Hello Enthusiasts,
Today's review will be of Peter Clines' "Ex-Heroes" series. At the time of this writing the series has 5 installments, with at least one more on the way.
A brief summery of these books to start.
It's a Romero-style zombie apocalypse, set primarily in the Hollywood/Los Angeles area. Those left alive have set up shop in The Mount, a fortified version of the old Paramount studios. Luckily for the people of the Mount, they have the added protection of those who were super-heroes before the world ended. However, the hoards of "ex-humans" aren't the only problems left in the shell of a world, and the protectors of The Mount have to fight a collection of super-villains to ensure the safety of those they protect.
Overall, I really like these books. Clines does a great job with describing the world, and his characters are all original, so you won't have a preconceived notion of these heroes going in (the story would not be nearly as interesting if I was trying to picture Batman running The Mount, as lore has grown to show that Batman can do no wrong). The action and dialogue are also pretty spot-on in these books, even with smaller scenes, such as when the group goes scavenging for supplies. Also, the first book in the series come out in 2010, and Clines does a great job of keeping any references of culture or technology appropriately limited, as that would mark the end of any new media in the zombie-infested world. I also really appreciated that this is a world where zombie movies and stories have existed, but nobody calls them zombies. Rather, they call them "ex-humans" or "ex's" for short, as it makes them feel a little more comfortable. It is obvious with all of these details that Clines has a passion for the story.
I will say though that the books are not consistently wonderful. I thought the first three in the series (Ex-Heroes, Ex-Patriots, and Ex-Communication) were astounding, with Ex-Patriots being my favorite so far in the series. However, I felt that the fourth book (Ex-Purgatory) wasn't as much of a page-turner as it's predecessors. While the most recent addition, Ex-Isle, definitely came back a bit stronger, I didn't feel like it hit the same high point as the first three. Now I'm not saying that Ex-Purgatory was bad at all, but it lacked the same kind of high-tension atmosphere that kept me ripping through the other books. And it's not because of the writing really, it's just the idea that Clines went with in this installment, which was a good one. However, it didn't lend itself to action filled scenes or me feeling like there was a lot of real danger for the heroes.
To wrap up, these books are outstanding in most regards. I would recommend them to anyone looking for a new book to capture their imagination and keep them coming back for more. I do hope that we see this series make its way over to some other form of media, be it comic books or the big screen.
As a series, Ex-Heroes gets 9 out of 10 from me.
Sincerely,
The Bored Enthusiast
Never even heard of this, but it sounds pretty badass
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