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A review by robinbridgefour
Ex-Heroes by Peter Clines
4.0
Sale Alert: Kindle Daily deal 26Jul19 $1.99
3.5 Stars (It seems to be my default rating)
Before you read this book you have to ask yourself:
1. Do I like Books that read like summer blockbuster movies?
2. Do I like Flawed Superheroes that aren’t completely altruistic?
3. Do I like Zombie Books?
4. Do I like dark humor that also includes pop culture references?
5. If Joss Whedon and J.J. Abrams had a son that only wrote books would he be Peter Clines?
If you said yes three or more of the above questions then Ex-Heroes is probably right up your alley.
I really enjoyed how this book took two genres and really combined them together seamlessly. It could have become extra cheesy with Superheroes and Zombies but I really enjoyed the moments that were serious and the others that made fun of the zombie apocalypse itself. I alternated between the Audio (which is fantastic and I totally recommend if you listen to Audiobooks at all) and the ebook.
The story is set around a group of Superheroes who have come together Avenger style to protect a group of people inside a former movie studio. The story is revealed in a past/present multiple POV telling much in the style of LOST. From the POV of the Superheroes there are a few chapters in the present and then a chapter from the past and the beginning of the zombie apocalypse. In the collapse of society it isn’t just the Zombies that our Heroes have to face. They are also in a turf war with a gang from LA who wants the guns and ammunition the Heroes have stockpiled.
With the way the story is told the reader gets a sense of the decay of society and how it all went downhill so fast. Plus Peter Clines did something that no other Zombie book I’ve read to date has done. He actually showed us how the Zombie virus got start and who was Patient Zero. It was done in such a great way that I thought it blended in with the story perfectly, so bravo on that.
There are plenty of times to be serious throughout the book and well not everyone makes it out alive (it’s a zombie book I don’t think anyone should be surprised by that) there is enough dark humor to keep me engaged in the story. Clines even included a game of your top 5 celebrity kills to kind of show how in the aftermath people are trying to keep spirits up. What an interesting take on the fall of society and there is even the new additional problems of former superheroes as Zombies.
Peter Clines gave every POV a very distinctive feel and even changed the way the story was told in a few chapters to really change the voice of each. The way the chapter on Cairax was written in particular was my favorite.
There were only a few things I struggled with. There are a lot of characters and all the Superheroes have their secret identity name and then their Superhero name. I got a little confused keeping them all straight for a little while sorta like a George RR Martin Book I needed a character tree. But by the end I totally had the hang of it I hope. Because there are so many characters it was hard to get a really in-depth look at any. But since this is a series I’m sure that will be ultimately remedied.
The only other issue I had was with the action sequences getting a little bit repetitive that I lost focus. But I’m totally a girl and that would happen for me in a blockbuster movie as well. There are great moments in the action sequences too, like using one zombie to knock around others and such but I only have a limited attention span for fight scenes.
All and all this was a lot of fun and as I didn’t know anything about this book other than I liked a different Peter Clines book called 14 I wasn’t sure what to expect. I will just say that I’m pleasantly surprised and can’t wait to see what the next installment brings.
3.5 Stars (It seems to be my default rating)
It doesn’t matter. I don’t care what you believe in. The Loch Ness monster, Bigfoot, faked moon landings, the 2000 election results—you can believe in whatever fairy tale you want.
Before you read this book you have to ask yourself:
1. Do I like Books that read like summer blockbuster movies?
2. Do I like Flawed Superheroes that aren’t completely altruistic?
3. Do I like Zombie Books?
4. Do I like dark humor that also includes pop culture references?
5. If Joss Whedon and J.J. Abrams had a son that only wrote books would he be Peter Clines?
If you said yes three or more of the above questions then Ex-Heroes is probably right up your alley.
I really enjoyed how this book took two genres and really combined them together seamlessly. It could have become extra cheesy with Superheroes and Zombies but I really enjoyed the moments that were serious and the others that made fun of the zombie apocalypse itself. I alternated between the Audio (which is fantastic and I totally recommend if you listen to Audiobooks at all) and the ebook.
The story is set around a group of Superheroes who have come together Avenger style to protect a group of people inside a former movie studio. The story is revealed in a past/present multiple POV telling much in the style of LOST. From the POV of the Superheroes there are a few chapters in the present and then a chapter from the past and the beginning of the zombie apocalypse. In the collapse of society it isn’t just the Zombies that our Heroes have to face. They are also in a turf war with a gang from LA who wants the guns and ammunition the Heroes have stockpiled.
People could say a lot of negative things about the apocalypse, but there was no arguing the air quality in Los Angeles had really improved.
With the way the story is told the reader gets a sense of the decay of society and how it all went downhill so fast. Plus Peter Clines did something that no other Zombie book I’ve read to date has done. He actually showed us how the Zombie virus got start and who was Patient Zero. It was done in such a great way that I thought it blended in with the story perfectly, so bravo on that.
There are plenty of times to be serious throughout the book and well not everyone makes it out alive (it’s a zombie book I don’t think anyone should be surprised by that) there is enough dark humor to keep me engaged in the story. Clines even included a game of your top 5 celebrity kills to kind of show how in the aftermath people are trying to keep spirits up. What an interesting take on the fall of society and there is even the new additional problems of former superheroes as Zombies.
Peter Clines gave every POV a very distinctive feel and even changed the way the story was told in a few chapters to really change the voice of each. The way the chapter on Cairax was written in particular was my favorite.
There were only a few things I struggled with. There are a lot of characters and all the Superheroes have their secret identity name and then their Superhero name. I got a little confused keeping them all straight for a little while sorta like a George RR Martin Book I needed a character tree. But by the end I totally had the hang of it I hope. Because there are so many characters it was hard to get a really in-depth look at any. But since this is a series I’m sure that will be ultimately remedied.
The only other issue I had was with the action sequences getting a little bit repetitive that I lost focus. But I’m totally a girl and that would happen for me in a blockbuster movie as well. There are great moments in the action sequences too, like using one zombie to knock around others and such but I only have a limited attention span for fight scenes.
All and all this was a lot of fun and as I didn’t know anything about this book other than I liked a different Peter Clines book called 14 I wasn’t sure what to expect. I will just say that I’m pleasantly surprised and can’t wait to see what the next installment brings.