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Full Metal Superhero #1
Arsenal
Some heroes are born with powers. Others make their own.Amelia Lockheart is the world's most gifted engineer. She spends her days playing video games with the boy next door and designing new weapons for her armored battle suit, Arsenal.When she goes undercover as a superhero to find her missing parents, she realizes there's a lot more to wearing a cape and tights than just superpowers and crime fighting.After stopping a nuclear-powered mercenary from destroying Las Vegas, she discovers an evil corporation bent on controlling the world. And they want her suit to do it.Buy Arsenal now and join Amelia on her epic journey as she becomes the hero she was always meant to be.
269 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 19, 2017
378 people are currently reading
410 people want to read
About the author
Jeffery H. Haskell
43 books269 followersAward-winning Journalist and USA Today bestselling author Jeffery H. Haskell thinks he should always be himself… unless he can be Spider-Man. Then, he should be Spidey. He’s a lifelong lover of comic books and science fiction, and he owns his geek status by quoting Aliens and Star Trek at every given opportunity. When he realized he could make a living writing about his obsessions, he jumped at the chance. With the incredible support of his amazing wife and spectacular children, Jeffery lives the dream of bringing his imagination to the page and on occasion, he writes about love and marriage.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 85 reviews
June 26, 2018
“Arsenal (Full Metal Superhero #1)” is six hours of wonderfully silly, energetically narrated fun!
“Arsenal” is not lesfic; but it features a strong 20yo super brilliant woman along with her best friend MC Domino. “Arsenal” is a campy superhero/supervillain adventure that takes place on an earth that has an alternate history to our own. There are lots of nods to superheros we know, and its fun laughing at how a pair of glasses can create a secret identity, along with many fun moments.
MC Amelia and her AI Epic are hilarious as they come up with new weapons and defensive tech that is just, well…awesome!, as Amelia frequently observes. While Amelia doesn’t actually have any superpowers of her own, she still falls under the domain of the Department of Metahuman Affairs because of her armored suit.
Amelia never actually dreamed of being a superhero; she invented the suit primarily to enable her to infiltrate Category-7, the government contractor company her father worked for…and the group she believes kidnapped her parents fourteen years ago.
“Arsenal” is narrated from Amelia’s POV as she hurtles from one adventure and battle after another. In between threats, she relaxes by gaming with her friend Carlos or watching Star Trek. The “science” presented throughout the book is fun, but you won’t have to work hard to find flaws. So what. It’s lots and lots of fun.
Solidly recommended with 4.5*, rounded up because “Arsenal” is a book to listen to more than once! Currently, there are five books available as part of what the author calls an “ongoing series”. Two of the books are available as audiobooks, and the third will be released July 31, 2018.
“Arsenal” is not lesfic; but it features a strong 20yo super brilliant woman along with her best friend MC Domino. “Arsenal” is a campy superhero/supervillain adventure that takes place on an earth that has an alternate history to our own. There are lots of nods to superheros we know, and its fun laughing at how a pair of glasses can create a secret identity, along with many fun moments.
MC Amelia and her AI Epic are hilarious as they come up with new weapons and defensive tech that is just, well…awesome!, as Amelia frequently observes. While Amelia doesn’t actually have any superpowers of her own, she still falls under the domain of the Department of Metahuman Affairs because of her armored suit.
Amelia never actually dreamed of being a superhero; she invented the suit primarily to enable her to infiltrate Category-7, the government contractor company her father worked for…and the group she believes kidnapped her parents fourteen years ago.
“Arsenal” is narrated from Amelia’s POV as she hurtles from one adventure and battle after another. In between threats, she relaxes by gaming with her friend Carlos or watching Star Trek. The “science” presented throughout the book is fun, but you won’t have to work hard to find flaws. So what. It’s lots and lots of fun.
Solidly recommended with 4.5*, rounded up because “Arsenal” is a book to listen to more than once! Currently, there are five books available as part of what the author calls an “ongoing series”. Two of the books are available as audiobooks, and the third will be released July 31, 2018.
March 9, 2018
Good writing, interesting concept, absolutely 0 idea of proper story telling.
The main character has very little depth. She's a girl. She's super smart (Informed ability, she shows 0 capability to make simple deduction or even detect patterns, the best way to trap her is to tell her to just walk into the trap. It doesn't matter if you just stabbed her best friend an hour ago or set fire to an orphanage/sick bunnies rehab, she'll do it. She knows she can't trust you but she doesn't have the mental capacity to follow what a trap is.) She's paralyzed from the waist down with all nerve connection severed (No feeling as well as no movement). That's it. This is the extent of her character development.
I might read the next installement if i run low enough on books but it will be awhile.
This isn't female Iron man with a twist. At best it's silver age supergirl when she was only there to show her cousin wasn't just a meat head that could fly.
The main character has very little depth. She's a girl. She's super smart (Informed ability, she shows 0 capability to make simple deduction or even detect patterns, the best way to trap her is to tell her to just walk into the trap. It doesn't matter if you just stabbed her best friend an hour ago or set fire to an orphanage/sick bunnies rehab, she'll do it. She knows she can't trust you but she doesn't have the mental capacity to follow what a trap is.) She's paralyzed from the waist down with all nerve connection severed (No feeling as well as no movement). That's it. This is the extent of her character development.
I might read the next installement if i run low enough on books but it will be awhile.
This isn't female Iron man with a twist. At best it's silver age supergirl when she was only there to show her cousin wasn't just a meat head that could fly.
July 11, 2023
Great superhero fun
Amelia is a disabled woman with Iron Man skill and millions. She wants to be a superhero to investigate her parents death. However to do that she has to join a superhero team that she befriends too quickly. Can she keep her feelings separate? Honestly, it's just kind of fun and doesn't really reinvent the wheel but I enjoyed it after a pretty slow origin. The supporting cast is also really likable. I'm checking out the sequel, so it's won me over.
Amelia is a disabled woman with Iron Man skill and millions. She wants to be a superhero to investigate her parents death. However to do that she has to join a superhero team that she befriends too quickly. Can she keep her feelings separate? Honestly, it's just kind of fun and doesn't really reinvent the wheel but I enjoyed it after a pretty slow origin. The supporting cast is also really likable. I'm checking out the sequel, so it's won me over.
March 27, 2018
This wants to be a traditional superhero story, and that's fine. I like traditional superhero stories.
This seems to have an awful lot of plot holes. We're told that the main character's goal is to find her missing parents, but she doesn't seem to try very hard at that. We see on many occasions that a Mysterious Shadowy Adversary is constructing elaborate plots to try to get her killed, but she never seems to do much about that, either. She should be asking questions like: "Why, specifically, did Dispatch go silent just now?" and "When I interrogate these prisoners, what do they say about why they tried to murder me?" and "What happens when I let my AI hack the enemy computer network?" and "Why is our team so underpowered except for me?". None of these questions get asked -- she just shrugs, survives the latest murder attempt, and the next chapter starts with "Two weeks later...".
The main character's security is a disaster, she's not making progress toward her declared goal, she doesn't seem to have a plan to survive the inevitable next assassination attempts, and either the characterization is bad or most of her team are acting phony because they're traitors.
I'll probably read the next one, next time I have a plane trip.
This seems to have an awful lot of plot holes. We're told that the main character's goal is to find her missing parents, but she doesn't seem to try very hard at that. We see on many occasions that a Mysterious Shadowy Adversary is constructing elaborate plots to try to get her killed, but she never seems to do much about that, either. She should be asking questions like: "Why, specifically, did Dispatch go silent just now?" and "When I interrogate these prisoners, what do they say about why they tried to murder me?" and "What happens when I let my AI hack the enemy computer network?" and "Why is our team so underpowered except for me?". None of these questions get asked -- she just shrugs, survives the latest murder attempt, and the next chapter starts with "Two weeks later...".
The main character's security is a disaster, she's not making progress toward her declared goal, she doesn't seem to have a plan to survive the inevitable next assassination attempts, and either the characterization is bad or most of her team are acting phony because they're traitors.
I'll probably read the next one, next time I have a plane trip.
April 15, 2018
Fast-paced superhero with an interesting main character.
Amelia Lockheart lost both the use of her legs and her parents at a terrible car accident fourteen years ago. Everyone says they are dead, be she knows differently, they were taken! Now she is ready to enact her plan to find and rescue them. With the aid of her robotic armour that helps her walk she will become the Hero Arsenal and chase any lead she can find.
This was both an interesting and refreshing read. Amelia is reserved, super-genius smart a paraplegic and a complete and utter geek. This indeed makes for an interesting character, and an utterly hilarious one, when interacting with her home-made IA. The geek references and silly moments add levity to what could otherwise be a somber story. Ad some fun and very human down-time moments and you get this charming, fun as well as action packed story of an unusual Superhero.
Recommended for any Superhero fans.
Amelia Lockheart lost both the use of her legs and her parents at a terrible car accident fourteen years ago. Everyone says they are dead, be she knows differently, they were taken! Now she is ready to enact her plan to find and rescue them. With the aid of her robotic armour that helps her walk she will become the Hero Arsenal and chase any lead she can find.
This was both an interesting and refreshing read. Amelia is reserved, super-genius smart a paraplegic and a complete and utter geek. This indeed makes for an interesting character, and an utterly hilarious one, when interacting with her home-made IA. The geek references and silly moments add levity to what could otherwise be a somber story. Ad some fun and very human down-time moments and you get this charming, fun as well as action packed story of an unusual Superhero.
Recommended for any Superhero fans.
June 27, 2017
I loved this book! I was worried that the main character was going to be a female Ironman but she is so much better. Amelia was in a car accident at the age of six putting her in a wheelchair and losing her parents. She uses her genius to make a computer and a super suit. She fights super villains and monsters but really only wants to find her parents. I am looking forward to the next book
October 3, 2018
Fast-paced superhero with an interesting main character.
Amelia Lockheart lost both the use of her legs and her parents at a terrible car accident fourteen years ago. Everyone says they are dead, be she knows differently, they were taken! Now she is ready to enact her plan to find and rescue them. With the aid of her robotic armour that helps her walk she will become the Hero Arsenal and chase any lead she can find.
This was both an interesting and refreshing read. Amelia is reserved, super-genius smart a paraplegic and a complete and utter geek. This indeed makes for an interesting character, and an utterly hilarious one, when interacting with her home-made IA. The geek references and silly moments add levity to what could otherwise be a somber story. Ad some fun and very human down-time moments and you get this charming, fun as well as action packed story of an unusual Superhero.
Recommended for any Superhero fans.
Amelia Lockheart lost both the use of her legs and her parents at a terrible car accident fourteen years ago. Everyone says they are dead, be she knows differently, they were taken! Now she is ready to enact her plan to find and rescue them. With the aid of her robotic armour that helps her walk she will become the Hero Arsenal and chase any lead she can find.
This was both an interesting and refreshing read. Amelia is reserved, super-genius smart a paraplegic and a complete and utter geek. This indeed makes for an interesting character, and an utterly hilarious one, when interacting with her home-made IA. The geek references and silly moments add levity to what could otherwise be a somber story. Ad some fun and very human down-time moments and you get this charming, fun as well as action packed story of an unusual Superhero.
Recommended for any Superhero fans.
December 29, 2017
Wow, that was FUN. Up there with Confessions of a D List Supervillan, but with a very different MC and sense of humor. Hispanic Girl in wheelchair build a set of Armor so she can walk... and fight supervillans, ofc. I liked her as mush as I liked Nigel Henry's Ria.
Book 2 was great as well. Only a few more days till book 3 is out.
Book 2 was great as well. Only a few more days till book 3 is out.
June 14, 2020
Loved this delightful superhero story. A little girl who’s wheel chair bound, but can fly. Definitely read it.
July 29, 2017
Thoroughly enjoyable, Amelia is an engaging heroine and the tale leaves me eager for the next part.
Dammit, why isn't it here yet?
Dammit, why isn't it here yet?
June 2, 2020
Just barely 3 stars from me. I read a lot of superhero fiction (I guess there's not a lot of superhero non-fiction?) and "Arsenal" can be placed pretty squarely in the middle of the pack for me. Nothing terribly original, no 'wow' factors that separate it from dozens of other offers, and way too short to have more of a prominent place on my shelves of either books, graphic novels or other offers.
I have to admit - and I guess this is obvious - I was expecting a LOT more from the first FMS book. Goodness knows goodreads has had this one in my recommendation list for eons. However, as I mention, if I put it up against some of what I consider to be the truly original standards in this genre (the "Crimson Son" books by Russ Linton come to mind as do some of James Maxey's books), it falls far short of expectations. It's not poorly written, but to be honest, there isn't enough meat on the bones here to make it more substantial. The plot comes across extremely shallow and clichéd (or even outright copied I felt). It's all even superficially "sweet" in parts and the romantic interests are fumbling at best. Even when some folks get kersplatted or otherwise kapowied, it just seems like it's more 'The Incredibles' than 'The Avengers' in execution. Sure, that's ok, too, when you're in that kind of mood... but I wasn't.
Overall, with all the feel-good side plots and the 'oh look, I just invented a quantum drive' leaps from chapter to chapter (of which there were far too many), it just doesn't really add up to much in terms of what I consider to be the true struggle a cast like this should be facing. Sure, we're hit with enough foreshadowing to choke a rhino on, but even so, it just feels really flat once the last page slips by. Crises arise, crises are solved and let's all meet back at HQ for some Häagen Dasz, my treat. Yay, team! Yawn...
Having said that, I promised myself before I even read this one that I'd try at least two of these books, so we'll see how the next part goes. Hopefully, there's a lot more potential waiting to be realized. Because I can't see being this uncomfortably forgiving next time if there's a repeat.
I have to admit - and I guess this is obvious - I was expecting a LOT more from the first FMS book. Goodness knows goodreads has had this one in my recommendation list for eons. However, as I mention, if I put it up against some of what I consider to be the truly original standards in this genre (the "Crimson Son" books by Russ Linton come to mind as do some of James Maxey's books), it falls far short of expectations. It's not poorly written, but to be honest, there isn't enough meat on the bones here to make it more substantial. The plot comes across extremely shallow and clichéd (or even outright copied I felt). It's all even superficially "sweet" in parts and the romantic interests are fumbling at best. Even when some folks get kersplatted or otherwise kapowied, it just seems like it's more 'The Incredibles' than 'The Avengers' in execution. Sure, that's ok, too, when you're in that kind of mood... but I wasn't.
Overall, with all the feel-good side plots and the 'oh look, I just invented a quantum drive' leaps from chapter to chapter (of which there were far too many), it just doesn't really add up to much in terms of what I consider to be the true struggle a cast like this should be facing. Sure, we're hit with enough foreshadowing to choke a rhino on, but even so, it just feels really flat once the last page slips by. Crises arise, crises are solved and let's all meet back at HQ for some Häagen Dasz, my treat. Yay, team! Yawn...
Having said that, I promised myself before I even read this one that I'd try at least two of these books, so we'll see how the next part goes. Hopefully, there's a lot more potential waiting to be realized. Because I can't see being this uncomfortably forgiving next time if there's a repeat.
November 4, 2018
Stuff I liked:
– Amelia is a well-drawn, balanced character. Geeky but not aloof, sassy but not a total pain in the arse. She has clear, relatable goals.
– She upgrades her armor in logical fashion, based on what threats she encounters. The upgrades are well-paced throughout the novel, limited according to her resources, time, and engineering capabilities. Parallels to Tony Stark/Iron Man are obvious to any comic book fan.
– There are some decent action scenes, with Amelia using her armor in ingenious ways to thwart the baddies. On the flip side, the Arsenal armor has weaknesses that are also exploited by the baddies. Again, as with Iron Man, this back-and-forth is what makes tech-dependent characters great.
– The novel is neither too long nor too short. It ends right when you'd expect it to, setting up book two nicely.
Stuff I didn't like:
– The supporting cast is just...there. I couldn't connect with them. Domino, who has an intriguing power set and backstory, should have been a riveting character, but she's mainly just a BFF for Amelia. Major Force was another lacking character. At first, he's a tough-as-shoe-leather Marine, then his veneer of toughness crumbles and he's suddenly Amelia's pseudo-boyfriend. I kept thinking he'd betray her, since their relationship makes little sense; they're complete opposites, and a buff, handsome Marine superhero surely has plenty of female admirers.
– The superpowers left a lot to be desired. There are the strength folks, the speedster, some magic users, and so on, but they all blend together. None of the bad guys are memorable, and this is a real concern. Superheroes are defined by their rogues gallery. While I don't expect a half-dozen incredible villains to appear in book one, there should be an effort to create some arch-nemeses. Instead, we get forgettable bad guys and a giant tentacle monster.
– There were some plot holes and logic gaps. For example, Amelia is concerned about maintaining her secret identity at first, but that concern fades rather quickly, at least as far as her teammates and certain staff members are concerned. It's an about-face that, I think, ruins a strong plot point.
– There are a fair number of typos, incorrectly formatted dialogue, oddly-crafted sentences, etc. Many readers will gloss over these nuisances, but I'm a slow, precise reader, and these things do trip me up. Some more polishing would've improved the reading experience immensely.
Three stars for this one. Good, but not great. Doesn't quite have that “gotta keep reading give me the next book” spark. I might continue this series anyway and see if things improve, if I find the time.
– Amelia is a well-drawn, balanced character. Geeky but not aloof, sassy but not a total pain in the arse. She has clear, relatable goals.
– She upgrades her armor in logical fashion, based on what threats she encounters. The upgrades are well-paced throughout the novel, limited according to her resources, time, and engineering capabilities. Parallels to Tony Stark/Iron Man are obvious to any comic book fan.
– There are some decent action scenes, with Amelia using her armor in ingenious ways to thwart the baddies. On the flip side, the Arsenal armor has weaknesses that are also exploited by the baddies. Again, as with Iron Man, this back-and-forth is what makes tech-dependent characters great.
– The novel is neither too long nor too short. It ends right when you'd expect it to, setting up book two nicely.
Stuff I didn't like:
– The supporting cast is just...there. I couldn't connect with them. Domino, who has an intriguing power set and backstory, should have been a riveting character, but she's mainly just a BFF for Amelia. Major Force was another lacking character. At first, he's a tough-as-shoe-leather Marine, then his veneer of toughness crumbles and he's suddenly Amelia's pseudo-boyfriend. I kept thinking he'd betray her, since their relationship makes little sense; they're complete opposites, and a buff, handsome Marine superhero surely has plenty of female admirers.
– The superpowers left a lot to be desired. There are the strength folks, the speedster, some magic users, and so on, but they all blend together. None of the bad guys are memorable, and this is a real concern. Superheroes are defined by their rogues gallery. While I don't expect a half-dozen incredible villains to appear in book one, there should be an effort to create some arch-nemeses. Instead, we get forgettable bad guys and a giant tentacle monster.
– There were some plot holes and logic gaps. For example, Amelia is concerned about maintaining her secret identity at first, but that concern fades rather quickly, at least as far as her teammates and certain staff members are concerned. It's an about-face that, I think, ruins a strong plot point.
– There are a fair number of typos, incorrectly formatted dialogue, oddly-crafted sentences, etc. Many readers will gloss over these nuisances, but I'm a slow, precise reader, and these things do trip me up. Some more polishing would've improved the reading experience immensely.
Three stars for this one. Good, but not great. Doesn't quite have that “gotta keep reading give me the next book” spark. I might continue this series anyway and see if things improve, if I find the time.
May 23, 2018
More like 3.5 stars, but benefit of the doubt.
The science was awful. Yes, this is superheroes and you expect the 'science' to be handwaved, but there was some horrible mistakes which I found hard to forgive. Akin to the "this material corresponds to nothing on the periodic table" stupid comment, this has "this radiation is of a wavelength which does not exist." That's less possible than the element thing!
But aside from the odd cringe-inducing science remark, this was fairly good. The pace was not unrelenting, but it kept popping along. The heroine is likeable. I'd have liked a little more embellishment of the world she lives in; though I only really notice in retrospect that I've listened to an entire book and I don't really know that much about fictional Phoenix, never mind the rest of the world.
All in all, not bad at all. I enjoyed it.
The science was awful. Yes, this is superheroes and you expect the 'science' to be handwaved, but there was some horrible mistakes which I found hard to forgive. Akin to the "this material corresponds to nothing on the periodic table" stupid comment, this has "this radiation is of a wavelength which does not exist." That's less possible than the element thing!
But aside from the odd cringe-inducing science remark, this was fairly good. The pace was not unrelenting, but it kept popping along. The heroine is likeable. I'd have liked a little more embellishment of the world she lives in; though I only really notice in retrospect that I've listened to an entire book and I don't really know that much about fictional Phoenix, never mind the rest of the world.
All in all, not bad at all. I enjoyed it.
April 29, 2020
The science in this is to bad it makes any suspension of disbelief impossible. Every few lines occurs a new atrocity to physics, engineering and computer science. MC has a severe cases of "man what a inconvenience it was to invent a solution to world hunger this afternoon" and "I'm currently working on my atom bomb but what really grinds my gears is where I put my sandwich". It takes around 10 pages to fight villains, recover from the fight, hear an unrelated line that inspires a genius idea for a problem, upgrade the suit with new invention, invent some other bullshit and fight same villains again. This list could be longer but you get the gist. Feels kind of bad to shit on something that someone put hard work into it but this is no 4 star book.
July 26, 2020
This was a great book that told of the adventures of a gifted young girl. In a world of full of super humans someone has to keep order. This seems like a great responsibility for young person to have full of a lot of drama and excitement. This book was very well written and paints the picture that these super humans have while trying to keep order. The technical description about the super suit and the AI tech that the main character has was told in great detail.
July 31, 2018
★ ★ ★ 1/2 (rounded up)
This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
---
Amelia Lockheart lost her parents -- and the use of her legs -- in a horrible automobile accident when she was a child. However, she knows (or thinks she knows) that her parents survived, and that every adult and authority has been lying to her ever since. What's a girl-genius to do? Become a metallurgist, engineer, computer designer and many, many other kinds of expert, patent a revolutionary aerospace tech -- and become rich off the proceeds. Then you turn some of that wealth into developing an Iron Man-esque suit of armor and an AI to help you run it. Finally, using that armor, become a super hero so you can use the connections you'll gain to investigate your parents' disappearance. Double duh.
Amelia's super-hero alter ego, Arsenal, gets recruited to join her state's super-powered militia. This is one of the best parts about Haskell's universe -- the supers are regulated (but in a better way than DC or Marvel have ever managed to pull off), each state has militia, with certain laws governing the activities of the groups, and there's a federal-level group as well -- these would be the top of the top, the Justice League of almost every era, while the state groups are closer to the Giffen/DeMatteis run. They're super, just not super.
Anyway, for the first time in her life, Amelia has friends -- plural. She's made one friend from her normal life, but she's never found acceptance by more than him, between the super-intelligence and wheelchair. She has a job, friends, a dash of fame -- and she gets to save the day.
Amelia has in infectious, energetic personality -- it's a first-person narration, so we get plenty of it -- I can't imagine a reader not enjoying the book just because of her. I enjoyed the rest of the characters, too (I'm going to be skimpy on names, because my copy is a few hundred miles away from me) -- but I'm honestly not sure how many of them I trust (well, maybe the goofball from before she was Arsenal).
The action is fast, and plentiful. There's not as much depth to these characters as I'd like, but I don't think they qualify as shallow. There are also a four sequels thus far, so I think we'll get there. The plot could be a bit tighter, the science is probably as accurate as, oh, I don't know -- the idea that exposure to gamma rays could make an angry wimp turn into a giant, unthinking monster. In other words, it's a super-hero story -- sit back and enjoy it. Which is really easy to do, Haskell's prose is lean, the voice is charming and the you'll find yourself grinning throughout.
I just had a blast with this -- there are a couple of things I hope get improved in the books to come -- I'd like to see some of Arsenal's teammates do a bit more to save the day -- they did a good job before she came around, it'd be good to see how she augments the team, not supersedes it. I'd like things to slow down a little bit and deepen with the relationships she's developing with her new teammates -- I like every bit of these, I would just like things to seem a bit more realistic on those fronts. I'm not saying I'm out if Haskell doesn't do something along these lines, those are some thoughts I had while reading, y'know? It wouldn't surprise me at all if Haskell found a different and better way to address those topics than I listed, too.
Solid super-hero story, filled with action and characters you won't be able to stop yourself from liking (not that you'd want to). This was just scads and scads of fun. I'm not sure what else to say, really. Bring on the sequel!
Disclaimer: I had a very pleasant chat with Haskell at Boise's first Wizard World where I bought this book and he convinced my daughter and I to read our first Spider-Man comic since the end of the "One More Day" debacle. So I guess you could say I'm biased. But I don't think so (but I'm very glad he brought me back to Spidey!)
This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
---
Amelia Lockheart lost her parents -- and the use of her legs -- in a horrible automobile accident when she was a child. However, she knows (or thinks she knows) that her parents survived, and that every adult and authority has been lying to her ever since. What's a girl-genius to do? Become a metallurgist, engineer, computer designer and many, many other kinds of expert, patent a revolutionary aerospace tech -- and become rich off the proceeds. Then you turn some of that wealth into developing an Iron Man-esque suit of armor and an AI to help you run it. Finally, using that armor, become a super hero so you can use the connections you'll gain to investigate your parents' disappearance. Double duh.
Amelia's super-hero alter ego, Arsenal, gets recruited to join her state's super-powered militia. This is one of the best parts about Haskell's universe -- the supers are regulated (but in a better way than DC or Marvel have ever managed to pull off), each state has militia, with certain laws governing the activities of the groups, and there's a federal-level group as well -- these would be the top of the top, the Justice League of almost every era, while the state groups are closer to the Giffen/DeMatteis run. They're super, just not super.
Anyway, for the first time in her life, Amelia has friends -- plural. She's made one friend from her normal life, but she's never found acceptance by more than him, between the super-intelligence and wheelchair. She has a job, friends, a dash of fame -- and she gets to save the day.
Amelia has in infectious, energetic personality -- it's a first-person narration, so we get plenty of it -- I can't imagine a reader not enjoying the book just because of her. I enjoyed the rest of the characters, too (I'm going to be skimpy on names, because my copy is a few hundred miles away from me) -- but I'm honestly not sure how many of them I trust (well, maybe the goofball from before she was Arsenal).
The action is fast, and plentiful. There's not as much depth to these characters as I'd like, but I don't think they qualify as shallow. There are also a four sequels thus far, so I think we'll get there. The plot could be a bit tighter, the science is probably as accurate as, oh, I don't know -- the idea that exposure to gamma rays could make an angry wimp turn into a giant, unthinking monster. In other words, it's a super-hero story -- sit back and enjoy it. Which is really easy to do, Haskell's prose is lean, the voice is charming and the you'll find yourself grinning throughout.
I just had a blast with this -- there are a couple of things I hope get improved in the books to come -- I'd like to see some of Arsenal's teammates do a bit more to save the day -- they did a good job before she came around, it'd be good to see how she augments the team, not supersedes it. I'd like things to slow down a little bit and deepen with the relationships she's developing with her new teammates -- I like every bit of these, I would just like things to seem a bit more realistic on those fronts. I'm not saying I'm out if Haskell doesn't do something along these lines, those are some thoughts I had while reading, y'know? It wouldn't surprise me at all if Haskell found a different and better way to address those topics than I listed, too.
Solid super-hero story, filled with action and characters you won't be able to stop yourself from liking (not that you'd want to). This was just scads and scads of fun. I'm not sure what else to say, really. Bring on the sequel!
Disclaimer: I had a very pleasant chat with Haskell at Boise's first Wizard World where I bought this book and he convinced my daughter and I to read our first Spider-Man comic since the end of the "One More Day" debacle. So I guess you could say I'm biased. But I don't think so (but I'm very glad he brought me back to Spidey!)
July 14, 2017
A start to a superhero series
Amelia Lockheart is confined to a wheelchair but her mind sets her free. Her genius allows her to design an armored suit that turns her into the superhero, Arsenal. Amelia has a secret agenda where becoming a superhero is only the first step. Her real goal is to find out what happened to her parents.
I love comics and stories of superheroes. The author of Arsenal does too. I really enjoyed the little things he added to show that love like having the Parker Alert for warning of superhero activity (obviously in honor of Peter Parker, Spiderman). Or when he says how lame the power of talking to fish is (poor Aquaman, always a joke).
Of course, there will be comparisons between Arsenal and that other famous super suit, Iron Man. But those comparisons are fairly minor. The world in this story is very different than those in comic books. The government regulates superhumans much closer here, even to the point of having sponsored teams. The heroes are more human in their lives. Their powers don't read like a Christmas list of what you need to stop criminals with superpowers. There are real consequences to the fights including people, even heroes and villains, dying.
Unlike a comic, a novel gives the author more room to explore a character, their thoughts, and even to more fully develop the story. Arsenal does all that but also manages to keep the feel and energy of the comics. This was like reading a huge graphic novel (no pictures of course) that collects a year or two of issues.
Some people might feel the ending is too much of a cliffhanger, but I would disagree. Yes, there are unanswered questions. But the arc of this book was the introduction and setup for finding Amelia's parents. The following book will deal with the fallout of what she finds. There is also plenty of other areas to explore as well. Like the lives of the other superheroes and the event that caused them. I look forward to hopefully many more books in this series.
Amelia Lockheart is confined to a wheelchair but her mind sets her free. Her genius allows her to design an armored suit that turns her into the superhero, Arsenal. Amelia has a secret agenda where becoming a superhero is only the first step. Her real goal is to find out what happened to her parents.
I love comics and stories of superheroes. The author of Arsenal does too. I really enjoyed the little things he added to show that love like having the Parker Alert for warning of superhero activity (obviously in honor of Peter Parker, Spiderman). Or when he says how lame the power of talking to fish is (poor Aquaman, always a joke).
Of course, there will be comparisons between Arsenal and that other famous super suit, Iron Man. But those comparisons are fairly minor. The world in this story is very different than those in comic books. The government regulates superhumans much closer here, even to the point of having sponsored teams. The heroes are more human in their lives. Their powers don't read like a Christmas list of what you need to stop criminals with superpowers. There are real consequences to the fights including people, even heroes and villains, dying.
Unlike a comic, a novel gives the author more room to explore a character, their thoughts, and even to more fully develop the story. Arsenal does all that but also manages to keep the feel and energy of the comics. This was like reading a huge graphic novel (no pictures of course) that collects a year or two of issues.
Some people might feel the ending is too much of a cliffhanger, but I would disagree. Yes, there are unanswered questions. But the arc of this book was the introduction and setup for finding Amelia's parents. The following book will deal with the fallout of what she finds. There is also plenty of other areas to explore as well. Like the lives of the other superheroes and the event that caused them. I look forward to hopefully many more books in this series.
August 27, 2020
I couldn't stand this book.
My first issue was that it was written in present tense. It was very distracting. People don't talk in present tense. They talk in past tense. Present tense distracts us and makes us focus on the narrator instead of the action, and makes fight scenes drag on longer than they should. It makes the reading very choppy.
I've read a book in present tense once before. I didn't give it one star. Style choices are up to authors, and I can understand if an author wants to write in present tense.
However, the main character felt like an Iron Man clone. The story started right in the middle of a fight scene, and I didn't know what was going on. I would have liked to see a page or two of setup (not infodumps or backstory) so I could understand or care about who was fighting who.
Looking at the title, "Arsenal", the heroine sounds distinct enough from Ironman. Sounds like she has a suit of weapons. It's not against any copyrights for this author to write a main character like Ironman, because this protagonist has a different name, personality, etc. However, the protagonist and the enemies didn't really have any personality to them.
I find that I usually prefer stories that start from the beginning. Like Ironman creating his first suit. The Flash being hit by lightning and having powers for the first time. Alien invasion stories that start with unsuspecting humans having Earth invaded by aliens.
In summary, the present-tense, unoriginality, flat characters, and storytelling that felt like it started in the wrong place made the story feel like it didn't have anywhere to grow, and I couldn't get invested in this story.
My first issue was that it was written in present tense. It was very distracting. People don't talk in present tense. They talk in past tense. Present tense distracts us and makes us focus on the narrator instead of the action, and makes fight scenes drag on longer than they should. It makes the reading very choppy.
I've read a book in present tense once before. I didn't give it one star. Style choices are up to authors, and I can understand if an author wants to write in present tense.
However, the main character felt like an Iron Man clone. The story started right in the middle of a fight scene, and I didn't know what was going on. I would have liked to see a page or two of setup (not infodumps or backstory) so I could understand or care about who was fighting who.
Looking at the title, "Arsenal", the heroine sounds distinct enough from Ironman. Sounds like she has a suit of weapons. It's not against any copyrights for this author to write a main character like Ironman, because this protagonist has a different name, personality, etc. However, the protagonist and the enemies didn't really have any personality to them.
I find that I usually prefer stories that start from the beginning. Like Ironman creating his first suit. The Flash being hit by lightning and having powers for the first time. Alien invasion stories that start with unsuspecting humans having Earth invaded by aliens.
In summary, the present-tense, unoriginality, flat characters, and storytelling that felt like it started in the wrong place made the story feel like it didn't have anywhere to grow, and I couldn't get invested in this story.
June 10, 2023
Move over Iron man there is a new girl in town. I really enjoyed this book. It does remind me very much of Iron Man, in the fact that the main character doesn't have any super powers and everything she can do is because of the suit. She is also a genius and rich like Tony Stark but there is one big difference, when Amelia is out of her suit she is in a wheelchair, this is a nice twist. I really enjoy the fight scenes which you could easily picture and also imagine playing out on the big screen. I liked the characters and the different power sets and personalities that make up the team. We all need an AI like epic and supers in the world at the moment which is why I am going straight into the next book.
Amelia is finally ready to join a super hero team to discover what happened to her parents. Everybody tells her they died in the same tragedy that stole her legs but her memory tells her something different. If she can just get picked to join the Diamond backs she would finally have access to the people who kidnapped them. Not knowing who she can trust she has to rely on herself and the AI she created, especially when the missions she and the team get sent on get more and more dangerous. Does somebody know who she really is? Is that why backup isn't turning up. If Amelia hopes to learn the truth she will have to become Arsenal.
I liked the narrator. She gave each character there own sounding voice and the time goes by like a superhero using rocket thrusters
Amelia is finally ready to join a super hero team to discover what happened to her parents. Everybody tells her they died in the same tragedy that stole her legs but her memory tells her something different. If she can just get picked to join the Diamond backs she would finally have access to the people who kidnapped them. Not knowing who she can trust she has to rely on herself and the AI she created, especially when the missions she and the team get sent on get more and more dangerous. Does somebody know who she really is? Is that why backup isn't turning up. If Amelia hopes to learn the truth she will have to become Arsenal.
I liked the narrator. She gave each character there own sounding voice and the time goes by like a superhero using rocket thrusters
July 22, 2018
I love Marvel’s Universe and the movies it has spawned. I love how the best of them humanized superheroes while still keeping what made them super. Jeffery H. Haskell’s Arsenal (Full Metal Superhero Book 1) does an even better job of this, injecting into a world of superheroes an Iron Man equivalent who is ridiculously opposite the jerk with a hidden heart found in Tony Stark. Arsenal’s heroine, Amelia Lockheart, is a wheelchair-bound super-genius girl geek engineer and is wonderfully, totally, genuine and relatable even for those of us who meet none (or almost none) of those quantifications (I myself at least qualify as a girl geek, but sadly that’s about it). Add in a very well written action-packed script and really well-crafted supporting characters. The end result is a novel that is, well, super. But for the fact that I’m literally dictating this review to my husband from my hospital bed I could go on and on with praises - the book definitely deserves it. Since I can’t do that I will simply note that the book is most definitely one to read, it is easy to highly recommend. I’m definitely looking forward to the next book in this series.
October 28, 2020
I previously read and enjoyed this author's other book WRAITH (his take on a Batman-esque hero), so I figured it would be worth checking out his take on Iron Man. I went into this book without high expectations, thinking it was going to be a rough approximation of Tony Stark or, perhaps Riri Williams. But I was pleasantly surprised to find that the book's protagonist Amelia was really well-developed and interesting. I was engaged with her throughout the book and, honestly, interest in her carried me through the parts that I thought didn't work so well.
Among those parts that don't work so well is just about every other character. The rest feel like caricatures or just really generic heroes and villains, and the plot itself wasn't particularly unique. Domino was the most interesting of the bunch and had a great backstory and unique set of powers, but didn't take full advantage of them. The rest were pretty forgettable.
Overall, it was an okay book that was carried through on the strength and likability of the protagonist. I may continue on in the series at some point, but I didn't feel immediately compelled to grab the next one.
Among those parts that don't work so well is just about every other character. The rest feel like caricatures or just really generic heroes and villains, and the plot itself wasn't particularly unique. Domino was the most interesting of the bunch and had a great backstory and unique set of powers, but didn't take full advantage of them. The rest were pretty forgettable.
Overall, it was an okay book that was carried through on the strength and likability of the protagonist. I may continue on in the series at some point, but I didn't feel immediately compelled to grab the next one.
June 5, 2019
I always love superheroes comic books, they were part of my life until my early thirties. My favorite was (and still is) Iron Man. I don't know why I had never read a superhero novel before this one, but I'm sure glad I started. Arsenal is a very, very good read with plenty of action and character development. I really like the author's storytelling and writing style. You almost get the impression of a fade to black between some of the action sequence/set pieces and I really like that. The author achieved a perfect balance between the action and the character development moment. The main character - when she is not in her armor - is one of the strongest part of the story and that's quite an achievement considering this is an action oriented genre. So you better watch out, Tony Stark, because you have some competition my old friend.
January 23, 2018
Awesome! Mostly.
This book was so much fun to read. I loved the main character, the superhero universe, and the spectacular butt-kicking. Really, I do enjoy all the horribly fake science that means nothing and the seeming omnipotence of her impossible AI - it’s the cheese that every superhero story should have. I reveled in every silly word of it. My only problem was that the book just kept going ...on and on... at one point, I was sure the book was done; a good stopping point, I thought. But an arbitrary extra story got tacked on the end, even introducing new characters and such. It kind of threw me off because it felt unnatural. Still, a little more saving the day is totally forgivable. It’s a superhero novel! Just enjoy the ride, and don’t think too hard about it. :)
This book was so much fun to read. I loved the main character, the superhero universe, and the spectacular butt-kicking. Really, I do enjoy all the horribly fake science that means nothing and the seeming omnipotence of her impossible AI - it’s the cheese that every superhero story should have. I reveled in every silly word of it. My only problem was that the book just kept going ...on and on... at one point, I was sure the book was done; a good stopping point, I thought. But an arbitrary extra story got tacked on the end, even introducing new characters and such. It kind of threw me off because it felt unnatural. Still, a little more saving the day is totally forgivable. It’s a superhero novel! Just enjoy the ride, and don’t think too hard about it. :)
July 1, 2017
Iron girl
An interesting superhero tale. I am interested to see where it goes next. The author writes a very good fight sequence and has enough world building to make an intriging setting. There are a few small problems... some characters are very similar to well known ones. I advise the author to be unique when choosing power sets. With regards plot, its laudable the hero is wheelchair bound and that the prejudices in that are addressed, but if I could invent a battlesuit that allowed me to walk, then I'd definitely have also done a non-armoured leg-brace for off-duty work.
An interesting superhero tale. I am interested to see where it goes next. The author writes a very good fight sequence and has enough world building to make an intriging setting. There are a few small problems... some characters are very similar to well known ones. I advise the author to be unique when choosing power sets. With regards plot, its laudable the hero is wheelchair bound and that the prejudices in that are addressed, but if I could invent a battlesuit that allowed me to walk, then I'd definitely have also done a non-armoured leg-brace for off-duty work.
January 20, 2018
I enjoyed this take on an armored superhero who doesn’t let her disability prevent her from taking on all manner of weird and wonderful super villains. The characters had some nice depth, and the plot moved along at a fair clip. I particularly enjoyed the action set pieces, wondering how the crew would get out of yet another sticky situation. At times it all seemed too easy, but I expect things will become even tougher for Amelia in future installments. My one real criticism is the distracting number of typos! This book could have benefited greatly from one more proofreading pass. Other than that, it was nicely done and well worth the read. I’ve already gotten stuck into the next one!
October 26, 2017
3.5 stars only because the story plot started to feel forced and stilted towards the end. The beginning was definitely engaging and portended good things, but somewhere along the way the language, the characters, the villains, and even the impending climax all began to feel stiff, as if the writer was stretching to try and wrap the story up.
I definitely want to see where the story goes from here, but I'm not dying to get my hands on Book 2 (although I'm curious if nothing else). Would love to see the writer get more comfortable with the characters and world he's built.
I definitely want to see where the story goes from here, but I'm not dying to get my hands on Book 2 (although I'm curious if nothing else). Would love to see the writer get more comfortable with the characters and world he's built.
August 31, 2018
This is very fast paced super hero fiction featuring a hero with a unique viewpoint and voice. Why did i give it five stars? I've read well over a thousand books in my life, ranging from Hemingway to Heinlein. When I find a book that is so fun it insists I drop other activities to finish it, AND compels me to buy the next one in the series, that is five stars. There are others reasons i will give five stars for other genres (or non-genre) but in this genre fun is THE measure. For whatever reason, typos clean up enormously after the first few chapters.
February 20, 2019
Jeffery H. Haskell has a neat six book series about Amelia Lockheart, a twenty year-old paraplegic, whose parents were kidnaped in the same accident that broke her back. In a world of super heroes, she’s convinced that joining the local superhuman team, the diamond backs is the best way to find her parents, and since she’s a genius and rich from selling some patents, she has to build a ironman type suit, and join the team as Arsenal (paper from Molten Press). Perky and very capable, the tale is a joy to read. I’m eagerly awaiting the seventh tale. Review printed by Philadelphia Free Press
August 24, 2019
Not a lot of depth, heavily borrow from marvel, but good
This is an a minus marvel movie. Overall it’s pretty good. The characters are reasonably interesting and behave like real people, well super people. The story has some interesting intrigue. Are primary hero has some cool toys, but she also seems to be able to create anything on the whim, much like Iron Man.
If you’re looking for a good read, I’d recommend picking this one up. The pacing, story and writing quality are all good.
This is an a minus marvel movie. Overall it’s pretty good. The characters are reasonably interesting and behave like real people, well super people. The story has some interesting intrigue. Are primary hero has some cool toys, but she also seems to be able to create anything on the whim, much like Iron Man.
If you’re looking for a good read, I’d recommend picking this one up. The pacing, story and writing quality are all good.
September 23, 2022
It’s a good superhero book
I’m not a fan of Iron Man but this is different. I liked this.
Haskell sets up his universe well and it is consistent.
I’ve started the Wraith series and came back to this for background. I’m impressed. This was a good, short book about superheroes. It’s worth the read.
I listened while reading and the narrator suits the character.
I recommend this to fans of superhero books. It’s clean enough for kids but gritty enough to keep a 50yr old comic fan interested.
Great book!
I’m not a fan of Iron Man but this is different. I liked this.
Haskell sets up his universe well and it is consistent.
I’ve started the Wraith series and came back to this for background. I’m impressed. This was a good, short book about superheroes. It’s worth the read.
I listened while reading and the narrator suits the character.
I recommend this to fans of superhero books. It’s clean enough for kids but gritty enough to keep a 50yr old comic fan interested.
Great book!
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