After the Golden Age (Golden Age, #1)

Aug 14, 2011 Becky rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: library, 2011, fantasy, highly-recommended, mystery-and-thrillers, reviewed, science-fiction, challenge-1010

So it seems that this book was destined to help me make up for lost time! I absolutely could not put this book down once I started it. And I have to say that I was completely surprised by this book. It was so much better than I ever thought it would be.

It starts out feeling a little comicbookish, a little cartoony. I mean, it's about super heroes, for goodness sake. And that aspect of the story is very comicbookish - not that that is a bad thing. If that was all there was to the story, I'd have...more

13 likes · like · see review

Aug 12, 2011 Mike (the Paladin) rated it 1 of 5 stars

It seems like so many of these "superhero novels" are written by people who, don't have fond memories of the original superheros. I'm not sure Carrie Vaughn feels that way... she seems to me to fall into the "nobody could REALLY be that much of a hero" slot as her book sets out to prove.

Celia West is the grown "normal" (read non-super powered) daughter of the "Worlds Greatest Super Hero Couple" (Sky High did it better). We get treated to her misery at having had to grow up with her angry dad and...more

10 likes · like · see review

Sep 29, 2011 Laura rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: borrowed-from-public-library

I waffled between three and four stars, but finally I gave it four because I had a rough time putting it down. In fact, I actually stayed up later than I intended to just to finish the book, something I haven't wanted to do in a long time. Celia West is a woman that felt as though she wasn't enough her entire childhood, mostly because her parents are superheros and she doesn't have any powers. Also, her dad has bordering-on-abusive tendencies because he apparently has a temper. While trying to m...more

4 likes · like · see review

Aug 03, 2011 Jaime rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: urban-fantasy, do-not-own

Mom's Review: If you're into superhero comics, this book may be for you. If you can enjoy a comic book without the artwork that makes the story come alive, that is. You may be wondering why I ordered this book? Two reasons: I love the author's Kitty Norville series, and I thought this was the sequel to her novel "Discord's Apple," which I did enjoy. It isn't - it's a stand alone YA novel.

The plot is predictable to most readers who are familiar with DC and Marvel comics and their wonderful, fully...more

3 likes · like · see review

Jun 24, 2011 Kindle-aholic rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: uf

This feels like a perfect "summer book" - superheroes and supervillains, they go with summer like beaches and ice cream. What I liked the most about this book was that the heroine isn't a superhero, she's the absolutely normal daughter of the city's premiere superheroes. That she has feelings of inadequacy and severe parent issues is an understatement. She's also been a frquent kidnapping victim for most of her life (the opening chapter with her boredom at another kidnapping was great).

Now, jus...more

1 like · like · see review

May 30, 2012 Jenn rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy-sci-fi, highlyrecommend, book-group

I'm saving my rating and review until after my bookgroup discusses it, but I have to say that, while I like the Kitty Norville books, this one... well, I didn't want it to end. There. Probably spoiled anything I could say about it for bookgroup. The end. (for now)

My thoughts post-bookgroup: I have to agree with the group that the ending feels rushed and final - as if Vaughn wanted to ensure there would be NO sequels - which makes me sad, because I enjoyed the ideas she was processing here. The p...more

1 like · like · see review

Apr 16, 2011 Kyle rated it 4 of 5 stars

I picked this book out for the weekend and ended up reading it in two days; I just could not put it down. I love this particular sub-genre of sci-fi & fantasy, the superhero novel, but I like them to have some depth of character and to treat the subject matter with the type of respect and honesty that any other novel would treat normal human characters. After the Golden Age fit that bill perfectly. My only issue is the propensity of "wry" smiles going on in the book. This is probably somethi...more

1 like · like · see review

May 20, 2013 Kater Cheek rated it 3 of 5 stars

I found this book charming, with engaging characters, a nice mystery, and plenty of action.

The main character is Celia West, the daughter of wealthy socialites who happen to also be superheroes. I'd say the bulk of the conflict in the novel involves Celia struggling to get out from under the shadow of her parents. Not only is every relationship she has colored by her association with them, but Celia also gets kidnapped frequently. In fact, she's been kidnapped so often it's not even alarming to...more I found this book charming, with engaging characters, a nice mystery, and plenty of action.

The main character is Celia West, the daughter of wealthy socialites who happen to also be superheroes. I'd say the bulk of the conflict in the novel involves Celia struggling to get out from under the shadow of her parents. Not only is every relationship she has colored by her association with them, but Celia also gets kidnapped frequently. In fact, she's been kidnapped so often it's not even alarming to her anymore. The novel opens with her being kidnapped, and she sees it as an annoyance.

There's an arch villain in this story too, "The Destructor" with whom Celia has a hidden past. He's locked behind bars, but a series of high-profile thefts makes the superheroes in town (led by Celia's parents) believe he's masterminding something.

Celia is an accountant now, and she uses her accounting skills to track down evidence that will be used in the prosecution against the Destructor. This was a nice little mystery, especially as it led to another subplot and further complications. I liked how the investigation plot helped flesh out Celia's relationship with her parents, especially her father. I also liked that Celia ended up romantically involved with the person I thought she should be with.

I liked that the conflicts between Celia and the other characters had decent closure, (though her relationship with her mother wasn't as developed as it could have been --book two maybe?) There were a few holes I had a problem with, (for example, how Typhoon's secret identity remained secret from Celia's parents even after they met her, when Celia spotted Typhoon as herself from a quick glance.) I liked the mystery, and I didn't notice problems with it (mostly because I see a mystery as a vehicle for character development and never try to out-puzzle the main characters.) I did find the ending a little long, but some people really like to know that the ending is happy.

All in all, this is a fun read with compelling characters. People who love superheroes won't want to miss this, but it's also good for people like me, who are merely ambivalent about superheroes.(less)

like · see review

Feb 21, 2013 Derek Newman-Stille rated it 5 of 5 stars

It’s a Bird!! It’s a Plane!! It’s... a forensic accountant?

The child of superheroes Captain Olympus and Spark and raised by the superhero team Olypiad, Celia West had a destiny... to be perfectly normal. Unlike her family, she doesn’t have superpowers, but she isn’t powerless - she’s a forensic accountant! Treated like something to be coddled all of her life and having a father who is disappointed in her for not having super powers, it is any wonder that she developed parent issues?

In her novel...more It’s a Bird!! It’s a Plane!! It’s... a forensic accountant?

The child of superheroes Captain Olympus and Spark and raised by the superhero team Olypiad, Celia West had a destiny... to be perfectly normal. Unlike her family, she doesn’t have superpowers, but she isn’t powerless - she’s a forensic accountant! Treated like something to be coddled all of her life and having a father who is disappointed in her for not having super powers, it is any wonder that she developed parent issues?

In her novel “After the Golden Age”, Carrie Vaughn explores the shadow that parents leave on their children, the social assumptions that people put on the children of parents who have achieved greatness (or great evil). Celia is a character who has been trying to define herself and distance herself from overbearing parents. As a teen, she tried to achieve this distance by allying herself with the arch villain of her parents’ superhero team, Destructor. Now, she has gotten over her teenage rebellion and the need to be extreme and is differentiating herself by refusing help from her parents and trying to make her own way in the world without their support... if only she could stop getting kidnapped so she wouldn’t have to rely on them to rescue her all of the time.

Most children would love to be the child of superheroes, but Celia gets to see what it would really be like, she gets an insider view and constantly faces the daunting task of living up to the expectations of parents who just wish she wasn’t so normal. As a child, she hated her normalcy, now she wants to embrace it, rejecting even the benefits of her parents’ wealth.

Carrie Vaughn does a fantastic job of exploring what superheroes would be like in the real world, looking at their family battles, the impact they have on their children, everyday things like cooking, and, of course, media sensationalism. She reveals that sometimes the mask that superheroes wear can be their mundane lives – their real faces are the ones that are cowled.

Vaughn uses the figure of the supervillain to explore ideas of political power and fear that are relevant to our world at the moment. Her novel, in addition to being a fun read, is a commentary on the use of fear by politicians as a means of gaining more power – using people’s vulnerability as a means of getting them to surrender control. By pretending to be protectors of the public, they encourage people to give up freedoms with the message “I can only protect you if you surrender absolute power to me”.

Celia’s parents have become older and their generation’s idea of superhero battles may not be suited for the new type of subtle menace. When new types of conspiracies arise, they are not able to be solved by superspeed, pyrokinesis, or superstrength... what they may need is a forensic accountant – someone more suited to “white collar crimes” and able to sort through the connections between money and power.

Although Vaughn creates a character who is normal, she is not mundane or unremarkable, rather she is psychologically complex, deep, and multifaceted... perhaps more so for her lack of superhuman abilities.
(less)

like · see review

Dec 28, 2012 Shannon rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: anna, supernatural

After the Golden Age is the story of Celia, a woman with two superhero parents. If it's not hard enough to share her parents with an entire city, Celia struggles to reconcile her parents' expectations of her with her own lack of superhuman powers.

When we meet her, Celia is a twenty-something CPA on her way home from work, only to be kidnapped on the bus. After being rescued (yet again) be her parents, Celia's boss asks her to help with forensic accounting in the trial of a super-villain. As beco...more

1 like · like · see review

Dec 27, 2012 Gina rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: owned

Writing a story from the perspective of a normal person in a superhero world seems to be trending as more superhero movies hit our box offices. What any author could do is write from the perspective of a normal person while incorporating the typical cliches of the superhero comic book world. Vaughn clearly liked the idea and spent time thinking about it and expanding her protagonist's view in such a world and walked her through the typical superhero events (eg. growing up with heroes, being crus...more

like · see review

Aug 22, 2012 Jennie rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-august

I liked it. I haven't read much Carrie Vaughn, even though I want to. I've heard really good things about her, and I have liked the books I've read. The thing is -- I've liked the books, but I haven't loved them. I'm not exactly sure why -- perhaps if I continued to read the Kitty series (I read the first one years ago), I might come to love the series. But her stand-alone books to me have only been so-so. They were nice to read, but there's something missing that stops me from falling in love.

T...more

like · see review

Aug 13, 2012 Nenia Campbell rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: x-2011s

With great power comes great responsibility, right? Well, what if you don't have any great powers? Does that mean you owe any responsibility to your city? Celia West is the daughter of two superheroes - super strong Captain Olympus, and pyro-powered wonder, the Spark - and she thinks not. Mostly because the city, and her family, haven't given much back to her. She has no super powers of her own - that is, not unless you count causing trouble and getting kidnapped . And she has a sketchy histor...more

like · see review

Jul 11, 2012 drey rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-reads, urban-fantasy

Celia West is tired. Of what it means to be the daughter of two superheroes – the world’s greatest champions. Of being noticed, and not for the right reasons (see previous line). Of not having any superpowers of her own. And, not that she knows it yet, of being afraid of her own past.

Then she’s asked to do her job – as a forensic accountant – and find evidence to put away the Destructor, the supervillain her parents weren’t able to bring to justice. And doing so puts Celia at odds with everyone:...more

like · see review

Jul 04, 2012 Rebecca rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: science-fiction

This is exactly what I would want in a novel about superheroes. It's not a parody or takedown of the form--it's a genuine exploration of themes in greater detail but with fewer big set pieces than you would get in a comic book series, but with a self-awareness that doesn't play everything perfectly straight. It's using the strengths of a different storytelling medium to their greatest effect. And it's a well-paced, emotionally compelling, plain-old-good-read.

Celia is a forensic accountant, and a...more This is exactly what I would want in a novel about superheroes. It's not a parody or takedown of the form--it's a genuine exploration of themes in greater detail but with fewer big set pieces than you would get in a comic book series, but with a self-awareness that doesn't play everything perfectly straight. It's using the strengths of a different storytelling medium to their greatest effect. And it's a well-paced, emotionally compelling, plain-old-good-read.

Celia is a forensic accountant, and a good one. It doesn't much matter to her father, Captain Olympus, who has never valued anything she's done since she failed to develop superpowers. The fact that it's her work that puts his greatest enemy behind bars, something the superhero was never able to do, merely makes him angry. But over the course of the trial, secrets about Celia's past come to light, ruining the life she's managed to construct for herself.

There's some fabulously-written angst here, as Celia loses everything because of mistakes she made a long time ago. It's not overdone, and it doesn't wallow, but certain places brought a genuine lump to my throat. There's also a surprisingly sweet love story.

I did manage to mostly figure out one mystery early on, but was sufficiently distracted by other plot elements not to feel let down when my guess turned out to be correct. It was merely satisfying--yes, that makes sense.

There are only two bits that didn't really work for me. Given how fast everyone turns on Celia, I thought the speed at which many of them change their minds was unrealistic. And a critical piece of information is never really addressed, probably to protect a plot point. Commerce City must be the only city in the world with super heroes. The casualness of the relationship between the heroes and the city, as well as each other, deliberately parallels a DC- or Marvel-style universe, in which every city has at least a handful of superheroes and villains, and new ones crop up all the time. However, the ending only makes sense if this is not the case.

These are fridge logic flaws--things that will not bother you until you get up afterward to go get a snack. Within the world of the book, however, the compelling characters make for an engrossing, and bittersweet, read.(less)

2 likes · like · see review

May 14, 2012 Chrissa rated it 4 of 5 stars

Not very long after starting the story, I realized that I wasn't going to put the book down until it was finished. Briefly, this is the story of Celia West, daughter of two famous heroes (although their fame seems restricted to a single major city) who is herself without superpowers. As she fights her resentments and grows into herself, she is forced to face public opprobrium and public adulation and recalibrate her understanding of heroism.

Celia's narration was an interesting look at the self-c...more

like · see review

Apr 29, 2012 Qilune rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Though nothing extraordinary, the writing is excellent and flows from scene to scene fairly well. The plot twists kept me adequately glued to the book, and when the main romance finally flared to life, it left me relieved, because I'd liked him all along. :)

Celia is just a normal girl, and I kept looking for subtle hints that she actually had superpowers. Maybe having buttloads of money counts as a superpower. It was Bruce Wayne's.

Anyway, the book reminded me of other lovely superhero incarnatio...more

like · see review

Apr 20, 2012 Sara rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2-5-stars

Plot: 3 Stars
I was never into comic books, but a couple years ago I read Black and White by Jackie Kessler and Caitlin Kittredge. I wasn't sure how a novel about superheroes was going to work out, but I absolutely loved it and could not believe there weren't more authors moving in this direction. So when I saw that Carrie Vaughn was releasing a superhero novel, I had to have it because I loved Voices of Dragons and her Kitty Norville series. Maybe my expectations were a little high after reading...more Plot: 3 Stars
I was never into comic books, but a couple years ago I read Black and White by Jackie Kessler and Caitlin Kittredge. I wasn't sure how a novel about superheroes was going to work out, but I absolutely loved it and could not believe there weren't more authors moving in this direction. So when I saw that Carrie Vaughn was releasing a superhero novel, I had to have it because I loved Voices of Dragons and her Kitty Norville series. Maybe my expectations were a little high after reading Black and White, but this novel just fell a little flat for me. Commerce City wasn't explained in much detail, so the setting portion of the world-building was a bit lacking. The Destructor was the only evil supervillian mentioned, which didn't seem plausible. But my favorite part of this novel was the mystery that unfolded. As Celia delved further and further into the mystery, she learned more and more about how the super humans came about.

Pace: 2 Stars
Three quarters of this novel left me wondering if I'd ever get to the action. It seemed like all of the time was taken up by Celia's inner monolgue, whether she was trying to figure out the current situation or rehashing past events. Whether she was on the phone, working out a new lead, or sitting in court, it seemed like Celia was telling the reader a lot of information instead of showing the reader. Even her flashbacks (which happened quite often) were a bit lackluster, considering they were flashbacks of evil geniuses and kidnappings. It wasn't until I almost gave up and brought the book back to the library without finishing, that I reached the last quarter of the book and hit a little action. Granted, I saw the scene that grabbed my attention back coming, it was enough to get me to finish the book.

Characters: 3 Stars
Celia is the only character we learn a lot about throughout this novel. While it's totally understandable that after being raised by superheroes she would rebel as a teenager and become an accountant as an adult, I never really connected to Celia. A part of the problem is that she talked about how she didn't get along with her parents throughout the entire novel, but did not give that many examples. Also, we never learn a lot about her parents outside of their jobs and the few flashbacks in which we see them all not getting along. Dr. Mentis is the only member of the Olympiad we get to learn a bit about, and that came across very rushed and last minute after certain scenes unfold. There were a number of other super humans that are mentioned once or twice with barely any detail. It was also a bit confusing at time when Celia bounced back and forth between the super human's real names and code names.

Cover: 2 Stars
This cover confused me. My first thought upon seeing it was, "Where is the cover model's face?" It isn't until you open the cover to read the inside of the jacket that you see her face, which leads me to wonder if the paperback version is going to be edited slightly or just leave her face-less. Once I started reading, the cover confused me even more because I couldn't figure out who the cover model was supposed to depict. My first thought was Celia, considering she has short red hair and she's the main character. But the red spandex suit makes me think the cover model is depicting Spark, a member of the Olympiad, which doesn't make a lot of sense because without including the other three members of the Olympiad. Although I do enjoy the juxtoposition of the title and other text in regards to the cover model's distinctly superhero pose. I just wish the cityscape across the bottom could have been more pronounced. I couldn't even tell it was there when looking at a thumbnail. Basically, from afar this cover does a good job of relaying the superhero vibe to a shopper that is browsing, but on closer inspection it is a bit generic and does not depict the novel that well.

Overall: 2.5 Stars

Disclosure: I borrowed this novel from the local library. (less)

like · see review

Mar 09, 2012 Squee rated it 1 of 5 stars

Although I read this book in a single afternoon, I ended up feeling irritated and a bit cheated at the end. An awful lot of the book is a prolonged whine by the main character, Celia West, who has a major issue with being the normal daughter of two super-powered parents.

The book starts out all right and even has some decent humorous moments, but as it progresses it becomes more and more clear that Celia is a narcissistic idiot who really hasn't learned anything from her life experiences. Her "t...more

3 likes · like · see review

Mar 06, 2012 Mike rated it 4 of 5 stars

There's a small, but growing subgenre of superhero novels (which Amazon doesn't seem to have a category for). I think the first one I came across was Mur Lafferty's Playing for Keeps , followed by Perry Moore's Hero and Austin Grossman's Soon I Will Be Invincible .

Each of them has its own angle on well-worn superhero tropes that makes it interesting and thought-provoking. Respectively, "supers with minor powers go up against supers with major powers because the latter are arrogant jerks, and w...more

2 likes · like · see review

Mar 04, 2012 Emily Park rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

http://em-and-emm.blogspot.com/2012/0...

Celia West is the daughter of Captain Olympus and Spark, the two greatest superheroes in the world. Unfortunately for Celia, she was born completely normal, and her most exciting accomplishment is her silver medal from a high school swim meet. Estranged from her parents, who were disappointed at her lack of superpowers, Celia now works as an accountant. When her accounting firm is called in to work on the financials of the Destructor, her parents' biggest...more http://em-and-emm.blogspot.com/2012/0...

Celia West is the daughter of Captain Olympus and Spark, the two greatest superheroes in the world. Unfortunately for Celia, she was born completely normal, and her most exciting accomplishment is her silver medal from a high school swim meet. Estranged from her parents, who were disappointed at her lack of superpowers, Celia now works as an accountant. When her accounting firm is called in to work on the financials of the Destructor, her parents' biggest nemesis who is about to stand trial, Celia gets drawn back into the world of superheroes and supervillains. As one of her biggest secrets is revealed to the world, Celia has to learn to contend with bad guys, her parents, and her own place in the world.

Carrie Vaughn has done a great job with crafting a fast-paced, interesting book that is perfect for a lazy afternoon. Named for the "golden age" of superheroes (Superman, etc), the book is about superheroes and the people around them after the superheroes have passed their peak, but it avoids most of the usual cliches that come to mind when superheroes are mentioned. The cliches that do pop up are generally treated with a tongue-in-cheek kind of sensibility.

The plot itself moves along at a nice pace. At no point does the book drag, and the story is fast enough to keep the reader's attention, but not so fast that it feels like mindless action. There is plenty of drama, both in the action sense and the interpersonal sense, but luckily the book never starts to feel self-important. What this book is definitely escapist fiction at its best: meant to entertain, with its twists and love stories and action.

The most interesting part of the book is the characterization. I liked Celia a great deal, though she did tend to feel sorry for herself. If I had lived her life, though, I can't say I'd have been any better. She's an interesting heroine, who wants to make a name for herself, and establish her own career away from her parents and their glory. She wants to get away from the mistakes of her childhood, and she wants to prove to her father that she can be a good accountant, even if she can't fly or lift cars. Celia's mother and some of the other superheroes in the book are also interesting... three dimensional and unconventional. Celia's father is probably the hardest to pin down... he clearly expects a lot out of Celia, and he is clearly disappointed in her, but also clearly loves her. The relationship between Celia and her father (Captain Olympus) is probably one of the more interesting part of the story.

The biggest weak spot of the book is probably the romantic angle. It sort of felt like it was thrown in because readers expect a love story, so the love story kind of pops up out of nowhere and doesn't get as much attention as the characters deserve. Having said that, the love story was understated enough that I never felt like I was wading through a soap opera, and I never felt like the love story dominated the novel as a whole, which is nice.

Recommended reading for people who enjoy superhero stories, or quick fantasy reads. It's not high-brow fiction, but it's entertaining, and fun, and interesting, and that's what matters to me.
(less)

like · see review

Jan 20, 2012 Jenn rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: superheroes

I had a completed version of this post that got eaten by a computer crash. I’ve tried to recreate it but my enthusiasm is a little lower this time around…

I was very excited when I saw this book at the library the other day. I’d been hoping that the library would get it and there it was. Early Christmas present for me! I’ve loved a good superhero story, ever since I was a kid, and with the resurgence of superheroes in the multiplexes and the more mainstream acceptance of superhero tales as being...more I had a completed version of this post that got eaten by a computer crash. I’ve tried to recreate it but my enthusiasm is a little lower this time around…

I was very excited when I saw this book at the library the other day. I’d been hoping that the library would get it and there it was. Early Christmas present for me! I’ve loved a good superhero story, ever since I was a kid, and with the resurgence of superheroes in the multiplexes and the more mainstream acceptance of superhero tales as being not just for kids, it’s easier than ever to get my hands on them. But they’re definitely not all good. Take Green Lantern, for example. I love me some Ryan Reynolds but that movie wasn’t satisfying at all. Thankfully, for every Green Lantern, we have a Thor or The Incredibles, so there are always good stories available. After the Golden Age, blessedly, falls into the latter category. It’s a good story. At times, it’s great. Other times, though they are rare, I found myself questioning the rationale behind some of the story’s plot pieces. All in all, though, I really enjoyed this book.

Written by Carrie Vaughn, author of the Kitty Norville series, After the Golden Age pays delightful homage to classic superhero tales. Even the title is an homage! In Commerce City, superheroes like the Olympiad are rogue, operating in a city whose police force tolerates their presence. (Batman! Justice League!) Celia, the powerless daughter of two superheroes, has grown up in this world and, because her parents’ secret identities were revealed, is the victim of repeated kidnappings by criminals who want the attention of her parents (Megamind – sort of, since Roxanne isn’t related to Metro Man). Like Roxanne, Celia is old hat at being kidnapped and takes it with a stoic attitude. There are also obvious parallels between the Olympiad and any number of superhero teams (the Justice League, the X-men, the Avengers, etc.). I can also see some similarities between Celia’s life and the first volumes of Runaways, though those kids have gifts of their own.

Overall, I enjoyed After the Golden Age. Celia is a sympathetic lead character and you really feel for her. She’s trying to lead a normal life but her family and their history with the Descructor keep getting in the way. But Celia’s determined to stick to her guns and lead the life she wants, which is admirable. I also liked that she offered a different perspective on the superhero story and that the cadre of heroes who inhabit Commerce City are similar to comic characters but not carbon copies. There were a couple things I didn’t love towards the end of the novel but it’s generally a satisfying read. I would recommend it to anyone who ever dreamed of wearing a cape (at least until they saw Edna’s cape rant in The Incredibles).

http://ireadgood.wordpress.com (less)

like · see review

Jan 01, 2012 Paradoxical rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-reading-list, books-otherwise

I'm not the biggest fan of superheroes, mainly because I think their costumes are ridiculous (which, considering what the characters wear in some of the other books I enjoy reading, doesn't make all that much sense, but go figure) and they just strike me as rather absurd overall. Still, there was something about After the Golden Age that I latched onto and enjoyed greatly.

The book is about Celia, who is (unfortunately) the daughter of two famous superheroes. She has no powers of her own, which...more I'm not the biggest fan of superheroes, mainly because I think their costumes are ridiculous (which, considering what the characters wear in some of the other books I enjoy reading, doesn't make all that much sense, but go figure) and they just strike me as rather absurd overall. Still, there was something about After the Golden Age that I latched onto and enjoyed greatly.

The book is about Celia, who is (unfortunately) the daughter of two famous superheroes. She has no powers of her own, which caused her a lot of grief when she was younger, though she's much better about it at the start of the book (this is good because I don't think I'd be able to deal with all of the whining--it was bad enough reading the flashbacks). It's less about superheroes and more about Celia finding herself as a person, dealing with her dark past, and accepting the people around her.

Celia is a decent main character. She did some (very) stupid things when she was younger, but she keeps trying to make up for it and all she wants is to live her very normal life with very little in the way of bumps. Unfortunately things don't go exactly as planned, her life pretty much blows up around her, and she gets kidnapped like half a dozen times. I kid you not. It was great seeing her rather blase about the entire kidnapping scenario, but at the same time it's a bit disheartening that she's always in so much trouble and she can't even get herself out of the messes.

The relationship she has with her parents is very rocky, to say the least, but it's nice to see both sides of the party try to reconcile with one another, even if it's more one step forward and two steps back than anything else. Her parents are a bit flat. Her mother cries a lot and is sort of super mediator mom between Celia and her father, and her father can't seem to talk to her without wanting to smash things, which grows a bit old.

The pacing is pretty good, and I did enjoy reading the book from start to finish. I wasn't very happy about the last chapter, but mostly that was because it was one of those exposition, "and this is what happens to everyone a few years later" sort of deals. Makes me yawn in general. The plot itself was rather predictable. Even if you might not know exactly what is going on, you can at least predict the general storyline and who is the bad guy and that bad stuff is going down. The romance on the other hand... well, I liked the main couple. You could see hints that the book was leaning towards them from the beginning, but when they do get together, it was somewhat of a rush, which was a bit of a letdown. That and the guy wasn't nearly as fleshed out (except for some small glimpses) as I would like. Ah well. 3 stars. (less)

like · see review

Dec 11, 2011 Angela Wallace rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: urban-fantasy

Most people think having superhero parents would be awesome, but not Celia West. She's the daughter of two of the best superhero vigilantes in Commerce City, Captain Olympus and Spark, yet Celia has no powers of her own. Instead of joining the "family business," Celia is every villain's favorite hostage. Enter Bait Girl, the Captive Wonder.

Celia has done everything she can to distance herself from the shadows of her parents, putting herself through college and becoming a forensic accountant. But...more Most people think having superhero parents would be awesome, but not Celia West. She's the daughter of two of the best superhero vigilantes in Commerce City, Captain Olympus and Spark, yet Celia has no powers of her own. Instead of joining the "family business," Celia is every villain's favorite hostage. Enter Bait Girl, the Captive Wonder.

Celia has done everything she can to distance herself from the shadows of her parents, putting herself through college and becoming a forensic accountant. But her parents' archenemy, The Destructor, is now on trial and Celia will be sucked back into the world of superheros and villains. When she's called to testify, Celia's darkest secret will be revealed, for in her teen rebellion against parents she could never live up to, Celia joined The Destructor. Will that one childish act destroy the life she's tried to make for herself?

In the midst of it all, crime sprees are plaguing the city, and everyone believes The Destructor is active from behind his cell door, preparing for something big, but Celia suspects someone else. With everyone against her, will she, the mundane mortal, be able to solve the mystery and save the city?

I really enjoyed this book. I've also been on a Marvel movie kick, so was already in a superhero mindset. The characters and world is reminiscent of The Incredibles with caped crusaders, except there's nothing special about the protagonist. Because of this, the story is not non-stop super battles, though Celia does get kidnapped a few times--hazard of her life. She's more the quiet, investigative type, tracking down paper trails and leads to discover what exactly is behind the conspiracy of crime sprees.

Interspersed throughout are flashbacks of Celia's life growing up as the daughter of two superheroes. These were paced nicely and offered good insight into the character without appearing too chunky or distracting. As much as it's a superhero/mystery story, it's also about a young woman trying to find her own identity outside of what others expect of her. And when she's finally ready to start accepting it, she opens herself up to a sweet romance (for those of you hoping for that angle). ;-)(less)

1 like · like · see review

Nov 04, 2011 Alan rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Daddy's little girl

Recommended to Alan by: Its cover

"How could a superhero be so weepy?"

You know what it's like, probably, or can remember. You grow up believing that your parents are superheroes who can do no wrong, but eventually you find out that they're not really that powerful after all. But what if your parents really are superheroes?

That's what Celia West has to face. She's the daughter of Spark and Captain Olympus, otherwise known as Suzanne and Warren West, costumed vigilantes in the grand old tradition, defenders of Commerce City agains...more "How could a superhero be so weepy?"

You know what it's like, probably, or can remember. You grow up believing that your parents are superheroes who can do no wrong, but eventually you find out that they're not really that powerful after all. But what if your parents really are superheroes?

That's what Celia West has to face. She's the daughter of Spark and Captain Olympus, otherwise known as Suzanne and Warren West, costumed vigilantes in the grand old tradition, defenders of Commerce City against super-villains like the Destructor, heiress to the West fortune and inheritor of... no super powers at all, unless you count biting sarcasm as one.

Celia's bright, pretty, wealthy, and utterly normal. It's a burden, one she's had to bear her whole life, pretty much. So her teenaged rebellion was a little wilder than most kids'. So what? She pulled it together; the records were sealed since she was still a juvenile (technically), and as After the Golden Age opens, Celia has become a talented forensic accountant, a rising young professional, and the Destructor is behind bars at last, under indictment for... tax evasion. The same way they got Al Capone, you know.

Oh, Celia still has to deal with her status as the Olympiad's well-known daughter. She's been the target of so many kidnapping attempts, always foiled at the last minute by Mom and Dad, that she's gotten bored with them—she can't even muster up enough terror to make a good ransom video. "Celia West: Bait Girl. Hostage Lass. The Captive Wonder." (p.99) Maybe that's her super talent.

This entry in the recently-burgeoning field of reimagined superheroes seemed to me to be the literary equivalent of a high-quality "chick flick," a "rom com" (or some other rhyming and otherwise dismissive term). There's even a scene in which Celia has her parents over for pizza; they leave after an argument and Celia just throws the leftover pizza away, instead of putting it in the fridge to eat cold later. It has enough explosions and vehicle crashes to satisfy the guys, but the focus of the book is on relationships: Celia's with her parents; Celia's with the men in her life; the Olympiad's with the underappreciated police force of Commerce City... the Wests with each other. You think it's hard being the child of a couple of tights-wearing do-gooders; try being the mom and dad of a child who seems sometimes to put herself into harm's way deliberately.

"After the Golden Age" is a well-chosen title, I think; it hints at the feelings these superheroes have as their time passes. They're not immortal—no one is, in this book anyway—and the time has come to pass the torch to a younger generation. Even if the kid can't fly when you throw her off the roof, or swim fast enough to take the gold medal at her high-school competition.

After the Golden Age is a perfectly serviceable light novel, with some worthwhile insights into the trauma of growing up. I enjoyed it a lot—and sometimes that's all you should ask of a book.(less)

like · see review

Oct 26, 2011 Broche rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: adult, funny

This was definitely one of those "judged a book by its cover" reads and I'm three-quarters glad that I did. Why only 3/4ths? Because the book was great for that long. Then she somehow lost it right at the end - don't you just hate that? BUT, because the first 3/4ths of the book was still really compelling, I'm going to blog it and recommend it anyway.

Celia West is the daughter of superheros. Captain Olympiad and Spark are actually Dad and Mom - beyond-wealthy socialites with a conscience who for...more This was definitely one of those "judged a book by its cover" reads and I'm three-quarters glad that I did. Why only 3/4ths? Because the book was great for that long. Then she somehow lost it right at the end - don't you just hate that? BUT, because the first 3/4ths of the book was still really compelling, I'm going to blog it and recommend it anyway.

Celia West is the daughter of superheros. Captain Olympiad and Spark are actually Dad and Mom - beyond-wealthy socialites with a conscience who formed the crime-fighting team, the Olympiads. Unfortunately for Celia, she's superpower-less. Celia is a forensic accountant, and as sexy as that job sounds, she has actually been placed as an assistant to the DA on the case against the Destructor, the Olympiads' #1 nemesis. Why? Because after all the destruction The Destructor has managed to cause, he's actually going to be put away for something like tax fraud. Ain't that always the way?

Estranged from her family, Celia is nonetheless still acting in her role as "Bait Girl," meaning she continues to be kidnapped as part of a new rash of high-profile crimes hitting Commerce City. She's not scared - why should she be? This has happened so many times before - but it IS annoying to have to keep being rescued by your parents and their friends. Especially when she's done so much to distance herself from them, from her rebellious teenage self, and from her sealed juvie record which is about to be leaked and make the biggest, darkest secret from her past very public knowledge.

When, once again, Celia's thrust back into the limelight, all she wants to do is squirrel away in her apartment, maybe consider buying a new identity, and moving to another city. But in her work for this big "Trial of the Century," she's actually been making some progress. So who cares if she's been fired? If she could just get her dad to let her into the Olympiads' computer system, she just may be able to follow the paper trail that could lead them all to who is actually behind the new crime spree, the mayor's build-up to martial law, and quite possibly the secret behind even her parents' superpowers.

It is just at the moment that Celia is coming back to herself as her own proud, not powerless character, that the book takes a dark turn with the plot. Death, destruction, and a really fast wrap-up make me want to ask this author for a rewrite of the last 30 pages. As I said before, though, worth reading for the quick pace of writing, the humor, the brief characterizations, and overall, just a nice break from everything else I've been reading out there.(less)

2 likes · like · see review

Jul 07, 2011 Michelle R. Wood rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Looking through my RSS feeds today, I noticed an article on Blastr.com entitled "7 superheroes who aren't doing nearly enough to save the world" (http://blastr.com/2011/07/7-superhero...). As the comments to the article imply, the debate over superhero priorities is rather vacuous, all things considering. But I think the reasonable questions that this genre invites plague (and stymie) many of the Hollywood comic adaptions coming out now. To any of those screenwriters struggling with pulling off...more Looking through my RSS feeds today, I noticed an article on Blastr.com entitled "7 superheroes who aren't doing nearly enough to save the world" (http://blastr.com/2011/07/7-superhero...). As the comments to the article imply, the debate over superhero priorities is rather vacuous, all things considering. But I think the reasonable questions that this genre invites plague (and stymie) many of the Hollywood comic adaptions coming out now. To any of those screenwriters struggling with pulling off a superhero story, I'd suggest they read Carrie Vaughn's delightful novel After the Golden Age. Tip 1, Tinseltown: sometimes the person with the power isn't the best one to focus on.

Here's a short, spoiler-free synopsis: Celia West is the mundane daughter of two rich socialites who moonlight as vigilante superheroes. Her parents are known the world over, inspiring both enemies and groupies, and virtually invented the "saving the city" line of work. Even though Celia would just as soon keep out of the public eye as an ordinary citizen taking the bus to her job as an accountant, she is continually drawn back into the sphere of her parents as would-be criminal masterminds all hit on the most overused plot device in comicdom: kidnap the damsel as blackmail against the hero(es). But when Celia's work and personal life collide in a true supervillain's trial of the century, she is forced to step out of her parents' shadow to finally make a stand of her own.

Vaughn doesn't try to weigh the genre down with too much realism. Commerce City is another not-so-cleverly disguised New York (like Metropolis and Gotham), and the potential scientific explanations for the characters' powers are mentioned but not dwelt on (freeing this novel from plodding exposition or cryptic technobabble). The superhero device is accepted rather than deconstructed, and while there are wider sociopolitical ideas touched on, Vaughn makes sure they buoy the plot along rather than weigh it down into deeper waters than the subject matter could handle.

Instead of being a manifesto, this book functions as a character study with a sturdy plot exploring an eminently relateable question: when and how do you truly grow up? Yes, the question of this novel is not what makes a hero, but what makes a person. Celia's journey to maturity may be rougher due to her parents' overwhelming public personas, but she also faces very normal struggles: a dad with high expectations and poor communication skills, a mother whose love comes across a bit strong at awkward moments, a family friend who still thinks of her as a kid even after graduating from college.

The topic is explored humorously and lovingly, with light sprinklings of romance and action for seasoning and a healthy amount of suspense and soul-searching for good measure. One of my greatest reliefs was that Vaughn didn't feel the need to demonize some characters to make others look better; instead, she allowed characters to stand (or fail) on their own merits. Also, she managed to capably write fully realized villains without making them sympathetic: evil and destruction are never glorified in this book, and even a single act of indiscretion is shown to sometimes have consequences far beyond what we might imagine. Finally, there's the belief in this book that we never truly stop learning or growing up, and a reminder to not take family and friends for granted.

One word of warning for younger or more conservative readers: After the Golden Age is an apt description of the story, meaning this is a modern book with characters who may not conform to traditional rules of conduct in terms of language and sexual behavior. For the most part the book has nothing worse than a typical prime time TV show, but there's enough that I felt readers should be warned.

Overall, I highly recommend this book to readers who enjoy fun plots, engaging characters, and rich quirky prose.(less)

1 like · like · see review

Jun 07, 2011 Dragondreamer rated it 4 of 5 stars

Hey y'all, I just read another book you need to add to your summer reading list. I just finished reading After The Golden Age by Carrie Vaughn and loved it. While this book is very different from Ms. Vaughn's well-known Kitty Norville series, After The Golden Age will appeal to readers who like strong heroines.

After The Golden Age tells the story of Celia West, the average human daughter of two major superheroes, and the chaos that ensues after the police of Commerce City arrest one of the city'...more

like · see review

May 16, 2011 Gail rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

From the author of the Kitty, the Werewolf series, comes a well imagined and well written fantasy novel about the daughter of superheros. With no discernable superpowers, Celia West is a disappointment to her father, Captain Olympus. Her mother Spark walks the line between husband and child. Now 28 and living the exciting life of a forensic accountant, Celia is used to being kidnapped by the City's supervillans and bad guys. It is part of her routine.

Her accounting firm assigns her to the Distr...more

like · see review

May 03, 2011 Rosalia rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011, scifi, superheroes

Celia West is the daughter of Captain Olympiad and Spark, Commerce City's two greatest superheroes. Unfortunately she has no powers and is totally normal, unless you count her ability to remain calm in the face of constant kidnapping. Now her parents greatest foe The Destructor is on trial and she is the forensic accountant assigned to find his assets. Her relationship with her parents has always been strained AT BEST, the events that follow can bring them together or take them apart.

As soon as...more

like · see review

title link	preview: After the Golden Age
avg rating	preview: After the Golden Age Goodreads rating: 3.74 (1469 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8665134-after-the-golden-age?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1316636024l/8665134.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8665134-after-the-golden-age?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]After the Golden Age by Carrie Vaughn[/url]

After the Golden Age (Golden Age #1)

Friend Reviews

Lists with This Book

Community Reviews

new topic
Discuss This Book

combine
Other Editions (3)

Genres

Readers also enjoyed similar books

About Carrie Vaughn

Books by Carrie Vaughn

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website

Trivia About After the Golden Age

Quotes from After the Golden Age