Marvel has released many new tie-in novels for the MCU over the last few years. I’ve enjoyed several so I decided to seek out some of the older, (unfortunately) out of print titles. Road of Bones is a solid adventure story featuring Wolverine without any of the other familiar X-Men. This works well since he is such a loner and very reluctant to ask for help; readers don’t wonder why the other X-Men don’t swoop in to help.

Wolverine owes a favor to an old friend, from whose corporation was stolen a very dangerous drug that could cure all the world’s illnesses, or enslave millions. A corporate executive, Wai Ying, is assigned to travel with him to recover the drug and a kidnapped scientist. She is more than she appears, and quickly becomes a valuable ally to Logan as he uncovers the thieves and tracks them around the world.

Wolverine is a blunt instrument, and damn good at it. And this story has no shortage of brutal, violent action scenes that showcase his battle skills and his healing factor. However, the author also shows another side that is calculating and keenly intelligent. Logan has lived a long time and acquired decades of knowledge and history. I particularly loved a scene where he is undercover and is put on the spot to demonstrate a sommelier’s knowledge – which he does! The mutual respect that develops between him and Wai Ying is a great complement to the action.

Overall, this was an excellent book and I look forward to reading more Wolverine and/or X-Man novels. A shame this is out of print, and I hope Titan Books adds this title to their rerelease schedule. ( )