Sanctuary

X-Men Mutant Empire #2

by Christopher Golden, Nancy Wu (Narrator)

The Big Apple has been taken over by the X-Men's arch-enemy, Magneto. He's declared it a haven to all mutants, vowing to rule the new empire with his Acolytes--with their law enforced by reprogrammed Sentinels. The X-Men must penetrate the enslaved city and stop Megneto before he advances his mad plan to expand his empire from New York to the entire world! Original.

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

Audiobook

First published November 1, 1996

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

[Chris The Lizard from Planet X · Rating 3 out of 5]

X-MEN: Sanctuary By Christopher Golden, is the second book in the Mutant Empire trilogy, picks up exactly where the first one left off, and develops the story further toward the resolution in the last novel.

Just as with Siege, Sanctuary keeps the X-Men team divided into two halves, with one half dealing with a crisis in space while the other half begins to fight Magneto's takeover of New York down on Earth.

I should mention right off that this novel's development is a little slower concerning the "away" (space) X-Men team. It should be noted that they came a long way in Siege - they traipsed halfway across the galaxy to another planet, fought through a legion of alien soldiers to rescue two prisoners, fought their way back out to teleport home, and then were stranded in a dead ship. But Sanctuary spends the WHOLE novel detailing this team's attempts to get home in a poor attempt at stalling. In essence, this team remains in space for the whole novel, and this subplot overstays its welcome.

Meanwhile, back on Earth, Magneto's new empire in New York City is slowly growing. The other half of the X-Men fly in to infiltrate it and fight the entire city. They run into many familiar villains, from the Marauders to the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, before charging Magneto head-on in the Empire State Building.

Where the space subplot fades out, another one comes in. This one deals with Charles Xavier's attempts to deal with the political crisis. He does some spin-doctoring on the major news networks, but the major conflict in this subplot is the test of his ethics. Will he violate his code of honor and use his telepathic powers to avert the greatest crisis and setback in the struggle for mutant rights and acceptance? The answer will surprise both old and new readers - I was totally floored.

And Golden develops yet another layer - the rivalry between Valerie Cooper and Henry Peter Gyrich, which previously merited only a few pages, now takes a level of importance in Sanctuary. Cooper wants a relatively clean end to this crisis, but Gyrich naturally obstructs her plan and proceeds to set up an assassination attempt called Operation: Carthage (and before it happens, you KNOW it will make Bay of Pigs look like a cakewalk). I also liked the portrayal of Gyrich as a slightly deranged bigot, as his reasons for hating mutants come to light and expose a very twisted mind.

All in all, where Siege was the exposition, Sanctuary obviously serves as the buildup to the climax. While parts of the novel seem like pointless filler material, Golden still continues his masterful pacing and excellent characterization toward what will be one amazing finale.

[Robert Giesenhagen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok so when I was younger, like most people my age, I loved Wolverine. I can barely stand the character now. Just throwing that into the ether. He’s crazy one dimensional and super boring. All that aside this is a solid second chapter to the story. The stuff on board the Starjammer is so far my favorite part of the story and is actually fraught with tension. The Magento/Sentinel story is pretty rad too and it all seems to be boiling to a rad breaking point.

[Quentin Wallace · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 Stars

I'm really enjoying this series. We get to see the X-Men fighting the Marauders, and Wolverine plays a prominent part in this novel which is always a plus for me. Everything is building to the big fight with Magneto in the last chapter, and it's been a great build.

[Neil · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked this book better the second time around, but it was still disappointing in many areas. However, it did have some character development in it, which did surprise me. It also had some interesting (great) insights and observations regarding a couple of characters, which also caught me off-guard with their "depth." They were well done! There is plenty of dialogue in this book, as well as moments of intense action. It also has smatterings of humor scattered throughout (some of it might have been unintentional, but were still funny moments). I cannot quite decide if I would leave it at 2 stars or bump it up to 3 stars; I would rate it 2.4 - 2.6 stars.

Some of the "problems" I had with the book:
I do not now why the Professor couldn’t have called in Excalibre, considering how short-handed the Colorado team was in terms of squaring off against Magneto and his Acolytes. He also could have called in Banshee and Ms. Frost (headmasters of Gen X) to assist and other former X-Men who would probably have come back to the fold to assist in freeing Manhattan from Magneto.

Also, I am not sure why authors continually have to portray homeless people as being former soldiers who are also drunk, crazy, and sick (usually sick in the head). Not saying that there are not homeless people who were former military personnel, but it seems like that is a favored stereotype and implies things are worse than they are in this regard (I will grant that the situation is probably “worse” than I realize but it is not nearly as bad as it is portrayed in fiction, the number of homeless people being ex-military). (Wolverine encounters a drunk who assumes a military bearing and Logan assumes had served in one of the Gulf Wars.)

It’s funny how “conservative patriots” are portrayed as far-out, inflexible whackjobs and mocked for their beliefs (87) when liberals can be just as bad, just as rabid, about their beliefs (inre the author describing Xavier’s opinion of Henry Gyrich, how has always been portrayed in the worst light possible in both the comics and the books; he is compared to Oliver North, but it is implied he is “far worse” and more “to the right” than Oliver North ever was).

We have Xavier (again) claiming he does not invade people’s minds to either control them or obtain information without their permission unless it is in self-defense (138). At least this time a caveat was included in his protestations of “I never do that!” when that is far from true. Granted, most of the times in the comics it would probably be justified as a form of “self-defense,” but not always. He has been known to violate people’s minds before, and justifies it in his own terms, without any hesitation or self-doubt for doing so. He still believes, at times, “the end(s) justify the means” when necessary. Also, the author does have Xavier admitting that the “few times” he did do such a thing (violate people’s minds without their permission), the consequences were varying forms of “catastrophic” in nature. That was an interesting admission on Xavier's part, as I do not remember him really ever admitting as much in the comics.

I know I said this already, but there is no reason why Excalibre was not called in to assist; they were much closer to NYC than X-Factor was (which was in Genosha at the time, trying to stop some kind of civil war or something during some peace talks). They could have made it across the Atlantic in time to be of assistance. It's not like the X-Men only have one Blackbird. Also, I do not understand why none of the “mutant” members of the Avengers were not used, or even heroes such as Doctor Strange (or even Thor, for that matter!) who can teleport large numbers of individuals from place-to-place as necessary. Thor could easily have taken a group to Asgard, if need be, and then to some place in NYC that was “out-of-sight” of the Sentinels and Magneto’s minions. Also, would the FF, Thor, or even Spider-Man be considered “mutants” since they are either half-human, half-something else (in Thor’s case) or their DNA has been altered in some fashion (Spider-Man from a radioactive spider bite and the FF by cosmic rays in outer space)? Why could they not have also been instrumental in working with the X-Men to free Manhattan? What about the Scarlet Witch, the Falcon, and Quicksilver, to name at least three Avengers team members who are also mutants? It really did not make any sense for Magneto to take Manhattan Island like he did. (I forgot to write it who said it and on what page, but I thought it was interesting that somebody challenged Magneto and pointed out that if he had taken over some piece of land that nobody cared about, that the world would probably have left him alone, but by taking Manhattan Island, the world would not be able to allow that to stand).

Also, just because Magneto has control of this one particular fleet of Sentinels, why could another fleet not be programmed to go after the pirated fleet? The Sentinels are constantly described as being “indestructible” (despite their constantly being destroyed by various heroes and even some villains over the course of the comics), so it would make sense to send other “indestructible” weapons of war after them to either recapture them or destroy them.

In Siege (175), Bishop tries to use Unuscione’s power (energy) against her after he absorbs some of it, but he is not able to do so. His attempts to penetrate her armor and use her power (energy) against her fail (similar, it seemed, to how the powers of Scott and Alex Summers cancel each other out). However, in Sanctuary (390-391), he is successful in using the energy he absorbed from her attacks against her, knocking her unconscious in the process. Why this discrepancy? Why was he not able to use her powers (bio-energy) against her in the first book but was able to do so in the second book? The first book seems to make it pretty clear it had nothing to do with her exoskeleton and everything to do with her body “reabsorbing” the power/energy that Bishop had leached from her in order to attack her. However, in the second book, he is able to use the power/energy he has taken from her (absorbed from her) to defeat her. Why?

On page 178 of Siege, Senyaka uses his psionic whip against Bishop, attacking him and being defeated in the process. Bishop merely grabs onto his psionic whip and absorbs Senyaka’s powers, causing a burst of bio-electric feedback that renders Senyaka unconscious because of the psionic backlash. One would have thought he would have learned from his mistake! Yet, in Sanctuary (404), Senyaka again attacks Bishop with his psionic lash. Bishop merely repeats what he had done before; he grabs the psionic whip, absorbs its energy, and creates a violent feedback backlash that renders Senyaka unconscious. The author comments that Senyaka clearly had no idea what Bishop’s powers and strengths were, but the villain had to be all kinds of stupid to try and take Bishop on again using the same tactics that got him defeated the first time they battled. Seems like it was more the author forgot he had had the two characters battle in the first book and how Senyaka lost that battle? I mean, Senyaka does not appear to be excessively stupid in this story, so one would have thought he should have learned something from the first time they fought? Perhaps his pride made him think Bishop got “lucky” in defeating him?

I forgot to note the page(s), but while on the Starjammer, Remy (Gambit) momentarily regains consciousness from the injuries he sustained on Hala. He starts calling Warren (Archangel) “Essex” and attacks Warrant. Warren has to use his wing-darts to protect himself and the Starjammer from Remy’s attack, rendering him again unconscious in the process. One would have thought he would have told the others about how Remy kept calling him “Essex” and carrying on about how he did some bad things for “Essex” in the past but wasn’t going to be done things for “Essex” any more. Scott and possibly Jean would have known who Essex was, by that point, and maybe some of the other X-Men, but Scott for sure should have known. So, it will be interesting to see if that conversation ever comes up. If not, why? It is not like Warren would have forgotten the name, as unusual as it was, or how Remy responded. Especially when Remy admitted in his delirious ramblings to have done “some bad things” for this mysterious “Essex” and wouldn’t do them anymore.

I was not the least bit shocked that Bobby Drake was still alive (198), despite the beatdown the Acolytes and Brotherhood of Evil Mutants gave him. Seriously, though? They didn’t bother to check to make sure he was truly dead? Even if he was dead, they would not have brought his body back to show Magneto? They left his body lying there in the street? Granted, it was Unuscione who was leading the team(s) against Iceman, so that (her arrogance) might explain why he was left lying there and not brought back with them. (especially since, on page 218, the reader is informed they told Magneto they had killed Iceman; still, it was surprising that he (Magneto) did not challenge them for not bringing back Iceman’s body/corpse).

Valerie Cooper succeeds in guilting Xavier to “betray on of his deepest held tenets,” the cornerstone of his system of integrity – his “never” (well, rarely ever) invading another person’s mind, for any reason (unless there is some weak justification for it, or he determines it is somehow necessary) (202). She claims there are no other options available to them, no other choices he can make, so clearly he has to invade Gyrich’s mind to get the codes. Yeah, whatever! He had other options! Her arguments (and his succumbing to them) was probably some of the weakest writing in the book. He had not exhausted all of the other options available to him; nor had she! There were other options, but the author chose not to use them (i.e. – Excalibre, any of the NYC superheroes or teams of superheroes, etc.).

It was funny how Xavier (mentally) accuses Gyrich of being more dangerous than a mercenary because “he is a patriot” and willing to die for what he believes (203). So, what? Is he saying non-conservatives are not patriots? Is he implying that all non-conservatives are unwilling to die for their beliefs? He is such a hypocrite! He has said numerous times he would be willing to die for his beliefs as well, yet he judges Gyrich for having the same strong beliefs, the same strong stance?

I do think the "least necessary part" of the book was probably the "Shi-ar away team" led by Cyclops. That is because they have zero impact upon the book. They are trying to get the Starjammer "up-and-running, again," and encounter various problems that keep them from getting the ship in tip-top-shape, despite the damage it received from the Shi'ar while fleeing Hala. It felt forced and "convenient" and "necessary" in order for the team to not make it back to Earth in time to team up with the "Colorado team" led by Storm. Some "minor revelations" made in this part of the book had no bearing or impact upon the team, although they should have led to further questions, which failed to happen.. You could probably have cut that part of the book out without any consequences. How they returned to Earth could have been told as a "shortened appendix" (i.e. - the teams having dinner and talking about their adventures; it would have shortened things dramatically and might have been more interesting as a result).

There were "good" moments I enjoyed in the book. The parts I did like, I will note on as a "separate review" (because I am out of room) (the positive ). (The 2-stars is based on my initial reading of the book and not "this current" review.) On to the third book!

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

Golden's Mutant Empire trilogy is an excellent example of graphic characters being translated successfully into a prose format. His care for the work is evident as he explores peripheral characters that get short shrift in the comics, bringing them to life and showing how important they are to the big-name players and major story arcs. It's a very well-written story, not padded to fill a certain length as many of the similar comics trilogies of the day were, and would serve as an excellent starting point for anyone who wanted to know the X-universe before it became a film franchise. Each volume has very nice illustrations, too.

[Thee_ron_clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read the Mutant Empire novels in one combined book.

In Sanctuary, Magneto has gathered numerous mutants in Manhatten and taken it over as his own empire.

With half the X-Men on another mission and X-Factor out of the loop, it is up to a few X-Men to try to stop Magneto on their own.

As with the first book in this series, Sanctuary was well-written and is not as immature as one might expect from a novel written from a comic book series.

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

Despite being a middle book in a series, this book had me hooked from page one just like the first one. I was never bored and it was very well written. Everything was done in a very X-Men style without feeling like an overdone soap opera like some of the comics. I'm loving every second of all of these books so far.

[Mloy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A really good sequel, can't wait for the last installment! But like the first one, I had to pause in order to look up some of the characters I was unfamiliar with.

[Neil · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book better the second time around, but it was still disappointing in many areas. However, it did have some character development in it, which did surprise me. It also had some interesting (great) insights and observations regarding a couple of characters, which also caught me off-guard with their "depth." They were well done! There is plenty of dialogue in this book, as well as moments of intense action. It also has smatterings of humor scattered throughout (some of it might have been unintentional, but were still funny moments). I would rate it 2.4 - 2.6 stars.

Some of the moments I liked/enjoyed:
I did think for a moment about Scott using his eye beams to propel the Starjammer once they made it back to the Sol System (and the Starjammer’s engines died shortly thereafter due to the damage it had received), so it was funny to me that his father suggested it to him as well, as a bit of a joke (because it would have killed Scott in the process). I realize I had mentioned this as happening at the end of the first book, but reading the omnibus edition threw me off a bit. It is interesting, though, that Scott does end up using his optic blasts to push himself and Ch’od back to the Starjammer after the explosion blew them away from the ship while they were attempting external repairs.

The author does an excellent job at providing some various insights into Henry Gyrich’s mindset, into his character, why he acts the way he does (139-140). I thought it was an excellent piece of “character development” for and insight into this character that nearly everybody loves to hate (including long-time readers, considering the trouble he has given various teams and individual heroes over the years). I also think it was an excellent contrasting point to Xavier’s opinion of the man given earlier in the book (87) (as well as a counterpoint to Valerie Cooper’s opinion(s) of the man).

A fascinating argument is made that, given the fact that the X-Men are constantly fighting “bad/evil mutants” to save various humans from the depredations of the "evil/bad mutants," it seems reasonable and logical for humans to fear mutants, to fear what all mutants can do, can become (162). The constant battles to protect humanity from the ‘bad mutants’ only serves to bolster the arguments that mutants are either bad/evil or can become quite bad/evil and humanity must be protected from them. The X-Men’s constant battles against the “bad mutants” reveals how much of a threat that mutants can truly be to humanity. I obviously missed this “comment/argument/epiphany” the first time I read the book, and I don’t think I have ever read anything like it in the comics. It is probably too bold, too brash, to make in the comics, as it would totally counter the whole premise of the X-Men (as they are trying to prove that mutants can be trusted but their reason for existing seems to be diametrically opposite to the point they are trying to make)

I thought it was surprising and funny how Gambit appeared as himself before Jean and “knocked her out” of his mind by thumping her astral self in the head with his bo staff. It was amusing because she was not ready for it, and it was amusing that he had the subconscious ability to do such a thing, that he had subconscious defenses in place to protect his mind, the secrets in the dark places of his mind. I did not expect such a thing to ever happen to Jean Grey, so, yeah, it was one of the “funnier moments” of the book (even funnier than Corsair and Cyclops joking about Cyclops using his optic blasts to propel the Starjammer to earth).

Amelia Vought has an interesting observation about Xavier: she wonders if he has anybody around in his life who is willing to tell him if and when he is wrong (224). In addition, she also wonders if, even if he does have such a person, Xavier would even deign to listen to this person. So goes on to muse that if Xavier does not have anybody around him he is willing to listen to, even if they disagree with him, that makes him even more of an insufferable egotist than Magneto (and I think she has a valid point, there, as he rarely ever seems to listen to anybody else who disagrees with him. He seems to think he is better and smarter than anybody and everybody else, to his detriment).

While I disagreed with Wolverine's attempting to take on the Acolytes who were tracking him at the end of the book, it was still amusing how he took some of them out before he was captured in the end. He drops the unconscious body of one brother onto the conscious brother, and then he drops an air conditioner unit on the conscious brother, knocking that one out, too, for example.

The way the Shi'ar space suits was interesting. They were described as having "no helmet" like the Terran suits had. Instead, it had what resembled a partially completed helmet that appeared to leave the face and most of the head "open" and unprotected. Until the suit was activated. Then, a forcefield finished enclosing the head and protecting the wearer from the vacuum of space. I would have expected the suit to recycle exhaled carbon dioxide to create oxygen, but the author claims that the suit has some kind of "filter" that allows the exhaled carbon dioxide to escape into space while "absorbing" free-floating "stellar" oxygen into the suit for breathing purposes. I had no idea there was that much "free-floating oxygen" in the vacuum of space! In any case, it was quite the idea for a space suit and how the suit provided a breathable atmosphere for the wearer.

This book does have plenty of problems with it (which I talk about here: my disappointment(s) with the book), but it also has some good moments, too. I think I liked the "good moments" enough to go ahead and round it up to 3 stars. On to the third book!

[Brett · Rating 3 out of 5]

No one is going to mistake this book for great literature, but for whatever it's worth, I found it a lot easier to read than the first in this three part series.

I would recommend that you not read this if you aren't already familiar with the characters, not that I think that's very likely. It was easy enough for me to picture the characters I already knew, but when the author would describe a mutant that I didn't remember from my adolescent comic-reading days, I struggled mightily to form a mental picture.

This did trip my nostalgia trigger though, and is a perfectly adequate product, delivering pretty much what you expect.

[Steve · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fairly decent 90s X-Men novel. Golden has an excellent grasp on the characters and the multitude of interconnected plotlines every X-Men character had seemingly unending amounts of back then. Kind of amusing that the main plot is Magneto takes over New York while Jean Grey and others are stuck in space. Morrison would land on the same idea towards the end of New X-Men with a more memorable storyline.

[Candyce Sweet · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s been nice revisiting the world of X-Men, from back in the day—my day. This novel was written and set during the time I first fell in love with the mutants, and it’s like going home again. It’s such a treat to once again read all about the mutants as I remember them. They’re still great in the comics, don’t get me wrong, but it’s nice to go back in the past to something very familiar to me. And from when I met them and loved them first.

[Chad · Rating 4 out of 5]

For me, this is the X-Men I fell in love with. The author captures the characters well, and gives them each a unique voice. Being a middle book in a trilogy, this story does not feel like a filler or a bridge book. Lots of things happen, multiple storylines, which start to converge toward the end. Plenty of action, and the pacing is great.

[Ferginator88 · Rating 3 out of 5]

A much better entry in the trilogy than the first one, Sanctuary dedicates the majority of the page time to Plot A - Magneto, and provides short breaks from the intensity with Plot B - Cyclops’ Space Dad. Plot B was actually more fun to read, smaller in scope, and filled with character compare to Book 1.

On to the conclusion!

[Steve Hrycak · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s always the same with “middle” books, this time being the second in a trilogy. It doesn’t get to set the story up, nor does it have the privilege of concluding it. It accomplishes its goal of moving things forward at a brisk pace. All this to say that Chris Golden is a damn good writer!

[Indah Threez Lestari · Rating 3 out of 5]

335 - 2020

[Ruby Ridge · Rating 4 out of 5]

Everything I said about X-Men Mutant Empire #1 stands for this book although this is a solid star book with less luvvy crap and some excellent action sequences. Hope the improvement continues in #3.

[Bradley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent read. =)

[Nathaniel · Rating 2 out of 5]

Honestly, not for everyone. It wins me on nostalgia alone, but the source material is better than Golden’s glorified fanfic.

[Derrick · Rating 1 out of 5]

i like the x-men, but just can't follow this one. I'm just not feeling this series.

[Zane Gardner · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book as well. I’m excited to see how this story wraps up :)

[Randy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fast paced follow up to book one. It serves the two story lines are ready to merge for an intense finale! Christopher Golden always captures the characters perfectly.

[Abbi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been enjoying this trilogy and the interplay between the different characters. There is also more backstory on the different characters.

[Nisar Masoom · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't fancy Christopher Golden's X-Men: Codename Wolverine (1998) that much (which actually takes place after this trilogy) but his X-Men: Mutant Empire Trilogy (1997) was simply awesome! You'll like it if you're a comics fan but you'll love it if you're an admirer of the 90s X-Men Animated Series. I felt like I was watching an arc of the show when I was reading these three entertaining stories.

The plot was amazing, the characterisation was top-notch and the only difference that I had noted between these novels and the show was that the former were more adult-orientated as of course it wasn't a cartoon designed for kids.

There were two flaws that I found both with Book #2 Sanctuary and Book #3 Salvation. One was that there were too many characters. Secondly, there was an overabundance of side plots. I felt that these aspects would have been handled better in the graphic format.

Nevertheless, Christopher Golden's X-Men Mutant Empire Trilogy is a must-read especially for enthusiasts of the comics. It's just sad that the last two entries were not perfect like their predecessor, again, due to having an excessive number of individuals and an inordinate amount of subplots.

#1 Siege: 5 out of 5

#2 Sanctuary: 4 out of 5

#3 Salvation: 4 out of 5

You can read a copy of this review on my website here: https://www.literaryretreat.com/x-men...

[Ben Mariner · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you care enough to pay close attention to the dates I've started/finished this book, you'll see that it took me quite some time. Longer than it normally takes me, at least. That typically means that I dislike the book in some way and it's causing me to take forever to finish. However, in this case, I got side tracked by different graphic novels and other things, so the length of this read has no bearing on my opinion. Just thought I should clear that up.

That being said, this book was pretty rad. The Cyclops storyline took a mellow turn as they are not stranded in space and trying to survive. It was interesting to read through their predicament, but since the other X-Men in the Manhattan storyline dove into the thick of it, I was constatly trying to push through and see what they were up to. It was just a more entertaining, action-packed storyline that provided a little something more.

I really enjoyed getting a closer look at Haven and Magneto's vision for the future. I especially enjoyed seeing how differently each X-Man reacted to that vision. It was really cool seeing how their opinions and feelings were all kind of different, but generally the same. It helped bring a depth to the story and characters that was a little lacking in the first book.

Overall, this was a really fun read, and with that ending, I'm very eager to read the final book in the trilogy.

[Anthony McDowell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyed this part two of the trilogy. This writer can write. There are three storylines: Cyclops "away" team is on a space ship the whole book drifting towards the sun, which sounds boring but ends up being quite good; Storm's "home" team is up against Magneto, who has reprogrammed the Sentinels to target humans instead of mutants, and taken over Manhattan renaming the city, now a country, Haven appropriately named as a safe haven for mutants; Charles Xavier is being a diplomat, which sounds boring but is very interesting as it turns out. Cover to cover I love this book almost as equally as I loved the first one. I have gotten the third cracked open but haven't gotten far. I am interested in seeing how this story concludes. Even though they are separate books, they are really the same book not intended to stand alone. I encourage you if you are interested in reading these to think of them as three acts with definitive starting and stopping points as opposed to any effort of them being stand alones.

[Mary JL · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book 2 of the "Mutant Empire" series continues from where we left off in "Siege". Storm and Wolverine and their team are sneaking into Manhattan to try to stop Magneto, their old foe.

Cyclops and Jean Grey and their team are stranded in space---attempting to return to Earth on the Starjammers' ship.

Again, Christopher Golden alternates between the two groups of X-men to follow up the action in "Siege" and set us up for the conclusion in Book 3.

So we do get a lot of action and interesting plot twists, but no resolution, as this is the 'linking' book of a trilogy.

Again, most X-men fans will enjoy this. Also, of interest to some SF fans, if you are curious to know about the X-men.

Ending up on our usual cliffhanger, you hopefully will go on to Book 3,"Salvation" for the conclusion.

[Joseph · Rating 4 out of 5]

My previous review of book 1 applies to book 2.