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Dark/Spark #2
They Promised Me The Gun Wasn't Loaded
Award-winning author James Alan Gardner returns to the superheroic fantasy world of All Those Explosions Were Someone Else's Fault with They Promised Me The Gun Wasn't Loaded.
Only days have passed since a freak accident granted four college students superhuman powers. Now Jools and her friends (who haven't even picked out a name for their superhero team yet) get caught up in the hunt for a Mad Genius's misplaced super-weapon.
But when Jools falls in with a modern-day Robin Hood and his band of super-powered Merry Men, she finds it hard to sort out the Good Guys from the Bad Guys--and to figure out which side she truly belongs on.
Especially since nobody knows exactly what the Gun does . . . .
Only days have passed since a freak accident granted four college students superhuman powers. Now Jools and her friends (who haven't even picked out a name for their superhero team yet) get caught up in the hunt for a Mad Genius's misplaced super-weapon.
But when Jools falls in with a modern-day Robin Hood and his band of super-powered Merry Men, she finds it hard to sort out the Good Guys from the Bad Guys--and to figure out which side she truly belongs on.
Especially since nobody knows exactly what the Gun does . . . .
352 pages, Paperback
First published November 6, 2018
38 people are currently reading
389 people want to read
About the author
James Alan Gardner
65 books279 followersRaised in Simcoe and Bradford, Ontario, James Alan Gardner earned Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Applied Mathematics from the University of Waterloo.
A graduate of the Clarion West Fiction Writers Workshop, Gardner has published science fiction short stories in a range of periodicals, including The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction and Amazing Stories. In 1989, his short story "Children of the Creche" was awarded the Grand Prize in the Writers of the Future contest. Two years later his story "Muffin Explains Teleology to the World at Large" won an Aurora Award; another story, "Three Hearings on the Existence of Snakes in the Human Bloodstream," won an Aurora and was nominated for both the Nebula and Hugo Awards.
He has written a number of novels in a "League of Peoples" universe in which murderers are defined as "dangerous non-sentients" and are killed if they try to leave their solar system by aliens who are so advanced that they think of humans like humans think of bacteria. This precludes the possibility of interstellar wars.
He has also explored themes of gender in his novels, including Commitment Hour in which people change sex every year, and Vigilant in which group marriages are traditional.
Gardner is also an educator and technical writer. His book Learning UNIX is used as a textbook in some Canadian universities.
A Grand Prize winner of the Writers of the Future contest, he lives with his family in Waterloo, Ontario.
A graduate of the Clarion West Fiction Writers Workshop, Gardner has published science fiction short stories in a range of periodicals, including The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction and Amazing Stories. In 1989, his short story "Children of the Creche" was awarded the Grand Prize in the Writers of the Future contest. Two years later his story "Muffin Explains Teleology to the World at Large" won an Aurora Award; another story, "Three Hearings on the Existence of Snakes in the Human Bloodstream," won an Aurora and was nominated for both the Nebula and Hugo Awards.
He has written a number of novels in a "League of Peoples" universe in which murderers are defined as "dangerous non-sentients" and are killed if they try to leave their solar system by aliens who are so advanced that they think of humans like humans think of bacteria. This precludes the possibility of interstellar wars.
He has also explored themes of gender in his novels, including Commitment Hour in which people change sex every year, and Vigilant in which group marriages are traditional.
Gardner is also an educator and technical writer. His book Learning UNIX is used as a textbook in some Canadian universities.
A Grand Prize winner of the Writers of the Future contest, he lives with his family in Waterloo, Ontario.
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August 27, 2024
2024 Re-read
Since it seems that we're only going to get two stories out of the four roommates who have acquired super powers, I'm grateful that Jools/Ninety-Nine was one of them. I just love her. She's used to being the fuck-up of the four women, drinking too much, sleeping around, getting kicked off the university hockey team, flunking tests. Becoming Ninety-Nine gives her the intelligence that she longs for and the competence to do all kinds of things with it. Plus, she can summon her glowing green hockey and then “it's Hockey Night in Canada, bitches!”
It all begins as Jools returns to Waterloo after Christmas in Edmonton. She is shanghaied when the plane lands and learns of the existence of a crystalline bazooka, purported to belong to the villain Diamond. With the help of Zircon, Aria, and Dakini, the bazooka is acquired and the adventure begins. Because the Light, which creates Sparks with super powers to begin with, thrives on maximum drama.
Of course there is a Spark named Robin Hood with his band of Merry Sparks. This is Jools' story, so you know that she will spend time in his Sherwood Lair. I'd forgotten about his role here, but it's kind of cool to have an impulse read fit obliquely into my Summer of Sherwood project.
We learn quickly that Jools really cares about her roomies. Her tough-girl act fools some people, but K, Miranda and Shar figure it out. I had to laugh at the end, when Jools decides that communication rings are too easily taken away by the bad guys--she's going to make them communication IUDs! Brilliant, Mr. Gardner!
Now I will moan that there's no Miranda or Shar volumes to continue on with. Tor, what kind of publisher are you? I got to meet Gardner at a conference a few years ago, and I know he had plans for them (I asked). So much disappointment!
Original Review
A fond homage to the comic book superhero. The books feature four young women who have accidentally acquired super-powers. The first book featured Kim/K/Zircon and this second book is all Jools/Ninety Nine. I loved Jools in the first book, so this one was a treat.
Jools is the jock who had been drinking too much and flunking out of university up to this point. Now she has some kind of mental link to the internet and mad inventor skilz. Previously, her main aims in life are to play hockey and absorb booze. Now, Jools must find out what her life as a Spark is going to look like. I really like her snarky humour and her outlook on both her old and new lives.
I could just go on quoting--there are too many scenes where Jools has something amusing to say.
I am assuming that the remaining two room-mates will get their own books soon. At least I hope so. I am very much looking forward to hearing this author speak at When Words Collide next month!
Since it seems that we're only going to get two stories out of the four roommates who have acquired super powers, I'm grateful that Jools/Ninety-Nine was one of them. I just love her. She's used to being the fuck-up of the four women, drinking too much, sleeping around, getting kicked off the university hockey team, flunking tests. Becoming Ninety-Nine gives her the intelligence that she longs for and the competence to do all kinds of things with it. Plus, she can summon her glowing green hockey and then “it's Hockey Night in Canada, bitches!”
It all begins as Jools returns to Waterloo after Christmas in Edmonton. She is shanghaied when the plane lands and learns of the existence of a crystalline bazooka, purported to belong to the villain Diamond. With the help of Zircon, Aria, and Dakini, the bazooka is acquired and the adventure begins. Because the Light, which creates Sparks with super powers to begin with, thrives on maximum drama.
Of course there is a Spark named Robin Hood with his band of Merry Sparks. This is Jools' story, so you know that she will spend time in his Sherwood Lair. I'd forgotten about his role here, but it's kind of cool to have an impulse read fit obliquely into my Summer of Sherwood project.
We learn quickly that Jools really cares about her roomies. Her tough-girl act fools some people, but K, Miranda and Shar figure it out. I had to laugh at the end, when Jools decides that communication rings are too easily taken away by the bad guys--she's going to make them communication IUDs! Brilliant, Mr. Gardner!
Now I will moan that there's no Miranda or Shar volumes to continue on with. Tor, what kind of publisher are you? I got to meet Gardner at a conference a few years ago, and I know he had plans for them (I asked). So much disappointment!
Original Review
A fond homage to the comic book superhero. The books feature four young women who have accidentally acquired super-powers. The first book featured Kim/K/Zircon and this second book is all Jools/Ninety Nine. I loved Jools in the first book, so this one was a treat.
Jools is the jock who had been drinking too much and flunking out of university up to this point. Now she has some kind of mental link to the internet and mad inventor skilz. Previously, her main aims in life are to play hockey and absorb booze. Now, Jools must find out what her life as a Spark is going to look like. I really like her snarky humour and her outlook on both her old and new lives.
”My family lives in Edmonton and I went to see them for Christmas. Ten days of R&R with my father and four snoopy sisters. Fortunately, their questions were all “Do you have an actual boyfriend yet?” rather than “Have you accidentally acquired superpowers?”
“‘Invie’ is short for ‘The Inventor’; what he invents are gadgets above and beyond physics. They’re what we call ‘Cape Tech’ because ‘Mad Genius crap that defies the laws of God’ sounds judgy.
“I’m fine now,” I say. “I could model for Elle. Or at least Horse and Rider.”
A handful of super-smart inventor types have managed to stay sane, but dozens of others spend their time prancing about in jackboots and building armines of giant zombie dinosaurs. Whenever I tell myself I’m strong enough to resist that temptation, a voice in my head says, “You can’t resist Cheezies. You think you’re gonna resist going evil?”
Maybe I’ll make a fanny pack with useful odds and ends. Or a utility belt! I could build a utility belt! Cuz nothing says “super” like someone whose belt weights ninety-five pounds and sags down to show her butt crack.
I could just go on quoting--there are too many scenes where Jools has something amusing to say.
I am assuming that the remaining two room-mates will get their own books soon. At least I hope so. I am very much looking forward to hearing this author speak at When Words Collide next month!
January 23, 2019
'They Promised Me the Gun Wasn't Loaded' sees the return of our newly sparked superheroes (or at least group of friends who are pretty sure they want to fight for the side of light and heroics but haven't quite come up with a team name or defining goal yet - the latter is something that they really should do before 'The Light' starts assigning one to them as sometimes 'The Light's' assigned goals can get a wee bit rabidly all consuming and somewhat blind to any collateral damage). Its been a few days from where they last left off and they have successfully negotiated their first encounters with Darklings (Supernatural/magic empowered persons, such as vampires and demons, who are the rich echelons of society and thus pretty much run most of the world), Mad Scientists and their fellow Sparks (where the Darklings are magic empowered, the Light offers its champions powers based on superscience - which are nearly as grounded in reality as magic to be honest).
Right from the beginning of this book, it is Jools, biology student and hockey nut turned the epitome of human potential, and her quest to prevent a Mad Scientist's bazooka from either falling into the wrong hands, or being the cause of great unpleasantness and chaos, whose story we are following. We do get to have a good rounding out of her other team mates but this one is definitely her tale. Fortunately, not only is she an entertaining character in all her hard drinking, self doubting, worried about turning into a Mad Scientist but also heartfelt, upfront and basically funny ways, but she also serves to transition this book exceedingly well into one that works as a standalone adventure. I really appreciate how the author was able to do this while avoiding the perils of info dumps.
In fact when it comes to balance James Alan Gardner shows an adept hand in a few areas including: a type of decently momentum pacing that still leaves room for reveling in character interactions and their own internal conflicts of self; a novel that is all about superheroics, explosions, demons and goblins, and humour but which also addresses more serious topics such as consent issues and gender representation. And with all of these the integration is smooth so that it feels naturally part of the story. In a snippet of an interview below James Gardner explains how one of his new characters is introduced (whom I really hope becomes a recurring character as she is utterly intriguing) and in it we can see how the socio-reality of this character just became easily integrated into the story:
In They Promised Me The Gun Wasn’t Loaded, my favorite bit occurs early on. But first, some background. The book takes place in a world like our own, except that most rich and powerful people are Darklings—vampires, were-beasts, or demons. The power of the Darklings is counterbalanced by the presence of superheroes: normal people who happened to touch a glowing meteorite or get bitten by a radioactive spider. So basically, the affluent 1% are monsters, and the 99% are protected by a diverse set of random super-folk.
The protagonist of They Promised Me is Jools, a university student who gained superpowers in a laboratory accident. In the book’s first chapter, she enters a Darkling hangout…and that’s where my favorite bit happens.
Jools is brought to this fancy lounge in order to meet a particular Darkling. However, I didn’t want the place to be empty except for the one guy Jools has to meet. I wanted it occupied by other Darklings, and I wanted to show a wide variety of them. Readers need to understand that Darklings are a diverse lot, representing folklore monsters from around the globe.
So I went to my reference books and eventually found Calon Arang, an evil witch-demon from the island of Bali. As is often the case with female “monsters”, some folklorists think Calon was based on a real woman: a popular leader who challenged the powers-that-be. Eventually, they assassinated her, then made up stories to demonize her—saying she ate babies, poisoned crops, spread disease, and all the usual smears to justify why they were right to kill her.
So, an ancient Indonesian witch who’s been unjustly slandered for centuries and is likely pissed off about it: I could work with that. Calon was a potentially complex character who’d be far more engaging than some clichéd Western menace. I could even use her as a “noble” Darkling, since I didn’t want to portray all Darklings as unambiguous villains. It’s more interesting if the Dark can be good as well as bad, and you never know which way they’ll go.
So Calon Arang became the first person Jools set eyes on when she walked into the Darkling lounge. At first, Calon ignored Jools entirely—Jools wasn’t in her superhero costume, so she looked like an unremarkable nobody. But Jools is always brash, and was unintimidated by her posh surroundings. She stood out; she took no crap from various Darklings, even the Dark usually scare the heck out of normal mortals.
In other words, Jools was Calon’s kind of person: a bold young woman who didn’t suck up to powerful people.
Eventually, Jools and Calon started talking. By then, I’d decided that Calon could be useful as a contact Jools could call on when she needed information about Darkling activities. But then, in the course of improvising this conversation, I wrote Calon asking Jools, “What are you doing tomorrow night?”
Wait. What?
My list of set-pieces included a big Darkling shindig the next night. I had planned for Jools to attend, but until Calon asked her question, I thought Jools would just crash the party. Superheroes always barge into places they aren’t invited. I had no plan for Jools to go to the party as Calon’s “date”.
And yet here we were.
After that, I had to figure out why Calon asked—it certainly wasn’t sexual. Coming up with a sensible reason led to major plot developments I had never envisioned. If you read the book (as I hope you will), you may be astonished that all the ensuing plot consequences weren’t planned from the beginning.
But they weren’t. They arose because I was improvising a conversation between my heroine and someone I thought of as a minor background character. Then the conversation went somewhere that completely surprised me and rearranged the rest of the novel.
That’s why it’s my favorite bit. I love it when my plans fall apart.
http://maryrobinettekowal.com/journal...
Right from the beginning of this book, it is Jools, biology student and hockey nut turned the epitome of human potential, and her quest to prevent a Mad Scientist's bazooka from either falling into the wrong hands, or being the cause of great unpleasantness and chaos, whose story we are following. We do get to have a good rounding out of her other team mates but this one is definitely her tale. Fortunately, not only is she an entertaining character in all her hard drinking, self doubting, worried about turning into a Mad Scientist but also heartfelt, upfront and basically funny ways, but she also serves to transition this book exceedingly well into one that works as a standalone adventure. I really appreciate how the author was able to do this while avoiding the perils of info dumps.
In fact when it comes to balance James Alan Gardner shows an adept hand in a few areas including: a type of decently momentum pacing that still leaves room for reveling in character interactions and their own internal conflicts of self; a novel that is all about superheroics, explosions, demons and goblins, and humour but which also addresses more serious topics such as consent issues and gender representation. And with all of these the integration is smooth so that it feels naturally part of the story. In a snippet of an interview below James Gardner explains how one of his new characters is introduced (whom I really hope becomes a recurring character as she is utterly intriguing) and in it we can see how the socio-reality of this character just became easily integrated into the story:
In They Promised Me The Gun Wasn’t Loaded, my favorite bit occurs early on. But first, some background. The book takes place in a world like our own, except that most rich and powerful people are Darklings—vampires, were-beasts, or demons. The power of the Darklings is counterbalanced by the presence of superheroes: normal people who happened to touch a glowing meteorite or get bitten by a radioactive spider. So basically, the affluent 1% are monsters, and the 99% are protected by a diverse set of random super-folk.
The protagonist of They Promised Me is Jools, a university student who gained superpowers in a laboratory accident. In the book’s first chapter, she enters a Darkling hangout…and that’s where my favorite bit happens.
Jools is brought to this fancy lounge in order to meet a particular Darkling. However, I didn’t want the place to be empty except for the one guy Jools has to meet. I wanted it occupied by other Darklings, and I wanted to show a wide variety of them. Readers need to understand that Darklings are a diverse lot, representing folklore monsters from around the globe.
So I went to my reference books and eventually found Calon Arang, an evil witch-demon from the island of Bali. As is often the case with female “monsters”, some folklorists think Calon was based on a real woman: a popular leader who challenged the powers-that-be. Eventually, they assassinated her, then made up stories to demonize her—saying she ate babies, poisoned crops, spread disease, and all the usual smears to justify why they were right to kill her.
So, an ancient Indonesian witch who’s been unjustly slandered for centuries and is likely pissed off about it: I could work with that. Calon was a potentially complex character who’d be far more engaging than some clichéd Western menace. I could even use her as a “noble” Darkling, since I didn’t want to portray all Darklings as unambiguous villains. It’s more interesting if the Dark can be good as well as bad, and you never know which way they’ll go.
So Calon Arang became the first person Jools set eyes on when she walked into the Darkling lounge. At first, Calon ignored Jools entirely—Jools wasn’t in her superhero costume, so she looked like an unremarkable nobody. But Jools is always brash, and was unintimidated by her posh surroundings. She stood out; she took no crap from various Darklings, even the Dark usually scare the heck out of normal mortals.
In other words, Jools was Calon’s kind of person: a bold young woman who didn’t suck up to powerful people.
Eventually, Jools and Calon started talking. By then, I’d decided that Calon could be useful as a contact Jools could call on when she needed information about Darkling activities. But then, in the course of improvising this conversation, I wrote Calon asking Jools, “What are you doing tomorrow night?”
Wait. What?
My list of set-pieces included a big Darkling shindig the next night. I had planned for Jools to attend, but until Calon asked her question, I thought Jools would just crash the party. Superheroes always barge into places they aren’t invited. I had no plan for Jools to go to the party as Calon’s “date”.
And yet here we were.
After that, I had to figure out why Calon asked—it certainly wasn’t sexual. Coming up with a sensible reason led to major plot developments I had never envisioned. If you read the book (as I hope you will), you may be astonished that all the ensuing plot consequences weren’t planned from the beginning.
But they weren’t. They arose because I was improvising a conversation between my heroine and someone I thought of as a minor background character. Then the conversation went somewhere that completely surprised me and rearranged the rest of the novel.
That’s why it’s my favorite bit. I love it when my plans fall apart.
http://maryrobinettekowal.com/journal...
December 17, 2018
Four plus stars. The (first) sequel to All Those Explosions Were Someone Else's Fault, Gardner's new series set in a world just like ours except (a) in Canada, eh and (b) in the recent past the "rules" changed such that both the Light/Sparks (empowering superpowers - and thus heroes and villains) and the Dark (empowering magic, and thus magic-users and magical creatures) exist - often in conflict. It's fundamentally a simplistic concept that in the hands of a lesser writer would likely have turned out mediocre at best (e.g., juvenile thinking re how cool an urban fantasy PLUS superpowers mashup would be, with nothing much on top of that) but Gardner's Dark/Spark thesis and resulting worldbuilding is really well done - as is his characterization, plotting, etc. etc. etc.
I was initially concerned (and mildly disappointed) because this book is fully set from the viewpoint of a different one of Gardner's four (newly) superpowered protagonists than in the first book (as, I think, will also be the case re the next two) - but at some point during the reading that concern and disappointment completely fell away.
Looking forward to the next two (and glad Gardner is writing again - his League of Peoples books were also great).
I was initially concerned (and mildly disappointed) because this book is fully set from the viewpoint of a different one of Gardner's four (newly) superpowered protagonists than in the first book (as, I think, will also be the case re the next two) - but at some point during the reading that concern and disappointment completely fell away.
Looking forward to the next two (and glad Gardner is writing again - his League of Peoples books were also great).
January 1, 2019
Gardner's The Dark vs Spark series has quickly become my favorite recent book series. The stories are set in a world where the 1% have used their money to gain immortality from The Dark and become vampires, werewolves, etc. and The Light has responded by turning random people into superheroes or Sparks. The protagonists are four college roommates in Canada, all different science majors, who gain superhero powers and must work together to try and save protect their town.
Each book features a different first person POV from one of the four team members. This one is from Jools who's the "jock" of the group, and, until she got powers that made her super intelligent, the most academically challenged of the four. Initially I didn't think I would like the shift in narrator, but I thought it was really well done, and Gardner has managed to make the first two narrators sound very distinct. I'm excited to see what he does for the last two.
Story-wise we watch Jools get swept up in a heist with a bunch of Sparks who have formed their own version of Robin Hood's band. She does spend a great deal of the novel separated from her friends, which I thought was a shame in some ways, but as the "outsider" in the group, it made sense from both a character and plot angle. The story forces her to start figuring out who she is away from her friends and to discover how she needs them.
Just like the previous book, the story is action-packed and full of comedy. I think it's a great satire of the superhero genre, but one that has a lot of heart and doesn't feel condescending or overly critical of anything. I burned through this book super quickly, and I have to say this series is some of the most fun I've had reading in a long time.
Each book features a different first person POV from one of the four team members. This one is from Jools who's the "jock" of the group, and, until she got powers that made her super intelligent, the most academically challenged of the four. Initially I didn't think I would like the shift in narrator, but I thought it was really well done, and Gardner has managed to make the first two narrators sound very distinct. I'm excited to see what he does for the last two.
Story-wise we watch Jools get swept up in a heist with a bunch of Sparks who have formed their own version of Robin Hood's band. She does spend a great deal of the novel separated from her friends, which I thought was a shame in some ways, but as the "outsider" in the group, it made sense from both a character and plot angle. The story forces her to start figuring out who she is away from her friends and to discover how she needs them.
Just like the previous book, the story is action-packed and full of comedy. I think it's a great satire of the superhero genre, but one that has a lot of heart and doesn't feel condescending or overly critical of anything. I burned through this book super quickly, and I have to say this series is some of the most fun I've had reading in a long time.
January 17, 2019
This was a good follow-up. Told from a different characters perspective, but not a re-telling of the first story. It was about as fun as the first, but I didn't like it as much. I think because the main character of this one (Jools) was a little more dark a character than K was, in the first one. Not dark as in "muahahaha I will destroy the world", rather dark as in "alcoholic to cope with my problems." Which, mind you, was done well, it just added a little more seriousness to what was going to be (in my head) another fun super hero romp.
February 13, 2022
This second book in the series shifts POVs from Kim (now going by K) to Jools. And the move makes for a more entertaining read simply because Jools is fun, funny, irreverent and bawdy. You can tell the author is having a blast writing her.
He sticks with the worst of the comic book superhero tropes, though, embracing them without satirizing them. Can't kill the murderous villain, because nebulous rules. Dramatic coincidences galore. Galling. These are unforced errors.
Plot points:
He sticks with the worst of the comic book superhero tropes, though, embracing them without satirizing them. Can't kill the murderous villain, because nebulous rules. Dramatic coincidences galore. Galling. These are unforced errors.
Plot points:
May 3, 2019
This series is so underrated; its a ton of fun. The Spark-Dark universe is ridiculously simple but also deep and fun to read. I'm looking forward to getting more stories from Aria & Dakini's perspectives.
With that said, I thought there was a slight but noticeable tone shift. The first book is a little lighter and sillier, with a bigger focus on our main four Science girls. This book is really focused on Jools/Ninety Nine. And if the first book is about the rush of getting all these wild powers, this book is about figuring out what exactly to do with those powers.
To start, I think the writer avoided a lot of cliches, especially considering that he picked an alcoholic character to focus this part of the story on. I liked Jools character arc--and while I generally like her character she reminds me a little of the protagonist in Artemis--there's a lot of telling, not much showing. Oh, she sleeps around a lot? Not in this book. Oh she's an alcoholic? I don't know that I really bought that so much either. It's not a big thing, but people who were irritated by that character will probably have the same issues. Near the end I got pretty fed up with her internal monologue. That said, she has a lot of clever, funny thoughts, she's mostly likable, smarter than she gives herself credit for, and her action scenes beating people up with her super powered hockey stick were excellent.
I love the pacing of the books as a whole, the plot rushes onward, and you're done with the book before you know it. I also thought the inclusion of Robin Hood and Maid Marian was a really interesting, fascinating shift. They are truly morally complex characters and maybe even warnings of who our main 4 girls could be in the future. Like I said, a future I do want to read more of.
Super fun in every sense of the word.
With that said, I thought there was a slight but noticeable tone shift. The first book is a little lighter and sillier, with a bigger focus on our main four Science girls. This book is really focused on Jools/Ninety Nine. And if the first book is about the rush of getting all these wild powers, this book is about figuring out what exactly to do with those powers.
To start, I think the writer avoided a lot of cliches, especially considering that he picked an alcoholic character to focus this part of the story on. I liked Jools character arc--and while I generally like her character she reminds me a little of the protagonist in Artemis--there's a lot of telling, not much showing. Oh, she sleeps around a lot? Not in this book. Oh she's an alcoholic? I don't know that I really bought that so much either. It's not a big thing, but people who were irritated by that character will probably have the same issues. Near the end I got pretty fed up with her internal monologue. That said, she has a lot of clever, funny thoughts, she's mostly likable, smarter than she gives herself credit for, and her action scenes beating people up with her super powered hockey stick were excellent.
I love the pacing of the books as a whole, the plot rushes onward, and you're done with the book before you know it. I also thought the inclusion of Robin Hood and Maid Marian was a really interesting, fascinating shift. They are truly morally complex characters and maybe even warnings of who our main 4 girls could be in the future. Like I said, a future I do want to read more of.
Super fun in every sense of the word.
November 18, 2018
I received a copy of They Promised Me the Gun Wasn’t Loaded through NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.
They Promised Me the Gun Wasn’t Loaded is a sequel to All Those Explosions Were Someone Else’s Fault. However, I never read the first book before I started in on this one, and I had absolutely no trouble following along with what happened. Sure, I likely missed some context, inside jokes, and things like that. But that’s okay, I still enjoyed They Promised Me the Gun Wasn’t Loaded. From my understanding they followed different characters between the two books anyway, so a new perspective is sometimes all you need to bring in a new fan, right?
This is a science fiction novel in its truest form, but it’s also light and chaotic most of the time. It makes for a really quirky and enjoyable read. Especially if you’re looking for a bit of escape from reality. It’s a fast paced plot, with so many twists and turns that I found myself surprised by the setting near the end of the book. I love surprises like that.
For more reviews, check out Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks
They Promised Me the Gun Wasn’t Loaded is a sequel to All Those Explosions Were Someone Else’s Fault. However, I never read the first book before I started in on this one, and I had absolutely no trouble following along with what happened. Sure, I likely missed some context, inside jokes, and things like that. But that’s okay, I still enjoyed They Promised Me the Gun Wasn’t Loaded. From my understanding they followed different characters between the two books anyway, so a new perspective is sometimes all you need to bring in a new fan, right?
This is a science fiction novel in its truest form, but it’s also light and chaotic most of the time. It makes for a really quirky and enjoyable read. Especially if you’re looking for a bit of escape from reality. It’s a fast paced plot, with so many twists and turns that I found myself surprised by the setting near the end of the book. I love surprises like that.
For more reviews, check out Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks
August 25, 2020
Fun, but not as good good as the first in the series.
July 24, 2020
Another very fun read! This was a little easier to get into - knowing the world and main characters already; we hit the ground running and never really stopped. It was really fun to experience the world through a new set of eyes, and I’d love to read more about The 99% from new or old views.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 27, 2019
I love everything about this series- it's funny, quirky, smart, unique, and full of bad-ass women. This installation changed narrators to another of the four heroines, so I assume that Gardner plans on writing four in total with each narrated by a different heroine- which I'm ok with! I can't wait to see what he has in store next for our courageous crusaders! (Can't say caped because they're all smart enough to know capes just get in your way.)
Edit: Found this on the author's website: "I hope this will turn into a series with at least four books. Each book will center around a different character caught in the Darkling vs. Spark shenanigans."
YES!!!
Edit: Found this on the author's website: "I hope this will turn into a series with at least four books. Each book will center around a different character caught in the Darkling vs. Spark shenanigans."
YES!!!
April 22, 2019
This lightweight story is developing some mass as it goes. Gardner balances action, humour, superpowers, and a bit of philosophy, and adds an excellent sense of pace.
Like others, I soon tired of the "Olympic-level everything." Might have worked better if she had been Olympic-level at some subset of abilities.
I liked the development of the, well, other teams. I'm not even sure they can be called Bad Guys. Some mean well but do bad things; some are conflicted; and so on.
Four characters, so presumably two more books. They have finally merged into a team, so Gardner has room to do some interesting things in #3.
Like others, I soon tired of the "Olympic-level everything." Might have worked better if she had been Olympic-level at some subset of abilities.
I liked the development of the, well, other teams. I'm not even sure they can be called Bad Guys. Some mean well but do bad things; some are conflicted; and so on.
Four characters, so presumably two more books. They have finally merged into a team, so Gardner has room to do some interesting things in #3.
October 1, 2018
I enjoyed the first in this series very much; this one a bit less, primarily because of the main character. It was very skillfully done, though, and entertaining.
It needed to be skillful, because the author saddled himself with some drawbacks. His characters are all excessively powerful, with several unrelated superpowers, each of which on its own would be enough for many superheroes. The main character of this book, Jools, is "human maximum" in any ability you can name (with exceptions I'll note in a moment); has some sort of internet connection in her head that feeds her detailed knowledge of basically anything that's publicly online (including, oddly, the time and location of a secret party that certainly is not public knowledge); and her body regenerates, Wolverine-style. Oh, and she can manifest a glowing green hockey stick made of energy, and (while in a fugue state) do mad science to create useful tech, like a set of underwear that enables instant changes between civilian and super identities. See? Way too many unrelated, overly useful superpowers. But it's done amusingly, so there's that.
I said there were some exceptions to her "maximum human ability" thing. Someone that powerful needs flaws, and Jools' flaw is that she's not the human maximum in wisdom, self-control, or for that matter likeability; in those areas, she's about average for a college-age alcoholic hockey player. In D&D terms, her intelligence, dexterity, strength, constitution and even (in certain circumstances) charisma may all be 18, but her wisdom is somewhere around six.
She is, at least, self-aware about it, and does get an arc, which rescued the book for me. In the meantime, I was kept entertained by observations such as "it’s like stashing matter and antimatter in the same suppository. Hilarity ensues," or (from one of her also-superpowered roommates, a chemistry major) "Biology is only chemistry that thinks it’s special."
A less skilled writer, working with such a character (both overpowered and annoyingly flawed at once), might have made all kinds of missteps, but Gardner pulls it off. His world, in which the ultra-rich have become literal vampires, werewolves, and demons, and superheroes known as "sparks" are gifted with powers by the Light to keep them more or less honest, continues to be entertaining, the plot is action-packed without being a bunch of stupid fights for the sake of it, and while Jools teeters on the edge of "annoyingly angsty screw-up" a few times, she does manage to tilt over to the heroic side by the end.
It seems that this series is going to get one book entirely from the point of view of each of the four roommates, which means that there's not a lot of insight into the others' heads (though that may change when we reach the telepath, I suppose). The other roommates risked becoming cyphers in Jools' somewhat self-absorbed world, even Kim/K/Zircon, who was the narrator of the first book. The whole may end up more than the sum of its parts, though, and I'll definitely be watching eagerly for the next one.
It needed to be skillful, because the author saddled himself with some drawbacks. His characters are all excessively powerful, with several unrelated superpowers, each of which on its own would be enough for many superheroes. The main character of this book, Jools, is "human maximum" in any ability you can name (with exceptions I'll note in a moment); has some sort of internet connection in her head that feeds her detailed knowledge of basically anything that's publicly online (including, oddly, the time and location of a secret party that certainly is not public knowledge); and her body regenerates, Wolverine-style. Oh, and she can manifest a glowing green hockey stick made of energy, and (while in a fugue state) do mad science to create useful tech, like a set of underwear that enables instant changes between civilian and super identities. See? Way too many unrelated, overly useful superpowers. But it's done amusingly, so there's that.
I said there were some exceptions to her "maximum human ability" thing. Someone that powerful needs flaws, and Jools' flaw is that she's not the human maximum in wisdom, self-control, or for that matter likeability; in those areas, she's about average for a college-age alcoholic hockey player. In D&D terms, her intelligence, dexterity, strength, constitution and even (in certain circumstances) charisma may all be 18, but her wisdom is somewhere around six.
She is, at least, self-aware about it, and does get an arc, which rescued the book for me. In the meantime, I was kept entertained by observations such as "it’s like stashing matter and antimatter in the same suppository. Hilarity ensues," or (from one of her also-superpowered roommates, a chemistry major) "Biology is only chemistry that thinks it’s special."
A less skilled writer, working with such a character (both overpowered and annoyingly flawed at once), might have made all kinds of missteps, but Gardner pulls it off. His world, in which the ultra-rich have become literal vampires, werewolves, and demons, and superheroes known as "sparks" are gifted with powers by the Light to keep them more or less honest, continues to be entertaining, the plot is action-packed without being a bunch of stupid fights for the sake of it, and while Jools teeters on the edge of "annoyingly angsty screw-up" a few times, she does manage to tilt over to the heroic side by the end.
It seems that this series is going to get one book entirely from the point of view of each of the four roommates, which means that there's not a lot of insight into the others' heads (though that may change when we reach the telepath, I suppose). The other roommates risked becoming cyphers in Jools' somewhat self-absorbed world, even Kim/K/Zircon, who was the narrator of the first book. The whole may end up more than the sum of its parts, though, and I'll definitely be watching eagerly for the next one.
January 5, 2019
I loved All Those Explosions Were Someone Else's Fault and timed it such that I finished it just as the sequel was released. This book focuses on Jools, another of the four housemates who get caught in a lab explosion and gained superpowers. She's the jock of the group, and the one who's struggling most with her studies. This combination ends her up with immediate knowledge of anything that's part of the corpus of public knowledge and Olympic-level mastery of any human skill.
Despite these skills, Gardner paints a skilful picture of a young woman who's good at giving the appearance of confidence and having it together but who is actually a bit of a wreck and is now struggling with a degree of inferiority compared to her superpowered teammates. Oh, and she's also afraid that she's turning into a Mad Genius who will stop caring about the devastation that her potential inventions could wreak. And that she's got a drink problem.
The Darkling siblings Nick and Elaine return in this book, albeit more for an extended cameo than anything else. The blood bond between Elaine and Kim (now just K, having moved further toward the non-binary part of the spectrum) is used to drive the plot forward, and there is, of course, the eponymous gun. Believed to be created by Mad Genius Diamond from the first book, it's very much the definition of a macguffin.
The Spark world is expanded as well. In addition to Grandfather and Invie, this book introduces us to the Aussie All-Stars and Robin Hood and his gang of Merry Men, a group of outlaw Sparks who rob the rich (Darklings) and (allegedly) give to the poor. Jools gets caught up with them and struggles to keep herself right.
I'm thoroughly enjoying this series and a quick tweet to the author assures me that he's already at work on the next one (Miranda's book). This one is perhaps slightly not as good as its predecessor, but it's still a highly enjoyable read.
Despite these skills, Gardner paints a skilful picture of a young woman who's good at giving the appearance of confidence and having it together but who is actually a bit of a wreck and is now struggling with a degree of inferiority compared to her superpowered teammates. Oh, and she's also afraid that she's turning into a Mad Genius who will stop caring about the devastation that her potential inventions could wreak. And that she's got a drink problem.
The Darkling siblings Nick and Elaine return in this book, albeit more for an extended cameo than anything else. The blood bond between Elaine and Kim (now just K, having moved further toward the non-binary part of the spectrum) is used to drive the plot forward, and there is, of course, the eponymous gun. Believed to be created by Mad Genius Diamond from the first book, it's very much the definition of a macguffin.
The Spark world is expanded as well. In addition to Grandfather and Invie, this book introduces us to the Aussie All-Stars and Robin Hood and his gang of Merry Men, a group of outlaw Sparks who rob the rich (Darklings) and (allegedly) give to the poor. Jools gets caught up with them and struggles to keep herself right.
I'm thoroughly enjoying this series and a quick tweet to the author assures me that he's already at work on the next one (Miranda's book). This one is perhaps slightly not as good as its predecessor, but it's still a highly enjoyable read.
July 18, 2021
This is the second entry in a high-energy series that barely slows down to take a breath as it remixes and reinterprets just about all of the superhero tropes, cliches, and stereotypes. I'm fairly jaded - and exhausted (thanks, Marvel) - when it comes to the whole superhero genre. So I'm surprised to find myself rather enjoying what Gardner has been selling so far.
I have to give him props for the obvious thought and research he's put into the logic of his universe - or at least the bit of it currently zipping around Waterloo, Ontario (and a nice tip of the hat for the Canadian setting, too). Gardner manages the neat trick of including a lot of explanations when it comes to how one becomes a superhero or villain without bringing the flow of the narrative to a screeching halt every time some new development or wrinkle pops up (although I will say that once you notice how much explanation there is, it's a little hard to un-see it. Gardner could have eased up on it, to be honest. I don't need to see the whole decision tree for every action a character thinks about). I think that's because Gardner's take on the whole business is pretty interesting, to be honest. I particularly liked the idea of there being this small window of opportunity where you have some measure of control over just exactly what your powers will be. It's a kind of 'if you think you can do it, then you'll be able to' thing - or rather, if you think you can't then you might have just screwed your chances of being able to fly, for example. It's a cool concept, I think, and a way of letting him pile on a bunch of powers to the characters without having to explain/justify each and every one of them.
Another really cool concept that comes out in this book is how vulnerable you are to being changed as a person - not the changes brought on by your powers, like becoming super-strong and the like, but the very core of what makes you you. The Light, it seems, is deceptive in that it's not something that's all Good; it has an agenda that's very much written in shades of grey. The Light uses the vessels it has chosen - those people who pass its test as being worthy of receiving its powers - to achieve that agenda, whatever it may be. Along the way, it basically warps the person who may always believe they're making decisions or viewing the world in ways that align with their personal beliefs, not ever realizing that those very beliefs are being affected by the agenda of the Light.
Indeed, a few of the Darkling characters can be seen to be acting in ways that are not nearly so selfish or destructive as one might assume, given they are not of the Light. In fact, their motivations and actions are closer to the Light than what a few of the Light characters do. It was a nice development in the story that deepens the overall narrative.
Similarly, Gardner tackles a few heavier themes with Jools as she struggles to reconcile her low self-esteem and alcohol addiction with living up to her superhero personality and the revelations that perhaps she's being driven and used by those gifts. Jools is an aggravating character, I have to say, and despite the emotional wringer she goes through, I occasionally found the story tedious just because she was the focus of this book. This wasn't helped by Gardner's enthusiasm for having Jools tack "Olympic-level" onto just about anything she was about to do. She has to climb something - no problem because she's an Olympic-level climber! She has to throw a spear - no problem because she's an Olympic-level at javelin! Etc., etc.
The other annoying thing was "WikiJools" because one of her superpowers is basically having access to all knowledge, just like having Google or Wikipedia in her head. She refers to the stuff she suddenly knows as it downloading into her head. But Gardner prefaces nearly every explanation she gives with a variation "WikiJools tells me..." or "WikiJools informs me..." and dude, I get it. Maybe it's the problem of me forgetting that, in the timeline of the books, this one is set just after they first got their powers so sure, it's still all new to Jools but god, it was annoying to keep reading. If I had been reading an ebook I would have done a search for it, just to see how often it came up.
And that'd be my main criticism of Gardner's writing, generally speaking. I appreciate that, with a second book, there's going to be stuff from the first that's brought up again, just so everyone is up to speed on what's going on, but the extent to which he repeats basic stuff was a bit startling. Two great examples are the concepts of a "blinder wall" and "ignorance spell". I think just from the phrases alone you have a good idea of what they mean but Gardner explains what they are nearly every time they come up in the book. At one point, the crew - including Jools - is with Grandfather and the Inventor, two very powerful beings, and as the area is being scanned by another Light superhero called Sensorium ("WikiJools tells me he's a super-smart engineer just like Invie.") K says, "What about ignorance spells? Magic that makes you ignore things in plain sight."
Going out on a limb here but I think both Grandfather and the Inventor know what an ignorance spell is.
Later in the book, Jools feels herself getting turned around, thinking her mind is being messed with by someone else, then realizes: "Nothing but an ignorance spell. That has to be what's happening. K told me about the damned things. They mess with your mind to make you ignore stuff." Yeesss? You already know this? The line could have stopped at "That has to be what's happening."
Anyway, it's the same with blinder walls. Gardner's characters might have minds like sieves and forget everything two minutes after they've been told it, but I imagine most readers don't have that trouble.
In spite of that tendency, I'm looking forward to future books which Gardner says are going to be told from the perspective of the other team members. Here's hoping he got all the WikiJools out of his system with this one.
I have to give him props for the obvious thought and research he's put into the logic of his universe - or at least the bit of it currently zipping around Waterloo, Ontario (and a nice tip of the hat for the Canadian setting, too). Gardner manages the neat trick of including a lot of explanations when it comes to how one becomes a superhero or villain without bringing the flow of the narrative to a screeching halt every time some new development or wrinkle pops up (although I will say that once you notice how much explanation there is, it's a little hard to un-see it. Gardner could have eased up on it, to be honest. I don't need to see the whole decision tree for every action a character thinks about). I think that's because Gardner's take on the whole business is pretty interesting, to be honest. I particularly liked the idea of there being this small window of opportunity where you have some measure of control over just exactly what your powers will be. It's a kind of 'if you think you can do it, then you'll be able to' thing - or rather, if you think you can't then you might have just screwed your chances of being able to fly, for example. It's a cool concept, I think, and a way of letting him pile on a bunch of powers to the characters without having to explain/justify each and every one of them.
Another really cool concept that comes out in this book is how vulnerable you are to being changed as a person - not the changes brought on by your powers, like becoming super-strong and the like, but the very core of what makes you you. The Light, it seems, is deceptive in that it's not something that's all Good; it has an agenda that's very much written in shades of grey. The Light uses the vessels it has chosen - those people who pass its test as being worthy of receiving its powers - to achieve that agenda, whatever it may be. Along the way, it basically warps the person who may always believe they're making decisions or viewing the world in ways that align with their personal beliefs, not ever realizing that those very beliefs are being affected by the agenda of the Light.
Indeed, a few of the Darkling characters can be seen to be acting in ways that are not nearly so selfish or destructive as one might assume, given they are not of the Light. In fact, their motivations and actions are closer to the Light than what a few of the Light characters do. It was a nice development in the story that deepens the overall narrative.
Similarly, Gardner tackles a few heavier themes with Jools as she struggles to reconcile her low self-esteem and alcohol addiction with living up to her superhero personality and the revelations that perhaps she's being driven and used by those gifts. Jools is an aggravating character, I have to say, and despite the emotional wringer she goes through, I occasionally found the story tedious just because she was the focus of this book. This wasn't helped by Gardner's enthusiasm for having Jools tack "Olympic-level" onto just about anything she was about to do. She has to climb something - no problem because she's an Olympic-level climber! She has to throw a spear - no problem because she's an Olympic-level at javelin! Etc., etc.
The other annoying thing was "WikiJools" because one of her superpowers is basically having access to all knowledge, just like having Google or Wikipedia in her head. She refers to the stuff she suddenly knows as it downloading into her head. But Gardner prefaces nearly every explanation she gives with a variation "WikiJools tells me..." or "WikiJools informs me..." and dude, I get it. Maybe it's the problem of me forgetting that, in the timeline of the books, this one is set just after they first got their powers so sure, it's still all new to Jools but god, it was annoying to keep reading. If I had been reading an ebook I would have done a search for it, just to see how often it came up.
And that'd be my main criticism of Gardner's writing, generally speaking. I appreciate that, with a second book, there's going to be stuff from the first that's brought up again, just so everyone is up to speed on what's going on, but the extent to which he repeats basic stuff was a bit startling. Two great examples are the concepts of a "blinder wall" and "ignorance spell". I think just from the phrases alone you have a good idea of what they mean but Gardner explains what they are nearly every time they come up in the book. At one point, the crew - including Jools - is with Grandfather and the Inventor, two very powerful beings, and as the area is being scanned by another Light superhero called Sensorium ("WikiJools tells me he's a super-smart engineer just like Invie.") K says, "What about ignorance spells? Magic that makes you ignore things in plain sight."
Going out on a limb here but I think both Grandfather and the Inventor know what an ignorance spell is.
Later in the book, Jools feels herself getting turned around, thinking her mind is being messed with by someone else, then realizes: "Nothing but an ignorance spell. That has to be what's happening. K told me about the damned things. They mess with your mind to make you ignore stuff." Yeesss? You already know this? The line could have stopped at "That has to be what's happening."
Anyway, it's the same with blinder walls. Gardner's characters might have minds like sieves and forget everything two minutes after they've been told it, but I imagine most readers don't have that trouble.
In spite of that tendency, I'm looking forward to future books which Gardner says are going to be told from the perspective of the other team members. Here's hoping he got all the WikiJools out of his system with this one.
October 17, 2019
It's not horrible.
It's not great but it's not horrible.
i read the first novel as an interesting take on the Super hero novel.
What i got was indeed an interesting take if not perfect.
This is taking all the bad parts of the first one and making them worse.
And not picking up any of the good parts (just to be clear.)
The protagonist has shifted from the interesting Zircon whom we grew to like to her alcoholic self destructing friend.
The plot is a C movie villain plot that a stunned baby duck could figure out but of course our protagonist doesn't.
At least almost non of it is driven by refusal to communicate.
Pick it up if you REALLy REALLY liked the world of the first one but for some reason had had enough of the actually interesting protagonist.
It's not great but it's not horrible.
i read the first novel as an interesting take on the Super hero novel.
What i got was indeed an interesting take if not perfect.
This is taking all the bad parts of the first one and making them worse.
And not picking up any of the good parts (just to be clear.)
The protagonist has shifted from the interesting Zircon whom we grew to like to her alcoholic self destructing friend.
The plot is a C movie villain plot that a stunned baby duck could figure out but of course our protagonist doesn't.
At least almost non of it is driven by refusal to communicate.
Pick it up if you REALLy REALLY liked the world of the first one but for some reason had had enough of the actually interesting protagonist.
November 9, 2018
Summary: This is a sequel to All Those Explosions Were Someone Else’s Fault. It follows a different member of the super-team, but tells a similar type of story, in which the protagonists deal with a superhero-level crisis, while the viewpoint character sorts out their personality problems and grows as a person. Anyway, the POV character in this one is Jools, whose power is “being human-max in everything but not actually super in anything.” Before becoming super, she was something of a fuck-up, and this, combined with a sense of not measuring up to the other supers on the team, gives her a deficiency of self-esteem and a penchant for alcohol abuse. (Or what would have been alcohol abuse before she became super.) She gets wrapped up in a case involving a super-science gun, and spends a good chunk of the book separated from the rest of the team.
Thoughts: This is another case of “if you liked the first one, you’ll probably like the second one.” The relative degree of enjoyment is mostly down to how you feel about the narrators: if you like Kim better than Jools, you’ll prefer the first book, and vice versa. I do think this is readable without having read All These Explosions; there’s enough explanation of backstory, but why would you bother?
Content note & minor spoiler: there is a scene late in the book where the protagonist is threatened with mind-control rape, in order to convince the reader that a morally-grey antagonist is really a Bad Person. She escapes before anything _really_ unsavory goes down, but I found that trope to be very out of place in what is otherwise a very light and entertaining take on the superhero genre. Not cool, James Alan Gardner; -1 penalty to escapism and overall rating.
Escapist Rating: 3/4
Recommended for: People who read and liked the first one
Dis-Recommended for: People who didn’t like the first one, People who are completely done with the use of rape as a cheap plot device, even if it is just that one scene.
Thoughts: This is another case of “if you liked the first one, you’ll probably like the second one.” The relative degree of enjoyment is mostly down to how you feel about the narrators: if you like Kim better than Jools, you’ll prefer the first book, and vice versa. I do think this is readable without having read All These Explosions; there’s enough explanation of backstory, but why would you bother?
Content note & minor spoiler: there is a scene late in the book where the protagonist is threatened with mind-control rape, in order to convince the reader that a morally-grey antagonist is really a Bad Person. She escapes before anything _really_ unsavory goes down, but I found that trope to be very out of place in what is otherwise a very light and entertaining take on the superhero genre. Not cool, James Alan Gardner; -1 penalty to escapism and overall rating.
Escapist Rating: 3/4
Recommended for: People who read and liked the first one
Dis-Recommended for: People who didn’t like the first one, People who are completely done with the use of rape as a cheap plot device, even if it is just that one scene.
March 1, 2020
They Promised Me the Gun Wasn’t Loaded is the sequel to All Those Explosions Were Someone Else's Fault. In this universe the superrich can pay to be transformed into immortal vampires, werewolves, and other Darklings. In a reaction, the Light has empowered regular people to be Sparks, essentially superheroes. But, not all Sparks are heroes. Some are supergenius inventors who lose sight of the greater good while others are anti-heroes who ignore the law in pursuit of their own ends.
Unlike the first book, which focused on four roommates who become Sparks, this book focuses on only one of the four, Jools. Before Jools gained superpowers as the Spark called Ninty-Nine, she was a screw-up on academic probation for being more interested in drinking and hockey than school. Now she has the power to equal the best human at anything. She’s the equal of the smartest, the strongest, the fastest etc. She also has mental access to the equivalent of Wikipedia. And she discovers in this book that she also has Mad Genius inventing skills. But this does not change her personality except that she notes she is doing something stupid when she goes ahead and does it anyway.
In this book, Jools allows herself to become a pawn of a Darkling for a single action (in return for her agreeing to break a link between one of her roommates and a different Darkling). As a result, she winds up a captive of Robin Hood (or rather a Spark that has assumed that identity) and his Merry Men. Once they discover she has powers too, she is forced to join them in a raid to capture a Mad Genius weapon, under a new identity. (One of the powers of Sparks is that when they wear a mask, no one (and no technology) can discover their true identity.)
The book has lots of action and good characterization especially when Jools starts worrying about becoming a Mad Genius. I think it works better than the first book because the author was focused on just one character (instead of four co-equal leads) and the worldbuilding had already been established.
Unlike the first book, which focused on four roommates who become Sparks, this book focuses on only one of the four, Jools. Before Jools gained superpowers as the Spark called Ninty-Nine, she was a screw-up on academic probation for being more interested in drinking and hockey than school. Now she has the power to equal the best human at anything. She’s the equal of the smartest, the strongest, the fastest etc. She also has mental access to the equivalent of Wikipedia. And she discovers in this book that she also has Mad Genius inventing skills. But this does not change her personality except that she notes she is doing something stupid when she goes ahead and does it anyway.
In this book, Jools allows herself to become a pawn of a Darkling for a single action (in return for her agreeing to break a link between one of her roommates and a different Darkling). As a result, she winds up a captive of Robin Hood (or rather a Spark that has assumed that identity) and his Merry Men. Once they discover she has powers too, she is forced to join them in a raid to capture a Mad Genius weapon, under a new identity. (One of the powers of Sparks is that when they wear a mask, no one (and no technology) can discover their true identity.)
The book has lots of action and good characterization especially when Jools starts worrying about becoming a Mad Genius. I think it works better than the first book because the author was focused on just one character (instead of four co-equal leads) and the worldbuilding had already been established.
October 20, 2019
This second book in the series is every bit as good as the first (All Those Explosions Weren't My Fault), and perhaps even slightly more enjoyable as we already know how the world works, so there's a bit less breaking the fourth wall to explain why, for example, it's okay for there to be the sorts of coincidences that happen in superhero adventures.
The story picks up exactly where book 1 (All Those Explosions Weren't My Fault) left off, but the viewpoint character shifts to another of the four newly created superheroes. Shifting to 99 (whose super identity is 'hockey jock') fleshes out that character nicely as the plot plows forward. Presumably, the next two books will cover the other two characters in turn, so that we'll end up with the whole set. The villains from the first book remain, with several more thrown in, as well as a lot more moral ambiguity around exactly who counts as a good/bad guy in this universe. The action is pure superhero adventure, but the text format allows for a lot more nuance, and better coverage of the viewpoint character's interior life. It all works very, very well.
Looking forward to the next two books in the series...and wondering what the overall story arch is going to turn out to be...
The story picks up exactly where book 1 (All Those Explosions Weren't My Fault) left off, but the viewpoint character shifts to another of the four newly created superheroes. Shifting to 99 (whose super identity is 'hockey jock') fleshes out that character nicely as the plot plows forward. Presumably, the next two books will cover the other two characters in turn, so that we'll end up with the whole set. The villains from the first book remain, with several more thrown in, as well as a lot more moral ambiguity around exactly who counts as a good/bad guy in this universe. The action is pure superhero adventure, but the text format allows for a lot more nuance, and better coverage of the viewpoint character's interior life. It all works very, very well.
Looking forward to the next two books in the series...and wondering what the overall story arch is going to turn out to be...
September 29, 2019
There were a lot of 5-star moments in this book, but I really wish the author would stop apologizing for, or explaining superhero silliness at some point and just tell the story. It's is a good story with loveable characters! At least apologize after the fact (this example is not a spoiler for this book):
Exciting:
Some ran, while others took cover as the countdown timer neared zero. Only several seconds after the expected explosion did the hero remember that superhero timers only count down to 1. The assumption being that someone always saves the day before it can reach zero.
Boring:
Knowing that superhero timers never reach zero, everyone just ignored it. The end.
This ever so nearly missed being a 5-star book, but I can only give it 3 stars because it fizzled so disappointingly at the end. I really loved much of this book and would have excitedly started on the next if it were written already. But the ending was so undercut by explanations that it left me relatively unmoved by what was intended to be the most exciting part of the story.
Exciting:
Some ran, while others took cover as the countdown timer neared zero. Only several seconds after the expected explosion did the hero remember that superhero timers only count down to 1. The assumption being that someone always saves the day before it can reach zero.
Boring:
Knowing that superhero timers never reach zero, everyone just ignored it. The end.
This ever so nearly missed being a 5-star book, but I can only give it 3 stars because it fizzled so disappointingly at the end. I really loved much of this book and would have excitedly started on the next if it were written already. But the ending was so undercut by explanations that it left me relatively unmoved by what was intended to be the most exciting part of the story.
November 15, 2018
What starts as light-hearted enough to qualify as an entertaining comic-booky novel, ends up showing enough gravitas to sucker-punch some really interesting ideas about superheroes, supervillains, and how each manipulate each other (and the public at large) while being manipulated themselves by the Light and the Dark' ageless conflict.
Can easily recommend this one, as well as its prequel, to any graphic novels fans itching for a different read on superheroics. One can only hope the author has another entry (or even two more, as Aria and Dakini still lack their turn under the spotlight) in this Spark/Dark universe under their pen.
Can easily recommend this one, as well as its prequel, to any graphic novels fans itching for a different read on superheroics. One can only hope the author has another entry (or even two more, as Aria and Dakini still lack their turn under the spotlight) in this Spark/Dark universe under their pen.
January 7, 2021
If you haven't read the first book in this series, All Those Explosions Were Someone Else's Fault, go read that first. It's pretty good. It's about superheroes.
If you have read it, here's my brief review.
The protagonist is Jools. She's a hockey-playing drunk whose superpower is knowing about and being good at everything, but having no actual superpowers. This book has more internal conflict and struggle than the first one, and we learn that Jools is kind of insecure.
The first half of this book is pretty strong, but the cast and setting change for the second half. There are some shades of grey villains who I kind of hated. One of them is kind of rapey, which made me uncomfortable, plus the plot is driven partly by non-protagonist characters making an obviously dumb decision, which I didn't love. However, I liked Jools' perspective throughout, and I liked her character growth.
3.5 stars
If you have read it, here's my brief review.
The protagonist is Jools. She's a hockey-playing drunk whose superpower is knowing about and being good at everything, but having no actual superpowers. This book has more internal conflict and struggle than the first one, and we learn that Jools is kind of insecure.
The first half of this book is pretty strong, but the cast and setting change for the second half. There are some shades of grey villains who I kind of hated. One of them is kind of rapey, which made me uncomfortable, plus the plot is driven partly by non-protagonist characters making an obviously dumb decision, which I didn't love. However, I liked Jools' perspective throughout, and I liked her character growth.
3.5 stars
January 30, 2019
As with the first book, this was a lot of exciting fun. The story is from the perspective of Jools (Julietta Walsh) AKA Ninety-Nine, the hockey super-hero. As with the first story, most of the action happens to our viewpoint character, but in this case, even more so. Jools' team-mates hardly get any screen time, which means that Jools' development as a character is really the focus.
Gardner does a good job of expanding his universe while still shoehorning in some relevant social commentary, particularly about non-conscientual sex.
As a Canadian, having a super-team based in Waterloo is fun and tickles me to no end. Reading the acknowledgements at the end reveals that there is no Kitchener in this alternate universe. Most Ontarians think of the hyphenated Kitchener-Waterloo when they think of the area so I'm surprised I didn't pick up on the fact until it was pointed out to me.
Gardner does a good job of expanding his universe while still shoehorning in some relevant social commentary, particularly about non-conscientual sex.
As a Canadian, having a super-team based in Waterloo is fun and tickles me to no end. Reading the acknowledgements at the end reveals that there is no Kitchener in this alternate universe. Most Ontarians think of the hyphenated Kitchener-Waterloo when they think of the area so I'm surprised I didn't pick up on the fact until it was pointed out to me.
June 15, 2023
I'd read the previous novel in this series some years ago, but it didn't really stick with me. This one seems to have made a bit better impression. I found the first half was slow, and then things got better. And ludicrous. Loved how the author used "secret identity" as simply as a mask and no one could figure out who a Spark was. However, I found the antagonist[s] nebulous (for the lack of better word) and couldn't quite connect to that tension... but then Joolz gets kidnapped by Robin Hood and Maid Marian and everything... goes sideways. As with the prior book, I got invested more in this story about halfway in. When I finished I did come GR to figure out if there were more books (because this does feel like a series that needs at least a third (all good stories are trilogies?)
High three stars.
High three stars.
May 6, 2019
I was expecting this to be good – and I wasn’t disappointed. The follow-up to All Those Explosions Were Someone Else’s Fault takes place very shortly after the events of that novel and, while you can still have a lot of fun reading this on its own, you’ll enjoy it more if you’ve read that one first.
Jim has changed narrator (narratrix?) to another of the quartet of newly-created superheroes, something which he will repeat for the remaining parts of this tetralogy. This is a great strategy: we get into the mind of someone we’d only seen from the outside in the first book. Similarly, our trusted narrator in All Those Explosions… becomes a supporting player here. And finally, we see how someone comes to terms with a completely different set of superpowers.
Not that nay of this really matters. The book is, as before, fast, entertaining and a lot of fun – even better than the first one as far as I’m concerned. And now the long wait for part three begins...
Jim has changed narrator (narratrix?) to another of the quartet of newly-created superheroes, something which he will repeat for the remaining parts of this tetralogy. This is a great strategy: we get into the mind of someone we’d only seen from the outside in the first book. Similarly, our trusted narrator in All Those Explosions… becomes a supporting player here. And finally, we see how someone comes to terms with a completely different set of superpowers.
Not that nay of this really matters. The book is, as before, fast, entertaining and a lot of fun – even better than the first one as far as I’m concerned. And now the long wait for part three begins...
January 19, 2021
This book is a silly superhero/vampire/mad scientist story. AND IT'S SO CANADIAN. It's set in Waterloo, Ontario. Our main character is a hockey enforcer whose superhero costume is just hockey pads and she conjures a hockey stick made out of green energy. They talk about GO trains. At one point, there is an Australian supervillain whose plan doesn't go perfectly because he forgot to take into account the Canadian winter.
Anyways, I read a lot, and generally I don't care where it's set. It's fun to explore the world and made-up worlds and space through fiction, but sometimes it's nice to be like, "hey, that's where I live!"
I think this book is actually a sequel but it's very well done as a sequel and doesn't seem to suffer for me not having read the first book.
Anyways, I read a lot, and generally I don't care where it's set. It's fun to explore the world and made-up worlds and space through fiction, but sometimes it's nice to be like, "hey, that's where I live!"
I think this book is actually a sequel but it's very well done as a sequel and doesn't seem to suffer for me not having read the first book.
January 14, 2019
Four-plus stars. The book's story was a lot of fun, with some great twists. My only complaint is the protagonist: It was tiresome hearing that she's "Olympic-level" in every little thing she does (for example, chemistry, lock picking, and so on), which meant that most things weren't all that hard for her (this was the same complaint I had about the protagonist of "Ready Player One"). Luckily for the reader, Jules has the common sense of a 10-year-old with the libido of a teenager; this is what makes the story interesting to read. Her well-intentioned decisions have some tremendous consequences for her and her roommates/superhero teammates.
We'll see what happens in the next book.
We'll see what happens in the next book.
December 13, 2019
This was another fun superheroes vs monsters story. The action picks up fairly immediately after the last one ended, but with a switch in narration; this gives the story a fresh new feel. It’s very much a “chapter 2” sort of feel, compared to a book that still stands on its own. This makes sense given the comic book inspiration of the story, but is something readers should be aware of.
I should add, as well, that part of what makes this series fun for me, as well, is the Waterloo setting. It’s been a long time since I lived in that city, but I can still recall a lot of the local landmarks that get featured and it creates an extra level of connection to the story.
I should add, as well, that part of what makes this series fun for me, as well, is the Waterloo setting. It’s been a long time since I lived in that city, but I can still recall a lot of the local landmarks that get featured and it creates an extra level of connection to the story.
January 9, 2019
love fun tales of superheroes and James Alan Gardner delivers in a second tale of Jools and her friends who became super in a world with darklings like vampires and demons and sparks. They Promised Me The Gun Wasn't Loaded (ebook from Tor) tells of a bazooka possibly created by the supervillain Diamond. Robin Hood and his gang want to steal the device, and their capture of Jools, somehow puts her in the middle of the theft. With lots of super fighting and impossible odds, Jools confronts her addictions. I hope there’s more. Review printed by Philadelphia Free Press
January 24, 2019
The second installment in this series focuses on another member of the Waterloo Spark team, Jools, giving us a different perspective on the whole new super hero situation. Jools is a louder, brasher voice than Kim (now K) was, but she struggles just as much with her identity, especially the whole who she was vs who she is now paradox.
This series is exactly the type of scifi/fantasy I like. Not overly serious, relatable characters, and tackles modern subjects, like gender identity, in a respectful and realistic way. Entertaining and fun, I highly recommend both books.
This series is exactly the type of scifi/fantasy I like. Not overly serious, relatable characters, and tackles modern subjects, like gender identity, in a respectful and realistic way. Entertaining and fun, I highly recommend both books.
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