X-Men: Codename Wolverine

Marvel Berkley/Byron Preiss Productions Prose Novels

by Christopher Golden

A new anthology of original tales from the "X-Men" files delves into the lives of Wolverine, Rogue, Gambit, and many others. Original.

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

336 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

About the author

CHRISTOPHER GOLDEN is the New York Times bestselling, Bram Stoker Award-winning author of such novels as Road of Bones, Ararat, Snowblind, Of Saints and Shadows, and Red Hands. With Mike Mignola, he is the co-creator of the Outerverse comic book universe, including such series as Baltimore, Joe Golem: Occult Detective, and Lady Baltimore. As an editor, he has worked on the short story anthologies Seize the Night, Dark Cities, and The New Dead, among others, and he has also written and co-written comic books, video games, screenplays, and a network television pilot. Golden co-hosts the podcast Defenders Dialogue with horror author Brian Keene. In 2015 he founded the popular Merrimack Valley Halloween Book Festival. He was born and raised in Massachusetts, where he still lives with his family. His work has been nominated for the British Fantasy Award, the Eisner Award, and multiple Shirley Jackson Awards. For the Bram Stoker Awards, Golden has been nominated ten times in eight different categories. His original novels have been published in more than fifteen languages in countries around the world. Please visit him at www.christophergolden.com

Reviews

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

Before Hugh Jackman hit the scene, Golden wrote this excellent X-Men novel that captured the original character very well. Logan has to reunite with many of his former Team-X team members and associates, as an unresolved case rears up years later. There are many insider references and cameos that X-fans will love, but people who only know the characters from the films will like this, too. The book has an excellent Royo cover, and nice inside illustrations by Darick Robertson.

[Jim C · Rating 3 out of 5]

A book that takes place in the Marvel universe. I know the book says X-Men but this is more a Wolverine book than a X-Men team book. In this one, different mutants are being kidnapped and now they have their eyes on Mystique and Wolverine. All the kidnapped mutants have one thing in common. They all were part of a mission that took place years ago.

This book had two different timelines. One was the present which represented Wolverine and Mystique trying to rescue the kidnapped people and the other timeline was the mission that had these characters sharing a common thread. I liked this aspect of two different timelines as the reader had two different perspectives of the characters. I thought the author did a great job with the portrayal of the characters and I liked the inclusion of Black Widow. The confrontation between Mystique and Black Widow was well done and worth the read alone. This book was part mystery as the reader and characters had no idea who was responsible for the kidnapping.

The only negative aspect of this novel and also the reason I lowered my rating was the ending. It was a little too concise as I was expecting a huge final confrontation and the ending to this book was flat. I understand the author probably couldn't do much with the characters as he has to stay within the limits of the comic book story lines but nothing was really accomplished and it left me wanting more.

That being said, I enjoyed my foray into this universe and I did enjoy my time with these characters. This book did accomplish one thing for me. It would be great if somehow the movie teams of the Avengers and X-Men could share one screen as this book hinted at that and I believe all fans of these characters crave that.

[Lori S. · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars
A bit complicated, but interesting story featuring Logan/Wolverine, Mystique, Black Widow, Saber Tooth, and a number of other characters from across the MCU who either together or separately participated in an operation in the 80s to retrieve a disk from a pair of KGB operatives who were trying to defect at the time.

While he uses chapters to bounce back and forth between "then" and "now", the author does very well in keeping who is who and their various loyalties straight or this could have become a very confusing story. When, in the "now" various members of the old teams or individuals start disappearing from the scene, Logan and Mystique find themselves on the run from whoever is kidnapping former teammates/rivals, they have to work together to find out who's behind the kidnappings.

The "then" chapters follow the various adventures behind the Iron Curtain as the teams and individuals race not only each other but the authorities in their pursuit of the seemingly all important disk. It's the past that informs the present, though it takes most of the book to find out how.

I want more stories like this please.

[Chris The Lizard from Planet X · Rating 4 out of 5]

X-Men: Codename: Wolverine By Christopher Golden, is a original prose novel based on the Marvel comic’s X-Men character Wolverine.

A bit complicated, but interesting story featuring Logan/Wolverine, Mystique, Black Widow, Saber Tooth, and a number of other characters from across the Marvel Comics Universe who either together or separately participated in an operation in the 1980s to retrieve a mysterious disk from a pair of KGB operatives who were trying to defect at the time.

While Golden uses chapters to bounce back and forth between "then" and "now", the author does very well in keeping who is who and their various loyalties straight or this could have become a very confusing story. When, in the "now" various members of the old teams or individuals start disappearing from the scene, Logan and Mystique find themselves on the run from whoever is kidnapping former teammates/rivals, they have to work together to find out who's behind the kidnappings.

The "then" chapters set in the 80s follow the various adventures behind the Iron Curtain as the teams and individuals race not only each other but the authorities in their pursuit of the seemingly all important disk. It's the past that informs the present, though it takes most of the book to find out how.

Golden weaves the story and integrates the different characters very well without ever giving too much of the mystery behind the abductions away. As such I was captivated by the story right through to the end. Unfortunately, it's the ending that lets this book down as I found it to be weak compared to the anticipation that the rest of the book had built up and the pay off to the mystery and storyline was disappointing.

All in all, despite is disappointing ending X-Men: Codename: Wolverine was an excellent read with a perfect mix of action, mystery and some good ol' fashioned Wolverine trash talking!

[Blake Billings · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely incredible. I loved everything about this story. I think seeing anything from Wolverine's past is immediately interesting, but I have always been curious (due to the 90's animated cartoon) of Logan's time with Maverick, Silver Fox, and Sabretooth. Adding Banshee, Black Widow, and Mystique was the cherry on top for me.

I think most of all, though, I loved that this was not a superhero story. It was a gritty, cold war era spy novel that just happened to contain beings with super powered abilities. I like that because it's not about their powers or some nefarious villain it becomes about them as people. And the alternating timeline between past and present was just the perfect way to let this story unfold. We got to experience their past actions and see how that affected them. Who they were, and who they had become.

Take away the super powers and you still have a great spy novel. The story was compelling, the conclusion was a bit obvious, not overly so, but I also wasn't surprised at who was in charge. I just can't say enough good things about this book.

[Neil · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed this novel. I had read it previously, back when it first came out, and was not the least bit impressed with it (but I do not remember why; perhaps my experience with reading Predator's Smile prejudiced me against this book; that, or the Mutant Empire trilogy). I have been going through and rereading some of the "old" novels based on Marvel characters, lately, and this one was next on my list. I am glad that I did give it a try. It was interesting; it follows two time-lines, "the past" and "now." The action is pretty good (all of it was "a surprise" to me as I had forgotten most of the story). The story itself is pretty decent; it is a mystery and a spy novel cloaked in a superhero adventure. The character development is about as good as it can be; whatever "development" happens will have no impact upon the characters in the comics, and most authors tend not to do anything too crazy with the characters in the novels (unless the story is an "alternate universe" story).

The story involves the former members of Team X as well as Mystique, Banshee, and Black Widow. I liked how the author had these various characters interacting with each other, as I normally do not associate them as doing so (nor do they normally interact in the comics like they do in this book, that I remember). The "past" story involves a mission gone awry behind the Iron Curtain and involving each of these characters. I was not that familiar with Sean Cassidy being an Interpol agent before his time as an X-Men, so it was interesting to read about him in a different role than that of a mutant hero or headmaster of a new school for young mutants (Generation X). Also, I was not aware that Mystique had worked for Israel's Mossad at one time, either, so it was fun to read about some of these characters in rather different surroundings (or roles) than what I am used to seeing them in. The book hints at various interactions between the characters that happen "off-page" as well, which I felt does add a bit to the story.

The story in the past involves "four teams" trying to get a disc that has some kind of information on it that can "change the world" as they knew it at the time (apparently some information about either Russia's military or scientific/technological advances). Team X is supposed to just get the disc; they do not care that the Russians with the disc want to defect. Sean Cassidy (Banshee) is supposed to get both the couple and the disc and bring them to the West for Interpol. Mystique is supposed to get the disc for Israel's intelligence agency, and the Black Widow is supposed to return the disc to her Russian handler(s) and possibly the defectors (either she brings them back or she kills them). The mission falls apart for the various teams for various reasons and it turns into a "chase" after Natasha Romanov and the disc through Eastern Germany, Poland, and into Eastern Russia by the others. I think the "most tiring portion" of the story had to be Mystique; she was constantly deceiving and tricking Team X and Banshee, yet they kept giving her "second chances" and never killed her (like they really should have done at some point, based on Team X's mission parameters). Banshee ends up saving Romanov's life, I don't remember what happened to Mystique, and Wraith brings the other heroes back to safety in the West.

In the "now"-portion of the story, it is more of a "Wolverine-Mystique team-up" until the end of the book. Creed (Sabretooth), Banshee, Black Widow, and Maverick are all captured in the beginning chapters of the book. Mystique seeks Logan out for his assistance; they eventually figure out that everybody else being captured has to do with the mission gone awry in the 60s and it turns into them seeking out where their fellow comrades have been taken. Team Alpha and Team Omega are something else. They prove themselves quite handy at taking down the other four individuals, but they cannot capture Logan or Mystique. It is like they have taken stupid pills or something, considering how badly things go for them in trying to capture these two characters. In any case, the two fugitives are finally captured and taken to where the others are being held prisoner.

In the end, we learn that the two defectors who were killed in Berlin had a son they had sent to the U.S. at an early age for safekeeping and had intended to rejoin their son. Their adult son, a powerful, prominent Senator, wants revenge against whoever killed is parents, and because Mystique had taken on the form of Sabretooth when she killed the two, Creed is ID'd as the killer and taken away to be tortured to death. The other heroes manage to escape and resolve to save Sabretooth as, this time, he is actually innocent of the crime he was accused of. Before the true identity of the killer can be revealed, Wraith interrupts and convinces everybody that it is best if Silver Fox take the fall (as she is dead and the vendetta would end there).

It does have some humorous moments in it, the "best one" being when Mystique impersonates Colonel Nick Fury in order to infiltrate a SHIELD safe house/secret lab to get at a computer to find out where Wraith is "hiding" (located). Mystique and Logan find what they need, and then the alarms go off. When they try to casually exit Fury's office, they find Nick Fury himself standing before them with a squad of heavily armed SHIELD agents. The conversation between Nick and Logan was pretty amusing (in my opinion).

It was also funny, in a different-sort-of-way, how Logan kept reminding himself how untrustworthy Mystique was throughout the entire story. We kinda got that at the beginning, but it did get a little tedious to continually be reminded of it throughout. Granted, it was also "funny" because of how "trustworthy" she was acting because of how much she needed Logan's assistance to find out who was trying to capture them and why. So, there was the "contradiction" of Logan's continual mental accusations (and even verbal ones) of how he could not trust Mystique, yet he had to keep trusting her over the course of the entire "now"-storyline.

As much as I enjoyed the story, I think the "weakest" part of the book is that nothing "serious" or "final" could truly happen. None of the main characters could be killed off or even seriously injured, because of the prominent roles they have in the comics. There could be no real, true character development because it would probably be at odds with what happens in the comics. Well, Logan and Creed could probably have had the "most character development" as it has been established their minds/memories have been altered, which would also probably mean their characters could have been altered in the past as well. But, the others can have no real, long-lasting character development. Plus, none of the characters can truly die, so there are no real stakes in telling a story involving them. You already know they are going to survive, that all of them will live to see another day. So, with there truly being no stakes at risk, it is more a matter of seeing how the story gets resolved, if the resolution will be worth the time it takes to complete the journey.

That being said, I do not know if the resolution was really worth the journey. The ending was fairly unsatisfying. Despite his prior crimes, Creed is "let off the hook" and will face no punishment for his past crimes (because he is currently a "government agent" while "serving" on X-Factor). There is no punishment for Mystique, partly because she is also a "government agent" on X-Factor and partly because . . . well, for no real good reason. These characters are captured but not really tortured; then, when two of the captives ID Creed as the killer, the other heroes are apparently supposed to be killed, but then they manage to free themselves and somehow that prevents them from being executed as well? It really makes no sense. So, it was pretty good up until the ending, which left a bit to be desired.

All of that being said, I am glad that there were no "redshirt" characters introduced into this novel with the explicit purpose of killing them off in order to avoid any of the main characters "having to die." That would have really ruined it, so I am glad (and grateful) the author did not go that route.It is like the Punisher character - he kills all of these "no-name" criminals or "big name criminals" who are only "big names" for the sake of his comic; nobody that he kills really matters. If they were to have him off either the Kingpin or Doctor Doom or somebody "big" like that, I might think more highly of him and his book, but his book is a waste of time because it has absolutely no bearing on the Marvel U at large. But, that is one of my "soap boxes" and I'll get off of it as this is not a story about the Punisher.

After reading this and the last couple of X-Men novels I have read, I find myself wondering of Wolverine's body somehow regenerates new blood and other tissue out of . . . well, how does it all regenerate? It takes the ingestion of some kind of matter for the body to turn that matter (usually some kind of food products or protein or something) into new tissue or fluid for the body to use and/or replace. So, if Logan is constantly being cut and wounded, loses blood, has various soft tissues constantly being torn and damaged and repaired, where does his body get the nutrients needed to replace the lost/damaged tissues (or fluids) with the new? I could see the tears, cuts, slashes, gashes, and holes being repaired in terms of the cells of the body stitching back together, as it were, but what about the amount of blood loss? The amount of fluids he loses every time he is cut, every time he is wounded? How does that all get replaced?

I also find myself wondering how Mystique is able to "perfectly" take on the characteristics of the people she mimics. She obviously does not need to physically touch a person to be able to genetically imprint them (or whatever it is that she does) to be able to appear as that person, down to their voices or their fingerprints or mannerisms or eyeballs or whathaveyou. How does she imprint upon complete strangers without ever having met them? Or from just seeing a picture of them? Ah, well. Many questions but no answers. Or, maybe the answers are "out there" and I just haven't found them yet.

It was a fun story to read; a mystery and espionage story also wrapped in the blanket of a superhero adventure with a "disparate team" of individuals I would not normally expect to see working "together." I might have rated it 4 stars, but for the disappointing ending and the IQ drop of the bad guys; as it is, I'd probably rate it 3.5 stars dropped down to 3 stars. I am glad that I took a chance and revisited this book.

[Steph · Rating 4 out of 5]

An extremely fun romp through Wolverine's stupid history. Sabretooth is my favorite marvel character of all time, so I may be slightly biased. Peak 90's X-Men, for better and for worse.

Surprisingly good and in-depth character writing for something that was mostly action- the bits where Logan and Mystique reflected on their relationships to eachother and to Creed throughout were really good.

The ending was kinda weak, and I cannot bring myself to care about Black Widow as a character even a little bit, but everything else was pretty good.

[Jacob Long · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was a lot of fun to read along as this delivered and expanded upon Wolverine’s origin story while simultaneously telling a great story in the present. As someone who came into the world of Wolverine and the X-men through the 90’s animated series it was fun to see a more detailed version of Wolverine’s past. Characters like Silver Fox and Maverick (who had a brief introduction in the animated series) were fully developed in this book. This story is largely about Wolverine’s time on Team X and the repercussions of their missions. The action is gripping, and the plot is compelling, but the characters interactions are where this novel shines the most.

[A.L. Bellettiere · Rating 2 out of 5]

X-Men: Codename Wolverine is a decent, action-packed read, but it doesn't quite reach the heights of the best Wolverine stories. Written in the late '90s, the novel leans heavily into espionage, secret missions, and Weapon X intrigue, making it feel like a straightforward action-thriller with a mutant twist.

The book kicks off with Sabretooth on a mission, leading into a larger plot involving Mystique and Wolverine’s tangled past with Weapon X. It wastes no time diving into fights, conspiracies, and government experiments, which makes for a fast-paced read. However, while Christopher Golden captures Wolverine’s gruff, no-nonsense voice well enough, the prose itself is serviceable rather than exceptional. It gets the job done but doesn't elevate the material beyond being a basic, action-heavy tie-in novel.

For longtime X-Men fans, this book hits familiar beats—covert operations, shady organizations, and Wolverine’s internal struggle with his violent nature. But for anyone looking for deep character exploration or a unique take on Logan, this won’t leave a lasting impression. It feels very much like a product of its time, filled with '90s comic-book storytelling tropes, including extremist groups, shadowy conspiracies, and fast-moving but somewhat shallow action sequences.

If you’re a die-hard Wolverine fan and enjoy old-school X-Men novels, this could be a fun nostalgia trip. But if you’re looking for a truly great Wolverine story, there are far better options out there.

Would I recommend it? Maybe—to completionists or those craving a quick, pulpy X-Men fix. But for anyone else, this one is probably skippable.

[Justin Klinger · Rating 3 out of 5]

Now, before I review the story, I want to say that the audio version of this story had very good quality. The voice cast did a great job, and the effects were terrific.

That being said, I didn't really enjoy this story. It is a story of several characters you might know from X-Men Origins Wolverine, excluding Deadpool and Blob. They did keep Maverick the way he was in the comics rather than the version in the movie, and I liked that.

We also get Black Widow, Mystique and Banshee. Which is a nice collection of characters, to be sure.

But, the story is one of those ones where something happens in the present because of an event in the past, where we are constantly fed information in uneven flashbacks, and that's not something I enjoy. If you like constantly going back and forth, then you might rate this story higher.

It's mostly Wolverine and Mystique working together in the present to save their former friends and enemies who are all being targeted for something they were fighting over years ago. There's some nice backstory stuff with Black Widow, but the story is mostly focused on Wolverine and Mystique.

There's a little twist at the ending that the book tries to make a much bigger deal than it was. I'm not going to spoil anything, just that when I got to the end, I was like "That's it ?"

They can't all be winners. You still might enjoy it, but there are SOOO many other books out there, it seems a shame if you listen to this one when you could be listening to Judge Dredd or Sandman.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow! This is one impressive comic book novel. Violent, full of action, emotion, as well as being a great mystery and a clever spy novel. Golden makes this one work at every level. Conflict between characters that are even teammates elevates the tension of this story. A number of familiar Marvel characters are well-portrayed and Golden provides more of an in-depth look at the thought process and motivations of these characters than one normally gets in the comic book depictions.

Golden's action sequences are a delight. He uses words to create comic book action in the reader's mind. The plot twists and turns as the story goes back and forth between an operation decades ago and today's story.

The only complaint I have is the lousy art that accompanies the storyline. It is blurry and smudged rather than crisp and clear. One scene depicted (The mechanic shop) even has Wolverine in his uniform, even though the text describes Wolvie as wearing a flannel shirt and Jeans. Wolverine's hair is always OUTRAGEOUSLY depicted (the points on each side) much more than the actual comic book versions.

A great book marred only by the pitiful artwork accompanying it.

[Chandler]

This was a book that I wanted to get into. It is, essentially, a spy novel where all the spies have mutant powers. Set just after the events of the 1990’s X-men animated cartoon, we are treated to a story about Wolverine’s time in Special Forces, and how his actions there have come to haunt him in the present.

I liked how this book was so different from the other superhero stories that I had read before. Not too many books would be set before the fall of the Berlin wall in East Berlin, so this made for a unique setting. I also liked how we have character crossover from those that would become members of The Avengers.

Yet there is something about this book that just did not connect with me. Perhaps it was the fact that I listened to this on audiobook. The narrator just is not that great. It also does not help that we change time periods in this book, from back in the late 80’s to the late 90’s, and if you are not paying attention, it can be hard to notice the difference between the two time periods. Maybe I will look for this in book form, but for now, I am just going to put it back on my ‘shelf’ and leave it for another day.

[M.V. Prindle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Part superhero romp, part Cold War espionage thriller, Codename Wolverine is a solid ride through the darker side of the Marvel Universe. Author Christopher Golden manages to adeptly capture the behavior and emotional depth of Logan and his band of super-spies, giving even obscure characters like Maverick and Silver Fox a life of their own. He even manages to make Banshee seem interesting. However, the real star of the character work here is undoubtedly Sabertooth, a psychotic killer with just enough humanity to allow him minor sympathy. My main complaint is this: why does Cold War Logan carry a pair of knives? He literally has knives that come out of his hands. This was a bizarre choice that for me was a glaring flaw in an otherwise deeply faithful story. Still, it's a well-paced thriller with compelling characters, and I recommend it to anyone interested in prose stories featuring Wolverine.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a huge fan of Wolverine and of the X-Men, so this novel had a lot of appeal for me. For the most part it held up. It read for me as if I was reading a comic or a graphic novel. I thought the story was good, the characters were true to how they are portrayed in the comics. The only reason I didn't give the novel 5 stars is the pacing of the the story was a little clunky at times. Still, if you enjoy books written about comic book heroes this will be worth your time.

[Philip Schweier · Rating 4 out of 5]

Less of a super-hero story, more of a spy thriller. A black ops mission gone wrong comes back to haunt Logan, and those with him. The story of that mission (THEN) is told concurrently as Logan and Raven Darkholme are hunted by a government agency (NOW). I recommend reading all the THEN chapters first, as I found bouncing back and forth. A bit confusing.

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fantastic book. The writing was great and the descriptions didn't bog down the story. The pacing was fantastic and the timeline changes made every cliffhanger so worth it. I was on the edge of my seat the entire book and was never bored. The ending had really good payoff that was executed really well.

[James Biser · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great tale about the uncertain history of Wolverine and the mutants he has worked with. He takes a group of mutants on an international adventure to find government agencies and powerful agents who are hunting them. Everyone of them must work together to survive, even though many of them harbor plans to kill other members of the company.

[Robert · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. It was slightly better than average.

[Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5
Een boek wat niet slecht was, maar ook niet echt goed. Beetje langdradig geschreven. Prima vermaak, dat wel.
Het is eigenlijk een spionageroman, met personages met superkrachten.

[Emm · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5.

I used to read these kinds of novels as a kid. What a trip down memory lane.

[Keith B · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting story with a complicated premise. There is a little more insight into the background of Wolverine, Sabertooth and Black Widow.

[Melinda · Rating 4 out of 5]

A long read, but well worth the effort. was nice to be back in the world of the X-Men.

[Mique Watson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun nostalgia. Cold war espionage vibes--but with superheroes! Recommended for Captain America: The Winter Soldier vibes.

[Roman Colombo · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a shockingly good Cold War thriller

[Josef Gross · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nostalgia for my favorite comic book characters. It was interesting to read about Wolverine's black ops mission in East Berlin during the Cold War.

[Kristen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Decent banter but felt pointless with all the back and forth time-skips.

[Jon Najeski · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was pretty good. You could find out who the antagonist was pretty easily. The ending absolutely sucked though.

[Megan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Kinda dry and boring.

[RyanAdam Wells]

Great story, good characterization, some rough 90s patriarchy stuff but overall a fast and fun read

[PMoslice · Rating 5 out of 5]

Codename Wolverine is an action packed thrill ride full of mystery. Wolverine AKA Logan becomes aware of former team mates of his are being abducted one by one. While trying to figure out the connection he himself is being tracked down. While this plays out in the present he recalls the events of the past that connect all of the members of his team and other parties involved. The back and fourth style jumping from present to past gives a an even perspective to the story so you can understand why what is occurring is happening to each of the characters.

The settings and scenes are laid out so beautifully you feel as though you are on the battlefield along side the team struggling for your survival and doing everything in your power to keep your team alive.

I was so thrilled by this book that I can overlook the harsh ending. It seemed as though the author didn't quite know how to end it, which is often the case with such a great story. It's hard to find an end point. But this was an amazing, fantastic ride and I might get on line for this one again.