Scan barcode
califlour's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
wdvisalli's review against another edition
3.0
These kinds of books seem to be hit and miss for me. Either it starts out well and fizzles out at the end or it starts off mediocre and that caries through the whole thing or it is just a home run right off. This one is the first kind. The beginning half of this story is really good and the things it sets up are great. I won't spoil it for anyone but it sets up an interesting dynamic for the last remaining Herod and one supervillin. However halfway through it fizzles out, leaving all that development somewhat flat and just not taken advantage of.
Mostly I feel like this book should have been two. It seems like halfway through the author decided that he wanted to go with a different story line and just did it instead of expanding on what they already had.
Mostly I feel like this book should have been two. It seems like halfway through the author decided that he wanted to go with a different story line and just did it instead of expanding on what they already had.
geese82's review against another edition
5.0
Superb storytelling.
That's what I can say about this book, (by the way my copy is more than 394pg and I do not know why it's not included) it started of as a cliche moment, when at the middle of the book, BAM! total 180 degrees. I don't really read superhero prose books, but boy this story is one of the best reads I had this year.
It felt like 3 comicbook arcs with this book with the pacing a classic that you can only see in that medium. The characters are well fleshed out and it really fired up my imagination. Also part of me wants to go deeper into that world, and tell stories of other superheroes only mentioned in a small part. I wonder if Mr Christopher got notebooks on all of the heroes in this world.
I like the superhero comicbook feel of this and I hope Mr Christopher would write more.
That's what I can say about this book, (by the way my copy is more than 394pg and I do not know why it's not included) it started of as a cliche moment, when at the middle of the book, BAM! total 180 degrees. I don't really read superhero prose books, but boy this story is one of the best reads I had this year.
It felt like 3 comicbook arcs with this book with the pacing a classic that you can only see in that medium. The characters are well fleshed out and it really fired up my imagination. Also part of me wants to go deeper into that world, and tell stories of other superheroes only mentioned in a small part. I wonder if Mr Christopher got notebooks on all of the heroes in this world.
I like the superhero comicbook feel of this and I hope Mr Christopher would write more.
tarheel99's review against another edition
3.0
There were a lot of really cool, fun parts to this book, but some of it was confusing and seemed unnecessary. I still don't understand what happened to Tony that made him so evil so quickly. He seemed like he wanted to be the hero, and the next thing you know he's dropping a teenager from 200 ft in the air just for fun...I know power corrupts, but over the span of a couple of days, that's a bit goofy. Some of the superhero names are fun, but others are kinda dumb...The book sets up for a sequel, and I'd probably read it.
amyextradot's review against another edition
3.0
Started strong and got a bit murky and convoluted at the end.
tarynwanderer's review against another edition
2.0
I have a not-so-secret love of comic books, graphic novels, manga–whatever you want to call it. In high school, going to the local bookstore (a Borders, RIP) was a treat, something saved for my post-birthday cash, and allowed me to amass a pretty solid collection of graphic novels, including Battle Royale, Peach Girl, and Inu-Yasha. Though I’ve been out of high school for eight years now, I still enjoy a good comic now and then: Watchmen, Fables, The Walking Dead.
I give this back story to illustrate that I am not some sort of comics snob. I think they can be fantastic stories, legitimate works of art, and a great way to encourage reluctant readers of all ages to read. Comics have a wonderful history, and many leave behind a wonderful legacy.
So it is not meant (entirely) as an insult when I say that I think Seven Wonders, by Adam Christopher, would have been more successful as a comic book.
Seven Wonders tells the story of Tony, an average guy who wakes up one morning to find he has superpowers. Superpowers–and more importantly, superheroes–already exist in this world, and Tony happens to live in the city of San Ventura, which has its very own superteam called (you guessed it) the Seven Wonders. Tony not only wants to join the team, but also wants to one-up them by capturing the last known operating supervillain, the Cowl, and his sidekick Blackbird. Along the way, we meet Detective Sam Millar, who has her own plans to capture the Cowl.
I’ve actually streamlined the story quite a bit, and the climax/plot resolution ends up having very little to do with what I’ve detailed above. (There are aliens involved.) Part of the problem with Seven Wonders is that it tries to do too many things at once, cramming in multiple twists and reveals that range from obvious to out-there. To use the terms from one of my favorite time-sucks, TV Tropes, there are heel face turns, Clark Kenting, I’m not a hero, I’m…, and Phlebotinum batteries galore.
Now, if it had been a comic book, the multiple cliff-hangers and twists would have been perfect spots for issues to end; an 8-issue mini-series would have been ideal, I think. The shorter format of comic books allows for these sort of fast-paced ebbs and flows of plot, whereas in a book, it’s just sort of tiring and unrealistic. This character is good! Now he’s bad. Now he’s dead! Now he’s even badder. Now he’s good again. I can buy that in the almost soap-operatic pages of a comic, but not in the black-and-white pages of a book. I needed more build-up and more justification, and there is room for that in prose novels.
I did like that we had multiple point-of-view characters, including the Cowl, Tony, Sam, SMART (the robot member of the Seven Wonders), Blackbird, and Dragon Star. The attempts to distinguish their voices were largely successful, though everything tended to be written with a casual, conversational tone. Again, that’s something you often see in comics (though certainly not all comics). Sometimes I felt that the prose veered into “too casual” territory; Christopher, for example, seems preoccupied with detailing how his characters eat and drink as they talk:
‘I wonder why the FBI were interested in that shooting?’ Joe lifted the lid on his drink, apparently admitting defeat as he gently blew across the surface of his coffee.
Sam kept the straw of her milkshake in her mouth. ‘What shooting? She took another delightfully chilled mouthful.
This doesn’t really achieve anything other than avoiding using the word “said,” and bogging down any potential action and exposition.
And while I enjoy comic books, there are admittedly some topics that comic authors struggle to handle sensitively–the treatment of women and people of color being one. While the character of Sam is strong and independent (and often the one person speaking any sense), Seven Wonders members Bluebell and Sand Cat are carictures. Bluebell is called a “bitch” numerous times–the only superhero to be called that, and the only superhero to be called an expletive in the first place. (“Wow, somebody really didn’t like Jean Grey/Sue Storm.” – me) Sand Cat, a woman as well as someone of Middle Eastern descent, is spoken about derisively by someone trying to mimic a Haitian accent, and accused of using voodoo. Again, the origins of the other (white) heroes are not called into question. Sand Cat is also one of only two main characters of color, the other being Sam Millar’s fellow detective, the ambiguously Hispanic Joe Milano.
Overall, while this is a good effort at translating the content and action of a comic book to a novel, Seven Wonders is not as fun as reading an actual graphic novel. For those new to comics, I recommend Fables, Watchmen, or anything by Gail Simone.
I received this book free for review from the publisher, Angry Robot Books, through NetGallery. Seven Wonders will be published on August 28th, 2012.
Bookwanderer Rating: Two and a half out of five stars
Bookwanderer Tagline: “Everybody in the whole world was the center of their own life drama. Everybody was their own superhero, everybody was a good guy.”
This review is also posted on Bookwanderer.
I give this back story to illustrate that I am not some sort of comics snob. I think they can be fantastic stories, legitimate works of art, and a great way to encourage reluctant readers of all ages to read. Comics have a wonderful history, and many leave behind a wonderful legacy.
So it is not meant (entirely) as an insult when I say that I think Seven Wonders, by Adam Christopher, would have been more successful as a comic book.
Seven Wonders tells the story of Tony, an average guy who wakes up one morning to find he has superpowers. Superpowers–and more importantly, superheroes–already exist in this world, and Tony happens to live in the city of San Ventura, which has its very own superteam called (you guessed it) the Seven Wonders. Tony not only wants to join the team, but also wants to one-up them by capturing the last known operating supervillain, the Cowl, and his sidekick Blackbird. Along the way, we meet Detective Sam Millar, who has her own plans to capture the Cowl.
I’ve actually streamlined the story quite a bit, and the climax/plot resolution ends up having very little to do with what I’ve detailed above. (There are aliens involved.) Part of the problem with Seven Wonders is that it tries to do too many things at once, cramming in multiple twists and reveals that range from obvious to out-there. To use the terms from one of my favorite time-sucks, TV Tropes, there are heel face turns, Clark Kenting, I’m not a hero, I’m…, and Phlebotinum batteries galore.
Now, if it had been a comic book, the multiple cliff-hangers and twists would have been perfect spots for issues to end; an 8-issue mini-series would have been ideal, I think. The shorter format of comic books allows for these sort of fast-paced ebbs and flows of plot, whereas in a book, it’s just sort of tiring and unrealistic. This character is good! Now he’s bad. Now he’s dead! Now he’s even badder. Now he’s good again. I can buy that in the almost soap-operatic pages of a comic, but not in the black-and-white pages of a book. I needed more build-up and more justification, and there is room for that in prose novels.
I did like that we had multiple point-of-view characters, including the Cowl, Tony, Sam, SMART (the robot member of the Seven Wonders), Blackbird, and Dragon Star. The attempts to distinguish their voices were largely successful, though everything tended to be written with a casual, conversational tone. Again, that’s something you often see in comics (though certainly not all comics). Sometimes I felt that the prose veered into “too casual” territory; Christopher, for example, seems preoccupied with detailing how his characters eat and drink as they talk:
‘I wonder why the FBI were interested in that shooting?’ Joe lifted the lid on his drink, apparently admitting defeat as he gently blew across the surface of his coffee.
Sam kept the straw of her milkshake in her mouth. ‘What shooting? She took another delightfully chilled mouthful.
This doesn’t really achieve anything other than avoiding using the word “said,” and bogging down any potential action and exposition.
And while I enjoy comic books, there are admittedly some topics that comic authors struggle to handle sensitively–the treatment of women and people of color being one. While the character of Sam is strong and independent (and often the one person speaking any sense), Seven Wonders members Bluebell and Sand Cat are carictures. Bluebell is called a “bitch” numerous times–the only superhero to be called that, and the only superhero to be called an expletive in the first place. (“Wow, somebody really didn’t like Jean Grey/Sue Storm.” – me) Sand Cat, a woman as well as someone of Middle Eastern descent, is spoken about derisively by someone trying to mimic a Haitian accent, and accused of using voodoo. Again, the origins of the other (white) heroes are not called into question. Sand Cat is also one of only two main characters of color, the other being Sam Millar’s fellow detective, the ambiguously Hispanic Joe Milano.
Overall, while this is a good effort at translating the content and action of a comic book to a novel, Seven Wonders is not as fun as reading an actual graphic novel. For those new to comics, I recommend Fables, Watchmen, or anything by Gail Simone.
I received this book free for review from the publisher, Angry Robot Books, through NetGallery. Seven Wonders will be published on August 28th, 2012.
Bookwanderer Rating: Two and a half out of five stars
Bookwanderer Tagline: “Everybody in the whole world was the center of their own life drama. Everybody was their own superhero, everybody was a good guy.”
This review is also posted on Bookwanderer.
baikenish's review against another edition
2.0
I wanted to like this more than I did. It started out great but I felt increasingly distracted as the story continued.
nightwyrm's review against another edition
5.0
Novelised comic writing at its best. This reads like an end-to-end major comics event from either of The Big Two, and I'd certainly like to see this serialised in comic form.
kateofmind's review against another edition
5.0
I was a beta-reader for this book, and while as a rule superhero fiction isn't my thing, if all superhero fiction were like this, it would WAY be my thing. Can't wait to see the "proper" version.
And yes, I do make some exceptionally fine pizza.
And yes, I do make some exceptionally fine pizza.