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Batman
Batman: Fear Itself
Batman strikes fear in the hearts of criminals, but there’s a killer stalking Gotham who’s even better at inspiring fright–and his method just might be unbeatable . . . because it’s invisible.
Unbeknownst to the general public, a powerful new designer drug has hit the streets of Gotham, courtesy of an evil genius determined to turn the expression “scared to death” into lethal reality. Unlike the Caped Crusader, who petrifies only villains, this mastermind is targeting decent citizens–and he’s come up with the ultimate delivery system. After all, the public can’t refuse something they can’t see, hear, or smell. That’s the beauty of a terror toxin that is undetectable by the human senses. And with all of Gotham’s super-villains incarcerated, Batman must hunt down a mystery madman about whom he knows nothing.
Maybe the Dark Knight should be afraid . . . because there’s plenty to fear when you go head-to-head with fear itself.
Unbeknownst to the general public, a powerful new designer drug has hit the streets of Gotham, courtesy of an evil genius determined to turn the expression “scared to death” into lethal reality. Unlike the Caped Crusader, who petrifies only villains, this mastermind is targeting decent citizens–and he’s come up with the ultimate delivery system. After all, the public can’t refuse something they can’t see, hear, or smell. That’s the beauty of a terror toxin that is undetectable by the human senses. And with all of Gotham’s super-villains incarcerated, Batman must hunt down a mystery madman about whom he knows nothing.
Maybe the Dark Knight should be afraid . . . because there’s plenty to fear when you go head-to-head with fear itself.
352 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published February 27, 2007
14 people are currently reading
525 people want to read
About the author
Michael Reaves
130 books212 followersMichael Reaves is an Emmy Award-winning television writer and screenwriter whose many credits include Star Trek: The Next Generation, Twilight Zone, Batman: The Animated Series, and Gargoyles. His novels include the New York Times bestseller STAR WARS: Darth Maul- Shadowhunter and STAR WARS: Death Star. He and Neil Gaiman cowrote Interworld. Reaves has also written short fiction, comic books, and background dialogue for a Megadeth video. He lives in California.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews
February 5, 2021
This is a kind of up-and-down Batman prose novel, a three-way-collaboration that perhaps needed a tighter editorial pass to make all of the sections mesh. Or perhaps it was the comics-version and the movie-vision that they tried to incorporate and didn't quite balance. Scarecrow is on the loose and off the leash and, predictably, madness and mayhem ensue. Some of the sections are really quite captivating, and the Bruce-Alfred relationship is quite well drawn, but I thought the ending was both rushed and didn't ring true. For Gotham completests.
October 19, 2011
The story begins with a train barreling out of control, its conductor so petrified she can do nothing except for mutter about tunnel creatures. Batman manages to stop the train in time, but is perplexed since there is no sign of fear gas, all the Arkham inmates are accounted for, and one nosy reporter ended up stealing evidence in the form of a paperback book.
The premise seems like a really good set up for a suspense laden thriller as Batman works his way through his rogue's gallery to find out who would bother spraying horror novels with a fear toxin he can't detect by regular means, and if it's the first step in a much more sinister plan. However, this novel fails in almost every execution, dithering around with repetitive exposition and unnecessary original characters not contributing anything to the forwarding of the plot except by means of their own obstruction. It gets so bad that the major plot summation comes as a "so what" over drinks on page 161:
"All right," Maggie said, setting her own cup down on the table. "Here it is. The driver of that runaway train was reading your new novel, Fear Itself."
There was a moment's hesitation before Berwald asked, "So?"
That's pretty much how I felt this entire book. It takes 161 pages to actually get someone to mention this fear toxin conspiracy to the author whose novel, Fear Itself has been the only one to contain the drug. That is almost half the book. And it's not even Batman or Captain Gordon who confronts him about it! There is no reason for it to take this long, not at the expense of Batman and the police sitting passively by. The mystery itself is something the reader has to patiently wait for the characters to catch up to. We learn nothing beyond what the first incident tells us until the last seventy pages of the book, and even then the reveal is slipshod in terms of how the Scarecrow set up this network before his incarceration in order to escape later, or why it takes Batman so long to put the pieces together.
The worst part about all this filler is that it doesn't even feature the characters that would be the draw of the book. Batman, Gordon and Alfred are all there, but vaguely characterized. It instead prefers to fill up the pages with the specifically created characters who are all annoying, two-dimensional, and often take up the spotlight of the novel at the expense of the responsibility, dignity, or rationality of the characters much better served for it.
Maggie Tollyer: a self-righteous ex-journalist who made her mark writing an expose that blamed a magician for the deaths of kids who tried to recreate his stunts. When the magician committed suicide she blamed herself and gave up journalism to write a blog, but as soon as she realizes there's a horror novel near the victim's terrified body, she steals the copy and begins to stalk the author and using the same "your fault and your responsibility" that killed the previous subject she quit journalism over. For some reason, Batman lets her steal the book and only thinks of returning to get it once he maybe considers it was evidence. Even after that he doesn't short shrift her for her selfish and terrible behavior, going so far as to try and entice her into a dinner date with his alter-ego Bruce Wayne. Later on, when Maggie has crashed a party to try and interrogate the author of the novel, Grey Bernwald, he asks her out on a date, charmed by her harassment. Also, in the most egregious moments of the novel, Batman apparently can't go and find out information about someone in Undertown so he lets her and a plain clothes cop wander there to talk to a pimp and an arms dealer instead. That's right, Batman lets a civilian into an area of Gotham so dangerous even the gangs won't go into it. Because he apparently can't get information out efficiently of the very people he's made it his life's work to fight against.
Grey Bernwald: the horror novelist, of whom the novel describes as being as rich as Bruce Wayne. I don't know how some author who isn't J.K. Rowling can match the head of a multi-billion dollar company but okay then. Also he's handsome, charitable, has a good ol' boy Southern charm, and apparently has the ability to make even Bruce Wayne feel at ease and want to be friends with him for completely personal reasons. His novels are so good that the Scarecrow, once he escapes, demands Grey Bernwald teach him how to write because he is "only the technician" and Bernwald is the artist. That's right, a sociopath with a PhD in fear psychology needs to be told the basic Stephen King "what is fear" lessons and gets positively rapturous for his approval, even though Stephen Crane is generally an elitist psychopath who sees everyone else as tools. Grey also gets a tragic death scene due to the last minute reveal that he did, in fact, help Crane escape (something the novel never points out because BATMAN AND THE GCPD NEVER INTERVIEW HIM) and dies after Batman leaves him trapped in a cave with electric rails and fear toxin laden robots, assuming he'll be fine.
Cutter: the henchmen with Tourette's syndrome, is a pathetic ex-druggie who can't really think straight and comes from a vague and tortured past. There are passages that seem to suggest his real handicap is the Tourette's and not the brain damage/possible insanity from years of drug abuse and the decision to help a crazy madman. He later switches sides to help Batman, even though Batman promptly leaves him alone with no tracer to track his movements and doesn't bother keeping tabs on him via a stakeout, instead playing sports with Berwald as Bruce Wayne.
This novel is bad. It's bad as a Batman novel, but it's also bad as a regular novel because in order for tension to be continued everyone has to act exceedingly obtuse. The narration itself tries to put in vague asides hinting at further reveals but, at best, they're simply uninteresting character motivation for the original characters, or, at worst, moments where the novel is blatantly ignoring the obvious solution in order to draw things out, such as...oh, having Batman do any of the investigative work. There are no strange new complications that occur in the pages, and when 2/3rds in the person behind the fear toxin is actually revealed as the Scarecrow it feels like the dumbest longest paced "ta da!" moment ever because the Scarecrow is on the cover of the book. The whole thing tries to be an elaborate slight of hand, but you're never distracted by anything it pulls out. Fear Itself fails, not only because it doesn't excite, it bores the reader.
The premise seems like a really good set up for a suspense laden thriller as Batman works his way through his rogue's gallery to find out who would bother spraying horror novels with a fear toxin he can't detect by regular means, and if it's the first step in a much more sinister plan. However, this novel fails in almost every execution, dithering around with repetitive exposition and unnecessary original characters not contributing anything to the forwarding of the plot except by means of their own obstruction. It gets so bad that the major plot summation comes as a "so what" over drinks on page 161:
"All right," Maggie said, setting her own cup down on the table. "Here it is. The driver of that runaway train was reading your new novel, Fear Itself."
There was a moment's hesitation before Berwald asked, "So?"
That's pretty much how I felt this entire book. It takes 161 pages to actually get someone to mention this fear toxin conspiracy to the author whose novel, Fear Itself has been the only one to contain the drug. That is almost half the book. And it's not even Batman or Captain Gordon who confronts him about it! There is no reason for it to take this long, not at the expense of Batman and the police sitting passively by. The mystery itself is something the reader has to patiently wait for the characters to catch up to. We learn nothing beyond what the first incident tells us until the last seventy pages of the book, and even then the reveal is slipshod in terms of how the Scarecrow set up this network before his incarceration in order to escape later, or why it takes Batman so long to put the pieces together.
The worst part about all this filler is that it doesn't even feature the characters that would be the draw of the book. Batman, Gordon and Alfred are all there, but vaguely characterized. It instead prefers to fill up the pages with the specifically created characters who are all annoying, two-dimensional, and often take up the spotlight of the novel at the expense of the responsibility, dignity, or rationality of the characters much better served for it.
Maggie Tollyer: a self-righteous ex-journalist who made her mark writing an expose that blamed a magician for the deaths of kids who tried to recreate his stunts. When the magician committed suicide she blamed herself and gave up journalism to write a blog, but as soon as she realizes there's a horror novel near the victim's terrified body, she steals the copy and begins to stalk the author and using the same "your fault and your responsibility" that killed the previous subject she quit journalism over. For some reason, Batman lets her steal the book and only thinks of returning to get it once he maybe considers it was evidence. Even after that he doesn't short shrift her for her selfish and terrible behavior, going so far as to try and entice her into a dinner date with his alter-ego Bruce Wayne. Later on, when Maggie has crashed a party to try and interrogate the author of the novel, Grey Bernwald, he asks her out on a date, charmed by her harassment. Also, in the most egregious moments of the novel, Batman apparently can't go and find out information about someone in Undertown so he lets her and a plain clothes cop wander there to talk to a pimp and an arms dealer instead. That's right, Batman lets a civilian into an area of Gotham so dangerous even the gangs won't go into it. Because he apparently can't get information out efficiently of the very people he's made it his life's work to fight against.
Grey Bernwald: the horror novelist, of whom the novel describes as being as rich as Bruce Wayne. I don't know how some author who isn't J.K. Rowling can match the head of a multi-billion dollar company but okay then. Also he's handsome, charitable, has a good ol' boy Southern charm, and apparently has the ability to make even Bruce Wayne feel at ease and want to be friends with him for completely personal reasons. His novels are so good that the Scarecrow, once he escapes, demands Grey Bernwald teach him how to write because he is "only the technician" and Bernwald is the artist. That's right, a sociopath with a PhD in fear psychology needs to be told the basic Stephen King "what is fear" lessons and gets positively rapturous for his approval, even though Stephen Crane is generally an elitist psychopath who sees everyone else as tools. Grey also gets a tragic death scene due to the last minute reveal that he did, in fact, help Crane escape (something the novel never points out because BATMAN AND THE GCPD NEVER INTERVIEW HIM) and dies after Batman leaves him trapped in a cave with electric rails and fear toxin laden robots, assuming he'll be fine.
Cutter: the henchmen with Tourette's syndrome, is a pathetic ex-druggie who can't really think straight and comes from a vague and tortured past. There are passages that seem to suggest his real handicap is the Tourette's and not the brain damage/possible insanity from years of drug abuse and the decision to help a crazy madman. He later switches sides to help Batman, even though Batman promptly leaves him alone with no tracer to track his movements and doesn't bother keeping tabs on him via a stakeout, instead playing sports with Berwald as Bruce Wayne.
This novel is bad. It's bad as a Batman novel, but it's also bad as a regular novel because in order for tension to be continued everyone has to act exceedingly obtuse. The narration itself tries to put in vague asides hinting at further reveals but, at best, they're simply uninteresting character motivation for the original characters, or, at worst, moments where the novel is blatantly ignoring the obvious solution in order to draw things out, such as...oh, having Batman do any of the investigative work. There are no strange new complications that occur in the pages, and when 2/3rds in the person behind the fear toxin is actually revealed as the Scarecrow it feels like the dumbest longest paced "ta da!" moment ever because the Scarecrow is on the cover of the book. The whole thing tries to be an elaborate slight of hand, but you're never distracted by anything it pulls out. Fear Itself fails, not only because it doesn't excite, it bores the reader.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 4, 2013
A train in the subway has gone out of control and when Batman goes to investigate, he finds the driver nearly frightened to death and mumbling something under her breath. Other instances of people becoming similarly frightened trigger the Batman to investigate further, but with all of his nemesises locked up, Batman has a new enemy that he knows nothing about.
This story was very well crafted and the descriptions were terrific. I found it very heard to put this book down. All the characters were described wonderfully. Unlike some of the other novelizations I have read, you don't need to know all that much about Batman to figure out what is going on in this book. I highly recommend this book!
This story was very well crafted and the descriptions were terrific. I found it very heard to put this book down. All the characters were described wonderfully. Unlike some of the other novelizations I have read, you don't need to know all that much about Batman to figure out what is going on in this book. I highly recommend this book!
July 5, 2007
A gripping book, I found it quite difficult to put down once I began to read it. People buy a horror novel from a renowned author and suddenly start to have unusual panic attacks, usually hallucinations leading to accidents and fatalities...the big question to find out is who is behind it and how are they doing it? Is it the writing or is it something else about the books?
February 6, 2014
Very slow. Takes to long to get to the villain and when they finally do the book is basically over. This was a miss by the authors. Plot was decent just wasn't carried through all the way.
August 25, 2023
Batman novels are always a tricky prospect. I remember reading one that was just so insanely boring that I gave up on it less than fifty pages in.
This one… this one came close.
There was one interesting thing about it and it was the question as to an artist’s responsibility with the content they create and it’s potential affects in the world upon release, but this is an incredibly academic question AND one that doesn’t hold water for too long.
At one point it’s compared to food being made knowing there are people who are allergic to the food and yet, they still consumer the food.
But let’s go along with this for a second (because it won’t take much longer): if someone is allergic to peanuts and chooses to eat something with peanuts in it, that’s on them, not the food maker.
Now, sure, if ingredients weren’t properly listed, that would be one thing, but in this specific story the two instances talked about were 1) a writer who writes horror books that might be too scary for mass consumption and 2) an escape artist who told people before and after his stunts not to attempt the same stunts.
But kids in the story DID attempt the stunts and some died. When the escape artist was approached about it, he was very much of the mind that he is not his brother’s keeper and he told them not to do it.
Because of the language he used (amateurs), the journalist got rankled and called him to task in her publication which led to him committing suicide.
And, real quick, the horror writer never painted his books as anything BUT horror and the escape artist was absolutely in the right.
So the strongest angle in this whole book was the fact that the… I want to say the intended message the journalist was trying to get across - that creators are responsible to their audience to not overwhelm them with too much excitement - was misplaced because it was her article that led to a public backlash against the escape artist that led to him committing friggin’ suicide.
Maybe the message here isn’t to water down your content but instead to watch yourself on any holy causes you’re burning to pursue because they might go too far.
But that’s about it for this book.
This one… this one came close.
There was one interesting thing about it and it was the question as to an artist’s responsibility with the content they create and it’s potential affects in the world upon release, but this is an incredibly academic question AND one that doesn’t hold water for too long.
At one point it’s compared to food being made knowing there are people who are allergic to the food and yet, they still consumer the food.
But let’s go along with this for a second (because it won’t take much longer): if someone is allergic to peanuts and chooses to eat something with peanuts in it, that’s on them, not the food maker.
Now, sure, if ingredients weren’t properly listed, that would be one thing, but in this specific story the two instances talked about were 1) a writer who writes horror books that might be too scary for mass consumption and 2) an escape artist who told people before and after his stunts not to attempt the same stunts.
But kids in the story DID attempt the stunts and some died. When the escape artist was approached about it, he was very much of the mind that he is not his brother’s keeper and he told them not to do it.
Because of the language he used (amateurs), the journalist got rankled and called him to task in her publication which led to him committing suicide.
And, real quick, the horror writer never painted his books as anything BUT horror and the escape artist was absolutely in the right.
So the strongest angle in this whole book was the fact that the… I want to say the intended message the journalist was trying to get across - that creators are responsible to their audience to not overwhelm them with too much excitement - was misplaced because it was her article that led to a public backlash against the escape artist that led to him committing friggin’ suicide.
Maybe the message here isn’t to water down your content but instead to watch yourself on any holy causes you’re burning to pursue because they might go too far.
But that’s about it for this book.
January 11, 2023
Ok so first I have to talk about how I really thought they captured the true Batman in Gotham City feel with this book. The characters are well thought out and it's not just the main character Bruce that you become fascinated with. Ms. Tolliyer the journalist that went blogger was a great character and I like how she wasn't the cliché sexy overly hot-to-be-a-journalist type that they usually do on these stories. She was cool and so was the enigmatic and estranged author Berwald. He is basically the Stephen King of this world. He is looking to bring a new wow factor to reading his horror novels. But it all goes bad because someone has generated a way to truly bring your fears to life. Anyway, I don't want to give away to much but this is a great novel with Michael Reaves behind the wheel you get the sort of play out like it would in the animated series. So super cool read . Not exactly gonna blow your mind with the mystery of who done it but I still love this execution of a Batman mystery. Enjoy.
May 30, 2020
This book is absolutely awful for the following reasons:
1) The book keeps trying way too hard to give really in depth world building to Gotham. None of which matters to the plot and keeps breaking up what little action there is. It was also some of the most stale world building I have had the misfortune of reading.
2) Like most people have said the book tries way too hard to pretend Scarecrow isn't involved even when he is clearly involved.
3) At the end of the book and Batman only ever so slightly cares. That was so incredibly out of character for Batman that I wanted to quit the book in rage even though there were only 2 pages left. Even if they had planed for there to be a sequel and have it revealed that . You can't take back Batman's cold and uncharacteristic reaction.
1) The book keeps trying way too hard to give really in depth world building to Gotham. None of which matters to the plot and keeps breaking up what little action there is. It was also some of the most stale world building I have had the misfortune of reading.
2) Like most people have said the book tries way too hard to pretend Scarecrow isn't involved even when he is clearly involved.
3) At the end of the book and Batman only ever so slightly cares. That was so incredibly out of character for Batman that I wanted to quit the book in rage even though there were only 2 pages left. Even if they had planed for there to be a sequel and have it revealed that . You can't take back Batman's cold and uncharacteristic reaction.
May 1, 2019
Actually closer to 3.5/5. This actually feels like Batman, something that other Batman novels I've read miss. I've read other books adapted from a show or comic, and the pacing is usually way off. I actually thought the plot here wasn't bad and the author did a good job of making the crisis menacing enough to match the reputation of the character. This was fun to read, not deep reading, but fun.
May 10, 2017
This Batman book was a better read then the Last one that I read
June 1, 2017
There was no shortage of action scenes in this but the focus is on the mystery and seeing it unfold. This was an engaging story that had me as interested in the characters as the mystery itself.
June 30, 2018
Review by C.M. : "An okay book that tells an amazing adventure about Batman and the Scarecrow."
September 11, 2018
It’s a comic book, what more needs to be said.
July 9, 2019
Decent plot line but that ending was terrible.
November 1, 2020
A little slow at times, especially toward the end, but well worth a read. I thought it clever, even if far-fetched. I liked the writing even though I could see how it might seem campy to others.
September 20, 2022
Other than the opening incident, I got 100 pages in without anything of interest occuring. I was disappointed to say the least and decided to spend my time elsewhere.
August 13, 2020
I think, outside Lansdale's Captured by the Engine, this is the best Batman novel I've read. It has interesting characters, a good balance between Bruce Wayne and Batman, and a decent enough plot. The writing is pretty good, too.
December 6, 2015
I'll be perfectly honest: I picked up a copy of this because it was cheap, and it had the Scarecrow in it, and I am a sucker for anything involving the Scarecrow.
Unfortunately, the authors seem convinced they can make you think the Scarecrow ISN'T the main villain. So in order to get a few decent scenes, you have to buckle in for hundreds of pages of 'detecting' that really isn't, and also isn't necessary because: This is Gotham. Fear toxin = Scarecrow. End of story, stop dangling really bad red herrings and not giving him screentime.
The journey is made slightly bearable by the prose sometimes being so bad it's hilariously awesome - grab a friend and do a dramatic reading. Also, I found myself unexpectedly invested in the Scarecrow's henchman character, Ulysses, who was implausibly characterized but endearing. And when Jonathon is allowed onscreen, he's delightful (as is the Joker, for all the five seconds they give him). If you can pick up a copy of this for a low price and you like the Scarecrow, go for it.
But be warned - you probably know from other reviews that Maggie, one of the main characters, is an unbearable character, but I feel the need to repeat that. Skip Maggie as much as you can. She's pretty much there to be horrible and further the idea the authors really seemed to want to push, which was 'Horror writers suck and maybe people will get upset because of their work so they should stop writing!' I can only presume one of them got cold-shouldered by Stephen King at some point? So if you're a horror fan, prepare to curse out the book a fair bit and wish a gory, King-worthy death on Maggie if you actually try to read her scenes.
Unfortunately, the authors seem convinced they can make you think the Scarecrow ISN'T the main villain. So in order to get a few decent scenes, you have to buckle in for hundreds of pages of 'detecting' that really isn't, and also isn't necessary because: This is Gotham. Fear toxin = Scarecrow. End of story, stop dangling really bad red herrings and not giving him screentime.
The journey is made slightly bearable by the prose sometimes being so bad it's hilariously awesome - grab a friend and do a dramatic reading. Also, I found myself unexpectedly invested in the Scarecrow's henchman character, Ulysses, who was implausibly characterized but endearing. And when Jonathon is allowed onscreen, he's delightful (as is the Joker, for all the five seconds they give him). If you can pick up a copy of this for a low price and you like the Scarecrow, go for it.
But be warned - you probably know from other reviews that Maggie, one of the main characters, is an unbearable character, but I feel the need to repeat that. Skip Maggie as much as you can. She's pretty much there to be horrible and further the idea the authors really seemed to want to push, which was 'Horror writers suck and maybe people will get upset because of their work so they should stop writing!' I can only presume one of them got cold-shouldered by Stephen King at some point? So if you're a horror fan, prepare to curse out the book a fair bit and wish a gory, King-worthy death on Maggie if you actually try to read her scenes.
April 7, 2021
This was a refreshing tale involving not only a desperate horror author but also one of my favorite Batman villains, The Scarecrow. I really loved the analysis of horror writing “going too far” with scaring readers, and whether the potential liability falls on the shoulders of the author. Of course that question gets ramped up since this involves the Scarecrow.
I grew to like Ulysses Cutter, the afflicted henchman that worked with Crane. However I struggled to like Maggie as a character since we ended up having both Bruce Wayne and the Horror Author fighting over her attention. I had some issues with the ending, but if you read enough comics or watch enough comic book movies, it’s not terribly surprising.
I enjoyed the characters and the setup, and I chuckled multiple times at the literary references and classic horror movie references. I may be biased toward this story since I am a horror author myself. ;)
Overall a fun read if predictable at the end.
I grew to like Ulysses Cutter, the afflicted henchman that worked with Crane. However I struggled to like Maggie as a character since we ended up having both Bruce Wayne and the Horror Author fighting over her attention. I had some issues with the ending, but if you read enough comics or watch enough comic book movies, it’s not terribly surprising.
I enjoyed the characters and the setup, and I chuckled multiple times at the literary references and classic horror movie references. I may be biased toward this story since I am a horror author myself. ;)
Overall a fun read if predictable at the end.
January 1, 2012
I was really enjoying this book, its clever allusions to various horror fiction, some very nicely-written scenes that explored the dynamics between characters, and I had some pretty high expectations for the last 40 pages when all of the sudden, from nowhere, two gelatinous blobs that the Scarecrow somehow rounded up and “programmed” with internal computers to kill an interesting character. It shattered my conception of the book, its connection with Batman Begins, and it became a poorly drawn and badly written issue of the comic book. The climax was way too Batman Forever with the Scarecrow’s “lair” set up in what was a pretty cool characterization piece for Grey Berwald. Maggie Tolleyer was very much an interesting character, but I kept picturing her with very mannish hair and not a whole lot of feminine charm, which threw off my understanding of her attractiveness to Grey and to Bruce Wayne. The prologue and the scene between Gordon and Batman in the Batmobile were two excellent scenes that explored some cool aspects of the characters, but the climax just buried this book.
February 13, 2017
A really fun Batman tale. I was concerned that Batman wouldn't translate well into prose, but I was wrong. It's a good mystery tale with some fun creations and a lot of references to classic horror fiction /film. Very enjoyable.
October 24, 2014
Astonishingly well-written, well-plotted, with well-rounded human characters. This wasn't some cheesy, wannabe Batman "fanfiction" novel, this was the real deal, an "updated"/"upgraded" tech version of modern day Batman operating in the ever bleak Gotham City. The author won an Emmy for his writing on the animated Batman TV series, so it's really not surprising that the book is so well-written. Though it doesn't specify, I have to wonder if the animated show they meant was the one from the 90s, which I loved (still love), and of which the book reminded me because the tone felt similar to that show and also to the Christian Bale Batman movies.
The plot was interesting, well-researched (even in the fictional sense), and the ending battle scenes were elaborate and scary, exactly what any Batman fan would expect from any villain worthy to go up against Batman. Highly enjoyable, fun reading.
The plot was interesting, well-researched (even in the fictional sense), and the ending battle scenes were elaborate and scary, exactly what any Batman fan would expect from any villain worthy to go up against Batman. Highly enjoyable, fun reading.
October 23, 2014
Reaves does an amazing job of giving voice to the inner workings of Batman in a way that feels authentic to the character’s history yet is still an original voice.
There’s lots of action, a dash of romance, a dab of humor and plot twists gallore to make this one incredible page turner.
Not only does Batman get to shine in both his identities, seondary characters get their own perfect scenes. The interactions between Bruce and Alfred are some of the best scenes in the book. FEAR ITSELF gives Alfred Pennyworth a chance to shine as his polite sarcasm and asides keep Bruce on his toes while at the same time being paternal. He’s fast becoming one of my favorite characters in the Batverse.
Definitely a book that I would highly recommend to any Batman fan or to someone who might be interested in the character but put off by graphic novels/comics.
There’s lots of action, a dash of romance, a dab of humor and plot twists gallore to make this one incredible page turner.
Not only does Batman get to shine in both his identities, seondary characters get their own perfect scenes. The interactions between Bruce and Alfred are some of the best scenes in the book. FEAR ITSELF gives Alfred Pennyworth a chance to shine as his polite sarcasm and asides keep Bruce on his toes while at the same time being paternal. He’s fast becoming one of my favorite characters in the Batverse.
Definitely a book that I would highly recommend to any Batman fan or to someone who might be interested in the character but put off by graphic novels/comics.
July 16, 2016
I am a big fan of the Caped Crusader and many of the characters related to him . I started this book with great enthusiasm and expectations . But the book turned out to be a disappointment . I never thought that anything related to the Batman can be so boring .
The novel starts with the Batman saving a train from accident in a tunnel . The start was good but there was no story built up till next eleven chapters . Conversations in the book are unnecessarily stratched so are the chapters . Even in some parts I felt Batman as a supporting character and other characters as leading characters . Action scenes are described only by the name of martial arts (Biu Jee , Hapkido , being some of them) . Even a sloth moves faster than this novel . If you pick this book , then , as the name suggests you will feel the 'Fear Itself'.
The novel starts with the Batman saving a train from accident in a tunnel . The start was good but there was no story built up till next eleven chapters . Conversations in the book are unnecessarily stratched so are the chapters . Even in some parts I felt Batman as a supporting character and other characters as leading characters . Action scenes are described only by the name of martial arts (Biu Jee , Hapkido , being some of them) . Even a sloth moves faster than this novel . If you pick this book , then , as the name suggests you will feel the 'Fear Itself'.
August 4, 2012
Eh. I enjoyed Scarecrow and I enjoyed the idea of a fear toxin, but I think the execution could have been a little better. I felt no actual, palpable fear. Maybe that would have happened if the writer had been able to create suspense, which he could only do to a limited extent.
Maggie was also a pain. She was a Mary Sue, plain and clear, because why else would she suddenly attract an OC *and* Batman? Srsly. And Alfred trying to hook Bruce up. Gimme a break. I had to skim the ending.
Still, Batman. The fact that this narrated from Batman's third person limited POV helped contribute to my actually liking the book, along with Scarecrow as the villain. I've heard other Batman books are better and I guess I'll find out soon enough.
Maggie was also a pain. She was a Mary Sue, plain and clear, because why else would she suddenly attract an OC *and* Batman? Srsly. And Alfred trying to hook Bruce up. Gimme a break. I had to skim the ending.
Still, Batman. The fact that this narrated from Batman's third person limited POV helped contribute to my actually liking the book, along with Scarecrow as the villain. I've heard other Batman books are better and I guess I'll find out soon enough.
July 19, 2013
Whether you're a fan of the recent movies, the Batman Adventures Animated series or the Batman from the post-Crisis comics, you'll like this novel. It introduced Bruce and Batman to less informed readers without being boring or repetitive, the established characters are true to themselves and original characters are really original and developed. While the main storyline seemed to me somewhat predictable, it was still interesting, and the various pop culture and Batman comics references were quite enjoyable. I especially liked the behind-the-scenes explanations of various Batman's gadgetry and methods.
Even if you're not interested in the horror genre, try this book anyway, you may still like it.
Even if you're not interested in the horror genre, try this book anyway, you may still like it.
June 24, 2016
It has been quite a while since I have read a really good Batman book, I think I was waiting for this one.
Someone has committed a crime, a crime with the MO of the Scarecrow. With Dr. Crane safely tucked away in Arkham asylum reading his psychology books out loud to the guards, it's up to Batman to discover if there is a copycat in Gotham.
I enjoyed this book and would recommend. The campyness that seems to be found in most Batman books seems to have been left entirely out of Fear Itself and that was a wonderful and well received surprise. In Fear Itself we see the detective, the Batman that the police can respect and a Bruce Wayne who is aloof but not an idiot. This is a great book for Batman fans, one of the best.
Someone has committed a crime, a crime with the MO of the Scarecrow. With Dr. Crane safely tucked away in Arkham asylum reading his psychology books out loud to the guards, it's up to Batman to discover if there is a copycat in Gotham.
I enjoyed this book and would recommend. The campyness that seems to be found in most Batman books seems to have been left entirely out of Fear Itself and that was a wonderful and well received surprise. In Fear Itself we see the detective, the Batman that the police can respect and a Bruce Wayne who is aloof but not an idiot. This is a great book for Batman fans, one of the best.
October 27, 2025
I actually liked this story, but the build up might have been a bot too long. I do feel like the introduction of the (myterious) villain arrived late in the book. Other than that, I think this book is well written and had a good reveal of who the mysterious villain was.
I bought this book with other two that were "Batman: Dead White" and "Batman: Inferno". I thought these three books made a trilogy, but after reading them, each seems to set on its own world. Another reason I thought they were connected is that the books themselves mention at least one of the other three. However, I saw no relation between them in regards to the story line. I think "Fear Itself" is the best out of the three.
I bought this book with other two that were "Batman: Dead White" and "Batman: Inferno". I thought these three books made a trilogy, but after reading them, each seems to set on its own world. Another reason I thought they were connected is that the books themselves mention at least one of the other three. However, I saw no relation between them in regards to the story line. I think "Fear Itself" is the best out of the three.
March 4, 2022
I would have given this book a five star if not for the terribly written Maggie "Mary Sue" Tollyer, who I was really hoping Scarecrow would kill. Unfortunately, rooting for the villain never works out. The only thing I wanted from this book was some good Scarecrow content and, while there was not nearly enough of it, it certainly delivered that. I loved Scarecrow's characterization and the way the authors described his physicality so much that it makes up for the fact that he only shows up briefly until about the last quarter of the book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 17, 2010
The second Batman book I've read, and I believe this is the first one I've read not an adaptation. While the book does move rather slowly, it delves into the science behind Batman's cool gadgetry, and reveals the more personal side of Batman, like how his sleeping and eating habits affect him. I'd recommend it to any Batman fan.
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