Generation X

Marvel Berkley/Byron Preiss Productions Prose Novels

by Scott Lobdell, Elliot S. Maggin

Before joining Banshee in training the young mutants of Generation X at Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, Emme Frost led another group of neophytes, the Hellions, who were slaughtered while under her tutelage. Now her guilt over the death of her old students is threatening her new ones--as strange ghostly manifestations that resemble the Hellions are wreaking havoc throughout the campus. The teenagers of Generation X must stop these ghosts--if they truly are ghosts--before it's too late.

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

288 pages, Mass Market Paperback

Published June 1, 1997

About the author

Scott Lobdell (born 1960) is an American comic book writer.

He is mostly known for his work throughout the 1990s on Marvel Comics' X-Men-related titles specifically Uncanny X-Men, the main title itself, and the spin-off series that he conceived with artist Chris Bachalo, Generation X. Generation X focused on a number of young mutant students who attempted to become superheroes in their own right at a separate school with the guidance of veteran X-related characters Banshee and Emma Frost. He also had writing stints on Marvel's Fantastic Four, Alpha Flight, and The Adventures of Cyclops and Phoenix mini-series with artist Gene Ha. He wrote the script to Stan Lee's Mosaic and an upcoming film from POW Entertainment featuring Ringo Starr. He also participated in the Marvel Comics and Image Comics (from Jim Lee's WildStorm) crossover mini-series WildC.A.T.s/X-Men.

Reviews

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is not the best written X-prose novel, but it's a very good story and a fast and fun read. The characterization is quite well done, especially Emma Frost, though Chamber and Jubilee and Banshee all had great bits. Maggin and Lobdell are both long-time comics writers, and this one would have been a good graphic novel, too. Excelsior, true believers!

[Easton Livingston · Rating 2 out of 5]

My full review can be read here on my blog:

Easton Livingston - Generation X Book Review

I struggled through this book and it took me much longer to finish it than I wanted it to. There were so many things wrong with the writing that two stars is the best I can do and I'm being generous. This is coming from a comic book fan and collector.

[Nicolas · Rating 3 out of 5]

What a weird one this was. I loved the old X-Men prose novels and typically enjoy the writing of Elliot S! Maggin and Scott Lobdell. This was a little wacky though. They did a good job of establishing this team as connected, but separate from the X-Men proper. It didn't have that feel of X-Men without the X-Men as these types of things so often do. It also made me want to read the Generation X comics, so that's a win all around.

I interviewed author Elliot S! Maggin over on the All the Books Show: https://soundcloud.com/allthebooks/ep...

[Aloysius · Rating 3 out of 5]

So a few things about this book. First, I've never read a story about this particular group of Mutants before, so it makes for a good enough introduction.

Second, the setting certainly felt like it took place in an actual location and time, and I appreciate that.

Third, the villain (spoiler alerts: it wasn't actually ghosts haunting the school) turned out to be a little underwhelming.

Fourth, I wish more time had been given to Emma Frost processing the loss of the Hellions and the guilt that she feels for their deaths. In fact, most of the members of Generation X weren't fully fleshed out characters, and the main pull of this story was more in character studies than in the plot, to be sure.

[Bradford Combs · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay, so this was just a nolstalgic read for me. It's based on the 90's X-Men comic book of the same name, and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone who isn't a fan of that series. That said, I loved Generation X as a teenager and have been curious about this novel since I was young.

It was fun to listen to a "new" story with these characters I loved so much, two of whom (Chamber and Synch) are among my favorite Marvel characters to this day. I loved the hint at Penance's original intended origin that was discarded in the comics. The new character was interesting as well.

Overall, it was a fun read, but only if you're a fan of the source material. Otherwise, you should probably steer clear.

[James Biser · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a fairly fun story about a number of X-Men in training at the Xavier Mansion. There are young mutants with little idea how to best live with their powers. Unfortunately, they are left without mature supervision for a decent stretch of time before they learn several lessons through the taskmaster of experience.

[Lee Bright · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn't sure if I would like this as I was never really a fan of Generation X but thought I'd give it a go as a friend had me lent me the audiobook. I'm glad I did as it's a fun story and a nice introduction to some cool characters i didn't know. 👍

[Chris · Rating 2 out of 5]

Have not gotten to this team in the comics but this was not the best introduction to them.

[Ekenedilichukwu Ikegwuani · Rating 3 out of 5]

i wish this book wasn't so all over the place but other than that, it was good!

[Phoenix · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.2

[Ryk Stanton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed listening to this audiobook!

[Mike Jozic · Rating 2 out of 5]

Yeah, this was not great. Kind of meandering, the main villain didn't make a ton of sense, and I just found it hard to fully engage with.

[Hyann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Even if I Iike comic books, I’m not really familiar with the GenX series so accept Jubilee, all other kids didn’t ring a bell for me.

You don’t having much to crunch in this novel just some character background and many side stories. The main arc isn’t revolutionary: all the members of the team got attack by a mind-controlling demon and finally one of them beat the control and the demon to save the others.

This novel looks like more of a setting for the other Generation X books. Not bad but for fan only.

[Thee_ron_clark · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a quick read. The basic premise is that a school for mutants begins to have some odd happenings and only a couple of the students seem to notice. As a fan of X-Men and some of the tag-along stories, I figured I would check it out. It wasn't a bad read, but it doesn't have many characters that I could get into either.

I suppose if you're into the comic or a fan of Marvel in general, you'll find this to be a decent read.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a huge Generation X fan (Penance and Chamber have always been two of my favorites), I knew I had to read this book. And I was not disappointed. This book really gives Chamber a chance to save the day and prove how powerful he is. I also appreciated learning that Banshee has an online shopping addiction - the five stars are primarily because of that fact.

[Joel · Rating 1 out of 5]

The authors should stick to writing comics.

[C · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kind of odd to read a novel featuring x-characters rather than a comic and I would only suggest this to people who are/were huge fans of the Generation X comic... But it is an entertaining read. The plot at the school is more than a bit predictable, but I enjoyed Synch and Skin on their road trip and the ramifications of the anti-mutant movement.

Listen, this one won't win any awards. But I used to absolutely love these characters so it was a fun diversion from the real world for a little bit.