With Scott approaching his three-year anniversary of his first guest post here on the blog, I thought for today I would remind you of that first post. His guest posts run each Saturday and usually cover science fiction and fantasy books.
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 4th 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 A. Tipple ©2019,
2022
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