Wolverine: Election Day

Marvel Pocket Books Novels

by Peter David

Wolverine answers the call of duty when a domestic terrorist tries to sabotage an election in this New York Times–bestselling author's original novel.
The next presidential election is less than one week away. The divisive contest pits the current president against a popular challenger. But tensions mount even higher after a devastating act of domestic terrorism. Now the entire country looks on as a young boy is held hostage. And the demands require nothing less than changing the course of history . . .
With a nationwide search for the boy underway, the military must turn to the mutant Wolverine for help. With his unparallelled tracking skills and vicious talents, it's up to him to uncover the truth before the boy's life is lost—and America descends into chaos.

Genres: Marvel, Comics, Superheroes, X Men, Fantasy, Fiction, Audiobook

388 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 26, 2008

About the author

aka David Peters

Peter Allen David, often abbreviated PAD, was an American writer of comic books, novels, television, films, and video games. His notable comic book work includes an award-winning 12-year run on The Incredible Hulk, as well as runs on Aquaman, Young Justice, SpyBoy, Supergirl, Fallen Angel, Spider-Man, Spider-Man 2099, Captain Marvel, and X-Factor.
His Star Trek work included comic books and novels such as the New Frontier book series. His other novels included film adaptations, media tie-ins, and original works, such as the Apropos of Nothing and Knight Life series. His television work includes series such as Babylon 5, Young Justice, Ben 10: Alien Force and Nickelodeon's Space Cases, which he co-created with Bill Mumy.
David often jokingly described his occupation as "Writer of Stuff", and he was noted for his prolific writing, characterized by its mingling of real-world issues with humor and references to popular culture, as well as elements of metafiction and self-reference.
David earned multiple awards for his work, including a 1992 Eisner Award, a 1993 Wizard Fan Award, a 1996 Haxtur Award, a 2007 Julie Award and a 2011 GLAAD Media Award.

Reviews

[Robert · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maybe more of a 3.5 rounded down. It was entertaining, and I felt the narrator and writer both did a great job capturing Logan's surly, laconic style...but the plot was a little too far-fetched and convoluted, and that final confrontation with "The Dragon"? Highly dissatisfying! not like there was ever going to be a sequel


Yep, wish I'd just stayed in the Motel.

Wolverine fans should be forewarned: he's essentially a side character here, pulled along for the ride into events that (initially, anyway) do not really concern him. The POV character we follow is a U.S. Army Corporal named Westlake who has the plot-convenient Mutant ability to detect lies- in a story full of politicians that's a real asset!

End of story? Definitely recommendable for Wolverine fans, and fans of political thrillers like House of Cards. The book may have been written in and inspired by the George W. Bush years in the States, but the denouement had some real resonance with recent events in this decade as well.

[Brian · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of those simple reads about a comic character that we all know. Peter David actually does an excellent job of catching what I felt was the personality of Logan, my problem with the book is the villains. Having read many of these types of books,I can say it is a recurring problem. You just don't get to know them. They seem bland and boring. Even when you are supposed to be surprised by something they did or some supposedly shocking twist, it doesn't come through. Wolverine is done extremely well. The author assumed that we knew who he was and thus didn't bore us with a bunch of wasted back story. He just put him out there and said "here is Wolverine, he's a bad ass and has these powers. Now let's have fun!" It worked very well. And although I wont be telling all my friends to go get this book, I wont tell them not to read it.

[PMoslice · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everything you would expect from a Wolverine story. Peter David did an amazing job of laying out the scene and the feeling of the characters. From the beginning when Wesley walks in the room, through the search for the missing child, along the way being lost at see then hunting the enemy on a secluded island. And the twist in the mystery that you knew was coming but weren't quite sure how. This is a great book for Fans of Wolverine or good mystery.

[Max Driffill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Peter David has always been a good “Wolverine” writer. He finds Logan’s laconic rhythms and his ironic sensibilities. Logan is gifted in the art of understated humor. So is David and thus the author and the character are well matched.

“Election Day” is a delightful comic book yarn told in prose. It’s fun, it’s got big action set pieces and manages to be shockingly topical for a book that was written in the Bush era.

My only complaint comes in the book’s climatic battle at the end. David seems to rely on making Wolverine act out of character and do tactically stupid things to create a more serious challenge for Wolverine at the end. As a reader it was kind of frustrating. This won’t bug all readers probably but it left me unhappy with the boss battles at the end. But I’m a long time X-Men reader, and a long time Wolverine reader.
Passing fans, and casual readers will probably just have a good time.

All in all the book is a good time.

[Nate Rawdon · Rating 3 out of 5]

You could get away with reading this entire novel without having any knowledge of the X-Men. Though they are mentioned a few times, and Wolverine is the main character, you could easily mistake this novel for any other superhero novel. This is however, one of the books best bits, it means you do not have to have a major knowledge of the X-Men, and are able to complete your read without a sense of distance from the main characters. The story-line is good, and manages to keep you hanging a few times. Despite being quite compelling at times, this is one of those novels where you could easily put it down for a while, and then not rejoin the action for another six months. The chances of this are mostly in the earlier chapters, as the deeper you get into the novel the more pages you begin to find yourself turning.

[Justin Nelson · Rating 3 out of 5]

A prose novel I thought would be a fun, quick read at our own real-life election time.
The election in this novel was, eerily, not too far off from our own! More evidence that 2020 has truly been stranger than fiction!
This was very enjoyable! Peter David writes some humorous moments into this superhero prose just as he did in his comics work. Sometimes, the humor doesn't quite hit the mark, but it gives some more character to the piece. David also manages to touch upon some deeper themes, especially of democracy and freedom in crisis.
Wolverine actually doesn't overpower the story. Different characters are allowed to take part in the action. That ma be a good thing because David's Wolverine doesn't always ring true to me. He is a bit too rough, less developed than his comics counterpart.

[Dovile · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is entertaining and seriously impossible to put down, especially in the first half of this novel. I particularly enjoyed the political intrigues and guessing the mystery beyond the kidnapping, the ending was quite surprising to me, although I'm not very familiar with the X-Men and Wolverine comics, only the movies and various animated series. I'm never a fan of fights and action scenes in books, so the second part dragged a bit for me, but it was interesting anyway.

The X-Men don't appear in this novel, they're just mentioned several times. This is a Wolverine novel, and a very good one at that. Don't miss this.

[Hillery Earl · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was the first book I ever read about Wolverine. I loved it very much! Being introduced to other mutants also kept my interest as I was reading. I loved how in the beginning, Wolverine was perceived as a complete stranger to the reader. Basically, it tells of a young kid with a unique mutation, and Wolverine comes along and happens to save his life. I couldn't take my eyes out of Election Day until I finished it. Even then, the ending took me by complete surprise! I promise, it will be something that the reader will never see coming... For any Wolverine fan, I definitely recommend Election Day. The action is so vivid and intense, it will take one for a ride!

[***Dave Hill · Rating 3 out of 5]

(Original review: http://hill-kleerup.org/blog/2009/01/...)

David does a workmanlike job in this novel about the famous scrapping X-Man, tied up in a conspiracy of kidnapping, politics, bounty hunters and mutants (stop me if you’ve heard this before). David writes well, and captures the character quite decently without breaking any new ground or offering any new insights into Wolvie. A good book to quickly plow through then give to someone else. Per se it’s only worth a fair rating, but David’s writing bumps it up to a good.

[Bob · Rating 5 out of 5]

Peter is such a damn fine writer that it is tough to put any of his books down once you start them. In this one, he makes fun of a certain reality show bounty hunter and politics & politicians, and manages to throw in a roller coaster ride of an adventure that kept me turning pages...and losing a little sleep.

[Jesse · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable and easy to read. You do not need any experience with Wolverine, or the X-men, to enjoy this book. It could even serve as a good introduction to these characters, coming with a healthy side-dose of political intrigue and action, for fans of those genres. And, as always, Mr. David's prose are delightful to read.

[Brad · Rating 4 out of 5]

I simply adore each of these books. I know they aren't "high brow" but they are so enjoyable. This mixes the typical Wolverine, comic book elements with a really fun mini-political thriller. If you enjoy this type of book, then you will very likely enjoy this one.

[Jerry Pinkard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best Wolverine yet. Intense action. Perfect mix of "political action/thriller" and "sci-fi/fantasy". Perfect book for fans of both genres.

[Tom Britton · Rating 5 out of 5]

if you like the x-men in any form you will love this book

a fun read right to the end highly reccondend it

[Gene · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent. Very well written, good story, and I think that the author captured Wolverine's personality very well. Highly recommend to any fans of the X-men franchise.

[Timothy · Rating 4 out of 5]

a great action filled novel.

[Ross Vincent · Rating 4 out of 5]

The year is 2008. America is, once again, in the middle of an Election Year.
And this election is one for the history books - either the first African American is to become president or the first female Vice President. It is a good election - to the point of the opposition actually CORRECTING the incorrect ideas their side has about the opponent, even if it cost them votes.
In the end, we get President Obama - one that will hold office for 8 years.
(And in my opinion, the first and only Great President of the 21st Century. So far)

(No, I am not going to include the section above as a spoiler - if you dont know this by now, then what are you doing on the internet!?!?!?)

And that year, Peter David's Wolverine book is published.
One that deals with the events that could have an impact of the coming election.
A boy is kidnapped. A ransom is made to the American People. A sitting President has to make a critical decision, that will have an effect on the election..

And along comes Wolverine.

Oh yeah, things are going to get good to get GOOD!!!

I dont want to spoil the book - in part because it has some twisty plot and ending.
BUT, reading this in 2024, with us being just months away from another election, it speaks to this election cycle more than any other.
Not to get to political, but there are elements of this book that seem to also foreshadow the problems that we would have in 2016, 2020, and even 2024. Questioning the results of the election; wondering if the results can be suspended or ignored. Political candidates that are willing to break the law, to be elected, and then fake what they need, to stay in office. A country that is divided in their opinions on a minority group - aka Mutants - and the challenge they present to the country, and the world.
No matter how you look at it, this book is full of allegories for things like hate speech and race riots, acceptance of fringe members of outside communities, and the lengths those in power will got to get more power and to hold onto that power.

I read this book because I wanted to get myself ready for the new Deadpool & Wolverine movie coming out this week (I really miss the days of tie-in books and novelizations. And Peter David managed to do some amazing work in the past in that field. Even going so far to connect Hulk with Real Genius ::chef's kiss::).

But now, I am wondering if I really was preparing myself for the upcoming Trump vs Harris election.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

I recently listened to the unabridged audiobook version of this. I was entertained of course, but what really struck me is how much the Constitutional issues raised during the crisis at the center of the plot resonates with recent issues in Presidential politics. In a world where January 6 happened, and where a Presidential candidate tried to raise doubt about the validity of the election, the issue of election legitimacy raised in this book ring all the more true.

The AudioBook does have one problem that I suspect was not as big a deal if you read this in print. There is a character who is identified by two names that are homophones of each other. This might not have been obvious to a reader, but hearing the two names pronounced by the audiobook narrator made the twist glaringly obvious far too soon. Not PAD's fault, but definitely a weakness introduced by the AudioBook format.

[Christiana Rendon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wolverine faced with a kid napping that affects the whole country....
We all have had kids kidnapped that changed people's lives and even some laws but this took it to a whole new level. With the kidnapping of Matthew Hayes the whole country was affected with the kidnappers demanding the people of America to vote a certain way.
With an army mutant Westlakes at Wolverines side these two find Matthew but with so many twist and turns as well as shocking news and development. People's views on mutants and government are both changed regardless if Matthew is found alive.

[Numa Parrott · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one hits different in 2022. I wish I’d kept a tally of every time the reader said ‘individual,’ because it seemed like way too many times. Typically poorly written and read but not un-entertaining. Corny overall. Lots of ‘by all accounts it doesn’t make sense’ moments where characters turn up in places they couldn’t possibly be. At least Wolverine does a lot of crazy stunts though. could’ve done without the skin suit thing. That was hilariously awful.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a blast, captures wolverine well, and Peter David comes in with a point which is always a plus in tie-in material.

A tale about how individual tragedies can be co-opted and used as symbols by various causes. The person is forgotten in lieu of the symbol, which is a really interesting angle to a story like this.

The action is well executed with some added bonus points for some sheer brutality during the final battle.

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. It had some of the best pacing and plot twists I've ever read. I also thought the multiple POV telling was exactly right for the story being told. I also loved the writing and the ways other people interacted with Logan.

[Jim Crigler · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid 4 stars.

The story was fun and intersected in a thematic way with current events.

The narrator was adequate, though not a genius with voices.

The editing was sloppy, cutting off the ends of words far too often.

[Carl · Rating 3 out of 5]

it was ok

[Art · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well paced. The characterizations were well done. The story was complex and I appreciate that a great deal. There were surprises all along the way. Had a good time. David does not disappoint.

[Derrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this one as it wasn't like the typical ones. It also had some twists and turns which I enjoyed.

[Branson West · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best Wolverine book yet. Complicated, well-thought out plot. Great

[Jeremiah Murphy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three solid SNIKTs! I could use another post-9/11 political thriller with Wolverine.

[David Macpherson · Rating 4 out of 5]

quite a fun book that has Wolverine and a mutant lie detector stopping a coup. I was actually surprised a few times throughout the book. Peter David was a damned good, solid writer.

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hoo boy, parts of this book hit differently in 2025 in a way that no one, not even the author, could've predicted. Still a fun read though.