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    Enemies & Allies: A Novel
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    Enemies & Allies: A Novel
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    Enemies & Allies: A Novel
    Ebook348 pages5 hours

    Enemies & Allies: A Novel

    By Kevin J. Anderson

    4/5

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    Currently unavailable

    About this ebook

    “[A] fun read….Batman and Superman meet in this retro-flavored novel set amid the Cold War sensibilities of the 1950s.”
    —USA Today

    The Dark Knight meets the Man of Steel in Enemies & Allies—the thrilling story of the first-ever  meeting between Batman and Superman, brilliantly imagined by New York Times bestselling author Kevin J. Anderson. One of today’s most popular writers pits the iconic superheroes against Lex Luthor and the Soviets—and each other—in a spellbinding story of destiny and duty set against the backdrop of America’s Cold War era.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins
    Release dateMay 5, 2009
    ISBN9780061915598
    Unavailable
    Enemies & Allies: A Novel
    Author

    Kevin J. Anderson

    Kevin J. Anderson has published more than eighty novels, including twenty-nine national bestsellers. He has been nominated for the Nebula Award, the Bram Stoker Award, and the SFX Reader's Choice Award. His critically acclaimed original novels include Captain Nemo, Hopscotch, and Hidden Empire. He has also collaborated on numerous series novels, including Star Wars, The X-Files, and Dune. In his spare time, he also writes comic books. He lives in Wisconsin.

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    Reviews for Enemies & Allies

    4/5

    47 ratings26 reviews

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    • 4/5
      Very much enjoyed this one. I thought the way the characters were "inserted" into the 1950's was interesting and well done; the plot was very realistic for the setting and the character's involvement in the events made plenty of sense to me. Overall, a fun read!
    • 5/5
      Seeing as I am a HUGE fan of Batman, I throughly enjoyed the book. It was really good. I love learning new things about batman,though to be honest I really don't know a lot, so this book was really helpful.For all batman fans I suggest this book. If your a superman fan... its not as helpful from my point of view. Still it's an awesome book, and I highly suggest reading it!!!!
    • 4/5
      This novel was a lot of fun, with a well-done period feel that isn't overdone. I would be good to see this adapted to a comic. It would be great to have it adapted to an animated movie for the DC Animated Original Movie line.
    • 5/5
      Superman is an alien from the planet Krypton. His parents knew that their planet would be destroyed so they sent him in a space craft hoping their son would make it to Earth and live a good life. Superman learns that he has special powers. He has X-Ray vision, super strength, he can even fly. Being the good man that his human parents raised him to be, he uses these powers to help humanity.Batman became an orphan at a young age. His parents were gunned down in an alley right before his eyes. He didn't want anyone to suffer his fate, so he tried to rid his hometown of Gotham City of evil. Thanks to technological advancements, Batman is able to fight crime in a protective suit and has an extensive collection of transportation to choose from.Lex Luthor is quite possibly the worst criminal of all. He uses bribery, extortion and blackmail to make people do his dirty work. He believes humans are expendable. But he's in for a rude awakening. There are two very powerful superheros who are both gunning for him. Can Superman and Batman defeat Lex before he does too much damage?
    • 3/5
      This was an interesting take on two familiar superheroes but felt a bit hollow. Anderson did a good job of hitting all of the expected points in a Superman/Batman story but that is exactly what it felt like, like he was running down a checklist of typical situations and making sure to include them all.
    • 5/5
      For the guy/gal who's into either one of these superheroes this is a great read!
    • 3/5
      I listened to this book on audiobook in the car. I started on my way home from vacation and finished it up while stuck in traffic going to work. I ripped the cds to my ipod and just as an fyi the cd tracks are not labled in any useful kind of way so make sure you label them before you actually let it rip so you don't have to do it twice like I did because I couldn't figure out which tracks were from which disc.

      As far as the story goes, both Batman and Superman were basically their golden age characters. I know some people have stated that they don't really get Superman's motivation but honestly I firmly believe that the author tried to keep all of these characters as close to their original counterparts as possible. I also can understand Superman's feelings. The world can be a difficult place to live in. There is famine, war, murder and a whole host of other problems. I understand the feelings that you have to help people. It kind of relieves some of the sadness that I feel by helping others. (Of course I don't do it in a big blue suit with a cape.)

      Lois Lane's golden age persona was never my favorite. She starts out so strong and then always devolves into a damsel in distress and frequently shows little common sense when making decisions to chase a story. I'm all for a girl being a go-getter but she relies on Superman so heavily that a lot of her strenght gets lost in the crossfire.

      The golden age characters work very well with the Cold War storyline, and Lex Luthor is a truly evil/crazy villian. This is definitely one of those books where the good guys are very good and the villians are like something out of your worst nightmare, everything was very black and white just like early comic books were.

      It was a light listen, with an adventurous story that had lots of great cliff hangers (of course that might have more to do with exactly when I was arriving home or at work). I really liked the narrator, although as it must be with most narrators for some characters his voice was spot on and for others it was just wrong. But I think more often then not the voices were spot on. While normally I don't always enjoy books that are very techy I want to give the author credit for not going so far into the technology that I was completely turned off. I felt like the descriptions of new weapons and technology were just enough. I also appreciated the occaisonal refernces to people who were alive and very prominent people during the early Cold War.

    • 2/5
      Like several others I am afraid I found this book lacking in execution. The idea is very interesting; taking two characters out of their more modern stories and taking them back to the 1950s. Unfortunately there is not enough character development and the story itself failed to capitalize on the idea behind it. This could have been a great opportunity to examine the differences between the darker caped crusader (aka the dark knight) who uses fear as a weapon vs boy scout in broad daylight that is the Man of Steel.
    • 3/5
      Set in the 1950s, this is a fun "15 minute" read about the alliance of Batman and Superman against--wait for it--Lex Luther. Complete with secret island fortresses, mutants, and Lois Lane, it was a fun and fast read, if a little simplistic in plot.
    • 3/5
      I wanted very much to enjoy this story. However I found the setting strange, and the characterizations off. Not Mr. Anderson's best work.
    • 4/5
      Enemies and Allies by Kevin J. Anderson is an interesting alternate history look, not only for Batman and Superman’s first meeting but also a new look at the USA of the 1950s, complete with the Cold War and banging shoes at the UN by a certain Russian (nope, not Khrushchev!).

      Anderson wrote Last Days of Krypton and then wrote E&A right afterwards, but E&A cannot really be considered a sequel. It stands on its own.

      I was impressed how he portrayed Batman as a brooding man who is prepared for anything and makes no assumptions. The “Dark Knight” aspect of Batman was not introduced until the 1980s or so, so to see this in the 1950s was surprising. (Comics history note: the 1950s Batman was fighting alien invaders and wearing rainbow colors with his sidekick Robin. No Robin in this alternate!).

      Superman has a few run-ins with Lois Lane as he tries to figure out the lovelorn column for the Daily Planet. Even with all his powers (he thinks), he cannot solve these troubling relationship problems. This part of the story is trying to humanize Clark Kent but it comes off as a page filler. Not a lot of character development here. Not even when we meet Ma Kent and Superman tells his mom his troubles – could have left this on the editing floor, Kevin!

      The crux of the story centers around Lex Luthor, a corporate magnate who has Wayne Enterprises’ directors in his pocket and collects all sorts of stolen data for his defense contracts.

      A kryptonite meteor is being mined by the Russians. It is interesting that this story shows Superman as new to Kryptonite and he weakens at the close proximity to the stuff. Will Batman use it as well?

      Neither Batman nor Superman trust each other but they help each other anyway with a common enemy afoot. Tossing nuclear missiles is the least of Superman’s worries!

      Bottom Line:

      Unfair criticism of Anderson by some reviews as far as character development is concerned but heck, it reads as a comic book and isn’t that the point?

      Mixing real corporate espionage with two iconic characters and then creating an alternate history with Luthor’s megalomania and secret Russian spies makes for some fun reading. It’s fast and fun, but probably only good enough to read once.
    • 4/5
      Great book! In a time where at lot of comics are trying to be dark and gritty, especially with the success of the Nolan Batman films, this book looks back at how the heroes haven't changes so much, not the world, just the filter we put on the past and present. The back drop of the cold war was gritty for those that lived through it, but we see it in a very sterilized, history book viewpoint. It also is a great look at a team up of heroes that proves the need for both their world views. Batman balances out Superman and vice versa.
    • 5/5
      I've always been a fan of Superman so when I stumbled across this book in the library, I decided to give it a chance. And I wasn't disappointed. I thought that there was a bit too much narrative in the beginning and not enough dialogue, but once I got past that part, the story became a page-turner.It had elements that I love in a story, such as corporate espionage, likeable characters, detestable villains, and a tight plot that made this a page-turner.Those that are used to seeing Superman and Batman in the comics ought to give this one a try.Russell BrooksAuthor of Pandora's Succession
    • 3/5
      Media tie ins can be good, bad, or okay. This one bordered between good and okay.Basically what Anderson wrote was a novel length story much like those that were in the comic books around when Superman debuted.It's set during the Cold War, around the time that Joe McCarthy was persecuting people, Khrushchev banging his shoe and Sputnik was still up in the sky, all he did was add in the fact that Superman can pluck boats from the water and Batman is skulking around a Gotham City that's a separate city from New York, New York (I think).They're both at the relative beginnings of their careers when the story begins. Anderson does a pretty good job of balancing out the Bruce Wayne versus Batman and Clark Kent versus Superman parts of their characters. A lot of writers (in TV, the comics, movies or novels) tend to pick one or the other of the guys identities and stick with that one as the 'real' one, when it should generally be written in a much more sophisticated way than that. Anderson doesn't take that easy way out.I also like that he takes parts of the restart movies of both franchises and uses the best parts of them here and there throughout the book (I could so see a scene like the one in Martha and Thomas Wayne park taking place in a current Batman movie).All in all a good solid book. Maybe there will even been a sequel or something. (Oh, and a reference to Oliver Queen, almost gave the book a fourth star just for that).
    • 5/5
      I hope Kevin Anderson continues to write Batman/Superman books. He captured the personalities of the main charecters perfectly. This was a great introduction to the Superman/Batman team-ups.
    • 3/5
      This novel isn't awful, but is nothing special. The story of Batman and Superman's first team-up has been done a ton of times in a ton of different ways, and this version adds nothing.
    • 3/5
      Engaging Superman and Batman novel set in the fifties. It's the literary equivalent of the old Elseworlds line. I found it easier to relate to and a stronger story than Anderson's earlier Krypton novel. If you have to read one period costume Superman novel, you should go for De Haven's 'It's Superman', but this is a perfectly fine action adventure novel.
    • 3/5
      Conceptually interesting I wanted to like this book more, being a fan of the super-hero genre and of DC comic heroes in particular. I found the book a mediocre read, however. The pacing seemed very tired to me and it was a bit predictable (I guess in that regard most super-hero books are predictable), otherwise it made for a relatively quick read.
    • 3/5
      Kevin J. Anderson brings readers a fun and exciting read with Enemies and Allies. This book takes and incorporates two of the best superheroes and pits them together to fight a mutual enemy...Lex Luther. Lex Luther is constructing a nuclear reactor that could destroy the world. It seems that while building this reactor that he has discovered Superman's weakness to Kryptonite. The funny thing is that Lex doesn't know he possess in his hands the very thing that could bring down Superman. Lex Luther's plans though do not go un-noticed. In fact his plan to make LuthorCor the number one company has raised red flags with LuthorCor's rival competitor...Wayne Industries. Multi-millionaire playboy Bruce Wayne does not like with Lex is up to and decides to take matters into his own hands as Batman. Batman gets a helping hand when he and Superman team up to take on the bad guys in Enemies and Allies. I have to admit that I love all the great superheroes of the past. I grew up during a time when as a children you lived for Saturday mornings for the cartoons. So for me I was very excited to pick up a copy of this book to read. While I did enjoy reading Enemies and Allies, I was surprised to discover that the story took place at the beginning. A time when Clark Kent was just learning about his powers and who he really is and where he came from. So because of this aspect, I felt that Batman was more superior then Superman. Of course I still won't want to be Lex as he takes both of these heroes on. Talk about a major handicap match. Though so of the events that took place in the story were not accurate, Mr. Anderson stayed pretty true to the men behind the capes. So after all the dust has settled and the good guys end up on top, all I have to say is give me more.
    • 3/5
      A novel of Superman and Batman's first meeting, set in the late 1950's. Superman and Batman have both recently revealed themselves to the world. Superman is seen as a hero, while Batman is a wanted criminal in Gotham City. The two of them meet as they both become aware of the plotting of Lex Luthor and a Soviet general to take over the world through a variety of schemes starting with the accidental launch of some Soviet missiles.I was not impressed with this book. The 1950's setting for the origin of these characters was interesting, but that was about it. The first third of the book is largely taken up with repeating the basic backstory of the characters that almost anyone would already know by now and doesn't really add anything new to those. The writing is very basic and feels more like a YA book. None of the characters seemed to come alive, especially the supporting ones such as Lois Lane and Jimmy Olson who are just one-dimensional place holders. The simple, flat writing is not enough to make up for the visual aspect that is present in superhero comics or movies and I could just never get involved in the story. I don't see the purpose in writing a text novel about the characters if it is not going to be used to develop a deeper story than is found in the movies or graphic novels.
    • 4/5
      Once in a while I like to read something out of my comfort zone. This month Kevin J Anderson was good enough to supply me with a book way, way out of my comfort zone. I received a copy of his soon to be released Enemies & Allies, a novel in which The Dark Knight meets The Man of Steel. I have never read a Graphic novel nor have I read a comic book since grade school, but being a big fan of Batman I was delighted to have a chance to read this book.Anderson sets his story in the 1950’s, which adds to the book’s charm and character. The plot centers on the two super heroes learning to trust each other in order to stop evil Lex Luthor and a General in Stalin’s Russia. I personally liked Anderson’s Cold War inclusion, it made the plot believable. Anderson moved the story right along, there never seemed to be a point where the plot dragged. Though the book Enemies & Allies is not advertized as a young adult novel, I did wonder more than once, if this book was written for 11 year old male readers. The text can be overly simplistic, and the dialog seems to be lifted from older comic books. My 17 year old son read the book the same week as I and found though he liked it, he too wondered what age level Anderson was going for.The most intriguing aspect of Anderson’s book is the development if Batman. Though some of the back story seems to be lifted from the movie Batman Begins, I found Anderson’s explanation of why Batman does what he does satisfying. I can not say the same for Anderson’s Superman; here Superman comes across as slightly arrogant. The first time we read about Superman saving people Anderson writes “Although it was difficult to show modesty after carrying a giant passenger ship across the sky, the Kents’ had taught him to be humble”. Throughout the book Superman sees himself as protector of the people, yet Anderson never fully explains why this is. After doing such a fine job with Batman’s character development I was a little surprised at this. My son and I had a very interesting conversation about the psychology of both Batman and Superman because of Anderson’s portrayal of Superman; we agree that Batman has better reasons to call himself a super hero. All in all I have to say this is a fine book for those who love old fashion comic book fun. Anderson can be counted among those who add to the super hero genre and now I can say I read something way out of my comfort zone and enjoyed it.
    • 2/5
      As a big fan of the superhero genre and an avid reader of Batman related fiction, I was pretty excited to read 'Enemies & Allies'. Set in the 1950s during the arms race of the Cold War, this book follows Superman and Batman in their early years and through their first meeting. Alternating between not only Superman and Batman's point of views, it also follows the notorious genius Lex Luthor and intrepid reporter Lois Lane.Overall, while the book is an okay read, it isn't anything to write home about. The characters remain two dimensional and uninspiring, while the plot is barely as interesting as a sci-fi b movie. Most of the plot devices employed are hackneyed and done better in other material. The book isn't subtle, it isn't fleshed out, and it doesn't provide any insight or new angles on the characters. The author is also unfamiliar with large aspect of the 1950s from daily life to clothing and technology. The setting and technological marvels were more unbelievable than the many powers of Superman have ever been.For a set of characters with over seventy years of history, this book doesn't offer anything new. There are thousands of stories about these characters interacting and you'd find more interesting content and stories in almost any of them.
    • 3/5
      Enemies & Allies is a no-brainer easy read. You do not have to invest much of you brain power into reading it. Nor does it take a tremendous commitment of time. Nor is there anything new here.But, I enjoyed it. If you lived through much of the cold war, the nostalgia factor alone makes it worthwhile. If you are a Superman or Batman fan, you get a bonus. The Superman parts of the book bring back fond memories of the Superman TV show while the Batman parts are (oddly, to me) more evocative of the Frank Miller Batman--a vigilante working outside of the law. But it works pretty well here to highlight their differences as well as their common goals.If you are looking for a light -hearted escape from our troubling times, you could do worse.
    • 2/5
      [Review based on Advanced Readers Copy]Set among the tensions of the Cold War arms race and the UFO scares of the late 1950s Kevin J. Anderson’s latest prose foray into the DC Universe, following his recent look at Superman’s home planet in The Last Days of Krypton, puts yet another spin on the “first” meeting between the Man of Steel and Batman.The book opens strongly with a great few paragraphs describing the appearance of the Soviet Sputnik satellite in Earth orbit; but within a few paragraphs it seems to lose its focus. Instead of building on this, and further establishing the historical setting, and its social and political landscape, Anderson throws in the names Metropolis and Gotham as early as the fourth paragraph. That sets the tone for the book. Instead of this being a tale where the existence of characters like Superman and Batman seems a natural extension of that culture, they instead feel shoe-horned in to the narrative. As a result the story never quite fits together. When he has the opportunity to use the existence of these heroes as springboards for change, or to drive the plot in interesting directions, Anderson seems to take a couple of steps down that path and then ignore it.For me it seemed that Anderson never really was clear how he wanted to characterize his versions of the iconic characters either. He seems to have a better handle on Superman and his supporting cast of characters, who dominate the book, rather than Batman. The handling of the Dark Knight seems particularly clumsy. And yet Bruce Wayne has perhaps the best written character arc in the book, being the only one to experience any real change or growth.For me this is where the book really shone. The superheroics stuff was pretty much by the numbers, the cold-war political maneuvering was nothing new, but Bruce Wayne’s battle to regain control of his company, and his need to balance the two sides of his life, was compelling.Overall the book is a quick easy to read adventure featuring two instantly recognizable characters set in an “alternate” 1950s. The premise has a lot of promise, but somehow it fails to capitalize on that promise. I’m not sure what audience it is aimed at, the die-hard comics geek can easily pick apart the handling of the characters, the alternate history buff will probably be frustrated that interesting plot opportunities aren’t followed. Having said that it is a light and easy read that would be ideal for a plane ride (which is where I read my advance copy) – But will the casual book buyer pick it up? I’m not sure.
    • 4/5
      Enemies and Allies takes place in the late 1950s and tells the story of the first meeting of Batman and Superman. I don't like most prose superhero fiction, but this one was enjoyable, well paced, and kept me up well past my bedtime with it's alternating Batman/Superman cliffhanger chapters.The origin of the "World's Finest" teamup has been told many times before (I can think of 5 versions without straining). This one is one of the better ones, and setting it in the 1950s with the attendant cold war and paranoia rather than '30s or modern day is a nice choice. The novel was a bit darker than you'd expect, especially if you were expecting a "New Frontier" vibe. I still found myself visualizing either Darwin Cooke's bright animation style or the 50's Superman tv show. The Clark Kent portrayed in E&A is thankfully not the one dimensional klutzy nebbish from the comics of that era, but more akin to the more competent Kent portrayed by George Reeves.Things which could have been better - a lot of the fun of a Batman & Superman team up is the mutual suspicion (which this book did have) but tempered with good natured oneupmanship (barely suggested, maybe if there's a sequel). Also, a few jarringly anachronistic words and phrases made it in. And, as more of a Batman fan I was a bit disappointed that he seemed to get less screen time than Superman and his supporting cast. All in all a fast, fun, light read.
    • 4/5
      Note: This review is based on an Advance Reader's Edition copy sent by the publisher.'Enemies and Allies' was a fun, easy read. Kevin Anderson has captured the feel and tropes of the 1950s (Commies and Aliens galore!) as well as the spirit of the 'World's Finest' comics from the same era.In keeping with its comic book origins, the plot is simple but engaging while the prose format allows Anderson to flesh out the characters in ways those silver age teamups never could. While he may, perhaps, spend a bit too much time providing background and basic characterization for characters who are already American cultural icons, those scenes (and some of the associated 1950's and comic book name checks) are fun and about the time they begin to get tiresome, the plot picks up tremendously.Adding to the enjoyment is the simple fact that both Batman and Superman come across as well characterized. There are no jarring moments for either and their initial distrust of the other hero's motivation and methods was handled well and made their eventual teamup that much stronger.I definitely recommend 'Enemies and Allies' to anybody who enjoys the characters and is looking for a light and lighthearted escape.