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Marvel Pocket Books Novels
Wolverine: Weapon X
A violent drifter with a mysterious past and petty criminal fleeing a murder rap, Logan is kidnapped and taken to a secret research complex in the Canadian Rockies, where he becomes a guinea pig in a top-secret biotechnology experiment designed to harness his mutant powers and transform him into a powerful killing machine. Original.
400 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2004
24 people are currently reading
649 people want to read
About the author
Marc Cerasini
86 books48 followersBest-selling author, Marc Cerasini has spent time on the New York Times and USA Today best-seller's lists. His writing spans from children's picture books and young adult novels to adult mystery and military nonfiction. Along the way, he's managed to ghostwrite for Tom Clancy.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 72 reviews
August 5, 2012
Basically the novelization of Barry Windsor-Smith's Weapon X graphic novel. Fleshes out and explores a bit more and acts as a good companion to the GN.
December 16, 2020
Dross. Complete and utter garbage. Characters have ridiculous histories and there background stories are just fluff and have no real impact in the story. Then, just when you think the worst part is over, the “twist” was so cliche that I almost threw the book at my dog. I didn’t, and only finished it because I never want to look at this book again. Dull, boring, waste of time. I only gave it 1 star because they don’t have a burn and destroy rating.
This book should be banned. Not because it has any really bad ideology, but because I don’t want to see people waste their lives over it.
This book should be banned. Not because it has any really bad ideology, but because I don’t want to see people waste their lives over it.
June 17, 2024
Weapon X starts off very strong. Jumping right in making the reader as disoriented as Logan is, then of course we have the dual narratives of past Logan dealing with the North Korea mission cut with present Logan being tortured and broken by the Professor and his ghouls.
Both stories could easily fill a book alone but together they paint an effectively haunting picture.
Logan himself isn't a character so much as he's more a facility for violence and trauma, trauma inhabits all of our lead characters in minor and major ways. A stand-out was Dr. Cornelius who's murderous backstory & paranoid rambling adds a layer to the uneasy narrative, though the eventual reveal of his true nature does bring it down for me.
The finale felt somewhat lacking to me. The initial climax of Logan breaking free and slaughtering his captors is revealed to be a virtual simulation with the later actual escape being relegated to like two small paragraphs and brief mentions. It felt anticlimactic as we'd already given each character a satisfying death.
Overall good as a book, Weapon X is a brutal and dark story about the history of Marvel's hairy Canadian, but a weak ending and some disappointing narrative pay-offs lead to a 4 instead of a 5.
Both stories could easily fill a book alone but together they paint an effectively haunting picture.
Logan himself isn't a character so much as he's more a facility for violence and trauma, trauma inhabits all of our lead characters in minor and major ways. A stand-out was Dr. Cornelius who's murderous backstory & paranoid rambling adds a layer to the uneasy narrative, though the eventual reveal of his true nature does bring it down for me.
The finale felt somewhat lacking to me. The initial climax of Logan breaking free and slaughtering his captors is revealed to be a virtual simulation with the later actual escape being relegated to like two small paragraphs and brief mentions. It felt anticlimactic as we'd already given each character a satisfying death.
Overall good as a book, Weapon X is a brutal and dark story about the history of Marvel's hairy Canadian, but a weak ending and some disappointing narrative pay-offs lead to a 4 instead of a 5.
June 12, 2010
This book is about how wolverine gets his powers. It is not like the movie. It tells you how he got his powers.(Look at the claws) I would reccomend this book for people who like X Men espesally wolverine.
October 28, 2008
First actual novel I ever finished. I liked the book, but I found myself loosing interest then coming back to it. Overall an enjoyable book.
May 5, 2021
If I had thought about the fact that Wolverine: Weapon X was almost certainly going to be one long, slow, unpleasant session of mental torture and brainfuckery I probably would have stuck it at the bottom of the pile and started with one of the other Wolverine novels. But I didn’t think about it; and it was the first novel in the omnibus. And the omnibus arrived in my mailbox before any of the other novels. So I started with Weapon X.
Weapon X is a long, slow, unpleasant session of mental torture and brainfuckery. I didn’t enjoy most of it. I staggered forward through the text with the attitude of a soldier slogging his way through hostile foreign territory, constantly under threat. So I guess you could say that the book is a success.
Frankly, that’s how I would describe the novel. A success. It is successful at what it sets out to do, which is to pull you into the abjectly grim and psychotically horrible world of the Weapon X project.
Do not read this novel if you are looking for a novel where you get to spend time with Logan being Logan, or Wolverine being Wolverine. This book is not a spy thriller. It is not a science-fiction adventure. It is not a story of the savage frontier, or the lawless honor of 1980s Japan. It is a story about a bunch of scientists attempting to torture a man until he stops being a man and becomes a mindless, programmable killing machine.
Since our ostensible protagonist is willfully robbed of all perception and agency throughout around seventy percent of the novel, the narrative instead follows the point of view of the scientists and security personnel running the torturous experiment. Broadly speaking, we follow the Professor, Dr. Cornelius, Ms. Hines, and Culter; getting a peek at each of their internal narrations and backstories, understanding what it was that drove them through every moral barrier to work on this morally reprehensible experiment. Each of them has a, broadly speaking, tragic backstory, some of them working better than others. Except Cutler. Cutler the security guy is just kind of there because he’s there.
I can’t decide if I like the inclusion of each of the scientists’ tragic backstories. On the one hand, obviously trauma can set people on the path to great evil. On the other hand, sometimes evil is very mundane. I would say that I am broadly satisfied with the handling of Dr. Cornelius’ backstory, and less so with the professor and Ms. Hines. Ms. Hines backstory particularly deals with some themes and content that is not only extremely dark in an unexpected way, but it’s also tropey, cliche, and borderline misogynist.
The Professor, meanwhile, I don’t think ‘deserves’ a tragic backstory. I say ‘deserves’ here in that I don’t think it serves the character or the narrative for his evil to stem from such a graphically and emotionally horrific incident. The Professor is without a doubt the least sympathetic character in the narrative and I don’t think his present evil behavior and his past traumatic backstory tie together in a way that is interesting or narratively satisfying. I suspect that the author was trying to attempt to shy away from the idea of simply being evil for evil’s sake, but I think that the narrative would have been served better either by leaving the Professor’s POV out of the narrative and keeping him as a more distant figure, or by suggesting the Professor’s tragic backstory rather than spelling it out in graphic and gruesome detail.
The bulk of the action in which we do get to share point of view with Logan are a series of flashbacks to a particular black-ops mission. While I was pleased to spend some time with Logan during these interludes and get away from the truly horrific medical horror happening in the rest of the book, the problem is not just that it's bog-standard--even bad-- spy thriller fiction in these sections; the problem is that the particular mission that we relive with Logan doesn’t have any bearing on or connection with the ongoing action in the present, barring one arbitrary detail. Arbitrary, I think, is the best way to describe it. It's a breath of air, breaking up the other narrative segments, but it's stale air, not fresh.
Speaking of the black-ops segments, I unfortunately can’t get through this entire review without mentioning the most uncomfortable part of these segments. Logan’s mission takes place in Korea, and the segment is absolutely full of ever-present casual orientalist racism towards Koreans and the Japanese. Skin is referred to as ‘yellow’, and two significant characters are straight-facedly given nonsense names the equivalent of naming an American character Stallion McBurger or something. Even as someone only casually acquainted with Japanese names and culture, reading the character’s name threw me out of the story every single time as I was forced to ponder if it was a fake spy name. Regrettably, it was not.
Overall, the novel mostly consists of long descriptions of medical and psychological torture as the narrative plods towards its inevitable, gory climax. I will give the novel this, though, when that gory climax hit, the blood, guts and revenge really did feel satisfying. Cathartic, even. The author manages to put you through a slice of the Weapon X program yourself, and through the other side with Logan.
The author’s prose is serviceable for what the novel is. It's gritty, and pulpy, occasionally cheaply poetic, and it put me in the mind of Max Payne. I didn’t hate it at all. Additionally, the author manages to pull off one great gut punch of a reversal that I won’t spoil. I will however say that this twist doesn’t significantly alter the emotional payoff, which is good. Like I said, Weapon X the novel is successful at what it sets out to do.
I’m not certain whether or not I’m pleased to have read this novel. On the one hand, I don’t regret the time that I spent with it. On the other hand, I’m definitely ready to move on to something that isn’t deliberately sledgehammering me with medical and psychological horror. In the end, I think Wolverine: Weapon X, like the Weapon X project itself, is an unpleasant but ultimately strengthening experience that’s best regarded in the rear view mirror.
Weapon X is a long, slow, unpleasant session of mental torture and brainfuckery. I didn’t enjoy most of it. I staggered forward through the text with the attitude of a soldier slogging his way through hostile foreign territory, constantly under threat. So I guess you could say that the book is a success.
Frankly, that’s how I would describe the novel. A success. It is successful at what it sets out to do, which is to pull you into the abjectly grim and psychotically horrible world of the Weapon X project.
Do not read this novel if you are looking for a novel where you get to spend time with Logan being Logan, or Wolverine being Wolverine. This book is not a spy thriller. It is not a science-fiction adventure. It is not a story of the savage frontier, or the lawless honor of 1980s Japan. It is a story about a bunch of scientists attempting to torture a man until he stops being a man and becomes a mindless, programmable killing machine.
Since our ostensible protagonist is willfully robbed of all perception and agency throughout around seventy percent of the novel, the narrative instead follows the point of view of the scientists and security personnel running the torturous experiment. Broadly speaking, we follow the Professor, Dr. Cornelius, Ms. Hines, and Culter; getting a peek at each of their internal narrations and backstories, understanding what it was that drove them through every moral barrier to work on this morally reprehensible experiment. Each of them has a, broadly speaking, tragic backstory, some of them working better than others. Except Cutler. Cutler the security guy is just kind of there because he’s there.
I can’t decide if I like the inclusion of each of the scientists’ tragic backstories. On the one hand, obviously trauma can set people on the path to great evil. On the other hand, sometimes evil is very mundane. I would say that I am broadly satisfied with the handling of Dr. Cornelius’ backstory, and less so with the professor and Ms. Hines. Ms. Hines backstory particularly deals with some themes and content that is not only extremely dark in an unexpected way, but it’s also tropey, cliche, and borderline misogynist.
The Professor, meanwhile, I don’t think ‘deserves’ a tragic backstory. I say ‘deserves’ here in that I don’t think it serves the character or the narrative for his evil to stem from such a graphically and emotionally horrific incident. The Professor is without a doubt the least sympathetic character in the narrative and I don’t think his present evil behavior and his past traumatic backstory tie together in a way that is interesting or narratively satisfying. I suspect that the author was trying to attempt to shy away from the idea of simply being evil for evil’s sake, but I think that the narrative would have been served better either by leaving the Professor’s POV out of the narrative and keeping him as a more distant figure, or by suggesting the Professor’s tragic backstory rather than spelling it out in graphic and gruesome detail.
The bulk of the action in which we do get to share point of view with Logan are a series of flashbacks to a particular black-ops mission. While I was pleased to spend some time with Logan during these interludes and get away from the truly horrific medical horror happening in the rest of the book, the problem is not just that it's bog-standard--even bad-- spy thriller fiction in these sections; the problem is that the particular mission that we relive with Logan doesn’t have any bearing on or connection with the ongoing action in the present, barring one arbitrary detail. Arbitrary, I think, is the best way to describe it. It's a breath of air, breaking up the other narrative segments, but it's stale air, not fresh.
Speaking of the black-ops segments, I unfortunately can’t get through this entire review without mentioning the most uncomfortable part of these segments. Logan’s mission takes place in Korea, and the segment is absolutely full of ever-present casual orientalist racism towards Koreans and the Japanese. Skin is referred to as ‘yellow’, and two significant characters are straight-facedly given nonsense names the equivalent of naming an American character Stallion McBurger or something. Even as someone only casually acquainted with Japanese names and culture, reading the character’s name threw me out of the story every single time as I was forced to ponder if it was a fake spy name. Regrettably, it was not.
Overall, the novel mostly consists of long descriptions of medical and psychological torture as the narrative plods towards its inevitable, gory climax. I will give the novel this, though, when that gory climax hit, the blood, guts and revenge really did feel satisfying. Cathartic, even. The author manages to put you through a slice of the Weapon X program yourself, and through the other side with Logan.
The author’s prose is serviceable for what the novel is. It's gritty, and pulpy, occasionally cheaply poetic, and it put me in the mind of Max Payne. I didn’t hate it at all. Additionally, the author manages to pull off one great gut punch of a reversal that I won’t spoil. I will however say that this twist doesn’t significantly alter the emotional payoff, which is good. Like I said, Weapon X the novel is successful at what it sets out to do.
I’m not certain whether or not I’m pleased to have read this novel. On the one hand, I don’t regret the time that I spent with it. On the other hand, I’m definitely ready to move on to something that isn’t deliberately sledgehammering me with medical and psychological horror. In the end, I think Wolverine: Weapon X, like the Weapon X project itself, is an unpleasant but ultimately strengthening experience that’s best regarded in the rear view mirror.
January 13, 2023
3.5/5 - A fleshed out origin story that most know pretty well already. A welcome supplement to the original comic arc.
The book covers Logan's transformation into Weapon X. What sets this apart form the comic adaption, is the deep dive into the scientists and the facility where the program takes place. Logan is largely incoherent and seen through the eyes and minds of the supporting cast, giving this a different tone than the comic it was adapted from. It also did a much better job at conveying the physical and psychological torture that he went through, letting us really understand why Logan is presented as a tortured soul with a harrowing past.
The book covers Logan's transformation into Weapon X. What sets this apart form the comic adaption, is the deep dive into the scientists and the facility where the program takes place. Logan is largely incoherent and seen through the eyes and minds of the supporting cast, giving this a different tone than the comic it was adapted from. It also did a much better job at conveying the physical and psychological torture that he went through, letting us really understand why Logan is presented as a tortured soul with a harrowing past.
August 26, 2024
A gripping perspective from the scientists who created Weapon X, with a great retcon (Chap 4) in regards to his Adamantium encased skeleton. Unfortunately unnecessary backstory crammed into Chap 16 made me deduct 1 Star.
March 27, 2022
Graphic novel is irrefutably better.
books-abandoned
March 4, 2017The first chapter is a disorganized hodgepodge of events designed to take the reader into a troubled mind. The second begins with pages of too-detailed torture and ends with a lot of dull exposition. That was enough. I picked up this book to get me in the mood for the LOGAN movie. I spoiled the mood. What a dreary book.
May 12, 2019
Não sei o que acontece mas os livros dos X-Men dessa coleção não me envolve tanto quanto as outras historias, essa tem bastante ação e alguns momentos a tensão passa pelas páginas do livro, mas não morri de amores.
August 19, 2024
Marc Cerasini's Wolverine: Weapon X delves into the dark and complex origins of one of Marvel's most iconic antiheroes. Set within the intricate tapestry of the Marvel Universe, this novel explores the harrowing transformation of Logan into the feared Wolverine, a tale steeped in violence, betrayal, and personal struggle.
Cerasini does a commendable job of expanding on the Weapon X storyline, providing a gripping narrative that intertwines Logan's brutal experimentation with his quest for identity and vengeance. The novel effectively captures Wolverine’s raw and relentless nature, as well as his deep-seated conflict between his animalistic instincts and his human emotions.
The writing is vivid and intense, painting a stark picture of the harsh realities faced by Logan. Cerasini’s portrayal of the Weapon X program is chilling, adding depth to the brutal experimentation that defines much of Wolverine’s backstory. The pacing is well-executed, with tension mounting as the story progresses, keeping readers engaged throughout.
Characterization is another strong point, as Cerasini successfully conveys Wolverine's internal struggles and external conflicts. Logan’s complex personality is explored with nuance, showcasing his transformation from a vulnerable man into a relentless weapon. Supporting characters, including figures from the Weapon X program and Logan’s past, are fleshed out, adding layers to the narrative.
However, the novel’s intense focus on Wolverine’s physical and psychological trauma may be overwhelming for some readers. The graphic descriptions of violence and experimentation are integral to the story but can be quite intense.
Overall, *Wolverine: Weapon X* is a powerful and compelling addition to the Wolverine saga. Marc Cerasini’s expertise in creating a gripping, character-driven narrative ensures that this novel is a must-read for fans of Wolverine and those interested in the darker aspects of superhero mythology.
September 1, 2017
This was a real slow moving mixed bag of a book. Part of it was interesting to see how they handled the adamantium bonding but that quickly got overstretched, then there was Logan's 'dream memory' narrative that just wasn't very interesting and on top of that you had the 'base life' story that again was a bit dull.
The whole story is set purely around Logan's procedure to get adamantium bonded to his skeleton yet there are some plot holes. If you're doing some serious work on someones skeletal system at some point you'd think they'd run an x-ray or something right? And notice his claws? Nope apparently not.
During the bonding process they are concerned by large amounts of adamantium going into the wrist area and are later shocked by the claws manifestation and believe it to be some kind of evolutionary adaptation to the experiment. Only in the end do we see Logan use his bone claws in his flashback dream.
Also his healing factor seems to sporadically come and go depending on the bit of the story we are in, one minute its taking him a night of rest to heal from a few bad gashes and then later he's managing to heal and regenerate basically his entire body when subjected to extreme heat and radiation and molten adamantium.
If you like X-men and already know Logans story then read this with a distinct warning, if you dont know anything then this will probably be less annoying.
The whole story is set purely around Logan's procedure to get adamantium bonded to his skeleton yet there are some plot holes. If you're doing some serious work on someones skeletal system at some point you'd think they'd run an x-ray or something right? And notice his claws? Nope apparently not.
During the bonding process they are concerned by large amounts of adamantium going into the wrist area and are later shocked by the claws manifestation and believe it to be some kind of evolutionary adaptation to the experiment. Only in the end do we see Logan use his bone claws in his flashback dream.
Also his healing factor seems to sporadically come and go depending on the bit of the story we are in, one minute its taking him a night of rest to heal from a few bad gashes and then later he's managing to heal and regenerate basically his entire body when subjected to extreme heat and radiation and molten adamantium.
If you like X-men and already know Logans story then read this with a distinct warning, if you dont know anything then this will probably be less annoying.
May 17, 2025
I really liked this book and purchased as a way to cope with reading the comics too fast (the x men hyperfixation is hitting hard) and I like the way this author writes. The overall plot is good (different storyline from the movies but might be more similar to the comics? Not sure) and a very entertaining read. Despite being 350+ pages I finished it in two days. The descriptions of gore are amazing and insight into even the seemingly trivial characters was very interesting. If anything, we could have used more from Logan’s perspective although he was unconscious most of the story so I’ll let it slide. Reminds me of a cross between the scientific descriptions of Crichton in Jurassic park (or any of his works really) and the torture of the creation of frankensteins monster with a good slasher movie feel to it all. HOWEVER, near the end of the story they attempt an “it was all a simulation” twist which, in my opinion, is never a good idea especially with less than a sixth of the pages to go. Then, almost everything from the simulation occurs anyway, which doesn’t make sense and isn’t really all that satisfying of a conclusion. They supposedly set it up as a psychological test and included details that Logan supposedly “picked up on” despite him being several layers deep in flashbacks, unconsciousness, simulation, etc? Very odd. Overall an enjoyable read, and I hope the other pocket star Wolverine books are just as good if not better than this one.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 23, 2023
I didn't like the beginning; the jumble of memories bumping into each other in some kind of dream sequence in a blender was off-putting. But once the author got into the story itself, it was much better. I've read the Weapon X graphic novel, and I'm unsure if this is supposed to be an adaptation, or a retelling, because I don't remember some of this stuff.
In either case, it was well-written, but this story is much better suited to the graphic novel format. Still, this by itself was a good introduction to the Weapon X mythos and would, I think, make a great movie.
In either case, it was well-written, but this story is much better suited to the graphic novel format. Still, this by itself was a good introduction to the Weapon X mythos and would, I think, make a great movie.
May 15, 2018
All of these books are so delightful. I would love to know how these storylines are viewed by the more intense comic book aficionados. As far as what is canon and what is not. Nevertheless, this book is respectful and yet still playful with the exciting and malleable modern day Conan of Wolverine. Again, if you enjoy this type of book, then this one will not disappoint!
September 5, 2020
I enjoyed this book. For those that do like Wolverine as a character this does give some insight om what occurred in the Weapon X. It also fleshed out the character decently well. It's a decent read for people who don't want to read the comics and would like to see what does happen. All in all I recommend the book to anyone.
August 17, 2017
Pretty good back ground story on Logan.
February 14, 2020
If you love Wolverine, read this book.
May 12, 2020
Great story to a classic hero.
January 24, 2021
Great book that really fleshes out the Comicbook story.
January 19, 2022
This is on audio ebook now. I listened to it over a few days. I loved it.
October 21, 2022
a good twist to the legend of Logan
March 9, 2023
This was crazy. It was like a story about his 'creation', but honestly. I'm not sure what the author was going for.
September 12, 2023
Just a lot of mauling. Not a huge amount of plot to speak of.
February 4, 2024
Awesome and Gory
September 10, 2024
still better than the origins movie I guess
January 9, 2025
I would honestly give it 5 stars if the ending wasn't as rushed.
September 7, 2025
Um lots of torture if that your thing a little too much for me tho
October 4, 2025
Excellent prose and character work, but some irritating narrative choices.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 72 reviews