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Blaze: A Superhero Origin Story (The High-Born Epic, #1).
In the fenced-in community of Foxx Hole lives Harold; his Aunt Nean; his little cousins, Cooper and Ollie, along with his girlfriend, Sarah, and her family. The village is governed by the seemingly generous Colonel Foxx who requires the townspeople to attend weekly meetings where they are taught the lessons of how genetically-engineered soldiers saved humanity from extinction.
But a brush with death forever alters Harold's life as he suddenly and inexplicably develops amazing powers. His strength and reflexes grow to frightening proportions, and he finds that he has the ability to both create and control fire. In addition to these revelations, Harold finds that he can instantly move across short distances just by concentrating. As he discovers the limits of his physical powers, he begins to realize that his intelligence is mysteriously increasing as well.
Soon, Colonel Foxx and the rest of the High-Born military show their true colors and Harold realizes that he is the only one who actually has the power to balance the scales. Then, he embarks on a mission that leads him to find someone else eerily similar to him, yet different as well. But will it be enough to stop an army of perfect soldiers equipped with an arsenal of the most advanced technology the world has ever seen?
But a brush with death forever alters Harold's life as he suddenly and inexplicably develops amazing powers. His strength and reflexes grow to frightening proportions, and he finds that he has the ability to both create and control fire. In addition to these revelations, Harold finds that he can instantly move across short distances just by concentrating. As he discovers the limits of his physical powers, he begins to realize that his intelligence is mysteriously increasing as well.
Soon, Colonel Foxx and the rest of the High-Born military show their true colors and Harold realizes that he is the only one who actually has the power to balance the scales. Then, he embarks on a mission that leads him to find someone else eerily similar to him, yet different as well. But will it be enough to stop an army of perfect soldiers equipped with an arsenal of the most advanced technology the world has ever seen?
358 pages, Paperback
First published November 15, 2013
4 people are currently reading
20 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
March 30, 2016
I received a copy of this work for a fair and honest review.
Coming out of World War III and living in the new harsh world as an outcome, petty dictators create a new near feudal world pushing themselves on the survivors. Set against the backdrop where people have returned to a rural lifestyle, with the community being central, you could see this as a real dystopian world.
Against this realistic background, starts gritty fun of the story. It reminded me a little of the Mistborn trilogy, where the pressures of life trigger the creation of a reluctant hero. A superhero. You can believe the idea of evolutionary and environmental influences that give people the powers they need to survive with a new civil war brewing.
Definitely one you need to give a try.
Coming out of World War III and living in the new harsh world as an outcome, petty dictators create a new near feudal world pushing themselves on the survivors. Set against the backdrop where people have returned to a rural lifestyle, with the community being central, you could see this as a real dystopian world.
Against this realistic background, starts gritty fun of the story. It reminded me a little of the Mistborn trilogy, where the pressures of life trigger the creation of a reluctant hero. A superhero. You can believe the idea of evolutionary and environmental influences that give people the powers they need to survive with a new civil war brewing.
Definitely one you need to give a try.
September 17, 2014
The world has changed.
Sometime in the distant future, mankind has been subjugated by a superior race (the High Born) and now lives and dies at their whim. Education is banned, no uprising tolerated. For Harold and the others in the small community of Foxx Hole, they simply exist.
When Harold faces a life or death moment, that all changes. He discovers new abilities, a new capacity for learning, and the truth about his world. When the High-Born take the children of the community, Harold puts his new talents and abilities to the test and begins a quest to retrieve them.
Harold meets the enemy head on, and discovers new allies along the way; others with special abilities like his own. They face the High Born together...but will it be enough?
Jason's book is a fantastic tale of a world ravaged by WWIII, the hopes and dreams of humanity, and a new kind of superhero. Fast paced with believable characters, BLAZE will keep your attention and have you asking for more. I cannot wait for the second book so that I can find out not only what happens to Harold and his allies, but where the High Born actually came from.
Sometime in the distant future, mankind has been subjugated by a superior race (the High Born) and now lives and dies at their whim. Education is banned, no uprising tolerated. For Harold and the others in the small community of Foxx Hole, they simply exist.
When Harold faces a life or death moment, that all changes. He discovers new abilities, a new capacity for learning, and the truth about his world. When the High-Born take the children of the community, Harold puts his new talents and abilities to the test and begins a quest to retrieve them.
Harold meets the enemy head on, and discovers new allies along the way; others with special abilities like his own. They face the High Born together...but will it be enough?
Jason's book is a fantastic tale of a world ravaged by WWIII, the hopes and dreams of humanity, and a new kind of superhero. Fast paced with believable characters, BLAZE will keep your attention and have you asking for more. I cannot wait for the second book so that I can find out not only what happens to Harold and his allies, but where the High Born actually came from.
February 12, 2014
This amazingly well written story has wonderful world building. It shows a twist on a post apocalyptic world that is like no other book I have found. The characters are all great and woven into the story in such wonderful ways that you cannot put the book down. I highly recommend this book.
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August 17, 2016I bought this book from an author at a convention. I read the first chapter but had no desire to finish it. Wasn't bad, just not my style.
November 22, 2020
From the very beginning I was hooked, yet to completely finish it but I both can't wait and I'm also dreading the coming end
June 23, 2015
Blaze is a fun mashup of a superhero origin story with a hearty helping of post-apocalyptic musing and a touch of dystopia. We find out early on that this world has been ravaged by World War III. Early on, we know that this post-war world is not as it should be. The High-Born, a mysterious cadre of genetically engineered humans, rule over the Low-Born with propaganda and food rations. Our main man, Harold, doesn’t care for it, but like most, he simply accepts it because he cannot hope to challenge the power of the High-Born.
It’s not until a brush with death that (literally) ignites a fiery power in him that he decides to do something about it. Some of my favorite parts of this book come early on as Harold learns to control his abilities. It’s reminiscent of the first Spiderman movie, where poor Spidey tries to “fly” with his webs –failing miserably – and gives us a humorous peek at what happens before a hero becomes truly super. There’s a great deal of thought put into what Harold can do, and Woodham really digs deep to use his superpowers creatively.
There’s a lot of action and a strong thread of romance in the book, though I won’t spoil it for you here with details. The few glimpses we get of the High-Born world reminded me of decadent Ancient Rome. I definitely hope to see more of it in future books.
Furthermore, a running thread through the book is the importance of learning and knowledge. It’s a lack of knowledge that helps the High-Born keep their power, and Harold’s growing power goes hand-in-hand with his drive to learn. There are some great moments later in the book when you’re able to put Harold’s world on a more familiar map, and you realize how thoroughly the High-Born have scrubbed away the history and knowledge that might have given their subjects inspiration to revolt.
But despite the high technology and superpowers, this is a book about the fact that people matter. The story begins in a small town, where Harold is part of a small family and a tight knit community. These are good, salt-of-the-earth people that you can’t help loving, and even when the story takes on an epic scale, Harold is still driven by the people he loves. As long as there is fire in his soul, Harold is fighting to protect those who cannot protect themselves.
Blaze is a fun, action-packed book that ends with the promise of a sequel. There is far more going on in this world than we yet know, and I’m eager to see what awaits!
It’s not until a brush with death that (literally) ignites a fiery power in him that he decides to do something about it. Some of my favorite parts of this book come early on as Harold learns to control his abilities. It’s reminiscent of the first Spiderman movie, where poor Spidey tries to “fly” with his webs –failing miserably – and gives us a humorous peek at what happens before a hero becomes truly super. There’s a great deal of thought put into what Harold can do, and Woodham really digs deep to use his superpowers creatively.
There’s a lot of action and a strong thread of romance in the book, though I won’t spoil it for you here with details. The few glimpses we get of the High-Born world reminded me of decadent Ancient Rome. I definitely hope to see more of it in future books.
Furthermore, a running thread through the book is the importance of learning and knowledge. It’s a lack of knowledge that helps the High-Born keep their power, and Harold’s growing power goes hand-in-hand with his drive to learn. There are some great moments later in the book when you’re able to put Harold’s world on a more familiar map, and you realize how thoroughly the High-Born have scrubbed away the history and knowledge that might have given their subjects inspiration to revolt.
But despite the high technology and superpowers, this is a book about the fact that people matter. The story begins in a small town, where Harold is part of a small family and a tight knit community. These are good, salt-of-the-earth people that you can’t help loving, and even when the story takes on an epic scale, Harold is still driven by the people he loves. As long as there is fire in his soul, Harold is fighting to protect those who cannot protect themselves.
Blaze is a fun, action-packed book that ends with the promise of a sequel. There is far more going on in this world than we yet know, and I’m eager to see what awaits!
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews