Description
The golden age of heroes is decades past. The government could not condone vigilantism and now metahumans are just citizens, albeit citizens with incredible talent, who are assisted in achieving normal lives (including finding good fits for their talents employment-wise) by a federal agency.
Rusty may have been a kid during that glorious age but he remembers his idol, Sentinel, saving lives and righting wrongs - until he was outed in an incredible scandal that forced him into isolation. When a gay friend of Rusty living in the Czech Republic goes missing, Rusty is forced to acknowledge that while the world's governments claim that super teams are outdated and replaced by legal law enforcement, there are simply some places where the law doesn't protect everyone - so he manages to find and recruit Sentinel to help him find his friend.
But the disappearance of the friend is merely one move in a terrible plot against queer youth. A team of supers may be old-fashioned, but this may be a battle requiring some incredible reinforcements.
Reviews
KIRKUS (STARRED) -- Carriker evokes comic-book action and disturbing current events in this debut novel. Rusty longs more than most for the heady early days of superheroes. When he was a child, a mysterious event called the Shift granted some people superpowers, and unaffected Rusty was fascinated by them. But as years went by, things changed. The new heroes were outlawed by a fearful public who deemed superpowers (and vigilante activities) to be a net detriment to society. But echoes of the Shift were still felt in the post-hero world; soon, Rusty's own superabilities appeared-the power to manipulate magnetic fields-but they seemed to cost him more than they gave him. Growing up gay and superpowered in north Texas, Rusty faced bigotry, but he was mostly happy, and even now, he still believes in heroes. So when a friend named Kosma-whom he was just starting to get to know online-disappears in Odessa, Ukraine, Rusty can't let it lie. He also tracks down his idol, the hero known as Sentinel, to help him in his search. It feels like an unlikely partnership, at times, but people who fall through the cracks need heroes to band together to pull them out. This novel's effective, understated worldbuilding is a treat, and the action is tight and fast-paced, but it's the characters that really make the story exceptional. Rusty's bright, colorful disposition is a welcome change from the grim, brooding countenances that often dominate modern superhero tales. That optimism makes the story's harsher realities even more affecting. Readers also get to know a diverse ensemble cast, such as Rusty's best friend, Deosil, including their hopes and fears. The alchemy between the characters' chemistry, the story's action, and the world's pressing-and sometimes painful-similarities to our own make the book nearly impossible to put down. An engaging story that punches, kicks, and takes flight, just like its heroes.
Book Information
ISBN 9781949160567
Author Joseph D. Carriker, Jr.
Format Paperback
Page Count 432
Imprint Green Ronin Publishing
Publisher Green Ronin Publishing
Weight(grams) 499g
Dimensions(mm) 203mm * 152mm * 25mm
Rusty may have been a kid during that glorious age but he remembers his idol, Sentinel, saving lives and righting wrongs - until he was outed in an incredible scandal that forced him into isolation. When a gay friend of Rusty living in the Czech Republic goes missing, Rusty is forced to acknowledge that while the world's governments claim that super teams are outdated and replaced by legal law enforcement, there are simply some places where the law doesn't protect everyone - so he manages to find and recruit Sentinel to help him find his friend.
But the disappearance of the friend is merely one move in a terrible plot against queer youth. A team of supers may be old-fashioned, but this may be a battle requiring some incredible reinforcements.
Reviews
KIRKUS (STARRED) -- Carriker evokes comic-book action and disturbing current events in this debut novel. Rusty longs more than most for the heady early days of superheroes. When he was a child, a mysterious event called the Shift granted some people superpowers, and unaffected Rusty was fascinated by them. But as years went by, things changed. The new heroes were outlawed by a fearful public who deemed superpowers (and vigilante activities) to be a net detriment to society. But echoes of the Shift were still felt in the post-hero world; soon, Rusty's own superabilities appeared-the power to manipulate magnetic fields-but they seemed to cost him more than they gave him. Growing up gay and superpowered in north Texas, Rusty faced bigotry, but he was mostly happy, and even now, he still believes in heroes. So when a friend named Kosma-whom he was just starting to get to know online-disappears in Odessa, Ukraine, Rusty can't let it lie. He also tracks down his idol, the hero known as Sentinel, to help him in his search. It feels like an unlikely partnership, at times, but people who fall through the cracks need heroes to band together to pull them out. This novel's effective, understated worldbuilding is a treat, and the action is tight and fast-paced, but it's the characters that really make the story exceptional. Rusty's bright, colorful disposition is a welcome change from the grim, brooding countenances that often dominate modern superhero tales. That optimism makes the story's harsher realities even more affecting. Readers also get to know a diverse ensemble cast, such as Rusty's best friend, Deosil, including their hopes and fears. The alchemy between the characters' chemistry, the story's action, and the world's pressing-and sometimes painful-similarities to our own make the book nearly impossible to put down. An engaging story that punches, kicks, and takes flight, just like its heroes.
Book Information
ISBN 9781949160567
Author Joseph D. Carriker, Jr.
Format Paperback
Page Count 432
Imprint Green Ronin Publishing
Publisher Green Ronin Publishing
Weight(grams) 499g
Dimensions(mm) 203mm * 152mm * 25mm
