Black Panther: Panther's Rage

by Sheree Renée Thomas

An all-new re-imagining of the legendary Black Panther comics arc, Panther’s Rage , from an award-winning author.

T'Challa, the Black Panther, returns to Wakanda to show Monica Lynne his home. But he finds violence in the streets, discontent brewing in his people, and the name Killmonger following him everywhere he goes. When a revered storyteller—and T'Challa's mentor—is murdered, he uncovers the first threads of a growing rebellion that threatens to engulf his beloved Wakanda.

Wakanda’s high-tech king must travel the savannah, into the deepest jungles and up the snow-topped mountains of his homeland in this prose adaptation of the landmark comics series by Don McGregor, Rich Buckler and Billy Graham. Discover the life and culture of the Wakandans, and see T'Challa channel the strength of his ancient bloodline to take out foes such as Venomm, Malice and the fearsome Erik Killmonger!

Genres: Fantasy, Marvel, Comics

336 pages, Hardcover

Published October 11, 2022

About the author

Sheree Thomas — also credited as Sheree R. Thomas and Sheree Renée Thomas — is an American writer, book editor and publisher.

Thomas is the editor of the Dark Matter anthology (2000), in which are collected works by some of the best African-American writers in the genres of science fiction, horror and fantasy. Among the many notable authors included are Samuel R. Delany, Octavia E. Butler, Charles R. Saunders, Steven Barnes, Tananarive Due, Jewelle Gomez, Ishmael Reed, Kalamu ya Salaam, Robert Fleming, Nalo Hopkinson, George S. Schuyler and W. E. B. Du Bois. Dark Matter was honored with the 2005 and the 2001 World Fantasy Award and named a New York Times Notable Book of the Year.

Thomas is the publisher of Wanganegresse Press, and has contributed to national publications including the Washington Post "Book World", Black Issues Book Review, QBR, and Hip Mama. Her fiction and poetry have appeared in Ishmael Reed's Konch, Drumvoices Revue, Obsidian III, African Voices, storySouth, and other literary journals, and has received Honorable Mention in the Year's Best Fantasy and Horror, 16th and 17th annual collections. A native of Memphis, she lives in New York City.

Reviews

[Helena · Rating 2 out of 5]

Black Panther: Panther’s Rage is a novel that reimagines the 1972 comic arc of the same name. T’Challa returns to Wakanda after taking some time away, and brings with him his new love Monica Lynne. But they arrive to a Wakanda filled with violence and turmoil, and the mysterious Killmonger seems to be at the centre of it all.

This is an adventurous book and it was interesting to read about one of Black Panther’s early comic book storylines in a modernized form. There is a lot of love for Wakanda in this book— there are beautiful descriptions of the landscape and care is put into describing the different tribes and locations in the country. This novel also provides much more room for introspection than a comic can give, and as such, we see a more introspective side of T’Challa. This novel presents a more tenderhearted and vulnerable version of T’Challa as well, and I’ve never seen that before so I found it to be a welcome change and one of the strengths of this book. The romance was sweet, and I like how much T’Challa and Monica relied on each other. I also enjoyed the scenes with Shuri and the Dora Milaje.


Unfortunately, I wasn’t captivated or satisfied by this book. I’m not familiar with the original comic arc, so I’m not sure if my issues stem from the source material or this novel. My main criticism is that T’Challa, one of the most intelligent Marvel characters and a brilliant strategist, didn’t see any of the events in this book coming. My other main criticism is that T’Challa literally has an army of trained warriors to protect him, but every other chapter he goes off on his own to investigate something only to return injured, which could have been prevented if he wasn’t alone. And while I like the concept of reimagining old comic storylines, it didn’t feel necessary because most of the characters (such as Monica and the minor villains) in this book are no longer around in current Black Panther comics or other media. Most of T’Challa’s interactions with these characters throughout the book feel repetitive and don’t do anything to further the story.

I’m a fan of Black Panther and I wanted to love this book, but it just didn’t work for me. I enjoyed some aspects of it and gained some insight into Wakanda, but overall I wanted a lot more from this novel and my expectations might have been too high.

Thank you NetGalley and Titan Books for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Dr. des. Siobhán · Rating 3 out of 5]

*I received an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks for the free book*

I expected a comic and not a prose version of a comic and to be honest, I had a very hard time reading. Not only content-wise but also format-wise because this had to be downloaded like a graphic novel and had to be opened with Adobe Digital Editions. If you're a Black Panther fan, this might be to your liking, but I am not a hardcore fan and reading was not really the experience for me. It lacked the visuals and the descriptions could not counter that. I might not be the right target group for this one.

3 stars because the story was ok

[Kevin Halter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Black Panther: Panther's Rage by Sheree Renée Thomas is an updated and new take on a classic tale of the Black Panther. The original story line by Don McGregor ran for 13 chapters in the 1970's and featured art by some very talented individuals. This modern retelling is fast paced and respectful of it's source material. Being familiar with the original comic run it was a lot of fun to see everything updated and some things retroactively added to the tale.
"T'Challa, the Black Panther, returns to Wakanda to show Monica Lynne his home. But he finds violence in the streets, discontent brewing in his people, and the name Killmonger following him everywhere he goes. When a revered storyteller—and T'Challa's mentor—is murdered, he uncovers the first threads of a growing rebellion that threatens to engulf his beloved Wakanda."
There are so many cool moments and I don't want to spoil them, and they made this Black Panther fan very happy.
Thanks to #NetGalley, #TitanBooks, and Sheree Renée Thomas for the ARC of #BlackPantherPanthersRage.

[Sally Kilpatrick]

I met Thomas at the St James River Conference, and I picked up this book of hers.

What. A. Challenge.

This is a novelization of an original arc from the comic book, and, best I can tell, Thomas does a beautiful job of putting an originally visual story into words. I can sense some subtle modernization, and I really enjoyed her portrayal of the women characters.

If you love the movie, this is different. If you love Wakanda and can read this book understanding that, it is certainly quite the roller coaster ride plot wise complete with plenty of love for Wakanda in both description and characterization.

[Adrian Montanez · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the ARC audiobook. in exchange for an honest review.

This was an interesting read. Sheree Renèe Thomas reimagines the famous Panther's Rage comic arc and successfully brings it into the modern day. This modern retelling is fast-paced and respectful of its source material. Being familiar with the original comic run it was a lot of fun to see everything updated and some things retroactively added to the tale. But given the fact that this is a retelling of something I've read before it doesn't really bring much to the story. Solid Marvel prose novel, but nothing groundbreaking.

Now the narration of this book was great. J.D. Jackson does an amazing job with all the character voices in this book. The first time I heard his T'Challa and Killmonger I was surprised by how great a voice match J.D. is for both of the characters. This made the retelling a lot more interesting due to the fact I could easily imagine Boseman and Jordan going back and forth throughout the whole book.

3 stars out of 5.

[USOM · Rating 3 out of 5]

(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)

Since I haven't read the comics, I can't tell how much of Black Panther: Panther's Rage is directly taken from the comics. This is supposed to be a re-imagining, so please excuse me in advance for not knowing how much of it is the re-inspiration part. As someone who has only seen the film, some of Black Panther: Panther's Rage felt familiar and some were very different to what I was expecting. That's not necessarily a bad thing, I think it's just something to know going in especially with the popularity and the release of the sequel.

In Black Panther: Panther's Rage I appreciated how we get a look a deeper look at Wakanda. To the depths of the anti-Outworlder sentiment. How slow change is and how deeply pervasive that feeling is from the top all the way to the bottom. It made me appreciate the conflict that we get a peek of in the movie even more so. Not only that, but this entire aspect feels very close to rhetoric that is not so foreign to our world.

full review: https://utopia-state-of-mind.com/revi...

[thewoollygeek (tea, cake, crochet & books) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I grew up reading comics, introduced to Marvel by my big brother when I was seven years old and I love this so much, the overall plot and story are wonderful, I really enjoyed the story, I loved the focus and detail in describing Wakanda and its people, which is really good for anyone being introduced to Black Panther for the first time. Overall I thought this was a great story, full of drama, fun and plenty of action.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

[Runalong · Rating 4 out of 5]

A new novelisation of people. Of Black Panther’s Classic adventures where T’Challa returns to a Wakanda on the brink of civil war with a galaxy of supervillains to face. I really liked how this story helped us get to know who T’Challa is and explore Wakandan society more too. Well worth a look!

Full review - https://www.runalongtheshelves.net/bl...

[Siobhain · Rating 5 out of 5]

I firstly want to thank Titan Book and Netgalley for sending me an E-Arc this book to review. My review is left voluntarily and is completely honest. And as usual I avoid spoilers in my reviews.

It should be said while this is a re-imagining and done well it draws a lot from the source material of Don McGregor’s original storyline from the 1970’s. While respectful of the source material Sheree Renee Thomas manages to make the story their own. We join T’Challa has he returns to Wakanda to show Monica Lynne (his girlfriend and future finance) his homeland. He expects to showcase the greatness of Wakanda and it’s people but instead he finds unrest rising within his borders. Slowly The Black Panther begins to reveal the threads and threat of growing rebellion at the hands at Eric Killmonger.

I believe this prose novel is a good stepping stone into the comic verse Black Panther and probably aimed at a young adult audience but I enjoyed it immensely. As with comics themselves there are a few bits and pieces that do require the suspension of disbelief but after all that is what good fiction is. Personally I enjoyed the writing style, pace and mix of action with more ‘mundane’ life. I also adored the expansion of Wakanda, learning more about their customs and land.

As already said this is a perfect stepping stone into the Black Panther character. I would recommend looking into the Don McGregor run after reading this so you can see how faithful Thomas is to the T’Challa of those stories. I really hope we see more of T’Challa’s adventures in the future brought to life in prose form!

[Simon Clayton · Rating 1 out of 5]

I looked forward to this, my first Black Panther novel. Sadly it transpired to be, possibly, the worst book I have ever read.

I suspect it was written for a young teen audience but this was never made clear to me.

The story consists of the same encounters, albeit with different foes, in different fanciful locations, regurgitated over and over again. The Black Panther repeatedly swears to spill the blood of his enemies, to kill those who seek to destroy his world, only to spare them. Over and over again. It was simply mind numbing, boring, childish writing.

The Black Panther is so often close to death and yet makes a miraculous recovery. He is left to die or be killed by a minor foe or beast but escapes. It was like watching a James Bond film where you never understand why Dr No doesn’t just shoot him in the head instead of strapping him to bench with a slowly moving laser!

If there is an army destroying his kingdom, why does he go on walks with his girlfriend or pop down to the beach with her? It made no sense. There are jumps of days and sometimes multiple weeks where nothing happens whilst the Panther King recovers! Did his enemies go on holiday….?

This is poorly written, badly scripted and might only suit younger readers who are seeking a simplistic and fanciful story. Avoid

[Leona · Rating 4 out of 5]

A coup is brewing in Wakanda while T’Challa has been away in America, it’s difficult for him to know who he can trust when he returns to introduce his girlfriend to his homeland. What should be a glorious return for the King is a brutal reminder of what lurks in the shadows, retaining his kingdom is going to a struggle with enemies on all sides.

A Black Panther story in prose format is something different for fans but just as evocative as the visuals in a graphic novel, the author takes us directly into the story with her vivid descriptions. You feel like you are in Wakanda! The Killmonger arc is an interesting one in the history of Black Panther, so even if you're aware of this storyline, you will find someone new within these pages.

The dedication to the sublime Chadwick Boseman was a nice touch from the author.

I received an early copy from the publishers via NetGalley in exchange for a review.

[Diana Townsend · Rating 3 out of 5]

Whew. This book started so strong and I was so excited to see T’Challa as a man and as Black Panther. The first 100-150 pages - I was mesmerized. But then it just went on, and on, and on. After their first fight, there’s another 100 pages of just… stuff. And Black Panther seems … ineffective and inefficient. Wakanda feels like America… and it’s exhausting. I was literally screaming, Please just call in the Avengers or The Fantastic Four to come and help find Killmonger because by the end… I didn’t even care anymore. It’s 150 pages too long, which was heartbreaking because there was potential in the beginning.

[Alina · Rating 5 out of 5]

One year without it's king and Wakanda is taken over by Killmonger. Killmonger, with the help of Venomm and few other allies from the palace, is looking to destroy and rebuild Wakanda, with him as the new king.

As a Marvel fan I was so happy receiving this ARC! This was a brilliant read! The author did a fantastic job in transforming this classic into a novel.

[Anita Lewis · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book was amazing
I saw this book and decided to read it because honestly, I'm still so sad whenever I read think about how Chadwick died amd all.
this book made me picture him in my imagination and I'm so grateful for that.

it was quite long though, but I really loved it

[M. K. French · Rating 4 out of 5]

T'Challa brings his love Monica Lynne to Wakanda, but the country had destabilized in his absence. Erik Killmonger has fomented rebellion, and now he must battle for the soul of his country.

This novel follows the comic versions of events, not the MCU. He did lose his father and Klaw was involved, but he was in Wakanda at the time. Fueled by rage and grief, T'Challa then spent the next year fighting with the Fantastic Four and the Avengers. He was with Monica in New York, and he plans to marry her. His close friend is N'Jadaka, who accompanies him to Wakanda, where it all goes wrong from the start. Rebels are chanting Killmonger's name, disrespect the royals, set up suicide bombings, and torture or kill trusted advisors. Even finding out who Killmonger actually is doesn't help. More advisors are attacked, people are harmed, and there are minibosses who also pose threats. These villains have powers Killmonger gave them, and include Venomm, Malice, Baron Macabre, and King Cadaver.

The biggest change I found between the comics (which I haven't always followed) and the MCU is that T'Challa is highly emotional here. He is quick to anger, is wallowing in grief, and wants to use that temper in a fight. As much as he loves his people and his country, he feels that rule is a burden. He rises to the challenge because he's a hero and isn't the terrible person that Killmonger tries to paint him as. If anything, refusing to harm or kill the two traitors that keep showing up is an indicator that he isn't as far gone in his anger as he thinks he is. It's only because of his deep love that he can hate so much, and the betrayals hit him hard. He's so very human and feels like a much younger version of the T'Challa we see in the MCU, who has so much more grace and presence of mind. That comes toward the end of the book when he calls upon his inner reserves and rallies to the challenge that Killmonger poses.

[Alanna-Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars

I was very excited to pick this audiobook up! It’s a fun, easy read. Great story. Nice character development and flow to the overall narrative.

I have not read the original comics, though am familiar with the characters and world they live in. That said, this book was easily picked up as everything you need to understand is contained within.

Unfortunately, the descriptions (primarily of the action scenes, but more besides) become incredibly repetitive as the book goes on - so much so, that I found it distracting. Perhaps that is why this kind of action story is so well suited to comic form.

I was not at all enamoured with the audiobook narration (I started by hating it, and became somewhat neutral over the course of the book). I think that with a much better narrator, this audiobook could have been so much more engaging.

So much gratitude to the publisher, Dreamscape Media, and NetGalley for the advanced audiobook copy of this book, in exchange for my honest review.

[Krizia Anna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you Netgalley and Ms. Thomas for the advance reader's copy in exchange of my honest review.

"Black Panther: Panther's Rage" is a prose adaptation of the comic book of the same title. Same as everyone, I've watched the film adaptation. In this prose adaptation, we see a vulnerable T'Challa. It's a nice change from the fierce and wise movie T'Challa. It is also fresh to see him as an older brother and a good friend. We also read about the beauty of Wakanda. We get to explore uncharted territories, see undead dinosaurs and tour mystic mountains. The issue I have with this book is that T'Challa always goes in alone in all the major events and kept on battling (one at a time) at least 7 members of the Death Regiment including Killmonger (twice!), getting badly injured, recuperating and doing it all over again. Aside from the 100 information he got from all this investigating and fighting, T'Challa was still unprepared for the attack of the dinosaurs (that wasn't truly a surprise). The love story was also too much. It was bordering on obsession to be honest.

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the ARC audiobook.

This was a great read. This book follows an arc from the Black Panther comics (not the MCU) about a civil war in Wakanda. It really captured the realities and pain of war and I could feel T'Challa's sorrow over what was happening in his kingdom. There were perspectives from other characters in the book as well, such as T'Challa's love interest Monica, which helped add more depth to the story.

The story itself was pretty fast-paced for the majority of the book, which made this feel like a quick read that you can also get very invested in.

The audiobook narrator was also very nice to listen to and he conveyed the emotions of the book well.

Overall, a fantastic read that makes me want to find other Black Panther books like this one.

[Douglas · Rating 5 out of 5]

I looked forward to this read for two reasons. First, I like the author. Second, I the story is one of my favorites. I read the original run waayyyyy back in 1973. It was the first and still one of the best serials in comic form. I expected that it would be different because of the years, the number of creators that have had a hand in this universe, and of course the movies.
The influence of the movie was the biggest problem because I had grown use to those characters in film and not the ones in print. It was worth it - Thomas did a wonderful job and I liked how she weaved some contemporary cultural references.

[Joshua Del Toro · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was quite good. While I thoroughly enjoyed the pace and writing style, I personally didnt enjoy story line as much. That being said the story is written based on a comic arc from the 1970’s (from my understanding) so I know it might be the same if I read that comic arc. I can’t wait to read another novel by Sheree! I think if you enjoy the Black Panther character, this is a great book to dive into. I plan on reading the Black Panther anthology, edited by Sheree, soon.

On a side note, the audio version of this book was fantastic!

My official rating is 3.25/5

Thank you NetGally for the ALC.

[Justin · Rating 1 out of 5]

Oof, this was bad. I absolutely love Black Panther… and that’s about the only good thing I can say about this book. The writing is awful; it’s monotonous, confusing, and cheesy. And the constant replay of the same fights, the same near death experiences, the same constant inner dialogue is exhausting. Perhaps the specific comic book source material for this book is just a tad too difficult to translate into a novel or something, I don’t know, but this book just isn’t it. Read just about any other Black Panther book out there for an exponentially better experience.

[Contina · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was excited to listen to this particular audiobook, but I had difficulties connecting to the voice actor and the characters. Who was Monica? I wasn't sure if this was a series or a stand-alone because I was clueless while listening to this book. I felt like I needed an introduction to explain to me where I was in the story. It felt like I was just plopped right in the middle of the action and was missing some key background or foundation points.

[Angelica Garcia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I absolutely loved the narrator of this audiobook, J. D. Jackson. He was very animated with the voices and it seemed as if all the characters were voiced by different people. Add that with a great story that has vivid landscapes and settings, and great character development from the author, Sheree Renée Thomas, you get a great book!
I loved the little nod to Storm and the X-Men halfway!
Thank you NetGalley for a free audiobook version of this title in exchange for an honest review.

[Set The Tape · Rating 2 out of 5]

Black Panther: Panther’s Rage isn’t a bad book, and if it’s one of your first exposures to the wider history of the character it’s going to be enjoyable enough. But for those familiar with the story it does at times feel like there’s not a huge amount here that you’ve not seen before, and that modernising a story from 50 years ago without changing much of it leads to a bit of a strange experience.

Full Review: https://setthetape.com/2022/10/11/bla...

[Neil · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a free copy via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is the first Black Panther book I have read.

I have to say I was slightly disappointed.

The main character T'Challa seemed to carry the world on his shoulder's whenever things got difficult rather than working with his team.

This did not combine well with the Marvel Team ethic.

[Jay DeMoir · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars. Finished this in 2 days and I must say I was left wanting…
I wasn’t satisfied by this story. I know it’s a reimagining of an old comic arc but there seemed to be so much lacking regarding backstory.
I wasn’t pleased but I did enjoy seeing familiar characters and diving back into the world of Wakanda and back into the lore.

[Derrick · Rating 2 out of 5]

It started off strong .... but then was way too long cause it kept adding to the story and had way too many words. If you love BP, then go for it, but this would have been better in a series of novels...

[coffee · Rating 2 out of 5]

one of those books that could have been 6 hours shorter. the MC only made it to the end of the book through sheer luck