Chapter By Chapter (usually) features me reading one chapter of the selected book at a time and reviewing it as if I were reviewing an episode of a TV show or an issue of a comic. There will be spoilers if you haven’t read to the point I have, and if you’ve read further I ask that you don’t spoil anything further into the book. Think of it as read-along book club.

PART 2: KNIGHTQUEST

We’re over halfway through the novel and seven chapters away from part 3. I don’t know how far along we are in the corresponding comics though. Last time it was all Bruce and Alfred trying to do the detective part of being Batman. I like how Bruce isn’t simply being kept down. There’s no crisis of faith, even with the concerns that he might never be able to be Batman again. He’s still doing what he feels is right, and not leaving rescuing his friends to the authorities even though he’s injured. Bruce doesn’t give up being who he is even when dealing with restrictions. It’s a quality that makes him a hero. I’m not getting that he’s doing it out of obsession but because…it’s what he does. He helps when nobody else can.

We have a decent length chapter this week so let’s just get to it. Plus we’re nearing that point in a Chapter By Chapter series where I’m starting to run out of stuff to say to pad out the homepage listing.

First we have Alfred and Tim catching each other up over the phone. We learn that Jean Paul has blocked Tim’s secret entrance to the Batcave and changed all the codes while working on some project. I’m guessing the comics had the chance to show this but the novel does not so we get this bit of exposition instead. Meanwhile, Bruce is with Jack and gets test results of his own condition and all I can say is thank God MY surgeon wasn’t this big an a-hole! He automatically assumes, despite his helping Jack, that his purpose here was only to have fun. I don’t expect him to realize Bruce is doing Batman stuff, but I don’t even think Bruce had a cover story from this guy’s comments.  I’d want to ignore his advice as well–and I’m not putting my life in danger to save someone else or learn if she’s really evil! Pompous git!

The rest of the chapter is just Shondra’s further kidnapping, as if to remind us Bruce is wrong in his theory that she’s gone bad. We also learn Benedict Asp is kind of insane, and wants to continue using her power as a weapon whether she likes it or not. I find myself hoping he doesn’t make it to part 3, which I think is the intention. He’s a good villain, but not one I’d want to see again because I just don’t think he has the returning power of a Rupert Thorne or any of the other non-supervillain member of Batman’s rogues gallery. Now he’s having his new servant go after Sir Hemmingford, and with Bruce in even worse shape he may be in serious trouble.

That’s all I really have to say about this chapter but it is a really good transition chapter. A quick update on Gotham and setting up where this storyline is going next. We’ll see what happens next time.