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Published: July 02, 2011
Words: 143,080 (approximate)
Language: English
ISBN: 9780983798408
Short description
Imagine a world like our own but with superheroes. Would the superheroes change the world or would the world change the superheroes? K.M. Johnson-Weider has created that world with wit, fun, romance, and plenty of drama. Teams of superheroes use their powers to protect their cities, but fame and fortune can be more insidious than any supervillain, and saving the city doesn't pay the bills.Extended description
"...the well-imagined world and strong cast of do-gooders... will keep readers interested through the epilogue by offering new takes on surprisingly human personal struggles, like a less cynical Watchmen with more likable characters." - Kirkus Indie ReviewsImagine a world like our own but with superheroes. Would the superheroes change the world or would the world change the superheroes?
It's 2013 and West Pacific Supers is the professional superhero team for the city of West Pacific in northern California. It's hard to know what's more dangerous for the members of West Pacific Supers: the supervillains out to destroy the city or the superazzi determined to uncover all of their dirty secrets. If juggling heroics and public relations weren't hard enough, the 2013 Season begins with a shocking death. Now new team members must be recruited to counter two major threats: a scientist with an insane plan that threatens California and an enemy from within West Pacific Supers itself. The te.. (Read more)
Tags
speculative fiction, action adventure, superheroes, alternate earth, vigilantesAvailable ebook reading formats
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Reviews
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Review by:
MG Shogun
on July 10, 2012 :
I like how this book is slightly different from usual superheroes fare. We see superheroes as real people, which is very refreshing change. Also, it feels very realistic, which helps me envisioning the story very well. It's very well done book and I hope that the authors can continue to write more books.
(reviewed within a month of purchase)
Review by:
Terry B.
on May 10, 2012 :
I do a lot of reading; this book was a new genre for me. It's an interesting premise - it's the U.S. future, pretty much as we know it, except that cities are protected, not just by police, but by teams of superheroes. How a superhero becomes part of a team, how the team functions, or doesn't function, and what villains there are to subdue, are all part of this book. The nefarious plots that must be foiled are an interesting backdrop for the allure of the characters. The action is suitably unpredictable and diverting, while the characters provide the most entertainment. Some of them are normal in appearance and have extraordinary powers. Some are mutants with unusual physical characteristics that both enhance their powers and cause inconveniences and embarrassments. How the supers deal with their chosen profession of saving the world, while trying to save their sanity and have a life, makes for some intriguing reading.
The characters are multi-dimensional, each with very distinct personalities; sometimes tugging at your heart, sometimes making you grit your teeth, sometimes drawing a laugh. The dialogue really shines; revealing their personalities and providing the real meat of this book. I found myself thinking about being a superhero, or being married to one. And just who IS Dr. Annie Sterling? The novel kept me focused, and when I finished reading, I really didn't want it to end.
(reviewed within a month of purchase)
Review by:
Mystie Muun
on April 25, 2012 :
This was very entertaining to read. The characters come out as real people with real lives, including all the stuff that goes with actually living. I can't say that everyone of the characters is lovable, because hey, Some of them are just plain rotten tomatoes. But that makes the good ones all the more enjoyable when they manage to succeed. By far my favorite was Seawolf. Forgot the stars first time.
(reviewed within a month of purchase)
Review by:
Mystie Muun
on April 25, 2012 :
(no rating)
This was very entertaining to read. The characters come out as real people with real lives, including all the stuff that goes with actually living. I can't say that everyone of the characters is lovable, because hey, Some of them are just plain rotten tomatoes. But that makes the good ones all the more enjoyable when they manage to succeed. By far my favorite was Seawolf.
(reviewed within a month of purchase)
Review by:
Bumblefish
on April 11, 2012 :
Great book with an interesting plot and some unexpected turns.
The next one is already on my to read list.
(reviewed long after purchase)
Review by:
Charlotte E. English
on Jan. 08, 2012 :
The West Pacific Supers of the title are a team of professional superheroes. They have stage names like Cosmic Kid, Blue Star and White Knight, they have superhero costumes and, at times, some terribly corny lines.
All of that may sound like something of a farce, but it works surprisingly well. This is an X-Men style version of 2013, where some humans are born mutants with peculiar, powerful abilities. They’re unusual, but not that rare: there are several teams of superheroes that operate like top sports teams, with sponsorships and top celebrity status. It’s amusing, and largely believable; it’s not hard to imagine that mutant superhero status would go that way, if such a thing existed.
Of course, for every superhero there’s a supervillain and a corresponding supercrime-in-the-making. The West Pacific Supers are having a difficult year: disaster after disaster leaves them short on team members and up against impressive odds. Can they work past their differences to save the day?
I think this scenario works because it’s possible to see the Supers as real people, not just costumes. There’s a great deal about their personal lives in this long book, probably too much – it threatens to drown the main action after a while. But I didn’t mind, because the authors avoided sinking into melodrama, and the Supers don’t take themselves too seriously for the most part. The story reads like the chronicles of the team over one Season, covering their interpersonal issues (of which there are quite a lot) as well as their supercharged action-filled crime-fighting escapades.
The villains were interesting too. I suppose there are superscientists to go with all the rest of the superness, and they’re up to no good. I liked Dr B the best; he seemed so oddly oblivious to most of what was happening, thoroughly deluded about his own role in any of it, and yet believably brilliant as a borderline genius scientist. It seems he may reappear in the next book, which makes me happy.
The book is very light-hearted in some respects – you can’t have all your characters walking about in superhero suits and write a perfectly serious book – but it isn’t a farce. The characters are strong, but not immortal, and the dangers are very real. The teams frequently lose members and West Pacific is no different; not all of them will make it to the end. The losses are affecting, but the balance between pain and humour is good.
Overall, not a perfect book but really enjoyable. I’m definitely game for the sequel.
(reviewed within a month of purchase)
Review by:
lando
on Oct. 13, 2011 :
Great read, one of the best novels I have read this year!!!!
The use of sport teams as a back drop for a superhero team was strange at first. But really how many of us idolize and hero worship a particular athlete or sport teams.
The author told the story from a POV point of several characters never really setting up a main protagonist from the novel's perspective. Yet for each character along the way you manage to get a feel for each as a person. The flaws as well as the good attributes. I think this was one of the most outstanding parts of the entire book as it allowed me to really empathize with each one as a person.
As far as length and or pace of the novel I was basically hooked from the start to finish with a few surprises thrown in that I didn’t quite see coming. The story line never suffered from a slow pace or got lost somewhere in the middle loosing the reader’s interest. You will keep reading to see what comes next!
(reviewed within a month of purchase)