Rating: 
Summary: thrilled
Review: "The Stone King", the first in a new series of novels featuring the Justice League of America, is an excellent story for those who are fans of the comic book. While Batman is the central character in this one, all but one of the "big 7" play a role in the overall story. The only one of the big 7 who has a minor appearance/role is Aquaman.The story involves a pyramid that is unearthed when Gotham Dam breaks and exposes the long buried structure. Soon after, the individual members of the Justice League experience weird occurences (undead rising from their graves, an out of control subway train, a problem with a space shuttle launch, etc.), all of which have one thing in common -- the presence of a blue light. Eventually the team unites to fight the menace, but are all captured leaving Batman and the Martian Manhunter to save the team and the world. Alan Grant, the writer of numerous comic books, gives a good background to many of the characters. The origins of Flash, Green Lantern, and Superman are described to help casual reader who may know little about the characters. Minor characters' origins are also revealed (Oracle, Scarecrow, Commissioner Gordon). Even longtime readers would find this background to the characters refreshing. Other heroes are mentioned (Plastic Man, Atom, Zauriel), but have minor roles. Overall, if you are a fan of the Justice League or any of its "big 7", you should enjoy this original novel.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent book for fans of Batman or the Justice League
Review: "The Stone King", the first in a new series of novels featuring the Justice League of America, is an excellent story for those who are fans of the comic book. While Batman is the central character in this one, all but one of the "big 7" play a role in the overall story. The only one of the big 7 who has a minor appearance/role is Aquaman. The story involves a pyramid that is unearthed when Gotham Dam breaks and exposes the long buried structure. Soon after, the individual members of the Justice League experience weird occurences (undead rising from their graves, an out of control subway train, a problem with a space shuttle launch, etc.), all of which have one thing in common -- the presence of a blue light. Eventually the team unites to fight the menace, but are all captured leaving Batman and the Martian Manhunter to save the team and the world. Alan Grant, the writer of numerous comic books, gives a good background to many of the characters. The origins of Flash, Green Lantern, and Superman are described to help casual reader who may know little about the characters. Minor characters' origins are also revealed (Oracle, Scarecrow, Commissioner Gordon). Even longtime readers would find this background to the characters refreshing. Other heroes are mentioned (Plastic Man, Atom, Zauriel), but have minor roles. Overall, if you are a fan of the Justice League or any of its "big 7", you should enjoy this original novel.
Rating: 
Summary: A Good Start For The Series
Review: A genial enough start to a series of paperbacks focusing on the JLA. While not exceptional, it has the sense of wonder that the JLA always filled my childhood with. It's primary focis is, as you would expect,it tells the story from the POV of Batman. He does come across as a bit too perfect to be human, but then he always did to me. I suspect that this is what keeps this title from getting a higher rating. Recommanded.
Rating: 
Summary: Alan Grant is the best!
Review: Alan Grant is my favorite Batman writer of the last several years, and I was thrilled to read this novel. It's got some great supernatural elements like much of his comics work, and it was a fun book to read, I hope he does more.
Rating:
Summary: Alan Grant is the best!
Review: Alan Grant is my favorite Batman writer of the last several years, and I was thrilled to read this novel. It's got some great supernatural elements like much of his comics work, and it was a fun book to read, I hope he does more.
Rating: 
Summary: A disappointing work from a comic legend'
Review: As a huge fan of the Batman character, I immediately picked up this book as soon as I saw it. With the resurgence in popularity of the Justice League (thanks to their new show on Cartoon Network) and with the comic legend Alan Grant behind it, I expected this to be a good read. Unfortunately, and as other reviewers pointed out, this wasn't a very well written book. Perhaps I am spoiled by the current creative team writing the JLA comic, but the characterization of the team in this novel was haphazard and downright weird. I believe that Batman is the strongest member of the team, but the degree to which Grant downplays the other characters is startling. In some scenes, the screw-ups committed by Superman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern and the Flash read like a Three Stooges movie. Perhaps the most jarring point in reading this novel is that it seemed to be written for the young teen crowd, but the amount of gore and violence that it contained was more suited for an older audience. If comic books ever hope to gain a larger share of the mainstream market, novels like this will not help draw in new readers. It played to every stereotype a non-comic book reader would expect to find, and did not draw on the literary and artistic strengths comic books offer.
Rating:
Summary: 47 years old and Still a fan!
Review: I don't want to give away any spoilers so I won't go into any great detail. I've been a Batman fan since I first started reading the comics back in the 60's and love the way that the character has progressed through the years, especially how he's gotten a lot tougher and less tolerant of the criminal mind. (By the way, I hated the TV series because it wasn't true to the comic!)
The Stone King is by no means a great novel but it did keep me intrigued. Alan Grant did a wonderful job on converting his comic book talent to paperback by describing the characters in such detail that it doesn't take much imagination to picture the whole Justice League, especially Batman, in action. In describing the disasters leading up to the Stone Kings first appearance Grant did such a good job in a couple of events that I found myself reacting as if I was watching it firsthand. The only complaint that I have on this book is that I would have liked to have seen a couple of hundred more pages on it. Right now I have just started reading "Batman: No Man's Land", and just from the first 20 pages I've read it's got me hooked. I'll post a review when I'm done but I can tell you now that this book goes into much more detail than "The Stone King" did, so I'm sure that I'll love it!
Rating:
Summary: thrilled
Review: I found the book well written with good character discriptions. The book captures your attention and keeps you at the edge of your seat!!
Rating:
Summary: Weakest Batman I've Read
Review: I've always enjoyed Batman because aside from the occasional supervillain, it requires the least suspension of disbelief. Unfortunately, this is a Justic League book, and therefore there are a dozen other heroes involved. That wouldn't be so bad, but then last half of the book gets ridiculous with these other heroes chiming in to save the day through brute force and massively impossible acts.
The other JLA books aren't bad if you can deal with the idea that there are hundreds of superheroes walking the streets every day, but despite having Batman as the core character this book is over the top.
My other problem with the whole series is that the characterizations are not consistent. In each book the characters (especially Batman) have wildly varying degrees of trust and respect for each other, and the authors insist on spelling out those details in each book so that the inconsistencies are glaring. Even the descriptions of the JLA environment are different between books, and the changes are jarring at times.
If you're looking for a good Batman book, pick any of the other novels or graphic novels and you'll be much happier.
Rating:
Summary: Meanwhile...
Review: JLA:THE STONE KING seems to be the first in a series of books based around the JLA, and if the rest are as fast, powerful and confused as the frist, they should all prove to be a quick fix for fans of the JLA. THE STONE KING is hard to pin down in a few words - it is geared towards the young adult crowd, and its central plot feels very similar to the one in GHOSTBUSTERS II (save that the names have been changed to protect the innocent), and there is nothing wrong with that (even the TARDIS from DOCTOR WHO makes a small unnamed cameo here), but Alan Grant then takes his story into "Thomas Harris/Silence of the Lambs" country - where we are treated to violent acts, brutal ritual killings and major diasters that befall both the Earth and mankind (not to give too much away here - but by the end of the book the author clearly states that "millions" of people have been killed all over the world at the conclusion of the adventure). It's all a heady rich mix that will leave you both bored and breathless all at once. BATMAN is the focus here, and I was hoping that this adventure would be more central to his personal world, but as this is also a JLA novel it means that the threat here has to be a world threat, and thus THE STONE KING is. While riddled with clunky lines and a overly familiar plot, it is also touched by striking moments coupled with some serious adult action. While THE STONE KING is geared for the serious fan, first time readers will still get a jolt from the unexpected twists and turns, if not a few lurches in the gut from the violence and action.
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