The Super Summer

     I would call myself an avid reader, but I'm really just minor league. There are those out there that devour books, and I need to up my numbers. Thankfully, summer. Now that all that studying for college is through, I can hit the books. I have 90 days, and I plan to read at least 25 books. I am just experimenting, so I'm not sure what my pace will be. If I can channel my focus, and look towards my goal, I think I can manage to surpass my goal. I will be posting reviews of all 25+ books. And I'm off.

Review of Tom Reynold's "Meta"

    It's back to the summer reading season, and I started off with a book I'd bought a while back but never got to, "Meta." Years after all of the metas, humans who possess mysterious super-powered bracelets, have disappeared, Connor Connolly wakes up to find his wrists wrapped in almost unlimited powers. The bad guy thrown in there is The Controller, a meta who has the power to create monsters to fight for him anywhere he so pleases. Assisting Connor is Midnight, a non-meta vigilante who has been around since the old days.
    The book starts off on a hot streak, and then hits a wall as soon as Connor discovers his powers. Everything comes out of nowhere, and little explanation is every put behind events. Hostile situations will come out of thin air simply to move the plot along. The story jumps from scene to scene like a child playing "The Floor is Lava" where it is okay to omit bridging the gap between sequences. Trying to see it all together is like deciphering a "Connect the Dots to Form a Picture" puzzle that you see on the children's menu. The most glaring example is the magical rooftop of plot advancement, where Connor would teleport, and then some event would be waiting for him in the exact location. The book is relatively short though, so I can see the need to condense.
    One of the aspect that also receives the short end of the stick is character development. Specifically, Connor's relationship with the love interest Sarah. It plods along throughout the book making no significant headway until the end, where it still feels poorly wrapped up.
    The book does have moments that shine, in its humor and witty writing. One particular scene I enjoyed was describing Connor  honing his ability to fly. It was brief, but entertaining and to the point.
The fight scenes are also quite vivid, and the author isn't afraid to censor some of the more questionable moments. It is also a nice break from the slew of superhero fiction that involves months of training in an academy, or fighting the government agency that created the hero.
     Getting back into the swing of things, this was a quick, entertaining read. It has it's share of problems in character development and instances of deus ex machina, but nothing that breaks the tale. It does hint at a sequel, which I would be willing to pick up. This one gets a spot on the shelf.
 

The Mandatory Love Interest

     Though it is not exclusive to the type of books I've been reading, most young adult sub-genre superhero novels with male protagonists have a female love interest as if mandated by society. I see the tactic as a way to interest female readers, but it never makes for a compelling narrative. That is not saying that romance isn't a satisfying genre, but shoehorning a love story into a teenage action-adventure for the sake of expanded the appeal only serves in watering down the story. However, a novel that is chock full of one gender does not have to be a turn off if the focus is spent on the story than on mass appeal.
     For example, Suzanne Collins The Hunger Games trilogy is entertaining for me to read due to the plot, and I view the love triangle as a distraction. But I get it, some men do not want to read a book with all females, and the same applies for women reading books with all men. Still, there are ways to implement both genders while not smashing two together at the lips. Make interesting female characters, who have personalities and interact with each other and that should draw in female readers. Books do not always have to reflect the real world, everything doesn't have to center around love.

Review of Brandon Sanderson's "SteelHeart"

            In the past I have been focusing on mostly self-published teen superhero novels and recounting them in a very structured way. In truth, structure bores me, so as start of my renaissance into reviews of mainstream novels, I’d like to be more conversational and less robotic in my approach. Comprende?

            “ I’ve seen Steelheart bleed.” Spoiler alert! That is the opening line to Steelheart, the superhero fantasy concocted by Brandon Sanderson. Steelheart is an Epic, able to Midas touch anything inorganic into steel. But Steelheart is no benevolent ruler, in fact all Epics are evil, a side effect of their amazing abilities. This line in such few words, and maybe with some prior knowledge, let’s me know that David, the protagonist, has seen a man who essentially a God among men show his humanity, and if David doesn’t use every ounce of his strength to see this overlord dead, then the author has failed to produce a novel worthy of it’s premise.

            What I am saying with that convoluted sentence is David is the chosen, this novel is a Hero’s Journey and we know he will kill Voldemort in the end, drop the ring in the fire of Mount Doom, bring balance to the force. So why read this book if the first line gives away the whole story? I can say everything that first line neglected to inform me, the characters, location, and the imagination managed to enthrall me.

            If I could pick out one thing that amazed me, it would be the twist. Not like an “ I see dead people twist,” where the revelation changes the reality of the entire story, but the tidbit of hidden information that is hinted at throughout the story and then revealed. All the connections come together and there’s that moment of “Aww, I should have seen that coming.” This book managed to fool me on 1 of 2 accounts.

            One objection I had was that most of the characters didn’t resonate enough with me. They felt like cogs in the plot, given a quirk. David makes terrible metaphors, Abraham has a slight French accent, Cody is eccentric about his heritage, Tia likes soda. I’d like to see the kind of humanity in them that David saw in Steelheart.

            This one goes on my shelf.  

Review of Darrell Pitt's "Diary of a Teenage Superhero"

Quickie Review:

A short book with a lot to show. It cost a dollar on amazon.com, and it is well worth the price. That is not to say it was amazing, but I’m glad I spent my dollar on Diary than on a McChicken. You may find this book on my shelf collecting dust.

Full Length Review:

Plot:

Axel wakes up with amnesia and discovers he has air related powers. He unites with a bunch of other super powered teens to fight some villains who threaten them with torture. Then they are recruited by a school where they train to save the world.

Now I can’t grade that plot alone, because that is practically every book I read, so I’ll throw into the mix, alien that works for the government that ties in to the end of the book. Not making sense? Well, now we’re on the same level.

2/5

Characters:

The characters are somewhat stereotypical and don't undergo much development, so I’ll describe them by their powers. Axel is the last airbender, Brodie isthe reincarnation of Bruce Lee, Dan is half Magneto half Jedi, Chad is the offspring of Mr. Freeze and the Human Torch and finally Ebony, is the better version of Zan from the wonder twins. They all share the common weakness of special guns that impair their powers. As far as that aspect goes, superpowers usually defining the book in the superhero genre, the powers weren't bad. Some of the characters seem like they are overpowered, namely Dan who could use Jedi mind tricks so long as they didn't advance the plot.

3/5

Setting/Description:

The book is set around the island of Manhattan and in an underground base, all present day.

As for description, I’d rather describe some of the homages to other superheroes, at least I hope these were intentional. And SPOILERS. Axel flies to catch a missile much like Superman, jedi mind tricks as previously mentioned and by the combined powers of all the superteens, the bad guy is turned to stone, much like the end of The Fantastic Four.

2.79/5 (scientific calculation)

Writing Style:

This book is told in first person, present tense.

Now, off topic, but I’m just wondering if the author, Darrell Pitt, chose a pseudonym, or if that is his real name. Was he trying to go for something awesome, because it sounds like a Louisiana car salesman to me? Pitt is usually associated with Brad Pitt. Cool, Hollywood name. But put Darrell in front of it, and you drain the awesome out.

On a scale of Darrell Pitt to Brad Pitt, I would give this a Moses Pitt.

3/5

Potential:

            Maybe Darrell will be a cool name in 30 years, I don’t know.

            ?/5

Final:

            Plot:  2/5

            Characters: 3/5

            Setting/Description: 2.79/5

            Writing Style: 3/5

            Potential: ?/5

Final: 2.7/5

           

Review of Jacob Gowans's "Psion Beta"

Reviews Note:

When I was finished writing my first book, I thought I was brilliant for having 120,000 words, while most authors could only manage 80-90k. I found the error of my ways in all of the unnecessary scenes written in that not only added nothing to the story, but detracted from the pacing. Gowans left his novel lengthy. Writing a piece of work with a word count creeping into the 6 figures isn't a violation of any rule, but with so many words, it get exponentially more likely to lose readers before the climax ensues. That is, unless the writer has enough to fill the plot; Psion Beta, does not.

Quickie Review:

This was not the book for me. It had all the elements that I enjoy, superpowers, romance, and futuristic technology, but it suffered from poor plotting. There were way too many characters, but the main character was the only one with a backstory. I felt emersion in the setting, but felt like the world around was all neglected. Would not recommend for high thrills, but possibly if you want to read a rocky love story between 14 year olds. Not taking a spot on my shelf.

Full Length Review:

Plot:

Sammy is your average 14-year-old homeless orphan who lives in a mini mart in South Africa with his friends. Until one day, the police catch up with them, and Sammy evades them with telekinetic powers. When caught, he is taken into the Psion Beta program, for those with his anomaly, where they train their powers against holograms. Every weekend, they have a competition where the betas are split into teams. When they finish their training, the move on to Psion Alpha, the front lines, where they fight the cannibals that threaten the world.

It’ pretty much orphan learns he’s special and joins an academy to learn about his power. Nothing too original, and as mentioned above, the book is way too lengthy.

2/5

Characters:

Sammy is a really tall, buff 14-year-old who everyone mistakes as 16. He has an Irish sidekick, and blonde love interest and a bully. Sammy gets all the attention, and his memories of his parents almost make them characters as well. Sammy comes in to the program, and excels at everything ,surpassing everyone in the entire program, despite some being there for years. And he is a natural at video games. And his only flaw is that , well, no actually…Let me get back to you on that one.

2/5

Setting/Description:

Set on a facility on an island. That’s about all the information given. The facility houses the Psion Betas, with bedrooms, a kitchen and training rooms all surrounding a giant arena.

As for description, I always knew what was happening. Nothing too flowery, but I prefer minimal description that is precise. My favorite descriptions would have to be in a virtual game where historical figures are having a death battle at Stonehenge.

3/5

Writing Style:

Third person, past tense. The middle really drags, because the author is trying to put in so much dedication to Sammy training, that he forgets every movie makes that a one-minute montage. I’m sure a 90s sports director could tell a whopping 80,000 words of it in 2 minutes. Also, I struggled to find originality in the book amongst the prolonged love story and training. The one aspect I particularly enjoyed, was that series of flashbacks that moved parallel to the plot. Normally, it isn’t wise getting stuck in the past in a novel, because it drags down what will happen next, but these flashbacks my have told a more compelling story than the rest of the plot.

1/5

Potential:

The book has become a trilogy, and all of the books are self-published. Currently, the 3^rd one ranks #846,169 in book rankings by sale on Amazon.com. They are yet to spark the eye of any publishing house. The author is slated to continue the Psion series though, yet I’m not sure I’ll grab the sequel, Psion Gamma.

2/5

Final:

            Plot: 2/5

            Characters: 2/5

            Setting/Description: 3/5

            Writing Style: 1/5

            Potential: 2/5

Final: 2/5

Review of Richard Paul Evans's "Michael Vey: The Prisoner of Cell 25"

Quickie Review:

There is something wrong in a teenage superhero book when the most exciting scene involves two girls shopping. The characters in this book showed so little depth that a car insurance commercial has a better chance of pulling at my heartstrings. And there were enough instances of ‘ly’ verbs to give any editor a heart attack, which I assume is why the book reads like a rough draft. Putting this on a shelf in my garage.

Full Length Review:

Plot:

Right away Michael Vey presents us with a teenage boy with a fat best friend, a popular cheerleader love interest and a bully with 2 cronies. But once the book gets over all that, it picks up. Michael discovers during a fight, that he possess the power of static electricity, just touching someone can light them up like a toaster to a hot tub. Taylor, the cheerleader, sees it and tells Michael that somehow she has powers too and they just happen to go to the same school in Idaho. Along with his friend, Ostin they form a club to uncover why they have these powers. Then, a mysterious group begins to stalk them.

Then there is a whole lot of filler and a thirty-page climax that excelled where every other scene failed.

2/5

Characters:

Michael Vey is a teenager with Tourette syndrome, which causes the readers to yell obscenities at him. Excuse me, I meant to say that he has a few facial ticks. Couple this with static shock powers and leadership qualities, and you have a protagonist. The other characters get descriptions and tend to all be blonde for some reason. The villain enjoys making children torture each other and mess with famous people for fun. Nobody displays enough of a lasting impression that I had to see what would happen next.

2/5

Setting/Description:

Idaho -> California

The description in this book was average, but the constant adverbs such as “he said darkly” and their repeated use made my want to cut onion and glue them to my eyeballs. How does one say something darkly? Must you thrust your head into a shadow whenever you speak?

3/5

Writing Style:

This book is told in first person, past tense. The author enjoys short chapters, stuffing 48 separate ones Michael Vey. The author maintains control over Michael, while jumping over to Taylor in 3^rd person every once in a while to see what she’s doing. Nothing is too difficult to follow, yet the pacing lacked at the start, but found ground somewhere along the way.

3/5

Potential:

The book already has a sequel and is going for a third book. The series appears to have somewhat of a following. There are no talks of a movie as of yet. The author, Richard Paul Evans had a best seller on his hands 20 years ago, but this is his first dip into the YA market. He is well written, and maybe he can put some experience into his young adult writing, and stop underestimating what children deem entertaining.

3/5

Final:

Plot: 2/5

Characters: 2/5

            Setting/Description: 3/5

              Writing Style: 3/5

            Potential: 3/5

Score: 2.6/5