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Arrowverse #2b
Arrow - A Generation of Vipers
The second original novel based on the hit Warner Bros. TV show Arrow and concluding the first crossover between The Flash and Arrow novels! Continuing from the events of THE THE HAUNTING OF BARRY ALLEN, team Arrow and team Flash seek to eliminate the bizarre energy that threatens to kill the Scarlet Speedster. Their quest takes them to Markovia, where they must get past an army of mercenaries and assassins to face the enigmatic Count Wallenstein.
320 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 28, 2017
42 people are currently reading
486 people want to read
About the author
Clay Griffith
101 books518 followersClay and Susan Griffith are the authors of THE FLASH: THE HAUNTING OF BARRY ALLEN and ARROW: A GENERATION OF VIPERS, as well as the creators of the VAMPIRE EMPIRE series and authors of the CROWN & KEY trilogy.
"Vampire Empire is transforming genre fiction." Paul Goat Allen, B&N Explorations.
If you're on Facebook, please think about going to www.facebook.com/vampireempire and clicking LIKE. If you done it already...Thank you.
Clay & Susan Griffith are a married couple who have written and published together for more than a decade. Their credits not only include two novels for Bantam Doubleday Dell in the mid-1990s and another novel for Pinnacle Entertainment Group in 2002 but also numerous short stories published in many anthologies, some featuring noted genre characters like Kolchak the Night Stalker and The Phantom. They've also written scripts for television and published graphic novels.
"Vampire Empire is transforming genre fiction." Paul Goat Allen, B&N Explorations.
If you're on Facebook, please think about going to www.facebook.com/vampireempire and clicking LIKE. If you done it already...Thank you.
Clay & Susan Griffith are a married couple who have written and published together for more than a decade. Their credits not only include two novels for Bantam Doubleday Dell in the mid-1990s and another novel for Pinnacle Entertainment Group in 2002 but also numerous short stories published in many anthologies, some featuring noted genre characters like Kolchak the Night Stalker and The Phantom. They've also written scripts for television and published graphic novels.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 52 reviews
October 19, 2019
This is the second book of a duology. It can be read as a stand alone as one would just miss out on little aspects but quickly catch on. It would be like if there was a crossover on the television shows and a fan just watched one of the shows. In this one, Barry is still having problems and the Arrow gang are on the case trying to get the equipment to fix him. Meanwhile, an old friend of Oliver shows up and we get his story.
This was pure fun and the authors nailed these two books. Is this high brow literature that will be taught in schools? Absolutely not. Is it pure entertainment that will put a smile on your face especially if you are fans of the show? Absolutely!! One can tell the authors have watched both shows and just get it. The characters were dead on perfect, the interactions between the two groups, and the action just evoked both shows. If you are a fan of the shows you will laugh at Cisco's humor, get emotional with the requisite Joe and Barry talk, and enjoy the dynamics between all the relationships. The comic enthusiast will be pleased also as we visit a DC staple homeland and have an exciting battle at this location.
These books are geared towards the fans of the show and fans will love them. Just like the crossovers that happen between the shows, this is just pure fun and I loved it. If you have watched either of the two shows you owe it to yourself to read these two books.
This was pure fun and the authors nailed these two books. Is this high brow literature that will be taught in schools? Absolutely not. Is it pure entertainment that will put a smile on your face especially if you are fans of the show? Absolutely!! One can tell the authors have watched both shows and just get it. The characters were dead on perfect, the interactions between the two groups, and the action just evoked both shows. If you are a fan of the shows you will laugh at Cisco's humor, get emotional with the requisite Joe and Barry talk, and enjoy the dynamics between all the relationships. The comic enthusiast will be pleased also as we visit a DC staple homeland and have an exciting battle at this location.
These books are geared towards the fans of the show and fans will love them. Just like the crossovers that happen between the shows, this is just pure fun and I loved it. If you have watched either of the two shows you owe it to yourself to read these two books.
December 30, 2017
The conclusion of the two-part crossover begun in The Flash: The Haunting of Barry Allen, Arrow: A Generation of Vipers is jam-packed with story threads. Not only does it have an all-new storyline centered on Oliver Queen and his team - early Season 4 vintage, roughly, so we pretty much get all Ollie, Dig, Felicity, and, thankfully, Thea as well - trying to recover an important artifact from the castle of an evil count in a country mashing up Austria and Russia, but we still have to deal with Barry's little problem of blurring out of space and time whenever he combines his speedster powers with emotional responses.
And then, because this is an Arrow story, we get a fair few flashbacks to Ollie's past. Not only to his old playboy life - including Tommy Merlyn, and Ghasi Lazarov, a previously unseen old friend from the same country he and his friends are currently hoping to pull off a sort of heist in - but also to his days on the island of Lian Yu, of course.
Clay and Susan Griffiths have their work cut out for them, juggling the many story threads over the course of 400 pages again. It's a delicate balancing act, but they pull it off with the aplomb of Andrew Garfield or Tom Holland as Spider-Man - that is to say, they do it well. Maybe there's a few too many scenes that aren't really necessary - like Barry almost getting honeypotted by a Russian agent, because it happens once, Ollie calls him out on his carelessness, and then it's all but forgotten - or, also, just about every Malcolm Merlyn scene because I'm still so over his extra ass after the show (as well as Legends of Tomorrow) ran his welcome into the ground years ago. But hey, those Malcolm Merlyn scenes, like a lot of others in both of the Griffiths' books, played out just enough like one of my old fanfics that I was very much able to appreciate them.
What I really appreciated, of course, was how the cast of The Flash being part of the stoyr didn't feel like an afterthought. Sadly, it's not a perfect integration in most cases. Caitlin has just about nothing to do (except maybe a scene or two that plays out like a SnowBarry hurt/comfort fic, which the previous book had many more of), and neither does Joe - or Iris, which is a shame considering how much Haunting significantly improved her characterization compared to what we get on the show. (Virtually eliminating WestAllen romance was a massive help in that regard, of course.) But Cisco? Here, he gets an improved role compared to Haunting, because he gets to basically be the comic relief, as he should because it's his element. Though the source material tends to lapse into excessive grimdarkness at times, bringing in two of the brightest sparks from The Flash - even if one of them, his story is about him suffering serious psychosomatic torture and I just wanted to fraking hug the poor guy the whole bloodydamn time! - alleviates that most common Arrow flaw magnificently.
Though I'm disappointed that this is the end of the Griffiths' involvement with the Arrowverse, for now - I can always hope for a good Legends story where they put Wally West to good use 'cause The Flash never does, though that apparently owes somewhat to Keiynan Lonsdale's busy schedule too, or perhaps a Supergirl story that ignores the ridiculous ways in which the writers of that show bend over backwards to torture us poor Karamel fanpeople - I'm very happy that they again delivered some terrific material to cap off this duology - a duology which Marc Guggenheim has supposedly canonized, to my delight.
Ave atque vale, Flash and Arrow, till you guys return to my small screen in the new year.
And on another happy note - fellow Olicity fans, this book is for you too. No BS.
And then, because this is an Arrow story, we get a fair few flashbacks to Ollie's past. Not only to his old playboy life - including Tommy Merlyn, and Ghasi Lazarov, a previously unseen old friend from the same country he and his friends are currently hoping to pull off a sort of heist in - but also to his days on the island of Lian Yu, of course.
Clay and Susan Griffiths have their work cut out for them, juggling the many story threads over the course of 400 pages again. It's a delicate balancing act, but they pull it off with the aplomb of Andrew Garfield or Tom Holland as Spider-Man - that is to say, they do it well. Maybe there's a few too many scenes that aren't really necessary - like Barry almost getting honeypotted by a Russian agent, because it happens once, Ollie calls him out on his carelessness, and then it's all but forgotten - or, also, just about every Malcolm Merlyn scene because I'm still so over his extra ass after the show (as well as Legends of Tomorrow) ran his welcome into the ground years ago. But hey, those Malcolm Merlyn scenes, like a lot of others in both of the Griffiths' books, played out just enough like one of my old fanfics that I was very much able to appreciate them.
What I really appreciated, of course, was how the cast of The Flash being part of the stoyr didn't feel like an afterthought. Sadly, it's not a perfect integration in most cases. Caitlin has just about nothing to do (except maybe a scene or two that plays out like a SnowBarry hurt/comfort fic, which the previous book had many more of), and neither does Joe - or Iris, which is a shame considering how much Haunting significantly improved her characterization compared to what we get on the show. (Virtually eliminating WestAllen romance was a massive help in that regard, of course.) But Cisco? Here, he gets an improved role compared to Haunting, because he gets to basically be the comic relief, as he should because it's his element. Though the source material tends to lapse into excessive grimdarkness at times, bringing in two of the brightest sparks from The Flash - even if one of them, his story is about him suffering serious psychosomatic torture and I just wanted to fraking hug the poor guy the whole bloodydamn time! - alleviates that most common Arrow flaw magnificently.
Though I'm disappointed that this is the end of the Griffiths' involvement with the Arrowverse, for now - I can always hope for a good Legends story where they put Wally West to good use 'cause The Flash never does, though that apparently owes somewhat to Keiynan Lonsdale's busy schedule too, or perhaps a Supergirl story that ignores the ridiculous ways in which the writers of that show bend over backwards to torture us poor Karamel fanpeople - I'm very happy that they again delivered some terrific material to cap off this duology - a duology which Marc Guggenheim has supposedly canonized, to my delight.
Ave atque vale, Flash and Arrow, till you guys return to my small screen in the new year.
And on another happy note - fellow Olicity fans, this book is for you too. No BS.
April 7, 2017
5 stars
Nice ending to the first book crossover. Liked that we were able to see more of Oliver's life before he became Green Arrow. The castle was cool. Ghazi was also very interesting.
Can't wait to read more Arrowverse novels!!!!
Nice ending to the first book crossover. Liked that we were able to see more of Oliver's life before he became Green Arrow. The castle was cool. Ghazi was also very interesting.
Can't wait to read more Arrowverse novels!!!!
June 27, 2022
A little big boring, a little bit cringe-worthy, a little bit dumb, a little bit too much dialogue and last but not least a little bit too many pages for a plot that could have been said in half the size.
April 26, 2017
Yep. Love it.
The second part of the crossover that began in The Haunting Of Barry Allen, this book sees Teams Arrow and Flash travel to Markovia to track down the wormhole technology that could save Barry's life. Along the way we get an old enemy, a new enemy, some flashbacks (because what Arrow book would be complete without flashbacks?), self-doubt, self-loathing, and a whole lot of superhero action.
Great fun from start to finish. I really enjoyed how this tonally felt different to the Flash novel, even when we're reading from the perspective of the Flash characters. I also liked how well this threaded in and out of the Arrow mythos, weaving in Malcolm Merlyn (of course) and references to lots of other things from across the four seasons of Arrow that have passed before this novel is set.
It's still difficult to place this story in the timeline - Malcolm isn't Ra's Al Ghul anymore, so that's a thing, and this book references Harrison Wells from Earth-2 whereas the first book didn't, which means it can take place a lot further into Season 4 of Arrow/Season 2 of Flash than I first thought. And Laurel's not in this one either, so that's a factor to consider.
It's probably best not to think about it.
Not that it's an issue. This is a very solid, very enjoyable entry into the Arrowverse, and I hope to see more.
The second part of the crossover that began in The Haunting Of Barry Allen, this book sees Teams Arrow and Flash travel to Markovia to track down the wormhole technology that could save Barry's life. Along the way we get an old enemy, a new enemy, some flashbacks (because what Arrow book would be complete without flashbacks?), self-doubt, self-loathing, and a whole lot of superhero action.
Great fun from start to finish. I really enjoyed how this tonally felt different to the Flash novel, even when we're reading from the perspective of the Flash characters. I also liked how well this threaded in and out of the Arrow mythos, weaving in Malcolm Merlyn (of course) and references to lots of other things from across the four seasons of Arrow that have passed before this novel is set.
It's still difficult to place this story in the timeline - Malcolm isn't Ra's Al Ghul anymore, so that's a thing, and this book references Harrison Wells from Earth-2 whereas the first book didn't, which means it can take place a lot further into Season 4 of Arrow/Season 2 of Flash than I first thought. And Laurel's not in this one either, so that's a factor to consider.
It's probably best not to think about it.
Not that it's an issue. This is a very solid, very enjoyable entry into the Arrowverse, and I hope to see more.
October 25, 2017
Billed as the second part of an epic crossover, I can't help but feel this was a massive letdown.
The story picks up from the events of the first book where the team are trying to find a cure for Barry's glitches, but with an introduction of a new villain and events taking place on the fictional Markovia it felt more like a continuation of an arc rather than focusing on the elements of the first part which hooked me into the story.
The story picks up from the events of the first book where the team are trying to find a cure for Barry's glitches, but with an introduction of a new villain and events taking place on the fictional Markovia it felt more like a continuation of an arc rather than focusing on the elements of the first part which hooked me into the story.
August 6, 2017
I pre-ordered this book after becoming a fan of "The Hauting of Barry Allen" and then it took me so long to actually finish it - I think I was putting it off a bit because I knew there aren't any more of these... I really did not expect I'd love these books as much as I did. The plot was much better executed than in the cw shows they're based on. The characterisation was excellent, the relationships between characters were written really well considering it was a bit crowded with this crossover. All women were present in the narrative and totally badass and had a role to play. And the fight scenes - I'm in love with these fight scenes and have much respect for them since writing these in my stories is always such a challenge for me. I fully recommend this duology to anyone who likes Team Flash and Team Arrow but is disappointed with recent seasons of the tv shows. I really hope the Griffiths will write more for this universe - there will always be room on my shelves for more of this!
January 13, 2025
I discovered this book quite by accident at a bookstore while travelling, and was made aware that even the Arrowverse has its own spinoff novels. While I haven't read the first part of this crossover (The Haunting of Barry Allen) which I am sure will enrich the story, this book is enjoyable even on its own.
It really does feel like you are entering a small mini-arc of the show with this original story. It even has flashbacks to Oliver's life on the island and even some parts set before being stranded, which was very reminiscent of the first few seasons of Arrow. Even some of the dialogues, particularly the interactions between Team Arrow and Team Flash are humorous.
Overall, an interesting story set in the universe and I would definitely recommend this for fans of the Arrowverse who want to indulge in a bit of nostalgia. I now "quiver" in anticipation of reading the remaining books!
It really does feel like you are entering a small mini-arc of the show with this original story. It even has flashbacks to Oliver's life on the island and even some parts set before being stranded, which was very reminiscent of the first few seasons of Arrow. Even some of the dialogues, particularly the interactions between Team Arrow and Team Flash are humorous.
Overall, an interesting story set in the universe and I would definitely recommend this for fans of the Arrowverse who want to indulge in a bit of nostalgia. I now "quiver" in anticipation of reading the remaining books!
February 5, 2022
LOVED this book! This was the conclusion to the story begun in The Flash the haunting of Barry Allen - it was like a crossover flash and arrow episode but longer and as I'm rewatching the shows at the moment I loved reading this. Loved having team arrow with Thea too along with Barry and cisco and even Caitlin was involved at the very end of the book which made me very happy! There were some flashback moments with Oliver going back to his playboy days and also Oliver remembering Yao Fei's teaching and passing it onto Barry or trying too - there were some really nice moments between Oliver and Barry and of course we got cisco and felicity humour and Lyla joined in the mission too thoroughly enjoyed this story
June 13, 2017
It was ok. Similar to The Haunting of Barry Allen, it starts off slow and takes a while to get interesting. I'm not a huge Arrow fan, so I wasn't as into this book, but I wanted to finish the story started in the Flash novel.
I WAS impressed with Malcolm Merlyn. I could hear John Barrowman delivering those lines, far more than the "voices" of the other characters.
I WAS impressed with Malcolm Merlyn. I could hear John Barrowman delivering those lines, far more than the "voices" of the other characters.
June 5, 2017
This book was not what I expected it to be. But it still was a very good way of passing time. Oliver and Felicity's scenes ...they were short but they were perfect.
Team Arrow defeats yet another big bad and everything is good in the world.
Team Arrow defeats yet another big bad and everything is good in the world.
January 22, 2023
A great follow up to the previous novel. This one is technically an Arrow novel feat Team Flash, so Oliver, Felicity, John, and Thea featured bigger roles. It played out like a normal crossover episode. Loved it.
June 28, 2017
This isn't a professional review but I would've loved this more if there was more Felicity in it. Just saying.
April 8, 2018
I really enjoyed this book. First off, I love the TV shows the Arrow and Flash. I enjoyed reading about the characters; the authors wrote the characters as they are on the TV shows, so each was true to form and I had no problems imaging the characters speak their lines in the book.
The story was original and it kept me interested from the first chapter to the very last page. There was action in every chapter and I enjoyed that. The authors even wrote the flash back, which I like in the show.
I read this out of order; but it was the only one my bookstore had on the shelf. So now I will go back and read the first book and quite possibly this one again.
Great story and lots of action. If you a fan of the show you'll be a fan of this book.
The story was original and it kept me interested from the first chapter to the very last page. There was action in every chapter and I enjoyed that. The authors even wrote the flash back, which I like in the show.
I read this out of order; but it was the only one my bookstore had on the shelf. So now I will go back and read the first book and quite possibly this one again.
Great story and lots of action. If you a fan of the show you'll be a fan of this book.
August 17, 2017
I really hate giving this book only three stars because the things I enjoyed were really great, but once you get into the black hole of charisma and likability that is Oliver, it all goes downhill. Each flashback and Oliver-centric chapter was a chore to get through. The Haunting of Barry Allen shined when the focus was on the characters and Generation of Vipers focuses more on dry action sequences with a cardboard villain. I skimmed over the big climatic fight because I was just tired of the same thing "on a bigger scale" that I had been reading over and over. I do hope there are more Flash novels, but I will definitely be avoiding any more Arrow related titles.
May 12, 2017
"Arrow: A Generation of Vipers" by Clay and Susan Griffith, is the sequel to "The Flash: The Haunting of Barry Allen" by the same pair of authors. If you're a fan of the CW TV shows that inspired these tie-in novels, as I am, you might fine them an entertaining supplement to the seasons of those TV shows.
How to sum up the second book in this series? "More action, less heart." Oliver Queen and Team Arrow are headed to the fictional country of Markovia to bid big money--at an auction full of rich arms dealers, warlords, and various despots--on a wormhole generator. Why? To help cure The Flash, who is dying from plasma exposure he suffered at the end of season one of "The Flash" TV show. The theory is to draw the plasma out of his body with a stable wormhole. The problem? The generator tech is controlled by Count Wallenstein, who isn't any kind of humanitarian.
One of the main problems of the book is that they create a new antagonist for Green Arrow. Much of the book is devoted to this new villain, and that's not for the best. The authors also mirror the flashback structure of the "Arrow" TV show to explain who this new bad guy is and how he came to be a bad guy. I've always found the flashbacks of spoiled jackass Oliver Queen (before he spent "five years in hell" going from jackass to badass) to be the weakest part of the "Arrow" show. And this book doesn't dissuade me from that. The pace of the book slows a lot in the flashback sections. Spoiled Oliver, with Tommy Merlyn alive and well at his side, is still not that interesting.
The new villain, Ghasi (from Markovia, of course), is a normal human outfitted with biotech powers. He's like a video game villain, full of machinery to give himself metahuman powers. Anyway, there is a lengthy section in the early part of the book that fills us in about Ghasi--who was Oliver's booze and fast cars buddy--and Ghasi's dad (who worked for Oliver's dad) and were spies for Markovia.
Team Arrow hunts a wormhole generator prototype on U.S. soil--in direct conflict with Ghasi and his minions--for a long while before the inevitable trip to Markovia for the auction. Most of this U.S. section feels like filler that adds 150-200 pages to the book.
The Flash and Green Arrow both have roles to play in this story. But The Flash takes on a secondary role, due to his illness. But he still has some fun moments, as does his good buddy Cisco. But the dark, grim mood of the "Arrow" kind of stories tend to bring the mood down. There's a lot of injuries and brooding and long, involved fight scenes. It plays better on TV than it does in book form. Malcolm Merlyn does make a guest ally (or is it guest villain?) appearance, which brings in some life to the story.
Where does this book go wrong? All over the place. Ghasi is not a terribly interesting villain. His powers are never fully explained. So it seems he has whatever powers the authors need him to have to keep the story limping along. One minute Ghasi is a murderous villain, the next he's a sullen creep with a soured man-crush on Oliver. The action in Markovia strains credulity at some points. After a long battle and a lot of soldier/mercenary deaths, the next day, business with the wormhole auction goes on as usual. Just step over the corpses, please. I also felt that the first book was more grounded in the mythology of "The Flash" than this "Arrow" book was. Going new places and meeting new people is not always the best idea for a tie-in novel.
Yet if you're a die-hard fan of the CW superheroes universe, you'll probably have an entertaining read with both of these "Flash/Arrow" novels. But if you're not a Berlanti-verse kind of reader (or don't know what "Berlanti-verse" or "Arrow-verse" means), you may want to point your peepers elsewhere.
How to sum up the second book in this series? "More action, less heart." Oliver Queen and Team Arrow are headed to the fictional country of Markovia to bid big money--at an auction full of rich arms dealers, warlords, and various despots--on a wormhole generator. Why? To help cure The Flash, who is dying from plasma exposure he suffered at the end of season one of "The Flash" TV show. The theory is to draw the plasma out of his body with a stable wormhole. The problem? The generator tech is controlled by Count Wallenstein, who isn't any kind of humanitarian.
One of the main problems of the book is that they create a new antagonist for Green Arrow. Much of the book is devoted to this new villain, and that's not for the best. The authors also mirror the flashback structure of the "Arrow" TV show to explain who this new bad guy is and how he came to be a bad guy. I've always found the flashbacks of spoiled jackass Oliver Queen (before he spent "five years in hell" going from jackass to badass) to be the weakest part of the "Arrow" show. And this book doesn't dissuade me from that. The pace of the book slows a lot in the flashback sections. Spoiled Oliver, with Tommy Merlyn alive and well at his side, is still not that interesting.
The new villain, Ghasi (from Markovia, of course), is a normal human outfitted with biotech powers. He's like a video game villain, full of machinery to give himself metahuman powers. Anyway, there is a lengthy section in the early part of the book that fills us in about Ghasi--who was Oliver's booze and fast cars buddy--and Ghasi's dad (who worked for Oliver's dad) and were spies for Markovia.
Team Arrow hunts a wormhole generator prototype on U.S. soil--in direct conflict with Ghasi and his minions--for a long while before the inevitable trip to Markovia for the auction. Most of this U.S. section feels like filler that adds 150-200 pages to the book.
The Flash and Green Arrow both have roles to play in this story. But The Flash takes on a secondary role, due to his illness. But he still has some fun moments, as does his good buddy Cisco. But the dark, grim mood of the "Arrow" kind of stories tend to bring the mood down. There's a lot of injuries and brooding and long, involved fight scenes. It plays better on TV than it does in book form. Malcolm Merlyn does make a guest ally (or is it guest villain?) appearance, which brings in some life to the story.
Where does this book go wrong? All over the place. Ghasi is not a terribly interesting villain. His powers are never fully explained. So it seems he has whatever powers the authors need him to have to keep the story limping along. One minute Ghasi is a murderous villain, the next he's a sullen creep with a soured man-crush on Oliver. The action in Markovia strains credulity at some points. After a long battle and a lot of soldier/mercenary deaths, the next day, business with the wormhole auction goes on as usual. Just step over the corpses, please. I also felt that the first book was more grounded in the mythology of "The Flash" than this "Arrow" book was. Going new places and meeting new people is not always the best idea for a tie-in novel.
Yet if you're a die-hard fan of the CW superheroes universe, you'll probably have an entertaining read with both of these "Flash/Arrow" novels. But if you're not a Berlanti-verse kind of reader (or don't know what "Berlanti-verse" or "Arrow-verse" means), you may want to point your peepers elsewhere.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 21, 2018
The second book in a duology of books set in the Flash/Arrow tv-show universe. It’s also a crossover between the Flash and Arrow tv-shows this time focusing on team Arrow.
The second book in the Flash and Arrow crossover starts immediately after the end of the first book, the Haunting of Barry Allen. I think it’s set during fourth season of Arrow because team Arrow is Oliver, Felicity, Digg, and Thea as Speedy. Oliver is in relationship with Felicia and she’s the CEO of Palmer Technologies.
Barry, the Flash, is experiencing blurring when he’s afraid or stressed out and it’s getting worse. He blurs (becomes motionless and insubstantial while hallucinating about his elder self and about Zoom as Wells) more often even though Oliver has taught him mediation which previously worked to keep the blurs under control. They’re happening because of otherworldly plasma is multiplying in his blood stream. However, there might be a way to save him. One of Queen Consolidates’ previous employees worked on a wat to open stable wormholes. Since the plasma came (apparently) to Barry’s blood stream during the wormhole incident (at the end of season 1), Cisco and Felicity think they can cure Barry with the machine. But the inventor is dead. Now the heroes must find his work and use it to cure Barry. However, other people want the research, too.
As a secondary plot, we get to see Oliver and Thea before Oliver goes to the island. Oliver has a Croatan friend Ghasi who gets into fights often. Oliver’s other friends don’t really like him and Thea downright despises him, but Oliver stays by his friend. In present time, Ghasi wants the research as well and is a cunning opponent. In the flashbacks we also get to see characters from the first season, such as Oliver’s parents and Tommy Merlyn.
The main POV character is Oliver but we also get small glimpses from the POVs of Felicity and Barry.
This was just as a delightful read as the first book in the series: if you liked it, you’re most likely going to like this as well unless you don’t like Oliver. This being an Arrow book, it’s centered on Team Arrow. In fact, the story switches very quickly to Star City. Barry and later Cisco joins them, but the rest of the team Flash don’t really show. This was my big disappointment: I like the Flash show much more than Arrow. However, I don’t think this book was as depressing as the Arrow show usually is: nobody left a relationship, died, or messed up their friendship. In fact, it’s quite upbeat for an Arrow episode. It was also great to see John and Lyla kicking ass together because the show doesn’t give them enough action scenes together.
The second book in the Flash and Arrow crossover starts immediately after the end of the first book, the Haunting of Barry Allen. I think it’s set during fourth season of Arrow because team Arrow is Oliver, Felicity, Digg, and Thea as Speedy. Oliver is in relationship with Felicia and she’s the CEO of Palmer Technologies.
Barry, the Flash, is experiencing blurring when he’s afraid or stressed out and it’s getting worse. He blurs (becomes motionless and insubstantial while hallucinating about his elder self and about Zoom as Wells) more often even though Oliver has taught him mediation which previously worked to keep the blurs under control. They’re happening because of otherworldly plasma is multiplying in his blood stream. However, there might be a way to save him. One of Queen Consolidates’ previous employees worked on a wat to open stable wormholes. Since the plasma came (apparently) to Barry’s blood stream during the wormhole incident (at the end of season 1), Cisco and Felicity think they can cure Barry with the machine. But the inventor is dead. Now the heroes must find his work and use it to cure Barry. However, other people want the research, too.
As a secondary plot, we get to see Oliver and Thea before Oliver goes to the island. Oliver has a Croatan friend Ghasi who gets into fights often. Oliver’s other friends don’t really like him and Thea downright despises him, but Oliver stays by his friend. In present time, Ghasi wants the research as well and is a cunning opponent. In the flashbacks we also get to see characters from the first season, such as Oliver’s parents and Tommy Merlyn.
The main POV character is Oliver but we also get small glimpses from the POVs of Felicity and Barry.
This was just as a delightful read as the first book in the series: if you liked it, you’re most likely going to like this as well unless you don’t like Oliver. This being an Arrow book, it’s centered on Team Arrow. In fact, the story switches very quickly to Star City. Barry and later Cisco joins them, but the rest of the team Flash don’t really show. This was my big disappointment: I like the Flash show much more than Arrow. However, I don’t think this book was as depressing as the Arrow show usually is: nobody left a relationship, died, or messed up their friendship. In fact, it’s quite upbeat for an Arrow episode. It was also great to see John and Lyla kicking ass together because the show doesn’t give them enough action scenes together.
June 25, 2017
A Generation of Vipers, the Arrow novel following from the Flash: The Haunting of Barry Allen, follows the familiar formula of the mid-season crossover. Whereas the Flash novel brought Arrow to Central City, this novel brings the Flash to Star City. Still, the two novels feel disjointed. Their plots are almost completely unrelated. While the first novel had Barry facing down a strange illness while a team of rogues terrorized the city, this novel's plot is about curing that illness.
A Generation of Vipers, then, works in ways The Haunting of Barry Allen didn't, but likewise stumbles in other ways. The first success is putting Oliver Queen at the center of the novel. The novel offers readers flashbacks to "before the jungle," and "in the jungle" to provide some much needed depth for Oliver. The novel attempts to grapple with some of Oliver's inevitable imposter syndrome and his penchant for taking in strays, even before he was stranded on a deserted island. These themes are generally satisfying. The novel gives readers a little bit more of Oliver than they have ever seen, even if it is ultimately inconsistent with where the television show takes the character.
In terms of plot, A Generation of Vipers leaves a lot to be desired. While it shares the fault of disjointed incoherence with The Haunting of Barry Allen, the general lack of spectacle and climax makes things feel thin. Oliver's foil, Ghasi, a friend from his pre-Lian Yu past, serves his purpose as a tool for character development dutifully, but he's not a compelling plot device. Much of the decisive action happens off-page. And, worse, the novel foreshadows a climactic showdown that simply never comes to pass. I was left scratching my head at many of the decisions about what was important to get onto the page. When Felicity masterminds a fascinating caper, we see Team Arrow inserting SD cards into a clandestine Markovian server. And yet, the results of their efforts are delivered only through exposition.
Still, the same virtues of character vivacity are present in this novel as they were in the novel's predecessor. The characters feel like their television counterparts, and the dialogue feels borrowed from the TV show. While I'm left wanting for a Flash or Arrow novel that reaches the height of pulp entertainment, this couplet is amusing enough.
A Generation of Vipers, then, works in ways The Haunting of Barry Allen didn't, but likewise stumbles in other ways. The first success is putting Oliver Queen at the center of the novel. The novel offers readers flashbacks to "before the jungle," and "in the jungle" to provide some much needed depth for Oliver. The novel attempts to grapple with some of Oliver's inevitable imposter syndrome and his penchant for taking in strays, even before he was stranded on a deserted island. These themes are generally satisfying. The novel gives readers a little bit more of Oliver than they have ever seen, even if it is ultimately inconsistent with where the television show takes the character.
In terms of plot, A Generation of Vipers leaves a lot to be desired. While it shares the fault of disjointed incoherence with The Haunting of Barry Allen, the general lack of spectacle and climax makes things feel thin. Oliver's foil, Ghasi, a friend from his pre-Lian Yu past, serves his purpose as a tool for character development dutifully, but he's not a compelling plot device. Much of the decisive action happens off-page. And, worse, the novel foreshadows a climactic showdown that simply never comes to pass. I was left scratching my head at many of the decisions about what was important to get onto the page. When Felicity masterminds a fascinating caper, we see Team Arrow inserting SD cards into a clandestine Markovian server. And yet, the results of their efforts are delivered only through exposition.
Still, the same virtues of character vivacity are present in this novel as they were in the novel's predecessor. The characters feel like their television counterparts, and the dialogue feels borrowed from the TV show. While I'm left wanting for a Flash or Arrow novel that reaches the height of pulp entertainment, this couplet is amusing enough.
September 24, 2017
Part two of the crossover book event, this continues where The Flash: The Haunting of Barry Allen left off. The Rogues are defeated, but Barry is still suffering from his unique ailment. The crew moves to Star City as they trace down leads on the special experimental device that might hold the key to Barry's cure.
Just as the writers captured the feel of the Flash tv show in the first book, they do the same for Arrow here. Unfortunately, that means there's a lot of flashback in the novel, both back to Oliver's time on Lian Yu with Yao Fe, and to a point before that. Yet another person from Oliver's past is part of this story.
Things go international when the heroes have to go to Markovia to participate in an auction on the device Barry needs. Of course, you can't have an international arms deal without Malcolm Merlyn showing up to muddy the waters. Lyla and Speedy also get involved in the intrigue. Barry's waning powers make the shift to a more thriller/espionage kind of story work.
This concludes the team up, and, among other things, shows the friendships between all these characters, especially Barry and Oliver. It's a fast-paced, action-filled story. There were only two things that bothered me about it, one beyond the authors' control.
Book one of the story showed Flash and Green Arrow in their modernized costumes. Book two had them in the older versions, which really made no sense as a progression, even with the flash-backs. Again, not the writers' fault. My other quibble is that they use Cisco's Vibe powers a few times in this book to try and find something important. There was no mention of that happening in the first book when a big part of the plot was a desperate scramble to find a team of metahuman villains.
I enjoyed the story, and it really evoked the shows. Strongly recommended for fans of the CW-verse, fans of superheroes, and anyone who just likes a good action story.
Just as the writers captured the feel of the Flash tv show in the first book, they do the same for Arrow here. Unfortunately, that means there's a lot of flashback in the novel, both back to Oliver's time on Lian Yu with Yao Fe, and to a point before that. Yet another person from Oliver's past is part of this story.
Things go international when the heroes have to go to Markovia to participate in an auction on the device Barry needs. Of course, you can't have an international arms deal without Malcolm Merlyn showing up to muddy the waters. Lyla and Speedy also get involved in the intrigue. Barry's waning powers make the shift to a more thriller/espionage kind of story work.
This concludes the team up, and, among other things, shows the friendships between all these characters, especially Barry and Oliver. It's a fast-paced, action-filled story. There were only two things that bothered me about it, one beyond the authors' control.
Book one of the story showed Flash and Green Arrow in their modernized costumes. Book two had them in the older versions, which really made no sense as a progression, even with the flash-backs. Again, not the writers' fault. My other quibble is that they use Cisco's Vibe powers a few times in this book to try and find something important. There was no mention of that happening in the first book when a big part of the plot was a desperate scramble to find a team of metahuman villains.
I enjoyed the story, and it really evoked the shows. Strongly recommended for fans of the CW-verse, fans of superheroes, and anyone who just likes a good action story.
March 30, 2018
Much like the crossover episodes of Arrow & The Flash, this book emulates those episodes where characters pop up in each other's respective universes. This is the sequel to the book that got the ball rolling with an illness that gripped Barry Allen. Now the teams of The Flash and the Arrow are coming together to find a cure for him. Because the shows are still on, the reader knows that Barry/The Flash will come out on the other side, but it's still fun to see how all the events play out.
This novel shifts to the action to Oliver Queen's world, so we are introduced to a villain from his past. His appearance coincides with the team having to go on a hunt to Markovia to obtain a device that will hopefully aid in the recovery of Allen. I liked that this book again delves into the thoughts of the characters and fleshes out Queen's past both on the island and in his previous playboy life. Because I am a bit behind with the tv shows, some of the relationships of the characters or certain events were unfamiliar to me. That didn't prevent me from knowing what was happening or figuring things out, but I was in the dark for a few things.
I liked these crossover novels. They are highly enjoyable and the authors really capture the essences of the shows and the behaviors of the characters. Plus, the books are well-written.
This novel shifts to the action to Oliver Queen's world, so we are introduced to a villain from his past. His appearance coincides with the team having to go on a hunt to Markovia to obtain a device that will hopefully aid in the recovery of Allen. I liked that this book again delves into the thoughts of the characters and fleshes out Queen's past both on the island and in his previous playboy life. Because I am a bit behind with the tv shows, some of the relationships of the characters or certain events were unfamiliar to me. That didn't prevent me from knowing what was happening or figuring things out, but I was in the dark for a few things.
I liked these crossover novels. They are highly enjoyable and the authors really capture the essences of the shows and the behaviors of the characters. Plus, the books are well-written.
April 17, 2018
Picking up where The Ghost of Barry Allen ended, Team Arrow has tracked down a possible cure to the strange plasma which has infected the Flash, and while stabilized for now, it will eat him alive if the cure isn't secured. Unfortunately, it's held by Count Wallenstein, one of the elite of the nation of Markovia.
So, with the help of ARGUS, the Green Arrow and friends, along with the Flash himself travel into a fortress of an international criminal mastermind, to an auction attended by some of the most dangerous terrorists and criminals from around the world. Not on their home turf, halfway around the world, and not able to fight their way through, this super team up needs to finesse their way to the cure, and at the same time, make sure none of the other factions get their hands on it.
Another fun novel set in the Arrowverse, A Generation of Vipers does a great job in capturing the essence of the characters from the TV Shows, and allows telling a story which is out of budget, and features a hard to logistically arrange team up between shows. So it's a bonus on all levels, not just an episode of the week story. The stakes are high, the challenges are fitting, and it's a lot of fun to experience a team up of characters I've grown to love from the shows. Even the plot makes more sense than many of the actual TV shows :) An all around fun read.
So, with the help of ARGUS, the Green Arrow and friends, along with the Flash himself travel into a fortress of an international criminal mastermind, to an auction attended by some of the most dangerous terrorists and criminals from around the world. Not on their home turf, halfway around the world, and not able to fight their way through, this super team up needs to finesse their way to the cure, and at the same time, make sure none of the other factions get their hands on it.
Another fun novel set in the Arrowverse, A Generation of Vipers does a great job in capturing the essence of the characters from the TV Shows, and allows telling a story which is out of budget, and features a hard to logistically arrange team up between shows. So it's a bonus on all levels, not just an episode of the week story. The stakes are high, the challenges are fitting, and it's a lot of fun to experience a team up of characters I've grown to love from the shows. Even the plot makes more sense than many of the actual TV shows :) An all around fun read.
May 9, 2017
Susan and Clay Griffith have truly brought the characters from Arrow and The Flash to life! There is more room in a book than a television episode to delve into their relationships with each other, and they've also managed to keep the trademark witty dialogue and banter too. This story picks up after the events of The Flash: The Haunting of Barry Allen [you really should read that one first] to continue the epic crossover story. Barry has some of the plasma from the wormhole that appeared above Central City in his bloodstream and it is causing him to "blur" (freeze in place while vibrating at super speed, sapping his energy) and to experience hallucinations of his enemies attacking him. Oliver has been helping Barry by teaching him meditation to try and control his blurring, but the ultimate hope of ridding Barry of the plasma lies in a theoretical wormhole generator invented by a former Queen Industries scientist. The quest eventually leads a hybrid team from both the Flash and Arrow crews to the castle of evil mastermind Count Wallenstein in Markovia. Superhero action and rich character development combine to make this a very fun novel and a great conclusion to this crossover between the two franchises!
April 1, 2021
While the first half of this crossover had a pacing issue with the villains, this half suffered from the use of flashbacks to two different set of experiences that helped mild Oliver into the person he becomes in the series. And just like the flashbacks in the series they had a tendency to distract from the story you wanted to follow.
Not that that story was some great thrilling adventure though once again bogged down by how many characters this story was dealing with, even with half of Team Flash written out of the story. For the most part this cast of character was bloated and that was not helped by the way the authors swapped from the characters superhero names to their civilian identities every few sentences. Makes it seem like there are more characters than their are in a scene. And I knew who everyone was from having watched the show so I can see that getting confusing for people who may pick this book up randomly.
So not the greatest book I’ve read this year and even though this crossover has some interesting ideas it doesn’t really capitalise on them until it’s almost too late. Would only recommend this is you are wanting more of Team Arrow and Team Flash.
Not that that story was some great thrilling adventure though once again bogged down by how many characters this story was dealing with, even with half of Team Flash written out of the story. For the most part this cast of character was bloated and that was not helped by the way the authors swapped from the characters superhero names to their civilian identities every few sentences. Makes it seem like there are more characters than their are in a scene. And I knew who everyone was from having watched the show so I can see that getting confusing for people who may pick this book up randomly.
So not the greatest book I’ve read this year and even though this crossover has some interesting ideas it doesn’t really capitalise on them until it’s almost too late. Would only recommend this is you are wanting more of Team Arrow and Team Flash.
June 25, 2018
Part 2 of a great crossover.
Oliver Queen and the rest of Team Arrow have come in to help Barry Allen and company with his powers. If Barry's blurring doesn't stop soon he could be stuck forever, ceasing his ability to be the Flash, Central City's hero. With hope the teams head to dangerous Markovia with the hope that the device up for auction to many deadly characters can help Barry.
The momentum kept up with that of the first book. It really did. Like all crossovers of the Arrow/Flash universe, you follow the tone of each hero. So you go from Barry-humor and upbeat to Oliver-broody and a tad dark. Getting the in-depth look into Oliver's emotions was eye-opening. IT felt much closer than what I get from the. Much more personal.
Oh, if you couldn't tell, I LOVED THIS TOO.
Full Review:
https://beentherereadthat.blog/2018/0...
Oliver Queen and the rest of Team Arrow have come in to help Barry Allen and company with his powers. If Barry's blurring doesn't stop soon he could be stuck forever, ceasing his ability to be the Flash, Central City's hero. With hope the teams head to dangerous Markovia with the hope that the device up for auction to many deadly characters can help Barry.
The momentum kept up with that of the first book. It really did. Like all crossovers of the Arrow/Flash universe, you follow the tone of each hero. So you go from Barry-humor and upbeat to Oliver-broody and a tad dark. Getting the in-depth look into Oliver's emotions was eye-opening. IT felt much closer than what I get from the. Much more personal.
Oh, if you couldn't tell, I LOVED THIS TOO.
Full Review:
https://beentherereadthat.blog/2018/0...
May 4, 2021
Very nearly gave this five stars. This was a fast paced and enjoyable read, the dialogue/banter and characterizations felt accurate to the Arrowverse.
The level of action was incredible, like in the shows—the fights were epic. Writing action scenes is notoriously difficult, and the authors mostly succeeded. Sometimes the longer fight scenes felt too blow by blow, lacking balance.
My main issue with this story (and the prequel) is that it’s hard to pinpoint when it is set within the timeline of the shows. The clues contradict each other, so trying to definitively say is impossible. The complete lack of so much as a reference to Laurel Lance (aka the Black Canary) was also weird, given how important she was to the Arrow storyline. Ultimately, this duology is a fun romp in the Arrowverse (within the multiverse maybe?) that doesn’t need to be tied down to a set time...but it I want to know for context.
The level of action was incredible, like in the shows—the fights were epic. Writing action scenes is notoriously difficult, and the authors mostly succeeded. Sometimes the longer fight scenes felt too blow by blow, lacking balance.
My main issue with this story (and the prequel) is that it’s hard to pinpoint when it is set within the timeline of the shows. The clues contradict each other, so trying to definitively say is impossible. The complete lack of so much as a reference to Laurel Lance (aka the Black Canary) was also weird, given how important she was to the Arrow storyline. Ultimately, this duology is a fun romp in the Arrowverse (within the multiverse maybe?) that doesn’t need to be tied down to a set time...but it I want to know for context.
July 26, 2017
Loved it. The characters' personalities are portrayed very well in the book. Lately, the tv show has favoured plot over characters, so for anyone missing more exchanges between our favourite heroes, you can find those here.
In this novel, Team Arrow and Team Flash team up for an adventure because Barry is dying and they're running out of time to save him.
Among the highlights of the book for me:
Cute Olicity scenes
The Oliver/Barry friendship
Diggle and Lyla
Original Team Arrow moments
Flashbacks to Oliver before and during the island
Team Arrow and Team Flash interacting
The book is a nice read and is canon on the Arrowverse, so if you like to read about something the shows didn't show onscreen, read this one.
In this novel, Team Arrow and Team Flash team up for an adventure because Barry is dying and they're running out of time to save him.
Among the highlights of the book for me:
Cute Olicity scenes
The Oliver/Barry friendship
Diggle and Lyla
Original Team Arrow moments
Flashbacks to Oliver before and during the island
Team Arrow and Team Flash interacting
The book is a nice read and is canon on the Arrowverse, so if you like to read about something the shows didn't show onscreen, read this one.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 12, 2023
I enjoyed hanging out with the Arrow gang. It read like three episodes of a TV show. I haven't seen much of Arrow, I've seen a bit of Flash.
A fun read. I liked when they were in the spooky castle.
I found this in the bargain book bin at the local supermarket.
Notes:
*The ending seemed a little too much like a standard action movie ending. But how else could a book with this cover end?
*The story deals a little bit about what it's like to be an immigrant, a "stranger" in a new country. I thought this was interesting and could have been explored more. Because there's three instances of this that would be fun to tie together more: Oliver on the Island, the Markovian villain character in Star City, and the gang in Markovia.
A fun read. I liked when they were in the spooky castle.
I found this in the bargain book bin at the local supermarket.
Notes:
*The ending seemed a little too much like a standard action movie ending. But how else could a book with this cover end?
*The story deals a little bit about what it's like to be an immigrant, a "stranger" in a new country. I thought this was interesting and could have been explored more. Because there's three instances of this that would be fun to tie together more: Oliver on the Island, the Markovian villain character in Star City, and the gang in Markovia.
May 21, 2018
The Griffiths took the story they began in The Flash novel and continued on in this Arrow novel. The author's took the time to write both books in the style of the shows! A really nice touch. If you watch (ed) either show you know the stylistic differences; Flash has more humor, Arrow has flashbacks to Ollie's life on the island or before that. I felt like I was reading an episode of Arrow. Well, done! Story was great. Fit perfectly into the Arrowverse. I only hope that the Griffith's get the green light to write more stories the Arrowverse. Highly recommended stuff, Maynard!
October 11, 2021
'So, you heard all the stuff I said?' he asked. 'About how grateful I am? And how you're an inspiration to me? And how there wouldn't be the Flash without the Green Arrow coming first?'
And that sums up the Arrowverse pretty much. It all started with Arrow.
This book, just like The Flash: The Haunting Of Barry Allen, reads like you're watching an episode of the tv show.
In this second book of a 'FlArrow' crossover, we read how Barry is saved. We also read the little flashbacks from when Oliver was on the island of Lian Yu. A wonderful and easy to read book.
And that sums up the Arrowverse pretty much. It all started with Arrow.
This book, just like The Flash: The Haunting Of Barry Allen, reads like you're watching an episode of the tv show.
In this second book of a 'FlArrow' crossover, we read how Barry is saved. We also read the little flashbacks from when Oliver was on the island of Lian Yu. A wonderful and easy to read book.
April 1, 2018
I enjoyed Part 1 more overall - It had more with the Flash team and didn’t have the annoying (to me anyway) island flashbacks that Arrow does. But despite this book’s island parts and it dragging a bit, the final mission out of the country was fun and exciting. And I loved all the crossover character interactions.
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