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a_blerdandhisbooks's review
adventurous
dark
hopeful
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
rebkamcfly's review
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
preiman790's review against another edition
4.0
A fun adaptation of a great comic. It does take some liberties but nothing that detracts from the original story or it's original intent.
If you want to read a superhero novel done right, you could do a lot worse. The action was translated to a non visual medium with a degree of skill, and unlike in some adaptations never takes over the narrative with blow by blow accounts of comic panels. What it does do instead is bring you the wonderful story and characters that made those panels interesting in the first place.
If you want to read a superhero novel done right, you could do a lot worse. The action was translated to a non visual medium with a degree of skill, and unlike in some adaptations never takes over the narrative with blow by blow accounts of comic panels. What it does do instead is bring you the wonderful story and characters that made those panels interesting in the first place.
momentum262's review
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
alexauthorshay's review
3.0
Not bad. The majority of it made me feel it was just an alternate route for Iron Man 3, which I did like more. Extremis was significantly different between book and movie, and I have to say I like how they used it in the movie better.
Spoiler
The idea of Extremis intermixing with Iron Man himself was kind of... weird. It cheated the whole idea of Tony being able to engineer his own suits and being able to make different Marks with different purposes to show their evolution. I understand that the idea was to make him able to stand up to Mallen but it literally takes away his humanity, which in my eyes makes him more like Spider-Man or Hulk. Iron Man is supposed to be just an average human guy under that suit; Extremis made him kind of alien.ssindc's review
3.0
A quick, entertaining, light (but not too light) book that knows what it is (uh, it's a prose novel based on a comic book character - also a movie franchise juggernaut - retelling or reimagining a comic book story) and what it isn't (a Booker Prize short list selection). If it hadn't come into my hands in hardback (or, in other words, if it was on my Kindle), it would have been just about perfect for airplane reading.... But more on this below.
The book's strong suit lies in its simplicity, its momentum (yes, it probably could be read in one sitting if one had the right chair, drinks, and snacks at hand), and its self-awareness. For Iron Man fans, I liked the evolution of the Pepper character, and there was a fun introduction of a new Team Iron Man team member (but no spoiler here). On the other hand, when push comes to shove, despite all of Tony Stark's (and his ilk's) credentials, it reads more like a comic book (which it is) and less like conventional sci-fi. Now that I'm quibbling, there was more repetition than I needed, wanted, or had patience for (yes, yes, Tony feels guilty for having invented and become rich selling weapons), and there is only so much mileage you can get out of Tony's philandering past. But it does keep rolling along....
One interesting twist: I must admit I was (slightly) caught off guard and taken aback by just how graphically (or explicitly) some of the violence was presented. I only mention this because - in terms of genre and topic and character, etc. - the book might interest younger readers. In that context, the body count is not just high, but some of the deaths are a not only disturbing but so ... callous ... that, well, they give pause. (Having said that, even though I'm firmly entitled to geezer status at this point, maybe I need to adjust how much tolerance younger readers have for mayhem and death... Having said that, it always seems like, when a character dies in, say, a Harry Potter book, it's a big deal or a remarkable moment.... Not so much here... And, again, this probably was never intended as a kids' book....)
This is the second (consecutive) Marvel prose novel I've read during this "holiday season" (late December), and, to me, many of my thoughts about the X-Men title I read right before it apply here as well. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/14885900-astonishing-x-men Then again, I realize that most normal readers/consumers don't come upon a short stack of Marvel prose novels in one fell swoop, and that more discerning readers who read, follow, enjoy, or care about Iron Man may have no interest in the X-Men (or, of course, vice versa)... But I doubt I'll immediately return to the stack ... rather, I think it's time for a break, a change of pace, maybe something a tad more literary or....
The book's strong suit lies in its simplicity, its momentum (yes, it probably could be read in one sitting if one had the right chair, drinks, and snacks at hand), and its self-awareness. For Iron Man fans, I liked the evolution of the Pepper character, and there was a fun introduction of a new Team Iron Man team member (but no spoiler here). On the other hand, when push comes to shove, despite all of Tony Stark's (and his ilk's) credentials, it reads more like a comic book (which it is) and less like conventional sci-fi. Now that I'm quibbling, there was more repetition than I needed, wanted, or had patience for (yes, yes, Tony feels guilty for having invented and become rich selling weapons), and there is only so much mileage you can get out of Tony's philandering past. But it does keep rolling along....
One interesting twist: I must admit I was (slightly) caught off guard and taken aback by just how graphically (or explicitly) some of the violence was presented. I only mention this because - in terms of genre and topic and character, etc. - the book might interest younger readers. In that context, the body count is not just high, but some of the deaths are a not only disturbing but so ... callous ... that, well, they give pause. (Having said that, even though I'm firmly entitled to geezer status at this point, maybe I need to adjust how much tolerance younger readers have for mayhem and death... Having said that, it always seems like, when a character dies in, say, a Harry Potter book, it's a big deal or a remarkable moment.... Not so much here... And, again, this probably was never intended as a kids' book....)
This is the second (consecutive) Marvel prose novel I've read during this "holiday season" (late December), and, to me, many of my thoughts about the X-Men title I read right before it apply here as well. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/14885900-astonishing-x-men Then again, I realize that most normal readers/consumers don't come upon a short stack of Marvel prose novels in one fell swoop, and that more discerning readers who read, follow, enjoy, or care about Iron Man may have no interest in the X-Men (or, of course, vice versa)... But I doubt I'll immediately return to the stack ... rather, I think it's time for a break, a change of pace, maybe something a tad more literary or....
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