Batman: Nightwalker (DC Icons #2)
by Marie Lu
Hardcover, 272 pages
Expected publication: January 2nd 2018 by Random House Books for Young Readers
ISBN 0399549781 (ISBN13: 9780399549786)
SeriesDC Icons #2
Received ARC From Publisher
About:
Before he was Batman, he was Bruce Wayne. A reckless boy willing to break the rules for a girl who may be his worst enemy.
The Nightwalkers are terrorizing Gotham City, and Bruce Wayne is next on their list.
One by one, the city's elites are being executed as their mansions' security systems turn against them, trapping them like prey. Meanwhile, Bruce is turning eighteen and about to inherit his family's fortune, not to mention the keys to Wayne Enterprises and all the tech gadgetry his heart could ever desire. But after a run-in with the police, he's forced to do community service at Arkham Asylum, the infamous prison that holds the city's most brutal criminals.
Madeleine Wallace is a brilliant killer . . . and Bruce's only hope.
In Arkham, Bruce meets Madeleine, a brilliant girl with ties to the Nightwalkers. What is she hiding? And why will she speak only to Bruce? Madeleine is the mystery Bruce must unravel. But is he getting her to divulge her secrets, or is he feeding her the information she needs to bring Gotham City to its knees? Bruce will walk the dark line between trust and betrayal as the Nightwalkers circle closer.
Rating:
Fox got it right by calling their young Bruce Wayne/James Gordon show Gotham and not connecting it to Batman. This book got it wrong. So wrong! We have an 18 year old Bruce who doesn't seem to be anywhere near becoming the dark knight yet. Yes he saves the day all while wearing black, but it's not Batman like. It's more of a generic YA drama/adventure/romance book.
If you look at it like just an everyday YA book then it's a decent read. The writing it ok, though it is kind of slow in some parts. If you don't try to picture this as a Batman book the characters and such are ok. If you're like me though and you were hoping for a good Batman novel, you're out of luck. Besides his parents being killed and having a Butler named Alfred this Bruce wasn't what I was looking for. Where's the dark, brooding character , with a tortured soul, kind of looking for revenge and wanting to fix his city? Even TVs Gotham with an even younger Bruce has all that.
Why is Harvey Dent (who is very un Dent like) one of Bruce’s best friends? It seemed like a stunt to throw a well-known character into the mix since our bad guys (who aren't too Batman villain like) are all newbies. And the other couple name drops seemed like a stunt as well. Fox and Gordon weren’t used to the extent that they should have been. Even Alfred had a minimum roll until closer to the end of the book.
Gotham is not how I've ever pictured it either. Wayne's house and property are way to close to other houses. Arkham didn’t seem to scary or troublesome. It seemed like even the worse inmates were tame. Even the streets they drive through in the city just seem wrong and to nice and light. Gotham should be dark and run down. There should be criminals and gangs, not concerts in the park and joy rides. And don’t get me started on the drones. Are they flying drones like I first pictured because of the word drone? Or are they more robotic humanoids? I really had a hard time figuring that out.
By the end of this I was expecting Bruce to either run off and marry the girl or just become a rich guy who helps people by charity or becomes a cop. Not a guy who runs off and trains to become a vigilante, which there is no hint of.
And my biggest pet peeve... what was with all the bats. Bruce mentions liking watching the bats at home and flying over Gotam. I get he's going to become Batman, but from my memory it wasn't because he enjoyed watching the bats fly every night.
I'm very disappointed in this "Batman" novel. If you're expecting Batman, pick up something else. If you want teen drama then give this one a shot.
*Book photo and review are owned by Erin. To see her personal blog click her signature above^*
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