Harbinger of D.O.O.M.: Audiobook Showcase: X-Men

The Uncanny X-Men are Marvel Comics’ first mutant team. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in 1963, they’ve become one of the hottest comic book properties in the world rivalling Spider-Man, and DC Comics’ Batman and Superman. Continuing the series of classic Marvel novels being released as audiobooks for the first time, today we showcase X-Men: Soul Killer. Of all the X-Men novels, this one is my favorite. It was initially published in February 1999 and has now been issued by Audible this past July 12, 2022. It was penned by veteran fantasy/horror author Richard Lee Byers who’s got more than 40 novels under his belt and who has written numerous Forgotten Realms novels. James Anderson Foster handles the narration.

The official synopsis for the book is as follows: “The demon lord Belasco plans to use Rogue to bring the evil Elder Gods to Earth. The X-Men and their sister team Excalibur must stop him before Rogue's very soul is destroyed. Their unexpected—and untrusted—ally is the lord of all vampires: Dracula! And the Count always has a more sinister agenda up his sleeve.” This novel is quite different than other X-Men—or Marvel novels, for that matter—as it features the legendary Dracula. It gives the story more of a horror/fantasy feel and puts the X-Men in peril from the get-go. Together they must unite to face the evil of Belasco. Don’t let the bland reissue cover art fool you, this one is action-packed from beginning to end and an absolute blast to read/listen to.

Cover art for the 1999 print edition

There’s a lot to like about this novel. Byers is clearly familiar with the X-Men and is a seasoned writer in the genre, depicting a plethora of fan-favorite characters and doing them justice. His writing style is direct, straight-to-the-point, his dialogue is punchy, and his pacing is pitch-perfect. The story covers a lot of ground but moves rapidly and there’s never a dull moment. Thanks in part to James Anderson Foster who does a terrific job narrating and voice-acting the various players. This is nine hours and sixteen minutes that felt like half of the runtime.

The selection of X-Men and Excalibur members is plucked from the comic book titles of the late ‘90s era. For the X-Men, we have Rogue, Storm, Wolverine, Cyclops, and Jean Grey (Phoenix). For Excalibur, there’s Nightcrawler, Colossus, Kitty Pride (Shadowcat), and Amanda Sefton. It makes for great interactions and everyone gets a chance to shine. It really does feel like reading a multi-comic story arc and you can easily imagine the panels and action unfolding in your mind.

If you were a Marvel Comics reader in the 1990s and followed the mutant titles, then this book will be right up your alley. It’s a ton of fun, has aged rather well compared to other Marvel prose reissues, and makes for a quick read/listen. If you fancy Dracula stories in his many incarnations, then I’d wager you’ll also get a kick out of this one. If you’re to buy only one X-Men novel, make it this one. Excelsior!