Book Review: The Oracle Code_ by M. Nijkamp et al.

The Oracle Code_ written by Marieke Nijkamp and illustrated by Manuel Preitano

Commissioner Gordon's teenage daughter Barbara is out computer hacking on a rooftop one night when she hears sirens go by below. She chases after, only to be shot at the scene of an armed robbery. She's wheelchair-bound and winds up at the Arkham Center for Independence (which looks an awful lot like Arkham Asylum), a physical and mental rehabilitation center for children and youth. Barbara is unhappy about it but her father insists. She starts therapy, only to be creeped out by fellow inmate Jena. Jena was orphaned in a home fire and came to Arkham with her twin brother. Jena wakes up in the middle of the night and walks around; one time, she hears Barbara having a nightmare and comes to tell her stories. Different weird stories come out on different nights. Barbara researches about Jena's brother, whom Jena claims is missing. Hacking into the Center's computers, Barbara finds no record and the room for Jena's brother is empty. The head psychiatrist claims that the room is left that way so Jena has time to process her grief for her lost brother. But maybe something more sinister is going on?

This new version of Barbara Gordon/Oracle's origin story is a refreshing reboot from what happens in The Killing Joke. which is very disturbing. The mystery at Arkham Center is not much of a twist on the typical "there's something wrong at the asylum" stories but it is interesting enough to keep the reader engaged. Barbara becomes a better person through her difficult experiences at the Center, showing how she will become the behind-the-scenes hacker hero in other stories.

Recommended.