From the heart of Gotham City, Bruce Wayne continues his war on crime as the costumed vigilante known as Batman. With the unlimited resources of Wayne Enterprises at his disposal, Batman has access to the advanced tools and technology that have become his weapons in his battle against the underworld. New allies, enemies, and challenges await Batman, but he must also deal with old dangers and loose threads. Not everyone is thrilled that there is a Batman to protect Gotham City, and there are many who want to take down the mysterious masked crime fighter...

Batman: Gotham Knight is the novelisation of the animated movie of the same name. The movie is made up of six interlocking stories that explore Bruce Wayne's journey from Batman to The Dark Knight.

There's nothing in the way of an explanation in this book of what Gotham Knight is based on - I was expecting at least a brief introduction which outlined the names of the authors responsible for creating the original stories, as well as a general breakdown of where those stories began and ended. And, for the casual Batman fan who picks this up without realising what it's origins are it could prove to be a bit of a frustrating read.

While the stories are almost seamlessly linked, it's quite obvious were one story begins and another ends. And as Batman tackles the Arkham breakout, Killer Croc, The Scarecrow, a mysterious assassin and a Russian turf war those not aware of the animated movie's origins may start to think it's a bit of a stop and start plot line which moves a little swiftly between each segment.

There are some neat touches to this collection including a couple of insider gags. There's mention of both the Robert Kane Memorial Bridge and the Bill Finger Country Club. As most Batman fans know, Kane and Finger between them created Batman.

This is an interesting read and is sure to appeal to those that enjoy the animated feature - it's a little disjointed though if you're coming to this raw.

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Pete Boomer