I'm giving this book five stars for a slightly more complex reason than it just being a good novel. I'm giving it a high rating because it's a serious science fiction novel about Batman, which is something I've been waiting for and would like more of.
Negatives:
1. As many have said, the Batman in this novel has some character differences that are important. For instance, he treats Alfred as an employee who he resents. I haven't read the comics in the last few years but spent decades following the story so I believe my understanding is deep. Alfred isn't Bruce Wayne's butler but rather another member of Batman's team and he has great affection for the man. His role as a butler, etc is a disguise just like Bruce Wayne is Batman's disguise.
2. I couldn't tell if this took place in the DC Universe where other superheroes live. It doesn't entirely matter to the story but I dislike that aspect of the films because it speaks to shame of the source material.
3. The overall story seemed like a weird alternate idea for the last Nolan film. Many of the same themes were there with Bruce Wayne being older and somewhat broken physically, being a recluse, wanting to get rid of "Bruce" so he could be Batman, having a blowup with Alfred, and so on. So, for a first book from the author, it seemed like the last book, which was odd but not terrible.
Positives:
1. I loved that this is a science fiction novel before anything. If you have no idea who Batman was, you could still read the book and be fascinated by Batman, who is a guy with an advanced exoskeleton and high tech vehicle he uses to fight crime based on his childhood trauma. Also, there's an aspect of the plot dealing with genetics that fits well into SF and comic book themes.
I see no reason why Batman couldn't actually exist in a world of two or three hundred years from now, if exoskeletons are possible to create, and genetic manipulation was perfected. People already buy guns and armor to go out and kill random people, so imagine life where gear and genetics could make you have the strength of a bear with a 170 IQ.
Anyway, I enjoyed that Batman needed more than just Olympic quality athletics to fight unarmed against people with guns.
2. The novel was a page turner and found myself increasingly sad that it was ending. Currently, I'm reading another novel that will become a movie, I'm skimming, looking at the Kindle percent level, and can't wait for it to be done. This book, I wished there was a sequel or it was two hundred pages longer.
3. There were many thought provoking themes in the story dealing with family, will over determinism, social responsibility, and so on.
4. I enjoyed the Batman action, but there wasn't enough, but I also enjoyed Batman musing about the mystery. However, as others pointed out, Batman is the real person and Bruce Wayne is his disguise, so Batman needs to be the one who is thinking, not Bruce. The author has the character note many times that he died as a child, which is correct. Batman speaks, not Bruce Wayne.
5. Speaking of which, I loved that the author isn't afraid to make this a psychological novel almost entirely told from the perspective of Bruce/Batman. Years ago I read No Man's Land, and Batman was barely in it, it was told from easy to imagine characters, and that's cowardice on the part of the writer. I was always a big Sherlock Holmes fan, and even those classics are told in a cowardly manner. The great characters are described from the outside only, "Batman did this" and "Holmes did that," instead of showing me how such a great person thinks. What I loved most about this novel was that I was in Batman's head for most of the tale. It made me respect the author greatly, and forgive character inconsistencies.
It would take very little for the author to get the character down perfectly, with his own twists, and start a great new series of Batman novels that are high quality science fiction, I'm sure of it.
After reading all of that, I'm sure you can see that although I'm a Batman fan, since the 70s, I loved this novel not for the details but for the overall quality of the story and serious manner in which it was handled. At my age I have trouble justifying buying a comic book that I can read in minutes for the price. I have longed for full length novels I can enjoy and this was extremely damn close to my fantasy. So, it's not the best novel I'm ever read, but it's the best of a genre I've always wanted to exist. If possible, I'd give the author a large manhug in return for the enjoyment he gave me, or a handshake, whatever he wants.
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Good Story, Writing Could Be Better-Batfans Will Want To Read It...
As a long-time Batman fan, I rate this book as a resounding OK. Not great, not bad, just OK. My main peeve is the writing style. Hickman uses far too many narrative descriptons of things like the Batmobile, the Batsuit, the BatCave,and so on. This makes the prose boring and makes it difficult for the reader to stay interested. I found myself flipping through pages of dull narrative description to get to the meat of the story. Having said that, though, the plot itself is interesting. We have an older Batman, an older Joker, and plenty of references to other villains and characters. The relationship between Bruce Wayne, Alfred, and how their fathers interacted is quite interesting. The villainous plot is original, and the revelations about the past lives of Thomas Wayne and Jarvis Pennyworth (the aforementioned fathers), is well done. An interesting point that I would like to mention is the homage to the old Golden Age and Silver Age Batman stories and characters that HIckman inserted into the story. Curious about some of the characters I was unfamiliar with (Lew Moxon in particular), as well as some of the events in the "flashback" sequences, I dug out my old Encyclopedia of Comic Book Heroes: Batman - VOL 01 (Original Encyclopedia), and looked up Lew Moxon and some of the events described. Lo and behold, Hickman used "real" characters and events from the "real" past of Batman comics. I liked that part very much. Overall, this is a worthwhile read for Batman fans, I can recommend it.
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- Reviewed in the United States on January 15, 2015
- Reviewed in the United States on July 18, 2012
Top reviews from other countries
- C. MorizioReviewed in Canada on January 23, 2017
great story, I could see is played out as ...
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