism and postwar paranoia, this is a refreshing diversion from the grimness of The Dark Knight or the tedious Superman Returns. Injects a welcome dose of retro exuberance into the capes-and-tights routine. (Kirkus Reviews )

"Anderson keeps us guessing throughout with cleverplot twists and some intriguing alternate cold war history." (Booklist )

"The X-Files is a true masterpiece. There's no more challenging series on television, and as a bonus, it's also brainy fun." (Los Angeles Times )

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow (May 5, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061662550
• ISBN-13: 978-0061662553
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (88 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #60,259 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Superman, Batman and the Thrilling Days of Yesteryear, July 14, 2009

By	Kesha Dylan (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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Forget everything that's happened in the last five decades, put yourself square in the Fifties. Now add in Superman, Batman, Lois, Jimmy, Perry and Alfred and go from there. Now have Kevin J. Anderson write it. How can you not love a book like that?

Oh, I forgot to mention Lex Luthor, that villain you love to hate. He's as evil here as he's been anywhere. He teams with a Soviet Black Star General in an evil plot to take over the world and along the way they've discovered Kryptonite. Batman discovers Luthor is stealing secrets from Bruce Wayne's company and selling them to the government. He seeks proof. Superman thinks Batman is a crook. Batman thinks Superman is a Luthorian creation. Lois falls in love with you know who. Superman is torn between being human and alien. Senator McCarthy is in Luthor's hip pocket and if I haven't wetted your appetite here read on.

Kevin J. Anderson has taken Superman and Batman and breathed new life into them. He's made them and his alternate universe as real as Starbucks, Spaghetti O's and Spam. Batman is real, too. The dark night is not only dark, but conflicted, human. Lois and Jimmy come too life as never before and Perry even utters a "Great Scot" too, but it's believable. Kevin J. Anderson made me believe in those thrilling days of yesteryear. Yes, I know that phrase is from another masked man comic and TV show, but it applies here.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars An enjoyable read out of my comfort zone, April 23, 2009

By	S. Nichols "Emerald Girl" (Not where I want to be) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Once in a while I like to read something out of my comfort zone. This month Kevin J Anderson was good enough to supply me with a book way, way out of my comfort zone. I received a copy of his soon to be released Enemies & Allies, a novel in which The Dark Knight meets The Man of Steel. I have never read a Graphic novel nor have I read a comic book since grade school, but being a big fan of Batman I was delighted to have a chance to read this book.

Anderson sets his story in the 1950's, which adds to the book's charm and character. The plot centers on the two super heroes learning to trust each other in order to stop evil Lex Luthor and a General in Stalin's Russia. I personally liked Anderson's Cold War inclusion, it made the plot believable. Anderson moved the story right along, there never seemed to be a point where the plot dragged.

Though the book Enemies & Allies is not advertized as a young adult novel, I did wonder more than once, if this book was written for 11 year old male readers. The text can be overly simplistic, and the dialog seems to be lifted from older comic books. My 17 year old son read the book the same week as I and found though he liked it, he too wondered what age level Anderson was going for.

The most intriguing aspect of Anderson's book is the development if Batman. Though some of the back story seems to be lifted from the movie Batman Begins, I found Anderson's explanation of why Batman does what he does satisfying. I can not say the same for Anderson's Superman; here Superman comes across as slightly arrogant. The first time we read about Superman saving people Anderson writes "Although it was difficult to show modesty after carrying a giant passenger ship across the sky, the Kents' had taught him to be humble". Throughout the book Superman sees himself as protector of the people, yet Anderson never fully explains why this is. After doing such a fine job with Batman's character development I was a little surprised at this. My son and I had a very interesting conversation about the psychology of both Batman and Superman because of Anderson's portrayal of Superman; we agree that Batman has better reasons to call himself a super hero.

All in all I have to say this is a fine book for those who love old fashion comic book fun. Anderson can be counted among those who add to the super hero genre and now I can say I read something way out of my comfort zone and enjoyed it.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding Portrayals of Batman and Superman, May 24, 2009

By	David R. Carrig "Don't be shocked that people... (New Bern, NC) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I guess I'll go ahead and admit to the fact that after reading this book I am now a Kevin J. Anderson fan. I really enjoyed reading his portrayal of Batman and Superman in this work which was set in the 1950's Cold War climate. I liked how the partnership of SM and BM was developed in the story and how the two were at times pitted against each other early in the story. I really hope that this is not the only book KJA plans on doing in regards to these two in this setting. All the loose ends were wrapped up in the end but the door was certainly left open for future stories.

This has been by far my favorite rendition of the Superman/Batman team up. Even though it is a novel about two very different comic book heroes within an older setting, KJA does a great job of introducing both of them to his readers in a way that allows them to retain thier uniqueness as heroes and at the same time interact to create an unlikely but likable partnership. It really is a great telling of the Batman and Superman stories that seems to bring us back to the way they were meant to be told.

In regards to his writing style - let me just say that I really like a book that can tell a detailed story using a lot of short chapters with quick-flowing and descriptive prose. The last book I read by KJA ("Last Days of Krypton") did the same thing and it seems that he is a master of this type of writing style. I've read in other reviews that he does the same thing in his other books. I have no desire to dive into his Dune works but I think I'll have to check out his "Saga of Seven Suns" series.