Title: Ex-Heroes
Author: Peter Cline
Synopsis: “Stealth. Gorgon. Regenerator. Cerberus. Zzzap. The Mighty Dragon. They were heroes. Vigilantes. Crusaders for justice, using their superhuman abilities to make Los Angeles a better place.
“Then the plague of living death spread around the globe. Despite the best efforts of the superheroes, the police, and the military, the hungry corpses rose up and overwhelmed the country. The population was decimated, heroes fell, and the city of angel was left a desolate zombie wasteland like so many others.
“Now, a year later, the Mighty Dragon and his companions must overcome their differences and recover from their own scars to protect the thousands of survivors sheltered in their film studio-turned-fortress, the Mount. The heroes lead teams out to scavenge supplies, keep the peace within the walls of their home, and try to be the symbols the survivors so desperately need.
“For while the ex-humans walk the streets night and day, they are not the only threat left in the world, and the people of the Mount are not the only survivors left in Los Angeles. Across the city, another group has grown and gained power.
“And they are not heroes.”
“Then the plague of living death spread around the globe. Despite the best efforts of the superheroes, the police, and the military, the hungry corpses rose up and overwhelmed the country. The population was decimated, heroes fell, and the city of angel was left a desolate zombie wasteland like so many others.
“Now, a year later, the Mighty Dragon and his companions must overcome their differences and recover from their own scars to protect the thousands of survivors sheltered in their film studio-turned-fortress, the Mount. The heroes lead teams out to scavenge supplies, keep the peace within the walls of their home, and try to be the symbols the survivors so desperately need.
“For while the ex-humans walk the streets night and day, they are not the only threat left in the world, and the people of the Mount are not the only survivors left in Los Angeles. Across the city, another group has grown and gained power.
“And they are not heroes.”
Review: Superheroes and zombies together in one novel? I thought that Ex-Heroes had a combination that could not fail. Surprise. This novel was one big epic fail.
Fault number 1: Cline tries to do too much. There are too many main characters and too many plot twists. As a result the characters are one dimensional and the storyline is hard to follow. The confusing storyline leads into
Fault number 2: switching points of view. This is one of my many pet peeves. Pick a point of view and stick with it for goodness sake! Cline switches back and forth between first and third person points of view constantly and the first person chapters are never about the same character and he doesn’t tell you who it is for at least a page.
Fault number 3: Cline switches between “then” and “now” frequently. This would not be a problem, as he nicely labels each chapter, if it were not for the already prevalent confusion.
I almost gave up reading Ex-Heroes halfway through, but decided to stick it out in the hopes that it would get better. It didn’t. I think that I tend to be overly optimistic when it comes to books as they rarely let me down. I don’t recommend this novel. Don’t let the waste of my time be meaningless. Read something else!
Fault number 1: Cline tries to do too much. There are too many main characters and too many plot twists. As a result the characters are one dimensional and the storyline is hard to follow. The confusing storyline leads into
Fault number 2: switching points of view. This is one of my many pet peeves. Pick a point of view and stick with it for goodness sake! Cline switches back and forth between first and third person points of view constantly and the first person chapters are never about the same character and he doesn’t tell you who it is for at least a page.
Fault number 3: Cline switches between “then” and “now” frequently. This would not be a problem, as he nicely labels each chapter, if it were not for the already prevalent confusion.
I almost gave up reading Ex-Heroes halfway through, but decided to stick it out in the hopes that it would get better. It didn’t. I think that I tend to be overly optimistic when it comes to books as they rarely let me down. I don’t recommend this novel. Don’t let the waste of my time be meaningless. Read something else!
Publisher: Permuted Press
ISBN: 978-1934861288
ISBN: 978-1934861288
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