Rating: 
Summary: WOW!
Review: I don't read comics, so novels are the way I get to know comic book heros, and Knightfall is no questions asked the best superhero book ever. Everyone thought Batman was immortal, until Dennis O'neill got to him. Bane is the second best villan ever (next to Ra's al Ghul).
Rating:
Summary: I loved this book and enjoyed it very much
Review: I thought this book was a great Batman book containing words that was so descriptive.
Rating: 
Summary: Good idea, poor execution
Review: Knightfall covers an important section of the current Batman mythos, but the execution by Dennis O'Niel is lacking. As in all novels adapted from comic books, a certain shift must be made closer to "reality" in order for the medium of the novel to be possible. It is that shift that is poorly made in this book. Few of the characters feel consistent or fleshed out, the exception being Tim Drake (aka Robin) who's attitudes are consistent throughout his adequate run in the narrative. The descriptions of Batman's means and facilities is too emphasized, with excessive mention made of things such as silk vs. armored costumes and the humble origins of the Batmobile. This serves to make Batman too normal (in my own opinion), adding complexity where none is needed. For instance, I prefer to think that the Batmobile is a custom-made vehicle with all sorts of gadgets (any guy's dream-toy) but in this incarnation it is a semi-stock Maserati. Batman does not need to be lowered to human standards, since we all realize that a "real" human attempting these things would be gunned down in his first action. Instead, if such effort is put in as was surely required by O'Neil to make this book, it would be better to have that effort focused on making the characters consistent not only with themselves within the book (which is debateable) but to at least the vague characteristics which have been defined by the comics and sit in most people's heads as their Batman. In this, the book fails. In my opinion, a better book is Batman: No Man's Land by Greg Rucka. If Batman is real to you and Bruce Wayne the facade, if Nightwing and Oracle should be included in the Batman storyline, if Batman himself matters more than the fabric of his costume, then I highly recommend you pass on Knightfall and go directly to No Man's Land. (But read stuff on the web so you're up to speed on Knightfall. I mean, it _is_ a good storyline.)
Rating:
Summary: Good idea, poor execution
Review: Knightfall covers an important section of the current Batman mythos, but the execution by Dennis O'Niel is lacking. As in all novels adapted from comic books, a certain shift must be made closer to "reality" in order for the medium of the novel to be possible. It is that shift that is poorly made in this book. Few of the characters feel consistent or fleshed out, the exception being Tim Drake (aka Robin) who's attitudes are consistent throughout his adequate run in the narrative. The descriptions of Batman's means and facilities is too emphasized, with excessive mention made of things such as silk vs. armored costumes and the humble origins of the Batmobile. This serves to make Batman too normal (in my own opinion), adding complexity where none is needed. For instance, I prefer to think that the Batmobile is a custom-made vehicle with all sorts of gadgets (any guy's dream-toy) but in this incarnation it is a semi-stock Maserati. Batman does not need to be lowered to human standards, since we all realize that a "real" human attempting these things would be gunned down in his first action. Instead, if such effort is put in as was surely required by O'Neil to make this book, it would be better to have that effort focused on making the characters consistent not only with themselves within the book (which is debateable) but to at least the vague characteristics which have been defined by the comics and sit in most people's heads as their Batman. In this, the book fails. In my opinion, a better book is Batman: No Man's Land by Greg Rucka. If Batman is real to you and Bruce Wayne the facade, if Nightwing and Oracle should be included in the Batman storyline, if Batman himself matters more than the fabric of his costume, then I highly recommend you pass on Knightfall and go directly to No Man's Land. (But read stuff on the web so you're up to speed on Knightfall. I mean, it _is_ a good storyline.)
Rating:
Summary: Knightfall is Batman on the deepest level
Review: Okay, first off, I have to say that I have never been an especially huge Batman fan. I watched the movies, yes, and the old Adam West TV show, but I never read the comics or anything. I always have trouble with them because I can't keep up and am always missing one or two issues in a series. My real 'thing' is actually Star Wars. So, what I'm saying is that I never went batty over Batman- not until this book. I actually read it a few years ago, and loved it, but it never really occured to me that there was any other Batman stuff out there. So a few weeks ago, I picked it up again, and went through it in a couple of hours. Literally, I could not put it down. Now, I'm scrambling to get my hands on everything 'Batman' I can. This book has what I really look for in a character of this magnitude: heart. Passion, obsession. Sorrow, anguish, hidden pain. All that good stuff that makes you fall completely in love with a character because it makes you realize that he's not some sort of omnipotent super-being. He's still a *man,* deep down inside, who has somehow gotten himself into something he can't get out of, ever. I'm probably not making much sense, but I don't want to reveal the plot; I wouldn't want to spoil it in any way for any potential readers out there. I'll just say that this book gives a whole new depth to the man like only a novel could give him- sure, it's the novelized version of the comics, but there's something better about a book. It can really get into the character's head. They say the book is always better than the movies, and listen now when I say this: the book is better than the comics. Trust me. I went to the comic store and checked them out. So really, there's only one thing left for me to say: O'Neil, when are ya gonna write another one?
Rating: 
Summary: An excellent book from the original comic
Review: The book goes into very good detail about all the characters involved in the plot. Bane's past is written in flashback and we are felt sorry but we do not like him. Dennis O'Neils book is worth the time for any new or old fan of Batman
Rating:
Summary: Batman: Kinghtfall
Review: The Dark Knight returns in an advenuture based on a story line directly from the comics. For those of you disappointed in the use of the character Bane in the movie Batman and Robin, (or the movie altogether) this novel will sure to please, focusing on the character as originally intended. The story also makes use of more modern characters from the Batman saga, including Tim Drake as the current Robin and the arch-villian Azrael.
Rating:
Summary: Silk from a Bat-Sow's Ear
Review: The original "Knightfall" storyline in the Batman comics was a mess, derivative of the more entertaining "Death of Superman" and a lot more coarse and painful. Yet Denny O'Neil, once a novelist before he became a full-time comics editor/writer, was able to take the messy parts and trim them down drastically. He rehumanized Batman - perhaps turning him back in the slightly less mechanical hero of O'Neil's 1970s work - and toned down the melodrama. The end result is a very readable and entertaining saga. It doesn't hurt that Denny is also under no constraints to restore the status quo, and just by leaving the future of the hero in doubt at many points, he gives this version of the story weight it didn't have before. This is a must for Batman fans, and a good read for anyone who likes action and adventure.
Rating:
Summary: Silk from a Bat-Sow's Ear
Review: The original "Knightfall" storyline in the Batman comics was a mess, derivative of the more entertaining "Death of Superman" and a lot more coarse and painful. Yet Denny O'Neil, once a novelist before he became a full-time comics editor/writer, was able to take the messy parts and trim them down drastically. He rehumanized Batman - perhaps turning him back in the slightly less mechanical hero of O'Neil's 1970s work - and toned down the melodrama. The end result is a very readable and entertaining saga. It doesn't hurt that Denny is also under no constraints to restore the status quo, and just by leaving the future of the hero in doubt at many points, he gives this version of the story weight it didn't have before. This is a must for Batman fans, and a good read for anyone who likes action and adventure.
Rating:
Summary: "Dark Knight-New Light"
Review: The story of Batman was always a bright & humorous part of my life, as seen in reruns of the 60's TV series with Adam West & Burt Ward AND the cartoon, "Justice League of America" every Saturday morning. I never really collected the comic books (as great as they are), nor did I become aware of how Batman came to be until 1989, when the caped crusader hit the movies in a darker light. This is the first novel I've read based on a comic book series (A series that has developed far beyond the TV series, cartoons & films). IT WAS AWSOME! Even with little knowledge of the storyline which preceeded "Knightfall", I was always on the same page (no punn intended) with the author, becoming more & more fascinated with this story of a man, his cause, his fears, and his struggles to regain the identity he created...The Batman.
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