Super heroes and zombies clash again in Peter Clines' follow up novel to Ex-Heroes. I have to say, I wasn't really expecting much from the first story...moreSuper heroes and zombies clash again in Peter Clines' follow up novel to Ex-Heroes. I have to say, I wasn't really expecting much from the first story and was pleasantly surprised. Moving on to the sequel, I find myself hoping for a third one.
In this novel, the survivors of the first book find themselves visited by a military that they did not know still existed. Unfortunately, they also find that said military has plans for them that they are not happy to be included in.
Along with the heroes who survived the first story, we are introduced to one new hero in L.A. and several genetically-enhanced super soldiers. In a way, I think Clines fell a bit flat on the super soldiers, taking more of a note from a team of Captain Americas than anything. I would have hoped for something a bit more creative, but it still worked. Unfortunately, I didn't feel any of the super soldiers had the substance they could have. Oh well. It is pulp fiction to an extent.
Anyway, this was a smooth and fast read. Just what the doctor ordered.(less)
Honestly, I had no idea what I might be getting into when I picked this book up. Although super heroes and zombies mixed well in the Marvel Zombies gr...moreHonestly, I had no idea what I might be getting into when I picked this book up. Although super heroes and zombies mixed well in the Marvel Zombies graphic novels, I had no idea how it might translate into other literature. I must say that it mixed nicely.
The story takes place in Los Angeles after the fall of society to an outbreak of the undead. A group of super heroes and a number of civilians are holding up in a fortified studio area of Hollywood. They not only need to deal with hordes of flesh eating cadavers, but an army of thugs and criminals banded together before and after the outbreak began.
The heroes in the novel are interesting and diverse. Although I cannot give credit to the author for being completely original in any of the ideas, I still feel that the concepts were fresh enough not to be cliche. The idea of super heroes becoming super zombies was also used before, but not in this exact manner. Perhaps we can conclude that Clines took some decent ideas and ran with them for the game point.
The saga winds on pretty smoothly throughout the book, stopping from time to time to give background to the heroes of the story. I felt that some of this could have been worked on and that a few heroes were left unexplained even though they were mentioned throughout the novel. A bit more on Midknight, Blockbuster, and Awesome Ape (silly name, I know) would have been useful. I would have liked a bit more background on the main villain as well.
Nothing was too in-depth, but all of it was solid enough to piece together into a good read. If a sequel is written, I hope it stays on track. If one isn't, I will say the ending is enough to live with.(less)
I read the Mutant Empire series as one book. I found it to be an enjoyable read and much less childish than I might have initially expected. The story...moreI read the Mutant Empire series as one book. I found it to be an enjoyable read and much less childish than I might have initially expected. The story is about Magneto, a powerful mutant taking actions to create a society for mutants and eventually expand to take over large portions of the planet. Of course, The X-Men intervene.
In the first book, Magneto and his crew attack a secret military base and take control of Sentinals, giant robots of immense power. With the Sentinals, Magneto and his group take over Manhatten.
At the same time, Cyclops finds out his father is to be executed on another planet.
The X-Men divide into two groups to attempt to tackle both missions.(less)
I read the Mutant Empire novels in one combined book.
In Sanctuary, Magneto has gathered numerous mutants in Manhatten and taken it over as his own em...moreI read the Mutant Empire novels in one combined book.
In Sanctuary, Magneto has gathered numerous mutants in Manhatten and taken it over as his own empire.
With half the X-Men on another mission and X-Factor out of the loop, it is up to a few X-Men to try to stop Magneto on their own.
As with the first book in this series, Sanctuary was well-written and is not as immature as one might expect from a novel written from a comic book series.(less)
This is the third and final book in the Mutant Empire series, which I read as one novel.
The basic premise is that the X-Men are attempting to stop Mag...moreThis is the third and final book in the Mutant Empire series, which I read as one novel.
The basic premise is that the X-Men are attempting to stop Magneto from starting a war between mutants and humans.
From his mutant stronghold in Manhatten, Magneto is gathering hundreds of mutants to his cause.
Outside of Manhatten, the military wait to be called to action.
An error causes an all-out conflict between the military and Magneto's forces while the X-Men attempt to bring order to the situation.
It wasn't a bad read. It wasn't childish in any manner (no more so than zombies and vampires I guess). I recommend it to fans of superheroes, The X-Men, Marvel comics, and pulp fiction.(less)
This was a quick read. The basic premise is that a school for mutants begins to have some odd happenings and only a couple of the students seem to not...moreThis was a quick read. The basic premise is that a school for mutants begins to have some odd happenings and only a couple of the students seem to notice. As a fan of X-Men and some of the tag-along stories, I figured I would check it out. It wasn't a bad read, but it doesn't have many characters that I could get into either.
I suppose if you're into the comic or a fan of Marvel in general, you'll find this to be a decent read.(less)