MARCH 2018 - AudioFile
Will Damron keeps listeners on the edge of their seats with his narration of a proto-Batman story in which 18-year-old Bruce Wayne experiments with vigilantism. Damron gives voice to Wayne and his guardian, Alfred, and the various young women on either side of the law. The novel wreaks havoc on the Batman familiar to decades of comic readers, including changes to his backstory. It owes much to the television show "Gotham" and should be considered a stand-alone story divorced from the rest. Young Bruce falls for teen Madeleine Wallace, who is accused of being a member of The Nightstalkers, a gang terrorizing the rich. Is she helping Bruce and the cops catch her fellow gang members before a terrorist attack, or is she setting Bruce up? M.S. © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine
From the Publisher
"Masterful. . . . A great story for any Dark Knight fan."
—Den of Geek, (for Batman: Nightwalker by Marie Lu)
"A fast-paced story line, action-packed fight sequences, and hi-tech gadgetry expected from any Batman story make this a fun read with wide appeal."
—SLJ, (for Batman: Nightwalker by Marie Lu)
“The trickiest aspect of any Batman narrative is getting into Bruce Wayne's head, and [Lu] doesn't miss a beat. . . . An engaging character piece with enough Batman allusions to intrigue fans and newcomers alike.”
—Kirkus Reviews, (for Batman: Nightwalker by Marie Lu)
"Doesn’t merely survive the hype, it deserves it.” —The New York Times Book Review (for Legend)
"An action-packed love story full of inventive details.” —The Los Angeles Times (for Legend)
"Fine writing and excellent execution." —Entertainment Weekly (for Legend)
"Lu opts for a high simmer of intrigue." —PW, Starred Review (for Prodigy)
"By permitting her characters some grand failures, she raises the stakes in the best way possible."—The New York Times Book Review (for The Young Elites)
School Library Journal
12/01/2017
Gr 8 Up—Bruce Wayne faces off against the Nightwalkers in this prose novel based on Batman. Bruce has just turned 18 and is now in full control of his family fortune. Graduation is around the corner, but interfering in a police matter gets him a community service sentence cleaning floors at the Arkham Asylum. There he meets the Madeleine, a member of the Nightwalkers, locked away in solitary. When Madeleine, who refuses to talk to the police, begins talking to Bruce about her gang, the police enlist his help in the investigation. Bruce is intrigued by the beautiful yet dangerous Madeleine. The Nightwalkers are taking out the city's rich and famous, and Bruce has just been added to their list. With the help of his friends, his company's technology, and a strong desire for justice, Bruce must save Gotham from the Nightwalkers. This work can be enjoyed by fans of Batman looking for more backstory as well as those unfamiliar with the Caped Crusader. The Nightwalkers, who use violence to spread their message, fit well as a villain group within the Gotham City universe. It is through his interaction with the Nightwalkers that Bruce realizes that he and his technology may be able to help the city in ways the police cannot. A fast-paced story line, action-packed fight sequences, and hi-tech gadgetry expected from any Batman story make this a fun read with wide appeal. VERDICT A first purchase for young adult collections.—Marissa Lieberman, East Orange Public Library, NJ
MARCH 2018 - AudioFile
Will Damron keeps listeners on the edge of their seats with his narration of a proto-Batman story in which 18-year-old Bruce Wayne experiments with vigilantism. Damron gives voice to Wayne and his guardian, Alfred, and the various young women on either side of the law. The novel wreaks havoc on the Batman familiar to decades of comic readers, including changes to his backstory. It owes much to the television show "Gotham" and should be considered a stand-alone story divorced from the rest. Young Bruce falls for teen Madeleine Wallace, who is accused of being a member of The Nightstalkers, a gang terrorizing the rich. Is she helping Bruce and the cops catch her fellow gang members before a terrorist attack, or is she setting Bruce up? M.S. © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine
Kirkus Reviews
2017-10-01
Young Bruce Wayne has a pre-Batman adventure.Famed boy billionaire Bruce Wayne has just turned 18, officially inheriting his deceased parents' vast fortune. But Bruce doesn't have time to give his coming-of-age much thought: a gang calling itself the Nightwalkers is terrorizing the elite citizens of Gotham City, and Bruce is determined to shut them down. Bruce's antics earn him a community-service sentence in Arkham Asylum, where he cross paths with Asian-American Madeleine Wallace, an accused murderer with ties to the Nightwalkers. Madeleine remains silent when the cops are around but speaks privately to Bruce. As the two grow closer Bruce works to shine a light on the mysterious gang and perhaps get a possibly innocent Madeleine released. Lu effectively mixes familiar Batman characters and locations with the new Nightwalkers and Madeleine, avoiding overstuffing the narrative with future villains and excessive Batman foreshadowing. The trickiest aspect of any Batman narrative is getting into Bruce Wayne's head, and she doesn't miss a beat. Bruce is headstrong, haunted but not overwhelmed, and capable of improvisation, but he isn't yet the fully formed Caped Crusader. The building blocks are there, but the author doesn't rush to assemble them too quickly. Bruce's terrible, self-destructive taste in women travels from the comics to this novel, making his relationship with Madeleine suitably complex and a bit frustrating at the same time.An engaging character piece with enough Batman allusions to intrigue fans and newcomers alike. (Fantasy. 12-16)
