ULTRA

The Last Hero #1

by Matt Blake

Geek. Wuss. Superhero...

They were supposed to be the perfect creation: super-powered humans with extraordinary abilities, designed to keep the planet safe in dangerous times. Heroes.

But too many of those creations went rogue. The Heroes were branded ULTRAs by the government, hunted down. Civil wars erupted. In the end, the ULTRAs were wiped from existence, consigned to the history books.

Until now...

Kyle Peters is a teenager going nowhere. He's a geek, he's awful at sports, and he doesn't have the courage to tell the girl of his dreams how he feels. His life is at a standstill, and it doesn't look like changing any time soon.

But when Kyle is caught up in a terrifying hostage situation at a soccer stadium, he discovers he is capable of amazing things: he has the abilities of an ULTRA.

Now, with a rival ULTRA devastating the planet, and the government keen to wipe all ULTRAs from existence once more, Kyle must battle his own fears and master his powers if he is to become what the world needs more than anything: a true Hero.

But Kyle fast learns that becoming a Hero is way more difficult than it seems in the stories...

ULTRA: The Last Hero is a gripping, fast-paced superhero/urban fantasy story, and the first in a series. With loveable characters, nail-biting action and adventure, and thrilling twists and turns, ULTRA is sure to delight all fans of the genre.

Genres: Superheroes, Science Fiction, Fiction, Action, Young Adult

258 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 26, 2016

Reviews

[Byron Hallson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed it but had some complaints. One thing that took me out of immersion was the constant use of British slang. The main character did not sound like he was from North America at all. It would have made sense if the characters were based out of London. Mates, torch, etc is just not the way people in either the US or Canada where I’m from, speak. He is supposed to be from New York and I do think that a reveal of originally growing up in the UK will happen. I am assuming the author is from the UK and needs someone to translate some of the slang and phraseology that he has chosen.

The fight scenes while sounding like they are intense and full of action also don’t sound linear. I get that it is most likely supposed to infer that things are happening almost faster than a mind can follow, or at least that’s my take, a little more details of how things play out more would be nice. It almost felt like the author had a fight in his mind and because he created it, all details made sense to him, but books should be able to be read to a blind person who can still make sense of the movements, what happened at each stage.
That said, I still enjoyed it. I picked up the rest of the series, at least I got book 2 and 3, if there’s more than that, I’ll get them as well. It’s a typical teen superhero book, never too much grisly detail, vulgarity or sexual content, but hints of each, not ignoring these aspects but not reveling in it.

[Nathan Kaiser · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not great

This story failed to grip me. The protagonist is full of self-loathing and teen angst pretty much the whole way through. Not a single one of the other characters gets any development whatsoever. The whole story is derivative and clichéd, and to top it all off, it's poorly written by an author who clearly has no idea how American teenagers talk. Also, there are irritating shifts in narrator perspective. If first person doesn't give you a wide enough angle on your story, then for God's sake, write the entire thing in limited omniscient!

[Anita · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn’t enjoy this book.

I thought it poorly written with very scant details into characters and story line. Will not continue series. I think it was trying to copy Girl In A Box and Michael Vey, unsuccessfully.

[Jim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Story line is good but there are a lot of grammatical/editing issues that need to be taken care of.

[C. Kent · Rating 4 out of 5]

👍🏽👍🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽

Wow! What a great read. I loved the fact that it took place in the “real” world, with numerous references to actual companies and landmarks I thought that was cool. Made what took place in the story seem real. Very grounded and dark story, and I loved the backstory of Kyle and Daniel. Very good writing in my opinion. One down....on to the next!

[Rezkin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent start to what could possibly be a great series

Was a very interesting read, a little fast paced and the main character seemed a little too nerdy. The usual cliche of a high school nerd turned super hero - but definitely some good story writing. Hopefully not as predictable in the next book though.

[Jay Gran · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well, the author was doing something with this book. For me, it isn't good enough for me to set aside a series I'm actually enjoying. The main reason why I cannot build up the strength to finish this book is because, despite going through what the main character goes through he still ends up being a nerd who doesn't stand up for himself.

[Pat · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty good

I'm not too sure about the writing style. Things are kind of explained haphazardly I feel. But the character is relatable. Wish his powers weren't so over the top but hopefully he'll grow.

[Michelle Donovan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Omg

This book is so amazing!! I’ve been needing a new book for so long and I was like what the heck it won’t hurt to try this book and then I got so attached to it. The ending was so unexpected and I can’t wait to read the next book. I highly recommend this book!!!

[Lynn · Rating 2 out of 5]

1.5 stars

So far, not so good. Horrendous narrative flow, with a crap fest of whiny self-pity, and that is only the first 73 pages. I'll update once I've either finished or DNF'd this sad excuse for a superhero story.

[ezhil venketesan · Rating 5 out of 5]

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[Weird Black Girl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty decent.

Was a quick book, didn't enjoy the main character's self loathing or the villain's cliche villainy, but it was alright.

[Joe Ridings · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant

I was looking for a new series to read after reading the I am Number Four series and this is absolutely brilliant so far, highly recommend

[Laurence Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

one of my favorite series growing up

[Randall]

Eh, it's okay

This is a pretty cool premise. Peter Parker, I mean Kyle Peters is your average comic book protagonist. It's pretty similar to Bendis ultimate Spider-Man, and he adds all the tropes in on top of it for good measure. He has all the powers, and just kinda uses them with some pitfalls, but once he accepts that great power comes with great responsibility he becomes Spider-Man/Superman/Legion. I'd recommend it to teens or anyone who wants a light read. A lot of stuff is just glossed over, and the ending twist was a wasteful attempt to add mystery to the non-plot. The cynic in me had to add that last part, It's okay.

[Aaron · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really loved this story but the writing style was a bit odd. It felt a like a modern tv show on network television, where the writing is predictable, the twists were obvious, but it still is somehow entertaining. I will definitely be reading the next book in the series.

[Tremont G · Rating 1 out of 5]

I can't even remember if I finished this, that's how terrible I apparently thought this was. So, I reviewed my comments and found my reasons. The main character SUCKS! He is so LAME! He stands around doing nothing while his friends are being assaulted, even though he has super powers. He is a total insecure wimp. His "boo hoo, poor me attitude is really annoying. Also, there are stupid inconsistencies. For example, in the beginning he is in the hospital for 3 days, but the nurse says he had "no injuries" & was "totally healed". Then #1. Why was he there 3 days & #2. Why did he "hobble" out of the hospital. He shouldn't be hobbling anywhere for any reason because he is NOT injured. Duh.

[Sabrina · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really wanted to get into this but there were just too many inconsistencies, plot holes, bad grammar and underdeveloped whiney characters. I understand this follows a teenager but I don't want it to read like a teenager wrote it (maybe one did, I don't know) even if it's from a teens POV. It actually became painful to continue and I doubt I will pick up the next one.

[mike scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good but not great

Story started really slow almost put it away but kept reading and hoping it would get better. After a 100 pages or so it started to improve. It wasn't until the last few chapters that the author got his feet under him and actually took the story to a reasonable good ending hopefully book 2 will be better.

[Dwight Harris · Rating 1 out of 5]

Again?

So far I have read this book by different authors four times. They all have the same plot and the same characters. Only the names are changed. Good thing I get them free. I'd stop getting them but I keep hoping one will be different from the others.

[Dave Griffin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hero, or Villain?

What happens when Humans develop extraordinary abilities? Power corrupts, Absolute power corrupts, absolutely.
So how is a teenager to handle all that Power, with all his passion and turbulent emotions to cope?
A good read.

[Drew · Rating 5 out of 5]

BEST BOOK EVER

[Dave · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great start to a new series!!! I can't wait for book 2!!!

[Lizzie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I am an adult; maybe it is geared toward the very young. It moved slowly and predictably. I read 25% of it and was still bored so I didn't finish it and I returned it. It was an Amazon prime read.