Customer Reviews

X-Men: Shadows of the Past

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Well, I wasn't sure what to expect when I first spotted this book, but the great Steranko cover sure caught my attention, and I knew that Michael Jan Friedman certainly knew his way around the STAR TREK universe. But after reading it, I can definitely say it's a great book! Alien invasions, superheroics, and the guy who crippled Professor X in the first place? Outstanding work all around!

I absolutly LOVED this book! The plotline is creative and exiting,the personalitys of the characters are wonderfully depicted and true to the origanles. I love that some of the story is told from the prof's point of view,because it shows that he is only human. It shows that he hates being pitied for his crippled legs,that he feels sorrow that he has to send his students into the field and can't go with them,that he loves all his students and is as proud of their accomplishments as a father.
This book doesn't have much background info,but it's still a delightful read. Thumbs up!

a novel for professor x fans and fans of classic x-men, featuring core team members and ultracool steranko cover...friedman is an old hand at star trek and knows his way around the marvel universe...not fannish , not voguish, but solid story-telling from a pro

Having read all the Marvel novels and anthologies printed to date, I had high expectations which this book failed to meet. While I feel that Friedman is an excellent author, this book was very weak. The story is a continuation of one from the very early history of the X-Men, which apparently wasn't quite resolved. For those not well-versed in X-Men knowledge (if there are any who would be buying an X-Men book), this might be a difficult read, as there is very little background given for the characters. Also, there is essentially no character development and the plot was rather weak. Also, while not the most important aspect, there were numerous and repeated spelling (The country is spelled C-o-l-o-m-b-i-a, not C-o-l-u-m-b-i-a! Come on!) and grammar errors. No offense, but when I shell out for a hardback book, it would be nice if someone had proofread it. If you really wish to own this book, at least wait for paperback and save a few bucks.

When Dr. Xavier and Bobby "Iceman" Drake are attacked along a deserted country road, it is just the start of an adventure. Unknown to Bobby, Dr. Xavier has been kidnapped to an alternate dimension, and a duplicate has been placed in the X-men's midst. The X-men's old nemesis, Lucifer, has planned his revenge for a long time, and his plans include using the X-men to free him. Can Dr. Xavier foil Lucifer's plans? He will need help on this one, help from beyond the X-men.

My eleven-year-old son and I are avid superhero fans, and were glad to come across this novel (NOT graphic novel, by the way). Overall, we found this to be an interesting story, with a great plot that kept you on the edge of your seat, right through to the end. We enjoyed the way the different characters went through their paces, and even liked the villains. Yes, the writing is a bit light for the adult reader, but I still found this to be an enjoyable read. My son and I both loved this book, and both highly recommend it!

I loved this book. I thought it had a really interesting plot, and was very descriptive. It was nice to see the original X-Men in it, and to see Professor Xavier doing something useful when the team was in trouble-- in the comics at the moment, I get the distinct feeling that he's good at sending the team out, and sitting back and relaxing.

The only problem I had with this book, and the only reason I didn't give it five stars, was that it didn't mention all the newer, fascinating X-Men as well. Wolverine, Rogue, Storm, and my personal favourite, Gambit-- where were they? Even if they weren't in it, it would have been nice for at least a mention, to aknowledge their existence.

Apart from that one little thing I didn't like about it (and that's just me) this book was practically glued to my hands until I put it down. Despite the fact that the character was mentally handicapped, Friedman managed to make Jeffrey Saunders a very three dimensional character. I would reccomend this book to all fans of the original X-Men -- However, if you pick up this book wanting to read about all the new X-Men, I suggest putting it down right away.

The X-Men rely on good characterization. The author of the book does a poor job of showing the characters that many fans know in depth. The characters are written as if the author only knew a few aspects of those characters and reiterates it numerous times throughout the book. It begins to get very repetitive, and does not hold the reader's interest.

This is an okay story by itself, but Friedman writes as though he's talking to an audience of autistic 12-year-olds. If you skip every third paragraph, you'd get the same story and eliminate some of the tiresome and repetitive verbosity.

And WHERE THE HELL IS WOLVERINE? Does Friedman think he can ignore the existence of major X-Men characters? Not even mention them?

All in all, I'd tell you to skip this book and look to the new Batman: No Man's Land novelization by Greg Rucka for entertaining superhero fiction.

This is a very well-written, but long-winded book. But how can it be both, you ask? If they dropped two subplots, I would have given it five stars.

This book does an excellent job of bringing back the "classic" X-Men characters. I would have liked the story a little better if it had been set in the past as well. To have it set in the present gave the story this very unspoken, "We don't talk about those mounds of earth in the basement," quality. A brief mention of, "These five are back together and others are gone because...," would have been very satisfying but I learned to live without it.

I have read X-Men comic books since the beginning. Most of the current marvel novels are very good. This particular writer is good, however this novel is very b-o-r-i-n-g. The only reason I finished it is because I paid good money for it. I am very disappointed and would not recommend it to anyone.