Horne’s fusion of superhero fantasy and YA SF follows a teenage vigilante with autism whose mission is to guard the inhabitants of his metropolis from hurt.
Introduction 9 is the final of the “Powered” individuals in Fireside Metropolis doing the “hero factor,” as all of the others have both retired or quietly disappeared. The teenage boy has spectacular powers (together with the power to fly, unimaginable agility, and superstrength), however he isn’t a stereotypical superhero; he doesn’t know the place he got here from, instinctively seeks solitude, can’t appear to look individuals within the eyes, and is affected by seemingly imaginary creatures he calls Hummingbirds, which observe him wherever he goes. He additionally has no mounted tackle and sleeps on rooftops within the metropolis. Introduction 9’s life is turned the other way up when he clashes as soon as once more with Dr. Felix Antiworld, an notorious supervillain. Antiworld and Introduction 9 have been battling for ages, however this time is completely different, because the villain has used a machine that may traverse the multiverse to seek out Trancedragon, who seems to be like Introduction 9 and has all his powers. Nonetheless, as a substitute of an innate drive to assist individuals, Trancedragon desires to destroy everybody and all the pieces he sees. Antiworld’s plan is to have Introduction 9 and Trancedragon kill one another, but it surely doesn’t fairly go as anticipated, and shortly, the villain is compelled to workforce up with Introduction 9 to avoid wasting the world from annihilation. Trapped within the metropolis’s catacombs, the 2 should work collectively as a way to survive—and, within the course of, they start to grasp one another on a a lot deeper degree.
Two main strengths of this novel are its portrayal of Introduction 9 and its exploration of his autism. Over the course of the story, Horne excels at cultivating the complicated, tumultuous relationship between Introduction 9 and Antiworld, and lots of readers will discover a sequence on the finish of the novel to be notably affecting. The novel’s comic-book–type tenor can also be noteworthy, because it’s audacious, fantastical, and, at occasions, hyperbolic: “He was immense. The towering shoulders, the sq. jaw, the big fists have been barely seen—a black define on a subject of darkness. His cape was an limitless conduit to the clouds, twisting like a whirlwind of black flames. The peak, the calm, the overwhelming presence of this titan was greater than he may’ve imagined.” Moreover, the humor is spot-on and superbly enhances the general tone: “Welcome to my secret lair,” says Antiworld at one level, “the place the place I hatch my evil plots, and generally make popcorn whereas I watch Jeopardy!”The flies within the ointment, although, are the dearth of backstory and inconsistent world constructing. The previous is barely referenced, and the realm of Fireside Metropolis, whereas filled with intriguing neighborhoods and inhabitants—such because the Morgans, a gaggle of piratic criminals who’re rather more than they appear—is left largely unexplored. Readers will probably be left desirous to know rather more of this metropolis and its historical past.
An action-packed, if considerably underdeveloped, superhero story with a memorable protagonist and archnemesis.
Pub Date: at the moment
ISBN: N/A
Web page Rely: 452
Writer: Tristellation Media, LLC
Assessment Posted On-line: yesterday