This dark and twisty BATMAN in the blockbuster DC Icons series is an action-packed thrill ride from #1 New York Times bestselling author MARIE LU.AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERBefore 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. Bruce is … Nightwalkers are terrorizing Gotham City, and Bruce Wayne is next on their list. Bruce is turning eighteen and inheriting his family’s fortune, not to mention the keys to Wayne Industries and all the tech gadgetry that he could ever desire. But on the way home from his birthday party, he makes an impulsive choice that leads to community service at Arkham Asylum, the infamous prison. There, he meets Madeleine Wallace, a brilliant killer with ties to the Nightwalkers. A girl who will only speak to Bruce. She is the mystery he must unravel, but is he convincing her to divulge her secrets, or is he feeding her the information she needs to bring Gotham City to its knees?
Bruce Wayne is proof that you don’t need superpowers to be a super hero, but can he survive Madeleine’s game of tense intrigue and deception?
Act fast! The first printing includes a poster of Bruce! Each first printing in the DC Icons series will have a limited-edition poster–collect them all to create the full image!
“Masterful. . . . A great story for any Dark Knight fan.”
–Den of Geek
Don’t miss the rest of the DC Icons series! Read them in any order you choose:
* Wonder Woman: Warbringer by Leigh Bardugo
* Catwoman: Soulstealer by Sarah J. Maas
* Superman: Dawnbreaker by Matt de la Peña
more
Bruce Wayne certainly has a type, doesn’t he? Well, Marie Lu was able to capture that type perfectly in her representation of Bruce Wayne, and it’s such a good representation that any Bat-Fan is really going to love this novel.
Nightwalker takes place just after Bruce turns 18, he has inherited his family’s fortune, which has put him on the hit list of the Nightwalkers. But, Bruce being Bruce decides to take the law into his own hands and enter a car chase with a nightwalker, which of course puts him in the crosshairs of the police. Classic Bruce right. That’s what makes this novel spectacular, the fact that Lu is able to integrate specific themes and motifs that are in the comics and shows and level them down to an earlier Bruce setting. It makes it believable, it makes the story captivating and fun, and it highlights the beginning, the elements that go into turning this boy into the hero we all know and love. Bruce even does some detective work, it’s rough, but again, he’s 18, the essential part is that it exists in this novel.
Lu captures the tone, setting, and narrative just so perfectly. It’s hard to find any fault with the representation of the novel because it’s so rich. The fact that Alfred, Lucius, and Harvey Dent are all there and have a strong influence in his life so incredible. Those dynamics work so well towards building up the novel and the Batverse. Especially Harvey Dent. The way he exists in the story, his friendship with Bruce, it’s powerful. They have such a strong bond in the novel and, again, for fans, this is important because Lu also brings in elements that go into the creation of Two-Face. The beginnings are compelling, and this beginning is compelling, fun, and action-packed.
Overall, this is simply an amazing novel because the tone and setting, they are the best representations of this universe and of this character. This is Bruce Wayne, this is Gotham, these are the characters that readers already know. Lu doesn’t let herself be hindered by what already exists, she took those elements that make Bruce Batman, including his taste in women, to make this whole new story that should officially be canon. Nightwalker is just an excellent novel that captures the essence of Bruce. And Madeleine, well she’s just the perfect foil for Bruce. She’s a mild combination of Talia al Ghul and Selina Kyle, She has attitude and wit and is the ideal chess partner for Bruce. It’s hard to say where her influence on him stops which makes their dynamic so good.
Once again, spectacular novel.
Firstly, let me just say I have watched 1 Batman film and have not read the comics so I knew next to nothing about him apart from he was an orphaned, trust fund kid so I was kind of excited to know more!
This is what I learned……
I now know that Bruce Wayne loved bats from a young age: ‘They were individuals, Dad had said, and yet they still knew, somehow, to move as one.’
Bruce has very good friends. He struck me as a loner but he really isn’t. Maybe introverted but he is loved.
Bruce does not go for good girls, girls that err on the side of caution….by a lot, yes!
I was so interested to see if Richard was in Bruce’s future. I even Googled but my skills are weak! I was hoping he would be Nightwing! I still have hope!
The bond between Bruce and Alfred. So strong. And talking of Alfred….he stole the show for me!
And an introduction to Gordon….something I knew….I yaay’d in excitement!
One last thing from me….I admit I didn’t think I was going to get on with this book but by 50% the pull to Madeline had me flipping pages like a mad woman!!! Along with Alfred, she made this book for me!
Batman: Nightwalker is a cool new take on Batman’s origins. A young Bruce Wayne turns eighteen and inherits his family’s money and all the responsibility that comes with it. When faced with an opportunity to stop bad guys, the young Bruce jumps at the chance even using Waynetech technology to put the hurt on villains. The story is told in a way that the reader can see the development of Batman from Bruce’s experiences. An action packed, page turner, the story will be enjoyed by young and old for an entertaining chapter in Batman’s life story. The art is skillfully drawn and monochromatic to place the emphasis on the important aspects of the story. I loved it. My voluntary, unbiased review is based on a review copy from Netgalley.
Ever since I was a child, Batman was part of my life. It didn’t matter if it was reruns of the Adam West incarnation or a cartoon, even Tim Burton’s. As I grew up, my love for Batman grew stronger and more prominent to the point that now I call myself a Batmanologist. This review is not going to be pretty. Brace for impact.
*** Note that I have nothing against Marie Lu, as I never read one of her novels. I am only critiquing her Batman Nightwalker novel alone. Spoiler Alert. ***
***If you prefer to read the review on The OCD Nerd News, here’s the link: https://theocdnerd.news.blog/2019/08/…
Batman Nightwalker Official Summary
The Nightwalkers are terrorizing Gotham City, and Bruce Wayne is next on their list. Bruce is turning eighteen and inheriting his family’s fortune, not to mention the keys to Wayne Industries and all the tech gadgetry that he could ever desire.
However, on the way home from his birthday party, he makes an impulsive choice that leads to community service at Arkham Asylum, the infamous prison. There, he meets Madeleine Wallace, a brilliant killer with ties to the Nightwalkers. A girl who would only speak to Bruce. She is the mystery he must unravel, but is he convincing her to divulge her secrets, or is he feeding her the information she needs to bring Gotham City to its knees?
Bruce Wayne is proof that you don’t need superpowers to be a superhero, but can he survive Madeleine’s game of tense intrigue and deception?
I’m Giving It Only One Star For Effort
Let’s do an overall look of the novel first. If I have to read, see, or hear the words Aston Martin one more in my life, so help me – something terrible is going to happen. I believe that everything that could be somewhat enjoyable from the novel happened in the last 50 pages, minus the ending that isn’t even worth mentioning.
The novel itself could easily be a hundred pages, and it would be more than enough to tell the story. The feel of the novel is wrong. The image the author gave of Bruce Wayne was a whiney, naive, innocent, doormat, young adult, and this proves that her research on the character itself was less than impressive. In fact, I am not sure any research was really done.
I could see whether it was on purpose or not, that she used the same amount of examples twice with inmates and murders. I read my share of repetitive sections, overly long expositions, and needless fillers, that took away from the story she was telling. The end result was this – many sections were not required to be present to have the story move forward.
The most important part – the title might be Batman, but there is no Batman, only Bruce Wayne at the age of eighteen.
Problematic Inconsistencies
At the age of eighteen, Bruce Wayne would be studying criminology and sciences. We know such information from the Earth One Batman series. Bruce also possesses an IQ that would be 192, which is realistically unattainable, however, this would have him classified as a genius. His desire to possess the education necessary to bring justice is due to the promise he made himself when his parents died. As a result, Bruce uses his IQ and intensive studies to learn more about the subject.
However, in this Nightwalker novel, we see Bruce Wayne as being in average levels of IQ, and his new friend Dianne is portrayed as being the genius. The overall portrayal of Bruce is one of an overly naive and broken young man.
The mentioning of his parents’ death is continuously shoved in our faces, making Bruce come out as whiney, which he is not. We all know about the death of Bruce’s parents. We don’t need to read it over twenty times in a short amount of pages.
Dragging Bruce Wayne In The Dirt
As I read the novel, I realized quite a few times that the denigration of Bruce is often present. As a result, what I felt was that the author didn’t know the character well and didn’t bother to learn about him. Moreover, I was at the point where I wanted to count the number of bullies he had throughout the entire book.
The depiction of Bruce in the novel is one of a young man who doesn’t know how to fight. He trains in the gym, knows how to throw a punch, he knows how to act in front of paparazzi, but would rather be anywhere else than at the place that he is throughout the entire book.
Of all the dialog in the novel, and it is not that much, Bruce Wayne is probably the one that speaks the least. We know Batman to be silent, but we usually are in his head and his mind, the book does not give this personal, intimate feel Batman’s writers give us, such as Scott Snyder or Tony S. Daniel.
“Never trust tech. Anything made to your advantage can also be used against you.”
The Premise Makes No Sense
So, Bruce is feeling horrible at his eighteenth birthday party after a fight with his old friend Richard Price—the only child of Gotham City’s Mayor. He leaves the luxurious building with the new high tech AI. Aston Martin modified by WayneTech and listens to the police sirens. He witnesses a pursuit and decides to intervene after driving through the slums of Gotham right next to the wealthy parts.
After causing a car accident, therefore, stopping the driver the police were chasing, Bruce Wayne must face the consequences. What is the result, something that no one would let happen to a young man who witnessed his parents died in front of him by a nobody criminal who only wanted money?
Bruce Wayne has to do community service at Arkham Asylum. We are talking about the prison for the highest dangerous criminally insane sociopaths. Bruce Wayne, eighteen years of age, a day-old billionaire who has no criminal background of any kind, an IQ of a genius, awarded student, need I go on?
Let’s Bully The Rich Boy
Furthermore, the one assigned to him to make sure he does his community service, at first treats him like a brat. To this point in the story, Bruce never showed a selfish behavior; she doesn’t know him at all and yet, criticizes him before Alfred Pennyworth, who doesn’t do anything about it. All Bruce does throughout the book is to nod and accept his fate.
Further, in the story, Bruce is a victim of bullying by this Detective Daccon. Moreover, It doesn’t stop there. Not only he does he suffers from psychological abuse, but he goes through a constant reminder of his privileges as a rich boy. He has thrown in his face phrases like, “he never worked a day in his life.” His babysitter looking out for him is a joke to them. Furthermore, Bruce is a joke to Dr. James at Arkham Asylum and security.
So, the book has this subtitle: Nightwalker. Until halfway in the novel, the reader doesn’t know what it means or what it is. So, we have many filler scenes. We go through various descriptions. To the best of my knowledge, as a reader of both comic books and novels, it is too much. This is Batman. I want a fast pace and action.
Instead, Bruce Wayne is going through abuse. The judging without reason because they don’t know him at all becomes redundant and annoying.
Alfred, What Happened?
The beloved character of Alfred Pennyworth. Alfred became Bruce’s official guardian when his parents died before his eyes (see how redundant that becomes?)
However, to Bruce’s eyes, Alfred became a role model, a mother, and a father. Alfred is the man he wants to make proud and show that he can live up to become a Wayne. Alfred is Bruce’s pillar, doctor, confident, and friend.
Fans of Batman know that Alfred is a British veteran who served in the military. He has martial art and boxing skills. The author decided to make him part of the Royal Air Force. Sorry, he was a doctor on the field like in MASH, and that is why in the comic books we see Alfred patching up Batman regularly. It explains why Bruce Wayne rarely goes to the hospital.
Alfred would fight for Bruce. He would defend him, and make sure that he would not go to a mental detention center surrounded by criminals. Alfred, despite Bruce being eighteen, would still see the boy—like any parent, and protect the one he swore to raise as his child.
The only action we have from Alfred is when he finally wakes up after the home invasion at the Wayne Manor. Finally, the family Butler decides to take Bruce’s side and help him. We’re at the climax of the story at this point. I’m just saying.
Some True Facts
In the novel, you can find some accurate background that is mostly fillers if you ask me. The characters the author uses from the Batman universe are Harvey Dent whom she made Bruce Wayne’s best friend, Dent’s father who is a politician and abuses Harvey daily, Alfred Pennyworth, one ‘Easter egg’ of James Gordon at the end, and maybe one or two more.
Harvey Dent and Bruce Wayne, according to the animated series of the nineties, were friends. How far back it goes, remains a mystery. The fact that she made them best friends didn’t bother me. However, going all-in with Bruce’s plan at the climax of the story without questions, that’s quite a friend!
More: https://theocdnerd.news.blog/2019/08/20/the-review-of-batman-nightwalker-except-there-is-no-batman/
HOLY SHIT, BATMAN!!! This has to be the absolute BEST book that I’ve ever read. It is now my favorite book!!
This book is set in Bruce Wayne’s teenage years, just before high school graduation and right before starting college. Bruce is involved in police matters that doesn’t involve him right away. Due to this bad decision, Bruce has been assigned clean up duty at Arkham Asylum. Durning a clean up shift, he notices an odd, out-of-place female inmate named Madeleine. Madeleine will only talk to Bruce and not the police. Bruce learns that Madeleine is a murderer and has ties to the Nightwalkers, who are killing Gotham City’s philanthropists and draining their bank accounts. It is up to Bruce to get inside Madeleine’s twisted mind and figure out a plan to save himself and his city.
I have NEVER read a book that has had me hooked like this one. I was literally gasping at the twists in this book. I am seriously at a lose of words to describe this book. IT WAS AMAZING!!!!!! Great job Marie Lu!
Very in the now, felt like it was written so that time wise it fit with were young Bruce would be in the timeline of the Bat man saga.
Awwww. My heart. It was so short. So sweet. Sigh. Over so quickly.
Can I just say again how short it was?
Sigh. Felt good to connect with a teen non-weepy Bruce. Here’s looking at you, CW. Or whoever the heck produces Gotham TV series. Your Gordon is good (Mckenzie!!), your Riddler is alright, your Joker was Joker (don’t care what anyone says about him NOT being the Joker, that red-haired kid IS scary), but your Bruce was…ok, fair. Weepy. Fair. Thank God for your Alfred.
And, of course, I’m comparing this to wonder woman Warbringer, seeing as that I read that one first. This one is all Bruce though. Other youths were more involved in the wonder woman story, unlike this one. We got only Bruce’s POV throughout…
Engaging writing. Not mind blowing, but I like the way the author flowed from scene to scene. My first time reading her, Lu, and I appreciate what she’s done for the GOAT. Just the fact that she didn’t spoil him, that she wrote the caring pragmatic Bruce I wanted is enough for me.
Ok, gotta sign out here. I think I’ll skip Catwoman unless I’m absolutely bored. The trinity is all I want for now. Dawnbreaker 2019, here we come. DO NOT SUCK.