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Batman
Batman: Inferno
Gotham's never been so scorching, the Joker's never been more despicable, and Batman's never been in such grave danger.
With more than thirty fires raging out of control across the city, Gotham is indeed a hell on earth. But torching the population is small potatoes for the arsonist extraordinaire known as Enfer. The pyromaniac's mad masterpiece is Arkham Asylum, blazing like a Roman candle and engineered to provide the perfect escape for Arkham's most infamous inmate, the Joker. But the dire situation goes from bad to beyond monstrous when the archvillain's path to freedom leads directly to the Dark Knight's cave.
The Joker believes in striking while the iron is hot . . . and now it's never been hotter. After all, the diabolical villain has devised the ultimate joke: launch the mother of all crime waves, masquerading as the Caped Crusader himself! With Gotham erupting in flames and its #1 crime fighter fast becoming its #1 enemy, the burning question is: Who's going to get the last laugh?
With more than thirty fires raging out of control across the city, Gotham is indeed a hell on earth. But torching the population is small potatoes for the arsonist extraordinaire known as Enfer. The pyromaniac's mad masterpiece is Arkham Asylum, blazing like a Roman candle and engineered to provide the perfect escape for Arkham's most infamous inmate, the Joker. But the dire situation goes from bad to beyond monstrous when the archvillain's path to freedom leads directly to the Dark Knight's cave.
The Joker believes in striking while the iron is hot . . . and now it's never been hotter. After all, the diabolical villain has devised the ultimate joke: launch the mother of all crime waves, masquerading as the Caped Crusader himself! With Gotham erupting in flames and its #1 crime fighter fast becoming its #1 enemy, the burning question is: Who's going to get the last laugh?
352 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published October 31, 2006
5 people are currently reading
420 people want to read
About the author
Alexander C. Irvine
189 books197 followersAlexander C. Irvine is an American fantasist and science fiction writer. He also writes under the pseudonym Alex Irvine. He first gained attention with his novel A Scattering of Jades and the stories that would form the collection Unintended Consequences. He has also published the Grail quest novel One King, One Soldier, and the World War II-era historical fantasy The Narrows.
In addition to his original works, Irvine has published Have Robot, Will Travel, a novel set in Isaac Asimov's positronic robot milieu; and Batman: Inferno, about the DC Comics superhero.
His academic background includes an M.A. in English from the University of Maine and a PhD from the University of Denver. He is an assistant professor of English at the University of Maine. He also worked for a time as a reporter at the Portland Phoenix.
In addition to his original works, Irvine has published Have Robot, Will Travel, a novel set in Isaac Asimov's positronic robot milieu; and Batman: Inferno, about the DC Comics superhero.
His academic background includes an M.A. in English from the University of Maine and a PhD from the University of Denver. He is an assistant professor of English at the University of Maine. He also worked for a time as a reporter at the Portland Phoenix.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 51 reviews
December 17, 2020
This is a pretty good Joker-centric Batman novel. It may be a bit too long and may drag in a few places, but is a pretty good attempt to write an adult version of the character, in keeping with the concurrent graphic novel and cinematic changes to the mythos. My only real complaint was the use of present-tense narrative, which didn't work at all for me. I did like the numerous journal and editorial entries from the Gotham citizenry. In any event... it sure makes for a hot time in old Gotham tonight...
October 23, 2007
The Joker escapes from captivity and using the tunnels that are beneath the city of Gotham, the Joker manages to find the Batcave, where he steals the Batsuit and the Batmobile, creating havoc on Batman's reputation.
I found this book difficult to read, mainly because the author wrote the book in the present tense; I'd like to think there was some reason behind the author doing that, but for me, as a reader, I found it confusing. I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone.
I found this book difficult to read, mainly because the author wrote the book in the present tense; I'd like to think there was some reason behind the author doing that, but for me, as a reader, I found it confusing. I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone.
September 9, 2023
Little side note before we start. I listened to an audio production of this book by Graphic Audio…
One simple question: how does one remain impartial and present an objective tone when grading perfection?
To put it as succinctly as possible, Graphic Audio’s production of Batman Inferno is simply the best.
It is a great story, that has excellent production values, with well developed characters that captures the audience’s attention without ever letting go. You can’t help but sit at the edge of your seat as you ponder what happens next: Who is Enfer? He found the Batcave! Surely the Joker figures out Batman’s identity! Is Alfred ok? He’s lost the Batmobile and it cleans up a pedestrian? Holycrap Enfer goes after the Joker! The Joker goes after Enfer! They both go after Jonathon Crane!!! There’s Vicky Vale, Bud and Lou, and don’t forget Commissioner Gordon. Is Batman going to kill…
Simply put, this is a true Batman story.
And it is so fantastic. A quick trip to Google is essential on listening. Who the hell is Enfer and why have I never heard of him before? The descent of a firefighter into a pyromaniac themed villain is surprisingly captivating when coupled with the character’s sense of grandiosity in his own knowledge/abilities and his sheer sense of entitlement for the adulation of others.
When all boiled down, this a reminder to all casual Batman fans regarding just how good the Dark Knight’s rogue gallery is, that character’s like Enfer can’t regularly get a guernsey as a top notch antagonist.
The strongpoints of this story however all centre around one key theme – the exploration of the inner psychology of these bright, twisted and contrasting minds.
Commissioner Gordon wrestles with the age old notion of the ends justifying the means.
Batman considers that he can only fight a losing battle when nobody else follows the rules.
The Joker is a fascinating study of not only out of the box thinking to solve a problem but the order that exists within chaos, and Enfer is the dark thoughts of every hard working and talented individual that that doesn’t get the reward or recognition they feel they deserve.
And then there’s Jonathon Crane – high up, entitled, apparently brilliant yet seemingly ineffective, suspected to be twisted (though we all know better) and untouchable. I bet you know someone like him.
Truly this comic (in addition to this specific story) explores the dark side of humanity and we love it. Couple this with a delightfully decadent fight scene not even involving Batman, where the Joker hunts day and attacks the little firefly Enfer who seemingly idolised him for a while… after a period of cat and mouse tit for tat, where they exchange barbs, drop pranks, one up each other… and you’re in heaven.
Throw in a discussion where the Joker contemplates killing Bud and Lou, stalls the Dark Knight by throwing a kid off a building, where Batman nearly kills Alfred whilst trying to save him, with vendetta driven reporters trying to make sense of the indecipherable and… wow.
Simple wow.
What else is there to say simply other than 5 stars, couldn’t be better, there is simply nothing not to love, it couldn’t be better. Perhaps long now on and download
One simple question: how does one remain impartial and present an objective tone when grading perfection?
To put it as succinctly as possible, Graphic Audio’s production of Batman Inferno is simply the best.
It is a great story, that has excellent production values, with well developed characters that captures the audience’s attention without ever letting go. You can’t help but sit at the edge of your seat as you ponder what happens next: Who is Enfer? He found the Batcave! Surely the Joker figures out Batman’s identity! Is Alfred ok? He’s lost the Batmobile and it cleans up a pedestrian? Holycrap Enfer goes after the Joker! The Joker goes after Enfer! They both go after Jonathon Crane!!! There’s Vicky Vale, Bud and Lou, and don’t forget Commissioner Gordon. Is Batman going to kill…
Simply put, this is a true Batman story.
And it is so fantastic. A quick trip to Google is essential on listening. Who the hell is Enfer and why have I never heard of him before? The descent of a firefighter into a pyromaniac themed villain is surprisingly captivating when coupled with the character’s sense of grandiosity in his own knowledge/abilities and his sheer sense of entitlement for the adulation of others.
When all boiled down, this a reminder to all casual Batman fans regarding just how good the Dark Knight’s rogue gallery is, that character’s like Enfer can’t regularly get a guernsey as a top notch antagonist.
The strongpoints of this story however all centre around one key theme – the exploration of the inner psychology of these bright, twisted and contrasting minds.
Commissioner Gordon wrestles with the age old notion of the ends justifying the means.
Batman considers that he can only fight a losing battle when nobody else follows the rules.
The Joker is a fascinating study of not only out of the box thinking to solve a problem but the order that exists within chaos, and Enfer is the dark thoughts of every hard working and talented individual that that doesn’t get the reward or recognition they feel they deserve.
And then there’s Jonathon Crane – high up, entitled, apparently brilliant yet seemingly ineffective, suspected to be twisted (though we all know better) and untouchable. I bet you know someone like him.
Truly this comic (in addition to this specific story) explores the dark side of humanity and we love it. Couple this with a delightfully decadent fight scene not even involving Batman, where the Joker hunts day and attacks the little firefly Enfer who seemingly idolised him for a while… after a period of cat and mouse tit for tat, where they exchange barbs, drop pranks, one up each other… and you’re in heaven.
Throw in a discussion where the Joker contemplates killing Bud and Lou, stalls the Dark Knight by throwing a kid off a building, where Batman nearly kills Alfred whilst trying to save him, with vendetta driven reporters trying to make sense of the indecipherable and… wow.
Simple wow.
What else is there to say simply other than 5 stars, couldn’t be better, there is simply nothing not to love, it couldn’t be better. Perhaps long now on and download
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 8, 2019
Enfer, a new villian in Gotham city is an arsonist, is setting lots of fires, including one that destroys Arkham Asylum. After the Arkham fire, the Joker is back at large, playing with Enfer and Batman. A good story where the author really does a good job with the characters and their motivations.
Read
January 30, 2025DNF. The writing wasn't...bad? The cover sure is. It was a lot of effort to sit down and try to get through it, so I'll come back when I don't have anything better to do. Props for writing in present tense and being a published Batman fanfic.
May 14, 2023
I quite enjoyed this one. It was interesting to read from the villain POV for a change. And I love when villains end up fighting amongst themselves.
December 14, 2015
Irvine does an excellent job creating a conflict between Batman and the Joker that is both produced and complicated by another mad super-villain affected by chemical contact, Enfer, an arsonist. Enfer destroys Arkham Assylum, allowing a vast majority of the inmates, including the Joker to escape. Dr. Crane refuses to cooperate with the police by even providing a list of inmates who were present at the time of the fire, much less those who died in the inferno. Gotham city is on fire and the inmates are running rampant, being rounded up one by one. As the joker evades capture, he stumbles through a collapsed wall that opens into a cavern that leads to the batcave. There he attacks Alfred and leaves a deadly trap for the butler and Batman. Further, he takes Batman's suit , equipment, and Batmobile and in a macabre joke he masquerades at Batman, wrecking havoc on Batman's reputation. Meanwhile, Enfer, who wanted to hookup with the Joker, decides it has become a competition between the two of them.
Sadly, Irvine must've been getting paid by the word. He interrupts the action with newspaper editorials and newspaper articles which show the way that people in Gotham are thinking, but become so intrusive to the story's pacing becomes staggered, almost like a television commercial coming at crucial points of the story. The articles that are supposed to be journalistic hold such an editorial slant so as not to be believeable.
The plot and the characters are well developed. We get a view into both the Joker and Batman's psych especially. We are given a bird's eye view into the rampant corruption in Gotham city's bureaucracy. If the newspaper interruptions were not present, I would rate it much higher.
Probably, most readers of Batman novels will be able to wade through it, but readers should never feel that they are wading through non-essential details that don't really help the story much.
Sadly, Irvine must've been getting paid by the word. He interrupts the action with newspaper editorials and newspaper articles which show the way that people in Gotham are thinking, but become so intrusive to the story's pacing becomes staggered, almost like a television commercial coming at crucial points of the story. The articles that are supposed to be journalistic hold such an editorial slant so as not to be believeable.
The plot and the characters are well developed. We get a view into both the Joker and Batman's psych especially. We are given a bird's eye view into the rampant corruption in Gotham city's bureaucracy. If the newspaper interruptions were not present, I would rate it much higher.
Probably, most readers of Batman novels will be able to wade through it, but readers should never feel that they are wading through non-essential details that don't really help the story much.
July 31, 2018
4.5 - I listened to the Graphic Ausdio version of this and so far it has been my favorite of the DC collection. The guy that played the Joker was hands down on point or as Joker would say "capital"! I would absolutely say if it was not for the amazing production value and great job by the GA this book would not have been rated as high.
There were some obvious flaws in Batman's character.
1.) Why did he not have a contigency plan for the batmobile?! This was a glaring and obvious problem, that Batman, the most obsessive compulsive dectective out there who has a plan for every member of the Justice League if they go rogue would not have a plan in place if someone takes his batmobile. The fact that Joker just strutted in and hopped in there with Alfred and drove around for over half the book was pretty ridiculous! I understand that he has only been doing this for a little while according to the book, but this is Batman were talking about, a guy who checks everything.
2.) The Batcave has no automatic defensive measures against intruders? It was also strage that the cave had nothing that alerted Bruce that there was someone down there. Poor Alfred was caught off guard, which granted is what the Joker is famous for, but it still came off as strange.
3.) Alfred goes bye bye from the story in the last quarter?! I really enjoyed Alfred in this story and was sad to see him missing from anyting at the end of it. I know that Bruce told him to take the night off, but even a few throw away one-liners would have been nice.
Overall, if I read the actual book it would probably be a 3/5. Thanks to the fine people at GA this was a fun book to listen to, even though Batman made me scratch my head a few times. 4.5/5
There were some obvious flaws in Batman's character.
1.) Why did he not have a contigency plan for the batmobile?! This was a glaring and obvious problem, that Batman, the most obsessive compulsive dectective out there who has a plan for every member of the Justice League if they go rogue would not have a plan in place if someone takes his batmobile. The fact that Joker just strutted in and hopped in there with Alfred and drove around for over half the book was pretty ridiculous! I understand that he has only been doing this for a little while according to the book, but this is Batman were talking about, a guy who checks everything.
2.) The Batcave has no automatic defensive measures against intruders? It was also strage that the cave had nothing that alerted Bruce that there was someone down there. Poor Alfred was caught off guard, which granted is what the Joker is famous for, but it still came off as strange.
3.) Alfred goes bye bye from the story in the last quarter?! I really enjoyed Alfred in this story and was sad to see him missing from anyting at the end of it. I know that Bruce told him to take the night off, but even a few throw away one-liners would have been nice.
Overall, if I read the actual book it would probably be a 3/5. Thanks to the fine people at GA this was a fun book to listen to, even though Batman made me scratch my head a few times. 4.5/5
February 28, 2014
My actual rating is 3.5 stars.
This is a book based in the Batman universe. In Gotham, there is a firebug called Enfer who is destroying buildings and wants a confrontation with Batman. During one of his blazes, the Joker escapes and stumbles upon the Batcave. He decides to impersonate Batman and destroy his reputation.
This book surprised me and I enjoyed the story. The writer decided not to tell a story but decided to show each character's perspective on the current situation. As a result, this book wasn't just a superhero action story but it displayed emotions and why the characters were doing what they were doing. In this book, Batman's point of view had probably the least amount of time on written page but during this time, the writer decided to explore how he is dealing with two personas.
This book is a nice story concerning the caped crusader that provides depth and I would recommend this as a read.
This is a book based in the Batman universe. In Gotham, there is a firebug called Enfer who is destroying buildings and wants a confrontation with Batman. During one of his blazes, the Joker escapes and stumbles upon the Batcave. He decides to impersonate Batman and destroy his reputation.
This book surprised me and I enjoyed the story. The writer decided not to tell a story but decided to show each character's perspective on the current situation. As a result, this book wasn't just a superhero action story but it displayed emotions and why the characters were doing what they were doing. In this book, Batman's point of view had probably the least amount of time on written page but during this time, the writer decided to explore how he is dealing with two personas.
This book is a nice story concerning the caped crusader that provides depth and I would recommend this as a read.
August 9, 2019
This should be made into the new Batman movie. Its utterly fantastic.
March 15, 2022
There was so much about this book that I just hate. First, I hate novels in present tense. I know that's a personal choice, but it was a drop in the bucket. This story was a mess. A big, messy plot.
First, all the newspaper articles inbetween the chapters added nothing to the story. Yeah, it would have been a fun way to introduce some information, but it was just repetition and showing the opinions of the individual newspaper people. It wasn't needed. Made the book longer.
Enfer was a terrible character. If it was a story about the Joker breaking out of Arkham and pretending to be Batman, yeah, that would be a good story in itself, but adding Enfer into the mix was a terrible idea and I felt presumptuous of the author to put him on the same pedestal as the Joker.
The author's version of the Joker wasn't the best. I felt he was grasping at trying to be funny, when most of the time he was just being silly and sometimes sounded like an old-fashioned British guy. And it didn't seem characteristic for the Joker to be throwing around so many literary references (very similar to Enfer) and I felt that it was the author showing off his own intelligence through the Joker.
Do the police not know how to do police work in this book? No. No they don't. It totally went over their heads that they couldn't find Enfer, who was a one-armed man who liked to start fires. How hard should it be to find a one-armed man who may have lost his arm in a fire? Because that would be an obvious start to finding Enfer. Also, why haven't they tested the Joker's blood/DNA? He's in Arkham. The doctors would have drawn blood and tested it, and thus would know that his blood/DNA isn't entirely human.
And why doesn't Batman have a tracker on his Batmobile? Or a remote that controls his vehicle? In almost every universe, Batman has one of these. This is not the first time Batman has lost his Batmobile to a villain, and it doesn't take too long to get it back. It felt like the author decided to neglect this little detail just to sell his story. Also, why does Batman not seem too concerned that his Batmobile is gone and the Joker is impersonating him? Perhaps because Batman isn't in the story too much. Instead of focusing on Batman and how he is tracking down the Joker and Enfer and his internal struggle that he was responsible for every death that the Joker committed while impersonating Batman. Instead, let's just have an interview of Bruce Wayne answering questions about his opinion of Batman for irony. I bought a Batman book to read about Batman. Disappointing.
I could go on about how much more I dislike this book, but I don't want to waste anymore time on it. I'm going to go watch Batman: The Animated Series just to remember what a good Batman story was like.
First, all the newspaper articles inbetween the chapters added nothing to the story. Yeah, it would have been a fun way to introduce some information, but it was just repetition and showing the opinions of the individual newspaper people. It wasn't needed. Made the book longer.
Enfer was a terrible character. If it was a story about the Joker breaking out of Arkham and pretending to be Batman, yeah, that would be a good story in itself, but adding Enfer into the mix was a terrible idea and I felt presumptuous of the author to put him on the same pedestal as the Joker.
The author's version of the Joker wasn't the best. I felt he was grasping at trying to be funny, when most of the time he was just being silly and sometimes sounded like an old-fashioned British guy. And it didn't seem characteristic for the Joker to be throwing around so many literary references (very similar to Enfer) and I felt that it was the author showing off his own intelligence through the Joker.
Do the police not know how to do police work in this book? No. No they don't. It totally went over their heads that they couldn't find Enfer, who was a one-armed man who liked to start fires. How hard should it be to find a one-armed man who may have lost his arm in a fire? Because that would be an obvious start to finding Enfer. Also, why haven't they tested the Joker's blood/DNA? He's in Arkham. The doctors would have drawn blood and tested it, and thus would know that his blood/DNA isn't entirely human.
And why doesn't Batman have a tracker on his Batmobile? Or a remote that controls his vehicle? In almost every universe, Batman has one of these. This is not the first time Batman has lost his Batmobile to a villain, and it doesn't take too long to get it back. It felt like the author decided to neglect this little detail just to sell his story. Also, why does Batman not seem too concerned that his Batmobile is gone and the Joker is impersonating him? Perhaps because Batman isn't in the story too much. Instead of focusing on Batman and how he is tracking down the Joker and Enfer and his internal struggle that he was responsible for every death that the Joker committed while impersonating Batman. Instead, let's just have an interview of Bruce Wayne answering questions about his opinion of Batman for irony. I bought a Batman book to read about Batman. Disappointing.
I could go on about how much more I dislike this book, but I don't want to waste anymore time on it. I'm going to go watch Batman: The Animated Series just to remember what a good Batman story was like.
May 9, 2019
This is a sequel to
Batman: Dead White (DC Comics)
, but you do not need to read that book first in order to enjoy this one. Actually, I liked this one much better. I liked Batman: Dead White, but it definitely had its issues.
I listened to the GraphicAudio edition. The acting and production quality were overall much better and I thought some pretty creative and immersive stuff was done. I liked the soundtrack, and the background sound effects in some scenes helped put you in the story.
Also, for the most part, the story was much more interesting in this story. I wanted to keep listening and find out where it was going.
And there were significantly fewer of the cons mentioned in my review for Batman: Dead White.
I also read Batman: Arkham Knight - The Riddler's Gambit by the same author (Alexander C. Irvine) before listening to this. There were similarities in style, in that the chapters are broken up by having various relevant Gotham City news broadcasts and articles placed in between them.
This story also plays with time a bit, almost like Christopher Nolan, but not quite. Occasionally, you will follow a character through events for a bit, and then you will follow another character leading up to merging events. It might be a bit confusing at first, but it is an interesting way to present more of the story.
Of course, everyone's favorite villain, The Joker (or a least a version of him), is one of the antagonists in this story. There is also a new villain, Enfer. He is an interesting character. And I liked seeing how his relationship with the Joker played out.
The climax did feel a bit rushed, but I still enjoyed it. Overall, this was an interesting Batman story that felt familiar and unique at the same time.
I listened to the GraphicAudio edition. The acting and production quality were overall much better and I thought some pretty creative and immersive stuff was done. I liked the soundtrack, and the background sound effects in some scenes helped put you in the story.
Also, for the most part, the story was much more interesting in this story. I wanted to keep listening and find out where it was going.
And there were significantly fewer of the cons mentioned in my review for Batman: Dead White.
I also read Batman: Arkham Knight - The Riddler's Gambit by the same author (Alexander C. Irvine) before listening to this. There were similarities in style, in that the chapters are broken up by having various relevant Gotham City news broadcasts and articles placed in between them.
This story also plays with time a bit, almost like Christopher Nolan, but not quite. Occasionally, you will follow a character through events for a bit, and then you will follow another character leading up to merging events. It might be a bit confusing at first, but it is an interesting way to present more of the story.
Of course, everyone's favorite villain, The Joker (or a least a version of him), is one of the antagonists in this story. There is also a new villain, Enfer. He is an interesting character. And I liked seeing how his relationship with the Joker played out.
The climax did feel a bit rushed, but I still enjoyed it. Overall, this was an interesting Batman story that felt familiar and unique at the same time.
September 5, 2017
Batman: Inferno written by Alex Irvine, is a well developed story that allows readers to delve into the minds of both Batman and the joker while also introducing an all new super-villain arsonist known as Enfer who is unique to the story and is never before mentioned or seen. In addition to the story we as the readers get to see the standpoint of society and how they view Batman and the ongoing corruption within the city of Gotham with constant newspaper articles filling up the spaces between chapters. Unlike the legend we know him as, Batman is shown not to be invincible and even capable of making mistakes as shown in his first encounter with the new villain Enfer which later on results in Alfred having to treat his wounds. Again this human aspect of Batman is shown this time in the form of Bruce Wayne as he experiences the occasional nightmare about his parents murder and the guilt he still carries over not being able to protect them as he relives the event through the eyes of a young Bruce Wayne helplessly looking on while both he and his family are held at gunpoint. Without saying too much Batman has a lot on his plate with Having to deal with Joker, Enfer, as well as many other threats and it becomes a competition on who will come out on top.
Pros- A New Super-Villain, It's Batman, great way to kill time if Your cable goes
out, kind of like Batman: The Animated Series, Like a pictureless comic.
Cons- Really Needs A Movie, Unreadable without audiobook, kind of lengthy.
Pros- A New Super-Villain, It's Batman, great way to kill time if Your cable goes
out, kind of like Batman: The Animated Series, Like a pictureless comic.
Cons- Really Needs A Movie, Unreadable without audiobook, kind of lengthy.
September 22, 2019
So for Batman Day, I decided to listen to Batman: Inferno. This is a sequel to Batman: Dead White, which was intended as a continuation from Batman Begins. However, with Inferno having Jonathan Crane still working at Arkham, and with how Joker and Two-Face are in this, I don't think these can really fit within the trilogy. So it's best to just keep these separate.
I thought that Dead White was average when I listened to it a while ago. I didn't listen again for preparation, and you don't really need to before going into this. It seems that these are part of a loose trilogy. I'd been told that Inferno was incredible, but I thought it was only slightly better than Dead White. The voice actor for the Joker was pretty good, but I didn't really care much for the plot revolving around Joker impersonating Batman. And the new villain Enfer didn't really leave much of an impression on me.
I thought that Dead White was average when I listened to it a while ago. I didn't listen again for preparation, and you don't really need to before going into this. It seems that these are part of a loose trilogy. I'd been told that Inferno was incredible, but I thought it was only slightly better than Dead White. The voice actor for the Joker was pretty good, but I didn't really care much for the plot revolving around Joker impersonating Batman. And the new villain Enfer didn't really leave much of an impression on me.
June 21, 2019
There are different ways to rate this...
- The story itself, solid, enjoyable, creative, and well done. Really taps into the Joker, how he operates, and also introduces a new character, Enfer. This is much more a Joker story than a Batman story, so that is a bit odd, but otherwise, superb.
- The narration/characterization of this audio presentation. This was spectacular. At times the music and sound effects were a bit much, but the Joker really pulled this off well, and I would have sworn it was Mark Hammil doing narration (it was that good). Easy to follow and enjoy, definitely "a movie for your mind".
I'd recommend this tale, it is well done. I still may read the paperback to see how it compares though.
- The story itself, solid, enjoyable, creative, and well done. Really taps into the Joker, how he operates, and also introduces a new character, Enfer. This is much more a Joker story than a Batman story, so that is a bit odd, but otherwise, superb.
- The narration/characterization of this audio presentation. This was spectacular. At times the music and sound effects were a bit much, but the Joker really pulled this off well, and I would have sworn it was Mark Hammil doing narration (it was that good). Easy to follow and enjoy, definitely "a movie for your mind".
I'd recommend this tale, it is well done. I still may read the paperback to see how it compares though.
February 3, 2025
While it starts off pretty poorly, with me actually yelling at the audio book a couple of times in the first couple discs, things do get better. Enfer makes for an interesting foil for both Batman and the Joker, and there are a couple of well-done action sequences. While the setup for Joker's side of things (the logic behind his 'escape' and his encounter with the Batcave) is really thin and driven more by plot needs than logic, the story does eventually make good use of the poor setup. While Enfer's end is anticlimactic, the Batman/Joker climax kind of redeems it.
There's some good stuff in here, but there's a fair bit of bad too. It's definitely not one of the better Batman stories, but for creating a relatively unique villain in Enfer and for its take on Joker, it gets a pass.
There's some good stuff in here, but there's a fair bit of bad too. It's definitely not one of the better Batman stories, but for creating a relatively unique villain in Enfer and for its take on Joker, it gets a pass.
October 14, 2017
"I am me. No more, no less. Not who I used to be, but me. Batman, he's... I'll tell you what Batman is. He's a sufferer. Whoever he calls himself during the day, this is a man so in love with his own pain that he's created an entirely new identity just to indulge it."
Okay. It's a surprisingly well written story, with great insight into our beloved characters and it's funny, too. My list of guilty-not-so-guilty pleasures seems to grow.
Okay. It's a surprisingly well written story, with great insight into our beloved characters and it's funny, too. My list of guilty-not-so-guilty pleasures seems to grow.
August 22, 2018
The present tense writing is really distracting. The main villain slips in and out of fugue states at the drop of a hat and even though he’s built up really well we are denied a confrontation between Enfer and Batman. Its like the author really wanted to write a Joker story but couldn’t get approval for it unless he included a new character as well. Joker is the prime mover here. Batman just reacts. There aren’t any fatal writing flaws but I find little to recommend.
April 25, 2018
As always, Graphic Audio blows me away with their voice actors, sound effects, and music. GREAT audiobook rendition. All the stars. The plot however, wish there had been ANY female characters besides a news anchor reading a report every now and then. Was hoping for a cameo but the joker was so entertaining.
August 23, 2024
2.6*
I am very disappointed with this book. This is a book about Joker and the new villain Enfer (or something like that), totally not about Batman.
I must admit that this was one of the better adaptations of Joker, but maybe the worst adaptation of Batman. Batman simply lets Joker do what he wants for weeks. Let's be honest the real Batman would never let that happen. A very shallow book.
I am very disappointed with this book. This is a book about Joker and the new villain Enfer (or something like that), totally not about Batman.
I must admit that this was one of the better adaptations of Joker, but maybe the worst adaptation of Batman. Batman simply lets Joker do what he wants for weeks. Let's be honest the real Batman would never let that happen. A very shallow book.
August 21, 2020
I enjoyed it but I never found the Joker's or Enfer's chapters interesting. The plot was also a little too convoluted and reliant on chance. Still, the writing was decent and no one to out of character.
May 25, 2017
I liked It, bit the ending just came way to soon for the book to be as drawn out as it was. he caught joker way to quickly and easily.
May 22, 2019
I was very impressed with how well the writer portrayed the Joker - less crazy and more manic.
July 16, 2019
2.5 stars
May 1, 2020
Decent
Read
September 20, 2021I had paperback of this, read it at least twice, it was not shabby.
December 9, 2023
Solid story, excellent production from Graphic Audio. Plus one star just for that.
September 18, 2009
Okay, look. Reading Batman prose is one of those things I don't realize I've done a lot of until I find myself reading more of it, and comparing it to a pretty wide range of previous stories while I do so. Sustaining a Batman novel seems like an insane task -- even around the 60-page mark, most Batman stories get a little unwieldy. I even did my Horrible, Judgmental First Page Test on this one at the bookstore (self explanatory: I read the first page, judge the entire book based on it and either take the book or put it back on the shelf. Almost no book can survive this test, hence the moniker.)
So for whatever reason, Inferno survived. And kept surviving. I read the first chapter in the store just to be sure, thinking that even for a obsessive Batfan like myself reading Batman novels felt a little weird unless they were my own dogeared copies from when I was eleven.
But yeah, dude. This book was friggin' good. And strange, because it was just pure story. It didn't really attempt to make any huge sweeping metaphors or revelations about the Batman canon; it didn't really have any major themes beyond the struggles of its characters. It just came in and did the frickin' work. Twisted and turned itself through from beginning to end, and dropped you off at the last page satisfied. And it was combined with a basic respect for dialogue and the written word, with nary one awkward turn of phrase or overused metaphor to be seen.
And that, my friends, is a tough thing to do. Just try to go for a few hundred pages of hardcore plotting without resorting to A) a shoehorned, ham-fisted booklong metaphor to hang your laundry on or B) really bad/pretentious/useless writing. I guarantee the number of novels out there that can do it are few and far between.
In a way, it's too bad it takes a Batman novel to pull off the trick. As a comics geek, I love it -- but as a fan of fiction in general, I wish more non-licensed novels were like this, if for no other reason than to prove that there are other ways to write good American fiction in the new millennium that don't resort to clever wordsmithery parlor tricks and/or giving Oprah a handjob.
Anyway. If you can see yourself, as an adult who loves and respects fiction, being willing to read a licensed superhero novel, this is the one you should read. And if you can't...I dunno, I get it. The cover is kind of butt, and after all that you have to go on Goodreads and say you read a book called "Inferno" that was not written by an Italian poet. But sometimes, I wish you'd just get over yourself and read the damned thing.
So for whatever reason, Inferno survived. And kept surviving. I read the first chapter in the store just to be sure, thinking that even for a obsessive Batfan like myself reading Batman novels felt a little weird unless they were my own dogeared copies from when I was eleven.
But yeah, dude. This book was friggin' good. And strange, because it was just pure story. It didn't really attempt to make any huge sweeping metaphors or revelations about the Batman canon; it didn't really have any major themes beyond the struggles of its characters. It just came in and did the frickin' work. Twisted and turned itself through from beginning to end, and dropped you off at the last page satisfied. And it was combined with a basic respect for dialogue and the written word, with nary one awkward turn of phrase or overused metaphor to be seen.
And that, my friends, is a tough thing to do. Just try to go for a few hundred pages of hardcore plotting without resorting to A) a shoehorned, ham-fisted booklong metaphor to hang your laundry on or B) really bad/pretentious/useless writing. I guarantee the number of novels out there that can do it are few and far between.
In a way, it's too bad it takes a Batman novel to pull off the trick. As a comics geek, I love it -- but as a fan of fiction in general, I wish more non-licensed novels were like this, if for no other reason than to prove that there are other ways to write good American fiction in the new millennium that don't resort to clever wordsmithery parlor tricks and/or giving Oprah a handjob.
Anyway. If you can see yourself, as an adult who loves and respects fiction, being willing to read a licensed superhero novel, this is the one you should read. And if you can't...I dunno, I get it. The cover is kind of butt, and after all that you have to go on Goodreads and say you read a book called "Inferno" that was not written by an Italian poet. But sometimes, I wish you'd just get over yourself and read the damned thing.
November 25, 2008
The book feels awkward, as it is written in present tense. It trips up the reader a bit, and forces them into a perspective that doesn't seem natural, wanting to constantly revert to a past tense feel. I don't konw why the author did that, but it only midly distracted me. His hyperintelligent sociopathic take on Joker was great, actually letting you see inside the villains mind a little to let you understand his trains of thought and how it pertains to what his idea of funny is. He also did very well with the duality conflict between Bruce Wayne and Batman. It was clearly written to depict batman as a seperate entity, looming in the shadows and waiting to be released, in a sort of 'Jekyll and Hide' motif. The author did very well depicting both characters, and the story was very well done, including his humanization of James Gordan from a father's standpoint, bringing reality to a character that seems always stoic and always at work. You get to see the fatherly side of Jim as well.. Alfred seemed to be an afterthought for most of the story except one arc that you will find yourself when you read.
All in all, bat-fans will enjoy the book for the sake of it being a Batman book, however there are plenty of things that a reader might find odd, and even disappointing. The denoument seems lackluster, including the climax, which I cannot recall being able to really pinpoint the chapter where the climax even showed. The build up was much more pronounced than the ending, and it left me with a sort of... 'hmm.. okay then' feeling.. just blah.
I am not sure I'd read more books by this author regarding Batman, but I wouldn't dissuade any batfan from reading it either,
All in all, bat-fans will enjoy the book for the sake of it being a Batman book, however there are plenty of things that a reader might find odd, and even disappointing. The denoument seems lackluster, including the climax, which I cannot recall being able to really pinpoint the chapter where the climax even showed. The build up was much more pronounced than the ending, and it left me with a sort of... 'hmm.. okay then' feeling.. just blah.
I am not sure I'd read more books by this author regarding Batman, but I wouldn't dissuade any batfan from reading it either,
January 1, 2012
This book had a lot about it that I liked…a whole lot. It was much better than White Eyes, and Irvine’s characterization of the Joker was dead on. Enfer was a really great bad guy, a sort of sociopathic Guy Montag around whom Irvine built a motif that closely resembled aspects of Fahrenheit 451, such as the Krawlors (alluding perhaps to the Mechanical Hound) and some glancing references to a hose spraying flammable liquid that echoed (loudly, in my mind) Bradbury’s first pages. It was a very smartly written crime novel, and felt, like Batman Begins, more like a mystery/thriller than a comic book property, in part to the present-tense narrative and the 4 well distinguished PoVs. The newspaper sectionals were great for driving the story forward, providing a kind of removed appraisal of what happens in Gotham City (the inclusion of Vicki Vale was well-placed). What did bother me was the lack of continuity with Jonathan Crane, who (if this is a Batman story placed in the same arc as Batman Begins and the forthcoming The Dark Knight), should not be director of Arkham any longer, but rather at the very least, AWOL, or, at most, the Scarecrow. Perhaps TDK will address this, or perhaps I’ve forgotten a mention of this situation in White Eyes, but that juncture made it difficult for me to mentally put this in with the current movie franchise. Aside from that fanboy piece of nitpicking, it was a very good novel.
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