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prairiephlox's review against another edition
2.0
I loved Cline’s “14”. 14 was a great, easy, fast-paced, and fun read. It hit all the right notes for reading pleasure. Ex-Heroes had a fun premise- people with super powers that are turned into zombies still retain their powers as they now hunt for human flesh. Sounds interesting right? The execution of weaving multiple stories was good, showing each currently serving hero before and after the zombie apocalypse, and how the world came to be the way it is. So what went wrong? For me it was definitely the characters. Cline wanted to hit all the hero tropes- the sexualized heroine, the gunslinger who’s ends justified the means, the boy scout…. You get the picture. The problem was that they never progressed beyond being just tropes. They were flat, and to me, unrelatable. I listened to the whole story because it was fine, and it passed the time as I weeded my garden, but at no point was I desperately waiting to hear what happened next, or trying to “solve” the puzzle along with the heroes. I wasn’t bored, but I wasn’t engaged either. I lacked the energy I had had when reading 14. Stealth, the hyper-sexualized female dictator of the superheroes, was to me the most boring, ah woe to me, genius of the beautiful face and bounteous bosoms, but even St. George, arguably the *most* main character, had all of Captain America’s goody-two-shoes attitude but not of the struggle, fervor, or heart to make the character work for me. Ultimately a 2-star read, which is just okay. Night of the Living Trekkies was more fun and The Girl With All the Gifts is a legitimately great book.
Also- when I think superheroes and zombies I automatically think scifi. Why is that? I mean, it depends on the mechanism by which the superheroes and zombies get their powers, right? There is a fine line between superhero and wizard, and zombies are fantastical creatures more than scifi creatures if the mechanism is a curse, or the dead just rise. Now I want to read a book about necromantic science. Really blur those scifi and fantasy lines. Authors, go forth and write!
Also- when I think superheroes and zombies I automatically think scifi. Why is that? I mean, it depends on the mechanism by which the superheroes and zombies get their powers, right? There is a fine line between superhero and wizard, and zombies are fantastical creatures more than scifi creatures if the mechanism is a curse, or the dead just rise. Now I want to read a book about necromantic science. Really blur those scifi and fantasy lines. Authors, go forth and write!
dogmomirene's review against another edition
3.0
The concept of super-heroes battling zombies from a Hollywood movie studio kept me turning the pages. I liked the super-heroes, but they weren't terribly deep. I actually had to keep reminding myself of who had what superpower. Some of the dialogue felt stilted. In a few scenes I felt awkward because I wasn't certain why I was present for those particular events.
The action scenes were fun and fast-paced. Seeing a few of the characters briefly introduced before they died was also interesting. Those pieces gave this zombie apocalypse an authentic feel. I thought that anyone could be a victim, which I liked.
However, since the characters are not well-developed, there were a few key scenes that fell short. The biggest disappointment was the scene revealing how the zombie virus began. The concept is awesomely fantastic. However, since I'm not vested in any of the characters (I'm spending a great deal of time trying to remember who is who, and who is having sex with who, or who is pissed at who), the reveal is not terribly emotional, and it could have been. This scene had the potential to blow your mind as you teared up.
Maybe I'll try the sequel to see if character development improves in the the follow-up.
The action scenes were fun and fast-paced. Seeing a few of the characters briefly introduced before they died was also interesting. Those pieces gave this zombie apocalypse an authentic feel. I thought that anyone could be a victim, which I liked.
However, since the characters are not well-developed, there were a few key scenes that fell short. The biggest disappointment was the scene revealing how the zombie virus began. The concept is awesomely fantastic. However, since I'm not vested in any of the characters (I'm spending a great deal of time trying to remember who is who, and who is having sex with who, or who is pissed at who), the reveal is not terribly emotional, and it could have been. This scene had the potential to blow your mind as you teared up.
Maybe I'll try the sequel to see if character development improves in the the follow-up.
madsthemads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
woolly_g's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
jakiblue's review against another edition
3.0
I love superheroes. I love flawed superheroes even more - think the screwed-up disturbance that is the Batman - so I went into this with high hopes. Superheroes vs Zombies. Dude, seriously? Best. Idea. Ever.
So let's see...the action scenes are very well written. In fact, I almost felt they were really written with a movie in mind.
There's been a plague that causes zombies - people are holed up in an old movie studio, led by superheroes, ordinary people who have suddenly discovered they have strange powers. They dress in superhero outfits, and most of them have their secret identities. But I really felt there was a lack of characterization here. The characters simply weren't deep or well-developed enough. We do learn their histories as flashbacks over the course of the story.
And when we discover HOW the zombie plague started, it should have been a lot more heartbreaking than how it was written.
All in all, I did like it...just felt there could have been so much more to this.
So let's see...the action scenes are very well written. In fact, I almost felt they were really written with a movie in mind.
There's been a plague that causes zombies - people are holed up in an old movie studio, led by superheroes, ordinary people who have suddenly discovered they have strange powers. They dress in superhero outfits, and most of them have their secret identities. But I really felt there was a lack of characterization here. The characters simply weren't deep or well-developed enough. We do learn their histories as flashbacks over the course of the story.
And when we discover HOW the zombie plague started, it should have been a lot more heartbreaking than how it was written.
All in all, I did like it...just felt there could have been so much more to this.
amaliachimera's review against another edition
3.0
Fun, as usual for Peter Clines, but felt disjointed and a little too quickly-paced for the many narratives shown.
arthur_dragon's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Ever since reading Marvel Zombies, I've been jonesing for another hit of superhero zombie stories. This helps scratch that itch. Overall pretty decent, some of the plot points are kind of messy and have some glaring plot holes if you think about them too much. There's also this running theme of every woman being sexualized at some point (even some of the zombies which... Dude), which was annoying. The references are dated at this point, but if you grew to around that time you'll catch them.
Apart from that, fun read.
Apart from that, fun read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Cannibalism, Fire/Fire injury, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Minor: Adult/minor relationship and Suicide attempt
erickibler4's review against another edition
2.0
Not for me. At least for right now.
I'm a voracious reader of superhero comics, but somehow this book didn't do anything for me that that the better comic book sagas can do: make me care about the characters. I never got a sense of their personalities or motivations in the first 60 pages I read.
And zombies? Frankly, I'm getting kind of zombied out, pop culture-wise.
I'm a voracious reader of superhero comics, but somehow this book didn't do anything for me that that the better comic book sagas can do: make me care about the characters. I never got a sense of their personalities or motivations in the first 60 pages I read.
And zombies? Frankly, I'm getting kind of zombied out, pop culture-wise.
lvh's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0