page_title: Enemies & Allies
section_title: Style and themes
hierarchical_section_title: Enemies & Allies / Style and themes
caption_attribution_description: English: Kevin J. Anderson at a book signing at the Merril Collection of Science Fiction, 239 College St. 3rd Floor, Toronto, Ontario, Canada on August 18 2009 at 8:54 PM. Photo is cropped down from the original which included myself and Brian Herbert.
context_page_description: Enemies & Allies is a 2009 novel by American science fiction author Kevin J. Anderson. The book is set in the 1950s, in the midst of the Cold War, and follows Superman and Batman. Though suspicious of each other, they confront Lex Luthor who stages an international nuclear conflict and spreads fear of an alien invasion so that he can sell advanced weapons to governments. Themes used in the novel, reflective of the 1950s era, include alien invasion films, nuclear threats, and Cold War paranoia.
  Anderson has written supporting novels in the past in established franchises, such as Star Wars and Dune. He had previously written about Superman in the 2007 novel The Last Days of Krypton. Enemies & Allies was published in May 2009 and met with mixed reviews which noted flat characterization but that it may be entertaining for comic book fans.
context_section_description: The story is set in the DC Universe but is non-canon, similar to an Elseworlds story. The content is divided into 60 chapters which mostly alternate between the (third person) points-of-view of the two protagonists, Batman/Bruce Wayne and Superman/Clark Kent, though several chapters follow antagonists (Lex Luthor and Soviet General Anatoly Ceridov). While the novel is based on comic book characters, it consists solely of prose. Anderson commented on the difficulty in writing comics as prose stating, "in the comics, several pages of superpowered action can propel the story, but when you read it in a book, it's not quite so interesting. You need more parts to the story..."
  Anderson sought to capture the nostalgic feel of the 1950s. In this effort, he used several themes associated with the time period, including alien invasion movies, nuclear threats, Cold War paranoia, and optimism in the future. About the time period, Anderson said "it seemed like this was a time when you could say with a straight face, 'I'm fighting for truth, justice and the American way.'" For the characters Anderson was picturing George Reeves's Superman and Noel Neill's Lois Lane as portrayed in the 1950s television series Adventures of Superman. One reviewer noted that Anderson's portrayal of Lex Luthor is that of the post-Crisis on Infinite Earths amoral businessman and Batman was more reminiscent of a 1930s-style or a "Year One"-style Batman where he is actively pursued by the police.
caption: Author Kevin J. Anderson at an August 2009 book signing event.
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