Just like the first book in the series, this is a really engaging, very enjoyable super-heroes/post-zombie-apocalypse mash up. A very enjoyable read and a well-done sequel that manages to expand on and continue from the first book without losing steam or retreading old ground. Well done - looking forward to a 3rd!
This is the second book in the Ex-Heroes series by Clines. I listened to this on audiobook and the audiobook was incredibly well done. They have different actors for the characters and the story is very well done. I thought this book was even better than the first book, I really enjoyed it. The third book in this series, Ex-Commincation, is tentatively scheduled for a December 2012 release.
St. George the Mighty Dragon, Stealth, Zzzap, and Cerberus have been doing their best to protect the citizens of the Mount from the Ex-Humans dwelling outside of the Mounts walls. Food is growing scarcer but things are going okay. That is until the military shows up with the supersoliders. The military claims they want to help the people of the Mount and join forces with Stealth and crew to protect humans and re-build America. But seriously, have you ever heard of the military being good and helpful after an apocalypse?
This book was even better than the first. Like the first book it goes between Then and Now. The Then parts tell the story of the creation of the super-soldiers. The Now parts tell about the superheroes dealings with the military. The plot was put together better than the first book, more complex and interwoven, and really action packed which was very engaging. We get to know our favorite super-heroes even better and I enjoyed every second of it.
What really impressed with this book were the layers of deception. Stealth and crew encounter so many layers of deceit as they deal with the army; nothing ends up as you think it will and everything is more complex than it first seems. Even though St. George is willing to give the army the benefit of the doubt as a reader you are just waiting for the other shoe to drop the whole time.
Our favorite super-heroes all grow to some extent in this story (as much as can be expected in a pulp-fiction kind of story like this). Stealth is learning to act more human and Ceberus is dealing with her fear of being out of her armor. All of them are pushed to the very limits of their powers, yet always seem to be just powerful enough. A lot of the action scenes were very awesome and it was wonderful to Stealth in full battle-mode...she kicked butt a number of times.
We meet some great new characters. The Driver is introduced, he can take over machinery and wear it like a body. We also meet the lead super-soldier Captain Freedom; he was a bit too cookie-cutter Captain America for me...but it worked for the story. I hope he developes into a more interesting character in future installments.
The story wraps up nicely, as with the first book, and I can't wait to read future installments. These books have been fun action-packed reads set in an interesting post-apocalyptic zombie-infested world. They are well done and just plain fun.
Overall I enjoyed this installment in the Ex-Heroes series. These are fun books, well-written, and just plain entertaining. The audiobook quality was exceptional. We get to see our favorite superheroes at the top of their game, lots of action, and a fast-paced and unpredictable plot add to the enjoyment. We also get to meet some great new characters. I enjoyed this book. I recommend to people who like action packed super-hero stories. This is also a good book for all those zombie fans out there.
St. George the Mighty Dragon, Stealth, Zzzap, and Cerberus have been doing their best to protect the citizens of the Mount from the Ex-Humans dwelling outside of the Mounts walls. Food is growing scarcer but things are going okay. That is until the military shows up with the supersoliders. The military claims they want to help the people of the Mount and join forces with Stealth and crew to protect humans and re-build America. But seriously, have you ever heard of the military being good and helpful after an apocalypse?
This book was even better than the first. Like the first book it goes between Then and Now. The Then parts tell the story of the creation of the super-soldiers. The Now parts tell about the superheroes dealings with the military. The plot was put together better than the first book, more complex and interwoven, and really action packed which was very engaging. We get to know our favorite super-heroes even better and I enjoyed every second of it.
What really impressed with this book were the layers of deception. Stealth and crew encounter so many layers of deceit as they deal with the army; nothing ends up as you think it will and everything is more complex than it first seems. Even though St. George is willing to give the army the benefit of the doubt as a reader you are just waiting for the other shoe to drop the whole time.
Our favorite super-heroes all grow to some extent in this story (as much as can be expected in a pulp-fiction kind of story like this). Stealth is learning to act more human and Ceberus is dealing with her fear of being out of her armor. All of them are pushed to the very limits of their powers, yet always seem to be just powerful enough. A lot of the action scenes were very awesome and it was wonderful to Stealth in full battle-mode...she kicked butt a number of times.
We meet some great new characters. The Driver is introduced, he can take over machinery and wear it like a body. We also meet the lead super-soldier Captain Freedom; he was a bit too cookie-cutter Captain America for me...but it worked for the story. I hope he developes into a more interesting character in future installments.
The story wraps up nicely, as with the first book, and I can't wait to read future installments. These books have been fun action-packed reads set in an interesting post-apocalyptic zombie-infested world. They are well done and just plain fun.
Overall I enjoyed this installment in the Ex-Heroes series. These are fun books, well-written, and just plain entertaining. The audiobook quality was exceptional. We get to see our favorite superheroes at the top of their game, lots of action, and a fast-paced and unpredictable plot add to the enjoyment. We also get to meet some great new characters. I enjoyed this book. I recommend to people who like action packed super-hero stories. This is also a good book for all those zombie fans out there.
This is definitely popcorn entertainment. Superheroes + zombies: it's a novelized comic book, and it reads like one. I thought the first book (Ex-Heroes) was pretty cheesy and mediocre if enjoyable. The second book is also cheesy, maybe just a notch above mediocre. Clines's writing has improved in this sequel, and it particularly shows in the plotting. Instead of a dumb boss fight with a predictable conclusion at the end, there are several fairly clever (if very much conforming to standard superhero tropes) twists, some of which made things that initially had me rolling my eyes suddenly become more credible. The battle at the end is more complex and has more factions and is left a little bit inconclusive (well, in typical genre fashion, you can't ever have a villain decisively killed).
In Ex-Heroes, we were introduced to a gang of superheroes who were defending "The Mount," a fortress inside what was once Paramount Studios in Hollywood, where human survivors have barricaded themselves against the zombie hordes that have overrun the world. In this second book in what is obviously meant to be an ongoing series, we're introduced to a group of "super soldiers" who were engineered by the U.S. Army just before everything went to apocalypse. Led by "Captain Freedom" (yeah, yeah), they discover the Mount when they fly a predator drone overhead. The heroes send out Zzzap, their energy form hero, and soon the superheroes are meeting the super-soldiers, there is the obligatory initial misunderstanding leading to a completely unnecessary hero battle, followed by the two groups deciding to join together, followed by the discovery of sinister secrets, a hidden bad guy, a returning foe, and more "killing dead zombie celebrity" jokes.
I gave the first book 3 stars; I give this one 3.5. I don't think Peter Clines is going to be putting out anything really fantastically well-written or brilliant, but although falling a bit below my usual quality threshold for series I want to keep following, I have enjoyed both books enough that I will probably snap up the next book when it's released. This is very much hardcore zombie-superhero-nerd fantasy, but if that hits your sweet spot, take the time to enjoy the unabashed enthusiastic genre love here.
In Ex-Heroes, we were introduced to a gang of superheroes who were defending "The Mount," a fortress inside what was once Paramount Studios in Hollywood, where human survivors have barricaded themselves against the zombie hordes that have overrun the world. In this second book in what is obviously meant to be an ongoing series, we're introduced to a group of "super soldiers" who were engineered by the U.S. Army just before everything went to apocalypse. Led by "Captain Freedom" (yeah, yeah), they discover the Mount when they fly a predator drone overhead. The heroes send out Zzzap, their energy form hero, and soon the superheroes are meeting the super-soldiers, there is the obligatory initial misunderstanding leading to a completely unnecessary hero battle, followed by the two groups deciding to join together, followed by the discovery of sinister secrets, a hidden bad guy, a returning foe, and more "killing dead zombie celebrity" jokes.
I gave the first book 3 stars; I give this one 3.5. I don't think Peter Clines is going to be putting out anything really fantastically well-written or brilliant, but although falling a bit below my usual quality threshold for series I want to keep following, I have enjoyed both books enough that I will probably snap up the next book when it's released. This is very much hardcore zombie-superhero-nerd fantasy, but if that hits your sweet spot, take the time to enjoy the unabashed enthusiastic genre love here.
