The Womb of Uncreated Night: A Novel

Chris Antonides
iUniverse (2009)
ISBN 9781440157417
Reviewed by Deb Shunamon for Reader Views (03/10)


Think creatively about “bats” and consider our human emotions towards, superstitions about, and stories associated with them. Then add elements from murder mysteries and horror films, some psychoanalysis and philosophy, a healthy helping of classical literature, and a character named Batman, and you have “The Womb of Uncreated Night.” The beginning of this novel had me hooked and I fell in love with some of Chris Antonides’ elegantly written passages - I will be rereading the pages on New York’s Central Park for many years to come. However, at 638 pages, this novel is far too long and I did not have the patience to finish it.

Wealthy Brewster Wainwright believes he is Batman. How this came about and why he behaves as he does, is gone into in far more depth than other expressions of our fascination with this crime-fighter. The author adds different character behaviors, an abundance of discussion and ponderings, and some eyebrow-raising, shocking additions to his Batman tale. While I greatly enjoyed much of what I read, I did find myself losing patience with the many parts that got in the way of the story moving forward. Other than some oddly written sentences in the first five pages the writing was terrific, but even that could not stop me from thinking “so what?” several times. I eventually skipped right to the end of the book to find out the surprising ending; then flipped spottedly back throughout to fill in the gaps.

In “The Womb of Uncreated Night,” I think the author is trying to present a thoughtful, “grown-up” way of looking at a complex character who we know as Batman, and he has included some astonishing parts to his storyline that will fascinate any fan. However, I also feel some heavy-handed editing is needed. Despite the delightful writing of Chris Antonides and his bravery at taking on such a well-known and popular figure, this book is annoyingly far too long.

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