Book Review: Batman Revolution

Batman Revolution by John Jackson Miller is the sequel to Batman Resurrection. These books are set in the Michael Keaton Batman continuity, with Resurrection serving as a direct sequel to the movie. Revolution, then, is the direct sequel to Resurrection, picking up a few plot threads from the previous book and the 1989 film that preceded both works.

For me, it means spending more time with Keaton's Bruce Wayne/Batman, Michael Gough's Alfred Pennyworth, and Pat Hingle's Commissioner Gordon. I loved the 1989 Batman movie. For all the talk of the Christopher Nolan movies--a solid trilogy without argument--Keaton is my Batman and Jack Nicholson my Joker. Being able to return to that gothic Gotham City is a real pleasure.

Image via Indianapolis Public Library

The books take place before Batman Returns, the 1992 sequel that 12-year-old Matt loathes and present-day Matt barely tolerates. Some of the stronger aspects of the movie sequel are present here, including Selina Kyle and Max Shreck. Selina is the sweet-natured, overburdened assistant struggling through life while Shreck continues his scheming ways (being able to picture Christopher Walken delivering lines as Shreck is wonderful). I also appreciate getting more of Robert Wuhl's Alexander Knox.

We spend a fair amount of time with Bruce and Alfred, and while Batman gets top billing in the book, be prepared for A LOT OF Norman Pinkus. He's the "puzzle master" for the local newspaper and creates a sensation with "Riddle Me This," a daily word puzzle with mind-bending clues and cash prizes. People love it so much, it's helping the Gotham Globe sell like hotcakes, although the always put-upon Norman gets zero credit for its success. National syndication is a certainty!

Norman may be the most intelligent man in the world. He's definitely the smartest guy in Gotham City, even if no one recognizes it. When he's not creating "Riddle Me This," he's also tracking crimes and providing the Gotham City Police Department with tips.

When revolutionaries sweep into Gotham City to upend what they view as an unjust, decadent government, Norman gets swept along right with them. Perpetually overlooked and underappreciated, he finds fresh start with the revolutionaries and takes on the persona of The Riddler, the smartest man in town.

He matches wits with Batman without understanding the true scope of the revolutionaries' plot. He's the bad guy but not really the bad guy, just an overlooked peon who convinced himself he was meant for greater things.

I found this to be a pretty engaging read, although I liked Resurrection more, probably because it had a direct connection with the 1989 movie by exploring Smylex (the secret ingredient--smile!) and the fallout from The Joker's plot. 

As Norman is essentially a co-protagonist in the novel (you could argue he's the main protagonist), readers will spend a lot of time with him. His "poor me, poor me" shtick did wear me down a little at times, but it is all ultimately in service of making his turn as The Riddler believable. I would've probably trimmed a chapter or two with Mr. Pinkus. I can still hear him whining about his life.

Still, the book has plenty good Bat-action and gives me another chance to spend some time with Bruce and Alfred, and for that, I'm grateful.

Book Review: North Dallas Forty

North Dallas Forty is one of the most famous (or infamous) football books ever written. In the semiautobiographical account by Peter Gent, we spend a week with a wide receiver (a semi-fictionalized version of Gent named Phil Elliott) to learn about the wild, chaotic, and insane world of pro football.

Vindictive coaches, racism, violent men, drugs, alcohol, and sex, it seems, were inescapable in the late '60s and early '70s football scene. The men of the North Dallas Bulls certainly had some wild times!

Elliott, a reliable receiver with tremendous hands who's almost past his prime, struggles to find playing time. He relies on painkillers to get by on a daily basis and stay out on the field. Wild parties fueled by drugs, alcohol, and sex permeate the narrative. Elliott's teammates range from a star quarterback to a completely unhinged lineman who would've terrified anyone who had to be in the same room with him.

Image via Indianapolis Public Library

The weeklong narrative provides a window into what pro players go through just to get on the field on a week to week basis. Sunday's game takes a physical and mental toll on them that they have to work through only to repeat it on gameday. They cope in various ways (for Elliott's teammates, it tends to be the aforementioned parties). Brutal injuries are treated with oral medication, shots, and indifference.

The book won't be for everyone. Violence, swearing, and sex are unavoidable, along with depictions of drug use and substance dependency. These things are endless. That said, it also mines some (often ribald) humor and provides a window into racial integration. 

Elliott's existential crisis--wondering what he'll do with his life once his football days are over--does bring some gravitas to the narrative. It also appears he may find some semblance of happiness with Charlotte, a woman he meets at one of the parties and pursues (while also having sex with the fiancée of one of the team executives).

Nick Nolte starred in the movie adaptation, released in 1979, and it's a happy-go-lucky account compared to its inspiration. As for the book's ending, well, let's just say I didn't see it coming. It's dark, upsetting, and unexpected. 

Book Review: Eruption

I'm a sucker for Michael Critchton novels.

Jurassic Park and The Andromeda Strain are two of my favorite all-time books. Crichton had a talent for taking a scientific concept, making it tangible, and telling propulsive stories with likeable, intelligent characters who try to solve the problem and avert disaster.

Eruption has the hallmarks of a Michael Crichton novel: an ecological disaster, a determined geologist, a race-against-the-clock narrative, cinematic set pieces, and a rival faction. Crichton died in 2008 at the age of 66, but a few of his books have been posthumously published (Pirate Latitudes, Micro, Dragon Teeth, and Eruption). 

Image via Indianapolis Public Library

James Patterson is listed as a coauthor on Eruption (published in 2024), which was a partial manuscript found in Crichton's archives after his death. Basically, one mega-author stepped in to finish the novel started by another mega-author. The results are pretty much what you'd expect, a high-concept thriller ripe for a movie adaptation.

A cataclysmic eruption is set to destroy Hawaii, and only the determined efforts of John "Mac" MacGregor and his team can stop it. You can feel Crichton's fingerprints all over this one: experimental technology, secret government facilities, a resolute protagonist determined to think his way out of trouble.

The book proceeds at a breakneck pace--it's a page-turner--along with hooky, cliffhanging chapters daring you to go, "Okay, just one more and then I'll stop." 

It's not perfect. Characters survive unsurvivable situations in the unlikeliest of ways, but that's part of the charm of a Michael Crichton novel. Don't expect deep character work, either, because we all know the characters are really there to drive the plot forward. Expect a fair amount of jargon-heavy exposition because, well, that's part of the deal, too. At least it keeps moving at a good clip.

All in all, it felt like mid-tier Crichton. I would never rank it above Jurassic Park or The Andromeda Strain, but I would personally rank it above the likes of Sphere and Congo. Worth it for most readers, although the diehardest of diehard Crichtonists may be disappointed.