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nathaliesurya's review
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
axlaru's review
4.0
My knowledge of the Marvel universe is limited to the movies, but with this that's okay. There were some characters I wasn't familiar with, but people who have read the comic books should know them. Despite my limited knowledge, I enjoyed this book so much that I read it in one afternoon.
ssindc's review
3.0
Not to start on a defensive note, but I like to think of my reading tastes as broad, varied or, I dunno, eclectic. Which is to say that, under the broad umbrella of sci-fi and fantasy, which I consume in moderation (yuck, yuck), I'm also willing, from time to time ... OK, more than willing, to purchase and read prose novels based on comic books (or, as we like to say since the late 1980's, graphic novels). Indeed, whenever I see prose novels featuring mainstream comic book characters, I'm willing to give 'em a try, which means, I've read a fair number (OK, a lot) of them over the years.
Maybe it's a nostalgia thing? C'mon, if you're over 50, I bet you remember reading Big Little Books as a kid, and they frequently featured comic book characters (Aquaman, Batman, Fantastic Four, Spiderman, even Space Ghost). Anyway, it is what it is: I'm a sucker for prose books about (or novelizations of) comic book characters.... It seemed they were plentiful in the 1990's (particularly, Batman, Superman, and Spiderman), and then the market dried up again...
Now that we got that out of the way, ... I found (and promptly) acquired a stack of modern-era hardbacks published by Marvel, ... I read a few at the end of last year, and now I've finally read the last one. True to form, it was entertaining enough, it was fun and easy to read, the pages turned quickly, but I expect that, by next week, I won't remember much about it. But I'm still glad I read it.
As for the story, it's not exactly the story from the graphic novel(s), nor does it track the movie, so ... in that respect ... it's original material. If you're not a Marvel reader (or, in the modern era, movie goer), I have no idea how this would resonate. I'm fully steeped in the genre, and it worked for me.
Frankly, my sense is the book was written to be accessible (which might also mean that bookstores shelve it in the young adult or even young reader sections) - but it wasn't sanitized to the point of making it insipid or lifeless. The story moved along at a nice clip, the major characters were given a nice injection of life and color, and, overall, the work held together nicely. I'm not surprised that the book didn't garner a Hugo Award or Booker Prize nomination, but I'm also confident that wasn't the point, nor would it matter to the publisher's desired readership/demographic.
In terms of comic book novelizations, I've read much worse. In terms of fun, light entertainment, I'm glad I read it.
Maybe it's a nostalgia thing? C'mon, if you're over 50, I bet you remember reading Big Little Books as a kid, and they frequently featured comic book characters (Aquaman, Batman, Fantastic Four, Spiderman, even Space Ghost). Anyway, it is what it is: I'm a sucker for prose books about (or novelizations of) comic book characters.... It seemed they were plentiful in the 1990's (particularly, Batman, Superman, and Spiderman), and then the market dried up again...
Now that we got that out of the way, ... I found (and promptly) acquired a stack of modern-era hardbacks published by Marvel, ... I read a few at the end of last year, and now I've finally read the last one. True to form, it was entertaining enough, it was fun and easy to read, the pages turned quickly, but I expect that, by next week, I won't remember much about it. But I'm still glad I read it.
As for the story, it's not exactly the story from the graphic novel(s), nor does it track the movie, so ... in that respect ... it's original material. If you're not a Marvel reader (or, in the modern era, movie goer), I have no idea how this would resonate. I'm fully steeped in the genre, and it worked for me.
Frankly, my sense is the book was written to be accessible (which might also mean that bookstores shelve it in the young adult or even young reader sections) - but it wasn't sanitized to the point of making it insipid or lifeless. The story moved along at a nice clip, the major characters were given a nice injection of life and color, and, overall, the work held together nicely. I'm not surprised that the book didn't garner a Hugo Award or Booker Prize nomination, but I'm also confident that wasn't the point, nor would it matter to the publisher's desired readership/demographic.
In terms of comic book novelizations, I've read much worse. In terms of fun, light entertainment, I'm glad I read it.
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