X-Men Mutant Empire : Book 1 - Siege [Paperback]

Christopher Golden (Author)

Book Description

Series: X-Men | Publication Date: May 1, 1996

The X-Men's oldest and deadliest enemy, Magneto, has taken over the Sentinels, powerful mutant-hunting robots, and the X-Men must fight the Acolytes, Magneto's mutant followers, and the United States government, which holds the X-Men responsible for the takeover. Original.

Product Details

• Paperback: 338 pages
• Publisher: Berkley (May 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1572971142
• ISBN-13: 978-1572971141
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #708,336 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Definitely one of the best X-Men novels, June 30, 2001

By 

MTJones (San Jose, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: X-Men Mutant Empire : Book 1 - Siege (Paperback)

X-Men: Mutant Empire Book 1 - Siege, by Christopher Golden

I'm a longtime fan of the X-Men. I discovered the comic book over 10 years ago and have been following it or one of its cousin books ever since. In that time, I've also managed to compile a sizeable back-issue collection, meaning I have most of the X-Men comics from 1975 and on.

That leaves me with huge expectations for every X-Men issue, TV series, movie, and novel that comes out. Needless to say, I've been disappointed by many of them. Sometimes, my only wish is that a new X-Men related product merely be decent, if not great.

Siege, the first part of the Mutant Empire trilogy by Christopher Golden, meets and exceeds every single one of my expectations.

One thing I love about this series, and about each individual novel in it, is the pacing. With about 350 pages per novel, Golden has a great deal of room to work with, and he puts that to great use. He maintains suspense by actually having two simultaneous plots (although one is clearly a relative subplot).

The larger issue is that Magneto has taken control of the Sentinels (mutant-killing robots), and has declared himself ruler of New York City. One half of the X-Men deals with that, and the other half goes into space to rescue Corsair, Cyclops' father. I'll be honest - the latter plot is doomed to be filler from the start, and it doesn't occupy my interest much.

But beyond the plot pacing, the characterization is almost dead-on. The X-Men are just how I remember them from the comic books - complete with accurate dialogue, realistic character interaction, and even some personality development. It's a testament to Golden's skills that he continues to flesh out characters with over 20 (and in some cases, 30) years of history. Each of the characters has a particular worldview, and Golden not only gives each one fair representation, but he also gives the reader a deeper understanding of how each character ticks.

However, I do find that some parts of the novel degenerate into comfortable, "easy" writing. One of my complaints is Golden's description of both Deathbird and Henry Peter Gyrich (the two main villains in the novel) as "evil and insane." Ho-hum. Although he slips in a bit of irony by having Deathbird's obvious paranoia and insanity justified, he paints Gyrich as so thorough a bigot that he borders on contradicting established comic history (but then, that's a fanboy gripe).

I like it that Magneto, soon to be the principle villain of the story, receives very little attention and development in the first novel. His basic motivations and plans are spelled out at the very beginning, and then Golden proceeds to develop the character slowly as the novel proceeds. It's a great way to build suspense toward the inevitable takeover of New York.

In short, Siege is one of the best pieces of X-Men literature I have read, including the comic books. Christopher Golden has an excellent handle on the basics of fine writing, as well as the complex histories of his particular characters, and proceeds to combine them into an engaging and enjoyable tale. This novel stands alone for new readers, or even for people who don't want to buy the whole series (but be warned, the cliffhanger will make you want to read the other two books). And it will please all but the pickiest of longtime X-Men fans. Go for it.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Believe the hype..., March 19, 2003

By 

"zoolerscom" (Gretna, NE United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: X-Men Mutant Empire : Book 1 - Siege (Paperback)

This is a REALLY good book! The Marvel novels were on a little roll here, and this one keeps the ball rollin'! Mr. Golden has really done fine work (again). He seems like one of the few writers who wrote these books to truly "get" the characters they are writing about...go figure. Just about every character gets some backstory, to help you truly understand them, and they each have distinct characteristics that set them apart from each other (save for a few of the Acolytes, but oh well). Great job, and I look forward to the rest of the trilogy...

4.0 out of 5 stars X-Men Fans will not be dissapointed!, September 8, 2005

By 

Rob - See all my reviews

This review is from: X-Men Mutant Empire : Book 1 - Siege (Paperback)

Christopher Golden has written a book that does justice to the X-Men comic book series created by Stan Lee. Mutant Empire, the first book in the "siege" trilogy, introduces the reader to the fantasy world of the X-Men.
The story line revolves around two philosophies. Philosophies on how humans and "mutants" should co-exist together. The first philosophy coming from a mutant called Magneto. He believes that mutants are the next line in human evolution and should reign supreme over the "normal" humans; he leads a mutant regime of followers called the "Acolytes". But Charles Xavier, leader of the X-Men, believes that with mutual understanding, mutants and humans can learn to exist together in peace. The book includes many conflicts and surprises, including the giant robots known as sentinels and the alien "Starjammers".
Comic book fans who have followed the series since its beginnings will not be disappointed, and those just starting will be simply addicted. The book is adventurous, exciting and full of action. Anyone who has an interest in the X-men, no matter how slim it may be, should take the time to read Mutant Empire. The book will leave you searching for the second book in the series.