Name: Batman
Rating: 3.65625 (64 reviews)
ISBN: 9780399549786

Marie Lu

"The Nightwalkers are terrorizing Gotham City, and Bruce Wayne is next on their list ... Bruce will walk the dark line between trust and betrayal as the Nightwalkers circle closer"--

Nightwalker

Batman

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 BESTSELLER Before 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 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

Batman: Nightwalker

Jazelle H

“Either you hid from reality or you dealt with it."

After a bit of vigilante justice that involved a notorious terrorist group and a high-speed chase in a pretty epic teched-out car, eighteen-year-old Bruce Wayne is sent to complete community service at Arkham Asylum, where the city’s worst of the worst are detained. There, he meets the mysterious Madelaine, a brilliant, tech-savvy mastermind filled with secrets as intricate as the strange origami masterpieces she makes. Still driven by that vigilante need to help people and uncover answers, Bruce makes it his mission to unravel Madelaine and stop the Nightwalker organization before it’s too late for Gotham City’s finest.

“Two kinds of people come out of personal tragedy, you know? And you’re the kind that comes out brighter.”

Ignoring every preconceived notion about Bruce Wayne, this adaptation of Bruce could almost seem interesting. However, it seems that because of those preconceived notions, we’re left with little to discover about this younger, pre-Batman version. Instead, we get a pretty basic character with some pretty basic character motivation. There’s little mystery to who the antagonist is, and that lack of suspense really slows the momentum down. Instead of intricate characters and a compelling plot to match, we’re left with two-dimensional shadow puppets, an unconvincing and unnecessary romance, and an easy to anticipate reveal.

Perhaps the most interesting component to this story is seeing a glimpse of Marie Lu’s tech-savvy origins and Warcross glasses recreated for the likes of Bruce Wayne. After all, every young adult, city-saving billionaire needs his tech toys. That simple addition--that is, Bruce’s workout regimen--dragged this story from the shadows of any other Batman tale and made it uniquely Marie Lu’s, even if the rest of Bruce’s misadventure seemed a little lackluster in excitement.

The highly anticipated coming-of-age story for the world's greatest super hero- BATMAN by the # 1 New York Timesbestselling author Marie Lu. Returning home from his lavish eighteenth birthday party, Bruce Wayne stops a criminal's getaway - disobeying the police and crashing his car during the chase. Sentenced to community service in Gotham City's Arkham Asylum, he encounters some of the the city's most dangerous and mentally disturbed criminals. Among these, Bruce meets the intriguing Madeleine who has ties to the Nightwalker gang that is terrorizing Gotham City. She's a mystery Bruce has to unravel but can he trust her? The Nightwalkers target the rich, and Bruce's name is next on their list.

Ashley Wendt

So, I found myself enjoying the Batman story so much more than the Wonder Woman story in this DC Icons Series. I think the relationships had more depth, the mystery & behavior of the antagonist were more interesting. It captivated me more than I thought it would. I generally seem to have harder time connecting to the main character when it’s a male character, but I actually really enjoyed This iteration of Bruce Wayne and would love to see this character more!!

Meredith Boster

This was a good book. It took me a while to actually begin READING it reading it but it was muy bien. Marie Lu is a good, descriptive author.

Tiffany Robinson

I have been looking forward to this book for what seems like forever so I was super excited when it finally got released. I like the new take on Bruce Wayne as a teenager! This was a very fun read that was action packed and kept me on the edge of your seat the whole way though. I loved that there was also a teenaged Harvey Dent. The only down side of this was that it was short and I really wished it was longer. I want to read more adventures of this version of Bruce!

Sam Kiszonka

But looking out, all he saw was an ocean of light, the shimmering heart of Gotham City spread out before him. He didn't know everything his future held for him, not yet, but he knew that whatever it was, it would remain here.

It looked like a place worth protecting.

It looked like home.

This book though!! Marie Lu has reminded me of my love for Batman and the DC universe, the old movies anyway lol. The characters were fantastic and I loved meeting the young Bruce Wayne and Harvey Dent!! 

This was my first Marie Lu book and I will be picking up her other books now!! 
Batman: Nightwalker is just so well written and deliciously dark, the characters are well developed and thoroughly enjoyable (mostly the bad guys haha). I am hoping the rest of the DC Icons Series is this amazing!! 

I am so glad that I picked this book up and I am super grateful to Penguin for sending me a copy of this amazing book! I hope that y'all get the opportunity to read this book, even if you aren't a fan of the DC Universe or Batman, as it is definitely one of my most fun and enjoyable reads lately. 

Two kinds of people come out of personal tragedy... You're the kind that comes out brighter.

Katie

Maaaaaaybe I was bound to not like this book because--and please, hold your rotten fruit here--I don't really like Batman. I'm sure there are iterations of him that are nuanced and wonderful and blah blah blah, but everything I've ever been exposed to was rather boring, and this book was no exception.

It mostly follows Bruce just doing his community service at Arkham and talking to the mysterious girl. And, like, that's it. It didn't feel like there was a whole lot at stake because we didn't get to see a lot of Gotham City. Maybe that's because we're supposed to be familiar with it, so Marie Lu didn't put a ton of focus of the scope of the narrative, but for me, someone who is NOT overly familiar with Gotham City, it made it fall a little flat. Madeleine was your stereotypical manic pixie dream girl, but IN PRISON!!!! WOW HOW EXCITING!!!!! There was a lot of telling and not showing of Bruce's relationships with everyone around him: his friends, his frenemies, Alfred, etc, which again can be attributed to the assumption that readers will be fans of the universe already.

I did enjoy the actions scenes a lot. I thought the big climax was pretty cool; though the plot twists didn't shock me a ton because I didn't care about the characters, the fighting parts were awesome. I think those particular types of scenes are the kinds that Marie Lu writes very well. The rest of the book wasn't written badly, but it also didn't excite me a lot. If there had been more scenes of Bruce training with his cool VR headset at the gym (yeah, that's a thing, it was lit) or a bit more of him dipping his toe into the vigilante pool, I think I would have liked this more.

Overall, this book was not written for me, a VERY casual DC fan and not really a fan at all of Batman. For people that like Batman a lot and are interested in alternate versions of his backstory, I think this would be a lot more enjoyable.

laura

I picked up this audiobook on a whim and I loved it! I flew though this book in like three days and I really loved this version of Bruce. Even though this story was a super short I thought it was so well done. I really loved the "trio" of characters and and also the case the bruce had to solve. I love how he we got nods to real "batman" history and loved all the unexpected twists and turns and it had me so engaged. I loved this listening experience so much and would love to see a follow up book to this. This was my first superhero read and I will def be reading more.

Kath Lau

My Actual Rating : 3.5 out of 5 stars

READ MY FULL REVIEW HERE

I would like to thank Penguin Random House International for sending me a finished copy of this book in exchange for my honest and unbiased review and for including me in the Batman: Nightwalker Global Blog Tour. This did not affect my overall opinion of the book.

Paige Green

Rating: 3/5

Genre: YA… uhhh… Superhero Retelling?

Recommended Age: 14+ (violence, slight sexual content)

Pages: 252

Author Website

Amazon Link to Order the Book

Nah nah nah nah nah nah nah nah nah nah nah nah nah nah BATMAN!!!!!!

I LOVE Batman. I used to stay up late every night when I was little and watch the animated series on TV when I was supposed to be asleep. I grew up with Batman and now I want to know how Batman grew up, so I thought this would be an amazing book to start with in my journey to knowing Batman. This book focuses on newly 18 Bruce Wayne and his misadventures and need for justice. I felt that this book had a really interesting plot and storyline. The love interest was in true Batman fashion (ala evil villain), and the pacing was perfection as well. Also, it’s Batman. That has to make up for some of the bad things in this next paragraph right? RIGHT???

*sigh* This was not Batman. Well, this was not MY Batman. I would have been absolutely fine if Marie Lu made a new Batman, God knows how many times and alternate universes Batman has been apart of, but she didn’t and the end result came out poorly researched and unauthentic. Batman in the lore actual traveled the world and trained with a detective and Lucius, this Batman is just a typical teen without any good backstory. Bruce and Harvey were also not old schoolmates, so the inclusion of him felt odd. Aside from one part in the book, this Harvey did not act like the Harvey I know. Bruce, as a character, was also very uninteresting. He was not developed at all and the author relied on us previously knowing the Batman origin story to fully know what was going on. A lot of people who will read this book may not know Batman’s origin story (or even who he is).

Verdict: The Batman in this story doesn’t feel like the Batman of the lore and a lot of things that go on in this book contradict the lore. However, it was an action packed adventure and if you ignore that this is Batman this book is a lot better.

Jawahir M

Short Summary: Painfully boring, a forgettable story and a bland Bruce Wayne. 
Score: 1.5/5

Batman is my favorite superhero and so I couldn't wait to read this, I thought: "What would be a better mix than YA and one of DC's most iconic characters?"

Unfortunately though this book did not deliver. at all. It was a painful book to read and I found myself yawning my way through it, my mind constantly being out of the story like gripping oil only for it to slip between your fingers and leave behind a sticky greasy unpleasant residue. I expected more, but what I received is a sappy cringe romance banter between Bruce and a very attractive female criminal (who is somewhat a sociopath as well but oh well Bruce still manages to fall for her tricks...more than once.) and two chapters worth of action out of the whole thing. 

Bruce on the other hand, my lord is so forgettable and bland. This is Batman! There was so much that could have been done with his character, especially since Batman is renowned for being a "grey" superhero. The author could have explored that in a way that was far more intriguing than a mere hot attraction between two polar opposites to reveal indicate the darker part of Bruce. I understand that Bruce is 18, but he shouldn't be so easily manipulated like lovesick dog so much. I expected a more clever Bruce. One with flair, intelligence, recklessness, and a bit of that darkness that makes him appealing. As for the other prominent characters such as Lucius and Alfred, they also felt mediocre and forgettable yet again. 

Such a shame really.

Chelsea Breher

I'm finally getting around to reading the dc legends books. I am glad I read it, I found that there was parts that dragged on and other parts that could have been filled with more details. It's not the full story of how Bruce became Batman but it's part of the story. It's part of how Bruce grew from a young adult to a man and who fights for true justice. A man who falls in love even though its with someone he truly shouldn't. Overall it was a decent book, not a favourite though.

Wren Hardwick

As I previously said, I'm not that big of a DC fan. I am a Marvel Girl 100% through and through. In fact, until I started reading Wonder Woman Comics and watching the movie that came out on repeat (hello, women power), I kind of could care less about DC? I mean, I like Arrow and the Flash and Legends of Tomorrow is okay I guess, but none of them were as spectacular as any of the comics, shows and movies that I watched with Marvel. Wolverine, Loki, Captain America, Ms. Marvel, Kitty... well, you get the picture. I feel Marvel has a stronger character-driven company. 

BUT Bardugo, Maas and Lu were writing DC Icons, so how could I not read this series? And de la Pena, but I have never read anything by him.

On top of my lack of love for DC, I feel like Batman is overrated. I know I know, most people are obsessed with him because he is an orphan and he is such a good guy and he has cool gadgets and he is super rich and chill and has a cave and talks in that raspy voice and stuff; but I guess, to me and strictly my opinion, I feel like he is some rich dude who got really bored with his heritage and decided to be a vigilante without "the call" to be one. I don't know; I respect everyone's opinions on him and I don't hate him, but he isn't close to my favorite either.

So why did I say all of that? I felt it was important for you to see where my mind is when I was reading this book.

To me, this book was very underwhelming and with that eye-roll worthy of an ending, I couldn't bring myself to rate it any higher than a 03 star. Don't get me wrong, it was an enjoyable read and I do actually own the book willingly, but I do not find myself actually picking it up and reading it again. 

"I can't think of a story where the billionaire and the murderer end up happily ever after."

So there is a group of vigilantes that are pulling a Robin Hood and trying to take all the money from the rich to provide for the poor. They catch one of the members of the Night Walkers (hey look the title), and she ends up in Arkham. Madeleine (that's the "she" from the Night Walkers... keep up) won't talk to anyone but the boy who is there because he got in the middle of a cop investigation... oh that's Bruce, btw. Bruce is low-key trying to stop the Nightwalkers under the law's noses, while also finding Madeleine very... interesting.

Things I really liked about this book is the premise (superheroes are amazing), the technology (hello cool gadgets), the murder mystery (I have a thing for murder mysteries), and the name drops (Alfred is the main reason to read this book). Things I didn't really like about this book the lack of character development (characters were kind of flat), the predictability (that ending, the romance (I cannot), the thrown in characters (his two best friends can't even be called supporting roles), and the unrealisticness of it all (Bruce would never be put in this kind of situation). Also, I thought Batman was supposed to be dark? Isn't he also called The Dark Knight? This felt very middle-ground to me and I was expecting it to be a little darker. 

Now Bruce himself, he had some interesting things about him. He seemed drawn to the people who have a little darkness in them, which is completely expected with Batman. 

Moral of the story, if you are a big batman fan you will probably enjoy this more. Personally, I'm only here for Wonder Woman and Catwoman. I literally can't wait for Catwoman. But Batman,

"He didn't know everything his future held for him, not yet, but he knew that whatever it was, it would remain here.
It looked like a place worth protecting.
It looked like home."

I still have some hope for you and me.

About what I expected. RTC. 

- - - 

I’m not a huge Batman Fan BUTTTT I’m a sucker for origins and super heroes in general, and I loved Wonder Woman and I love this author so... HERE WE GOoOoOoOoOo! 

- - - 

THAT COVER THO

The highly anticipated coming-of-age story for the world's greatest super hero: BATMAN by the # 1 New York Times bestselling author Marie Lu. Returning home from his lavish eighteenth birthday party, Bruce Wayne stops a criminal's getaway - disobeying the police and crashing his car during the chase. Sentenced to community service in Gotham City's Arkham Asylum, he encounters some of the the city's most dangerous and mentally disturbed criminals. Among these, Bruce meets the intriguing Madeleine who has ties to the Nightwalker gang that is terrorizing Gotham City. She's a mystery Bruce has to unravel but can he trust her? The Nightwalkers target the rich, and Bruce's name is next on their list.

Batman: Nightwalker (DC Icons series)

Solange Bello

I loved this just as much as I enjoyed reading the actual book. 
The art style in this fits the mood of the story perfectly and its exactly 
how I pictured it when I read the book. 

I of course still love the plot, the characters and the little hidden Easter eggs that point
at Bruce being Batman in the future. 

I'm definitely gonna buy this the first chance I get and I love that it fits in with the other DC graphic novels coming out now. 

This was a super fun read and as always Marie Lu does not disappoint!

** spoiler alert **
           when I started this one I wasn't sure what to expect because it was going to be Marie Lu's own interpretation of it but I knew I would love it because I love Marie Lu. 

Boy I was not wrong. 
The only reason it doesn't have a full five stars is because I've been a batman fan all my life and have read his comics and I know his origin it was a little weak in terms of Bruce Wayne standards but as a stand alone novel it was written very well. 

I loved all of the little things she included like the first villain Bruce encounters at Arkham is probably a Victor Zsasz reference with his skin obsession and all and then later trying to bite Bruce. Not to mention all of the awesome technology that was included because lets face it that's a huge part of batman. He's rich and has cool stuff. 

I also loved the little name drops like Harvey Dent (and that scene he was playing with the coin), Luscious Fox and even Gordon at the end. 

This book was a very fun read for me and I thought it was funny that Bruce was attracted to Madeline because lets face it Bruce has a type. (I.E. Talia al Ghul, Selina Kyle) 
So it came as no surprise to me that he was attracted to a pretty mysterious girl behind bars. 

And how could I forget Bruce's mentions of how comfortable he is in the dark and his memories of the cave by his house with the bats. 

Overall I loved Marie Lu's interpretation and I wouldn't mind her writing another one that takes place some time down the road where maybe Bruce has to deal with two face and such.

Lisa Beasley

While Batman isn't one of my favourite DC characters I have to admit I did like this take on him. I liked some of the more unique aspects like giving him friends and more of a personality than I've found before. That said there were a few little niggles I had though this was more with the plot than characters. Overall it was fun and I'd give it 3 and a half stars.

I enjoyed the novel when I read it and honestly thought the artwork really added something great to it. Enjoyed it a lot. One of my faves of the DC Icons series.

Batman Nightwalker

Reviews

Highlights