Customer Reviews

Enemies & Allies: A Novel

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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.

To be fair, writing a comic book in prose form has to be difficult. Interpreting a visual medium through text has been done well in WildCards but not in much else.

My biggest quibble with this book is that nowhere does the book say it's a grade school/jr. high level story, which it clearly is (except for a few words I don't want my preteens knowing, and I can't imagine them being interested in a Cold War story). The writing it juvenile in every way, from motivation and (lack of) character development to storytelling.

Superman was raised on Earth; why would he be bewildered by humanity? Batman was not a product of the 40's era - other than the references to Joe McCarthy and Sputnik, there was little indication that it was the 50's, certainly none through the characters (a supersonic jet during the cold war? Luthor's armor in the 50's? Why, exactly, was this set in the past?)

All of this has been done before, lightyears better.

I wanted to like this book, I really did. All and all I'd like those hours back.

Enemies and Allies sets forth a comic book thriller set in the early 1950s, creating a weird time frame with both Batman and Superman just a couple of years into their superhero gigs (even though both origins are one or two decades earlier, respectively). They're both still figuring out how to make their own lives work when they both stumble upon a plot involving Lex Luthor, a rogue Communist general, Area 51, unbelievably advanced technology, and, they each believe, the other vigilante. This makes them enemies. Until they, inevitably, become allies.

This is a cool setup. And I wanted it to work. There are some nice mid-century touches. The novel format should allow us a bit deeper into each man's head than a comic usually does. I liked the chance to play amateur psychologist with these guys.

But the writing gets in the way, and so does the plot. There are huge sections where the author seems to have forgotten the old writing chestnut: show, don't tell. He explains everything. Sometimes before something happens. Sometimes without giving a plausible chain of events. Things just happen. This managed to ruin any chance I had of enjoying the formulaic plot, which seemed borrowed from any number of sources, including Watchmen.

With interesting storytelling, I could have easily lost myself in the hackneyed plot and allowed it to unfold. Instead, I found myself almost screaming, just tell the story, and then skipping over whole sections where I was pretty sure I knew what was going on (especially the pointless Lois Lane and Jimmy Olson side plots). Anderson must be a better writer than this, otherwise they wouldn't keep letting him into major franchises like Dune, Star Wars, and Star Trek. But I almost felt like he was writing down a couple of grade levels, down to the level of someone's idea of today's early adolescents. But the book is not marketed that way and was not worthy of the knowledgeable, educated comic fans, both teen and adult, who are the book's real target audience.

While not as ambitious and sure-footed as his novel about Superman's home planet, "The Last Days of Krypton", Kevin Anderson's "Enemies & Allies" is a fun little read about Superman and Batman taking on Lex Luthor in the 1950's. And "fun" is the key word here: encompassing the arms race, the flying saucer craze, a giant Kryptonite meteor, evil Soviet generals, mutant monsters, a megalomanical plan for world domination, and a host of other real-world and fantastical elements, the book's aim is to emulate classic comic-book story telling at its best. And it largely succeeds.

While "Enemies & Allies" might have been a bit more fun if Superman and Batman had established their famous alliance much earlier in the book, I recognize that this is basically Kevin Anderson's take on the origin of that fabled team. So he needed to show all the steps: how these very different personalities initially distrusted one another; then reluctantly worked together on an occasion or two; and, finally, established mutual trust and cameraderie. So, even though I was five steps ahead of these characters and knew that they'd eventually become friends and allies, it was still fun to see the individual steps occur.

Pop culture fans will also enjoy Mr. Anderson's little nods to previous Batman and Superman stories in other media. For instance, Superman's crystal-shard Fortress of Solitude is right out of the 1978 Richard Donner movie, and Batman actually uses the famous preparing-the-Batmobile spiel from the character's 1960's TV series: "Turbines to power! Atomic batteries to speed!" It's also kind of neat that Bruce Wayne enjoys Ian Fleming's James Bond novels, and uses many of Fleming's ideas in the gadgets he constructs.

While maybe not the be-all-and-end-all Superman/Batman team-up novel, I can't imagine fans of these two characters' various TV, film, and comic book incarnations not having at least a pretty good time with this story. The relentlessly upbeat Superman and the eternally cynical Batman always make a fascinating team, and that's no exception here.

It is the 1950s, and while Eisenhower sits in the White House, a young Bruce Wayne is beginning his career as a vigilante crime-fighter in Gotham City, and the newly-minted Superman is building his reputation as a worker of miracles. But, there is someone with a plan that will sweep them all up - Lex Luthor. This wealthy capitalist has made an alliance with a rogue KGB general, and between the two of them they will turn the world upside down. Superman does not trust the lawbreaking Batman, and Batman does not trust this Superman without a past, but they will have to learn to trust each other if they are going to save the world!

This is an excellent book, and a really good addition to the genre. I must admit that I was a little worried about what the author would do with the 1950s, and what agendas he might bring to the setting. But, in point of fact, the author did a great job of placing this story within the context of what was happening at the time, and making the story fit in quite well.

I really enjoyed this retelling of the origin of the Batman & Superman friendship, and I really enjoyed the idea of placing it back in the 1950s. So, if you like a good superhero story, then get Enemies & Allies - you won't be disappointed!

There's much to enjoy about Enemies & Allies. Anderson does a nice job portraying the psychology of the main characters (comparable to what Jeph Loeb would do with them in the comics) and the plot is actually pretty interesting. What keeps the book from being a real triumph is that it simply tries too hard to create the 1950s atmosphere.

Throughout the book, we get constant cultural references to try to place the story in that era. It's as if Anderson simply didn't trust viewers to accept the time period if he didn't hammer them over the head with it. This is wrong-headed on two fronts. First, the likely audience for this book probably has better-than-average background knowledge about the period, if only from the 2004 comic series and movie The New Frontier. Secondly, the period is frankly irrelevant when dealing with characters this iconic. Superman/Clark and Batman/Bruce are who they are and would be whether the period of the 1950s or the 2050s.

The end result is that, instead of creating a richer tapestry, all that detail just clutters the narrative. That element is disappointing simply because the underlying story is actually quite good. I don't want to give any spoilers, but it's an enjoyable spin on the first meeting/team-up between these two heroes. Personally, I'd enjoy a sequel provided they relax a bit and let the story not the setting drive the writing.

Set in the 50's, we find two superheroes, Batman and Superman, just starting out as protectors of their cities. Pushed together because of one supervillian, Lex Luthor, the two superheroes struggle with trusting each other.

The chapters were short, or seemed to be. The way Kevin J. Anderson wrote, the book just flew by. I don't know if that is a good or bad thing because, while the story was good, it lacked adventure. Sure there were some hijinks, but I was left wanting more meat to my story.

So this wasn't as good as Anderson's Last Days of Krypton, but it was an okay summer read. I still look forward to more Superman stories by Anderson, if they are coming.

Kevin J Anderson did it again. After reading his masterpiece "Last son of Krypton" I knew I wanted to read his newest novel. Just as before, as soon as I started, I could not stop reading until the end.
It's the 1950s. Sputnik was orbiting the globe and Senator McCarthy was communicating with Lex Luthor. And two new heroes have emerged: Superman and Batman. Neither of them know much more about the other except what they hear by narrow-minded news articles and scraps of information. Is Batman for or against crime? Is Superman an alien or actually wearing a special suit designed by Luthorcorp?
Although this novel is marvelously written so that the events happen in the 50s, it could also have easily been set in modern times as well if you changed a few historical facts. That's what both my son and I enjoyed about it. Mr Anderson has a definite grasp of today's Superman and Batman and is able to write his story in such a way that today's heroes are dialoguing in the 50s generation where, in the real 50s, they were acting like "Superfriends".
This novel has echoes of the Bruce Wayne we'd find in "Batman Begins" and the Superman I'd still like to see in a future Superman film. I also felt that some of the storyline where Luthor attempts to "create" an alien invasion was a nod to the great graphic novel "Superman Birthright".
Some have said that this book was probably written for pre-teens or early teenagers. Perhaps it was. It was an easy read and didn't contain any adult language to object to that I remember. So, if it was intended to be written for a younger audience, then keep it up! That's the way I like it. The story captivated me the entire time. I wasn't bogged down by a lot of confusing characters to remember or detailed storylines that make it difficult to remember what you read 17 chapters back.
Thanks Mr Anderson. I thoroughly enjoyed "Last Son of Krypton" and this new book even topped the former story.
One last thought is that some historical facts were obviously changed to create this story. Mr Anderson does make mention of them on the last page as an authors note. I would think that if some teens read this novel perhaps it might spark their interest to go through some real history and find out a little more about the real Sputnik and the real Senator McCarthy. It would be a great way to learn a little about 1950s America. I don't mind that Mr Anderson alters history a bit. After all, this is the DC Universe. If this universe can virtually be destroyed and meshed into one universe as it was in "Crisis" stories, I don't see why they can't do whatever they want in the DC 50s universe.

When talking about books I find more often than not it's the little things that make a novel memorable. A particularly clever line or well written paragraph will stick with me far longer than the details of the plot, no matter how well crafted the story may be. In the case of Kevin J. Anderson's Enemies & Allies I couldn't help but chuckle at the line "My boyfriend won't look at me anymore. He didn't even notice my new $20 dollar hairdo." That sentence may seem out of place in a comic book novel but within the context of story it was that kind of detail that made the book brilliant. Throughout the story descriptions are peppered with brands, prices, and technology that take you back to the Cold War era Anderson has set the story in. You won't see the Batman or Superman you've come to know and love over the years when reading this book. Rather you'll be introduced to the charmingly naive Clark Kent, newly arrived in Metropolis. Batman is likewise still becoming comfortable in the cape and cowl. Villains and a comic book hero's obligation to fight them are timeless however and the novel doesn't fail to deliver an epic battle between our heroes and all around bad guy Lex Luthor. Featuring a host of other recognizable characters Enemies & Allies was a fun read casting two of DC's most popular superheroes in a new light.

Kevin J. Anderson's novel, Enemies & Allies, is hard to describe from a reviewer standpoint. The book features the first time meeting between Superman and Batman, which is pretty cool even though it's been done several times over the years. I was looking forward to seeing how the author would handle the two characters and be able to bring them together from their respective worlds. Since Anderson has written in several licensed worlds before, such as Star Wars, X-Files, I knew he would bring a lot of expertise to the project.

The thing that really threw me was the fact that the novel is set in the 1950s. I don't know why the choice was made to do this because it removes the heroes from the worlds we've seen them in recently. In the comic book industry, DC Comics created what became known as "imaginary stories" that told tales of heroes in the future or past. The Batman Junior and Superman Junior stories are some of the best of the lot and indicative of what could be done with the characters.

The thread that binds the two heroes in the story is Lex Luthor. Luthor hates Superman for personal reasons, but his company is stealing technology from Wayne Industries, which is owned by Bruce Wayne (Batman).

In the story, Superman and Batman have recently begun their superhero careers and the public is just starting to take notice. Both of them believe the other is an urban myth, which is kind of humorous for a while. In fact, Batman is even trying to figure out where Superman got the advanced technology he's using that allows him to fly and increases his strength while making him apparently indestructible.

Anderson keeps the pages turning quickly by building a racing pace while shifting gears through the plot and various characters. Although I didn't much care for the 1950 setting, Anderson makes the most of it and even throws Senator Joe McCarthy and his fear of communism into the mix and makes it play. Luthor uses that fear adroitly, pushing McCarthy beyond simple fear of other countries into the fear of other worlds.

The book is a romp, a mixture of adulation and adrenaline, that never takes itself seriously or tries to reinvent the two iconic heroes. I think Batman fared better than Superman because Anderson seemed to have a better handle on the character.

Longtime fans are going to find plenty to quibble over regarding the mythologies of the two characters, but they're going to find plenty to love as well. This is the first of several novels featuring Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman to come, and obviously what readers get is going to be a mixed bag because I can't imagine sticking with the 1950s versions of these heroes.

There hasn't been a category for superhero beach reads, so Enemies & Allies is blazing a new trail. While you're waiting for the next blockbuster superhero movie to arrive at your theaters, this novel will definitely help tide you over.