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A review by ssindc
DC Comics novels - Batman: The Court of Owls Paperback Greg Cox by Greg Cox
4.0
Well that was a very pleasant surprise! Well done, Greg Cox!
I saw this on the shelf at Midtown Comics when I was up in NYC last week and figured that it would be good travel (airport and hotel) reading for my upcoming international trip. Granted, my expectations were (relatively) low, but ... by any standard, the book exceeded them. I'm making no bones about it - this was a solid, entertaining, action-packed (but not just action) novel that I really enjoyed.
It started relatively quickly, and the momentum kept things humming merrily along. Heck, I even thought the conclusion/ending/wrap up was handled nicely.
Full disclosure: Over the years, I've increasingly enjoyed (and, hence, looked for, bought, and consumed/read) novelizations of superhero stories. Maybe it reflects my aging (and, I dunno, overdeveloped) imagination, but I frequently find that the novels - when handled properly - not only compare favorably with, but can be even more entertaining than, even the most visually appealing graphic novels. This one was no exception.
From where I sit, Cox did a great job with this because, first and foremost, his writing is clear and efficient yet sufficiently sophisticated to handle both action and non-action scenes. (Indeed, as compelling as the action/fight/chase scenes were, the non-action (history, flashback, detective, even relationship) scenes were equally credible and engaging. OK, OK, it's no surprise - or, in other words, this isn't Cox's first (superhero novel) rodeo - but it's all new to me, so I'm glad I finally found him.
At the end of the day, this is still a superhero book, so it may not be for everyone ... and particularly not for folks unwilling to suspend their disbelief (either through science fiction or fantasy or both). But, if you like this kind of stuff, Cox makes a strong contribution to the genre, and I recommend it.
I saw this on the shelf at Midtown Comics when I was up in NYC last week and figured that it would be good travel (airport and hotel) reading for my upcoming international trip. Granted, my expectations were (relatively) low, but ... by any standard, the book exceeded them. I'm making no bones about it - this was a solid, entertaining, action-packed (but not just action) novel that I really enjoyed.
It started relatively quickly, and the momentum kept things humming merrily along. Heck, I even thought the conclusion/ending/wrap up was handled nicely.
Full disclosure: Over the years, I've increasingly enjoyed (and, hence, looked for, bought, and consumed/read) novelizations of superhero stories. Maybe it reflects my aging (and, I dunno, overdeveloped) imagination, but I frequently find that the novels - when handled properly - not only compare favorably with, but can be even more entertaining than, even the most visually appealing graphic novels. This one was no exception.
From where I sit, Cox did a great job with this because, first and foremost, his writing is clear and efficient yet sufficiently sophisticated to handle both action and non-action scenes. (Indeed, as compelling as the action/fight/chase scenes were, the non-action (history, flashback, detective, even relationship) scenes were equally credible and engaging. OK, OK, it's no surprise - or, in other words, this isn't Cox's first (superhero novel) rodeo - but it's all new to me, so I'm glad I finally found him.
At the end of the day, this is still a superhero book, so it may not be for everyone ... and particularly not for folks unwilling to suspend their disbelief (either through science fiction or fantasy or both). But, if you like this kind of stuff, Cox makes a strong contribution to the genre, and I recommend it.