Scott’s Take: The Ex-Heroes Series

Please welcome my son, Scott, to the blog. For those of you who do not know, Scott is in his final year of graduate school in the criminology program at The University of Texas At Dallas.  Sandi was pregnant with him when I graduated from there back in May of 1993 when Dragons still soared through the air and the campus pretty much rolled up at 5 PM because everything closed up. Now they have a bar on campus, coffee places and various fast food joints, and the Dragons are all gone thanks to climate change. I have been telling Scott for some time that he should review some of the many books he reads and finally he has agreed to do so from time to time.  So, today we have the first of what I hope are many reviews from Scott. His reading tastes are way different than mine. For one thing, I can’t read dystopian style fiction as real life is grim enough. I am certainly not reading anything with freaking zombies. He does. He likes it. He really likes it. That is messed up.

Ex-Heroes Series by Peter Clines

Hi, I am Scott and this is my first guest review. This review will be on the 5 book series by Peter Clines called The Ex-Heroes Series. The first book was published in 2013. 

The world ended in 2009 for all intents and purposes. Zombies have overrun most of the world including in Los Angeles. The so-called exes or ex humans.

Most of the survivors reside in a former movie studio turned fortress called The Mount. The place is guarded by the first and last superheroes of this world. Led by “Cloak” (think of a female Batman) and her second in command, “The Mighty Dragon” who also goes by the names, “St. George,” and “George Bailey.” Not only does he have three names that he goes by, he is also a janitor turned superhero. He is the source of hope and inspiration for the survivors of “The Mount.” He is a reluctant hero and leader.

Also on the team is “Gorgon” who is a man who can drain the life of any human being by looking at them. He is forced to wear special goggles at all times so as to not just go around draining folks by looking at them.

Another major character is “Zzzap.” In his superpower form, he is a living star of energy which really takes a toll on his human form. He is my personal favorite as he is absolutely hilarious. In his human form, he is confined to a wheelchair. In his energy form, he is one of the most powerful heroes here on Earth. He deals with the difference in his abilities by snapping off pop culture references and plenty of sarcastic commentary. Most of those references as the world in this series ended in 2009.

Those are the four major characters and there are many, many minor characters. This is a series that is for mature readers only and not kids. It is a very violent series and not for the faint of heart.  Many characters die in the series and no one, even the heroes, are safe. The heroes suffer consequences for their actions including loss of life, injuries, and survivor’s guilt. The heroes are not able to save everyone. A constant them in this series is the idea that if the heroes can barely protect themselves, how are they supposed to be able to save others?

The antagonists are varied in each book and throughout the series as a whole. The antagonists take many forms whether they are supervillains, gangs, zombies, food shortages, civil unrest issues, and more. These heroes even face the consequences for facing superheroes turned zombies. The stakes are impossibly high for the last survivors led by what is left of humanity’s most powerful. These heroes even face the consequences for facing superheroes turned zombies. 

Each book is from multiple points of view with chapters before the world ended and now. Each book in the series is kind of its own genre. Each story is very different from the others. I enjoyed some books more than others. Personally, the 4^th book in the series was a genre I am not fond of. They could be read as stand alone, but should be read in order as each character develops and grow realistically throughout the series. More about each character is revealed throughout the series. Events are referenced and relationships change so reading in order is the better way to go about reading this series.

The heroes are doing the best they can while trying to save everyone. But, they as well as everyone else are teetering on the edge of extinction as a species. This is humanity’s last stand and last chance to survive.  

The series is highly recommended for superhero fans and zombie fans. Hopefully, there will be more of these books. I could see this series being adapted into a movie or television series. I enjoyed it a lot. This is not for kids. This is an adult series. 

The Ex Heroes Series

Ex-Heroes

Ex-Patriots

Ex-Communication

Ex-Purgatory

Ex-Isle

Scott Tipple ©2019

On A Warm February Day In 2019 Scott Shows Off Flexibility While Seated