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The Pantheon Saga #1
Age of Heroes
Every hero has a beginning. So does every villain. Titan, the world’s greatest superhero, has been murdered by his longtime archenemy Lord Borealis. And from the ashes rises a new generation. Gifted with powers on the night of Titan’s death, fifteen-year-old Hugo awakes to the strange world of superheroes. A world he isn’t prepared for. But with godlike powers and a history of tragedy, will Hugo become a guardian of justice…or agent of chaos? Choose your side in Age of Heroes, the first book of The Pantheon Saga superhero series. Start reading today. This novel contains moderate swearing and big damn superhero action. If you’re not a fan of moderate swearing or big damn superhero action, this novel might not be for you.
304 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 31, 2019
779 people are currently reading
349 people want to read
About the author
C.C. Ekeke
30 books141 followersC.C. Ekeke is a native of California by way of Georgia by way of Missouri, spending much of his childhood on a steady diet of science fiction movies and television shows, as well as superhero comic books. It was in college studying for a degree in advertising that he stumbled across a desire to write books.
STAR BRIGADE: Resurgent, his debut novel, was originally self-published in December 2005. This re-release marks the second edition of the book. He’s currently at work on the next books in the Star Brigade series.
STAR BRIGADE: Resurgent, his debut novel, was originally self-published in December 2005. This re-release marks the second edition of the book. He’s currently at work on the next books in the Star Brigade series.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 60 reviews
February 7, 2021
I'm a huge fan of superhero literature as anyone who knows anything about me can tell you. I was inspired to write my Supervillainy Saga series by such works as Soon I will Be Invincible and Confessions of a D-List Supervillain. Age of Heroes looked write up my alley with a supposed realistic look at life in a world where superheroes were celebrities struggling to deal with 24-7 media coverage.
The premise is that three individuals are deeply affected by the sudden inexplicable death of the hero known as Titan. There's Greyson, who worshiped Titan since childhood but has grown into an embittered adult, Quinn, who is an intrepid reporter that wants to break into the big leagues with coverage of Titan's death, and Hugo a teenage boy that may have inherited Titan's powers. Each of them is an ordinary citizen, at least at the start, and provide a grounds' eye view of a larger than life person who fills the role of the world's greatest superhero.
These three perspectives provide an excellent view of the superheroic world, particularly after the world-changing event that is the loss of their Superman figure. Greyson has a father who hates superheroes and struggles with his own unfulfilling life that he could change by using the powers he's gained. Quinn wants to cover serious issues but is encouraged to examine all the trite and salacious details that the public wants over real investigation. Hugo constantly toes the line between wanting to use his powers for good and the devastation he could unleash on all the people who had wronged him.
I absolutely loved the world-building of this one. The world is just similar enough to our own to be good social satire with the handling of celebrities. People are interested in the sex lives, purity, and hook-ups of superheroes far more than their actual saving of lives. Images are also carefully maintained and managed to benefit them financially even when they are motivated by more selfless goals. The Vanguard, the setting's Justice League/Avengers, must manage their public perception because plenty of people are just looking for an excuse to tear them down.
My favorite story of the three main leads is definitely Hugo's. A fifteen-year-old deeply in love with a beautiful popular girl, he bends over backwards to do what she says in hopes that she'll come to like him. This story is painfully true to life and ends in a way that I feel is emotionally satisfying. I am very eager to see where his story goes and, for once, don't actually know whether it will be a tale of heroism or villainy. Quinn's story is a close second because it provides us the most insight into the Vanguard and their reality versus public perception.
My favorite supporting cast character is probably Seraph as she's a Supergirl-esque character that is the youngest member of the Vanguard. Expected to be a virginal and faith-based hero in public, engaged to Captain America-esque character Sentinel, she struggles under the public relations pressures that the others don't. These kind of little touches are excellent and help make the world more believable. She reminded me a bit of Starlight from The Boys and while I didn't like the comic, I enjoyed the Amazon version of the story that touches on the same themes.
The action is excellent throughout the book with numerous well-described fight scenes that make me think this would have worked well in comic book format. The action isn't the focus of the book but it is something that is integrated well. Besides, as this isn't a monthly comic, we can also see characters badly injured or outright killed. I also want to give the author a nod for diversity as this cast includes a wide range of races, sexual orientations, and other things that make it more realistic.
In conclusion, this is an excellent novel that I think works from beginning to end. If it has any faults, it's the fact the central mystery is not resolved at the end but carried over into the next book. For me, it was fine and I immediately purchased the sequel. This is not a self-contained story but it's a small issue for such a rich characterization-filled story.
The premise is that three individuals are deeply affected by the sudden inexplicable death of the hero known as Titan. There's Greyson, who worshiped Titan since childhood but has grown into an embittered adult, Quinn, who is an intrepid reporter that wants to break into the big leagues with coverage of Titan's death, and Hugo a teenage boy that may have inherited Titan's powers. Each of them is an ordinary citizen, at least at the start, and provide a grounds' eye view of a larger than life person who fills the role of the world's greatest superhero.
These three perspectives provide an excellent view of the superheroic world, particularly after the world-changing event that is the loss of their Superman figure. Greyson has a father who hates superheroes and struggles with his own unfulfilling life that he could change by using the powers he's gained. Quinn wants to cover serious issues but is encouraged to examine all the trite and salacious details that the public wants over real investigation. Hugo constantly toes the line between wanting to use his powers for good and the devastation he could unleash on all the people who had wronged him.
I absolutely loved the world-building of this one. The world is just similar enough to our own to be good social satire with the handling of celebrities. People are interested in the sex lives, purity, and hook-ups of superheroes far more than their actual saving of lives. Images are also carefully maintained and managed to benefit them financially even when they are motivated by more selfless goals. The Vanguard, the setting's Justice League/Avengers, must manage their public perception because plenty of people are just looking for an excuse to tear them down.
My favorite story of the three main leads is definitely Hugo's. A fifteen-year-old deeply in love with a beautiful popular girl, he bends over backwards to do what she says in hopes that she'll come to like him. This story is painfully true to life and ends in a way that I feel is emotionally satisfying. I am very eager to see where his story goes and, for once, don't actually know whether it will be a tale of heroism or villainy. Quinn's story is a close second because it provides us the most insight into the Vanguard and their reality versus public perception.
My favorite supporting cast character is probably Seraph as she's a Supergirl-esque character that is the youngest member of the Vanguard. Expected to be a virginal and faith-based hero in public, engaged to Captain America-esque character Sentinel, she struggles under the public relations pressures that the others don't. These kind of little touches are excellent and help make the world more believable. She reminded me a bit of Starlight from The Boys and while I didn't like the comic, I enjoyed the Amazon version of the story that touches on the same themes.
The action is excellent throughout the book with numerous well-described fight scenes that make me think this would have worked well in comic book format. The action isn't the focus of the book but it is something that is integrated well. Besides, as this isn't a monthly comic, we can also see characters badly injured or outright killed. I also want to give the author a nod for diversity as this cast includes a wide range of races, sexual orientations, and other things that make it more realistic.
In conclusion, this is an excellent novel that I think works from beginning to end. If it has any faults, it's the fact the central mystery is not resolved at the end but carried over into the next book. For me, it was fine and I immediately purchased the sequel. This is not a self-contained story but it's a small issue for such a rich characterization-filled story.
May 8, 2019
Not bad, reminiscent of the Wild Cards series (which is a compliment).
But the frequent grammar and editing errors kept distracting me, keeping me from getting fully into the story.
And I hate the modern trend of a "Series" being one long story, broken up into "books" that aren't complete by themselves. This is one of those, the first book ending with the story only half-told, at most.
While those aren't going to stop me from reading the next one, they do keep it from getting a fourth star.
But the frequent grammar and editing errors kept distracting me, keeping me from getting fully into the story.
And I hate the modern trend of a "Series" being one long story, broken up into "books" that aren't complete by themselves. This is one of those, the first book ending with the story only half-told, at most.
While those aren't going to stop me from reading the next one, they do keep it from getting a fourth star.
April 21, 2019
Good teen novel. I’m not a teen.
February 1, 2025
The fact that there are characters in STL gets this a 4.5 lol. But this was my first superhero book and it was pretty cool. I've heard the books get better from here so the sky's the limit. The nag I have is like a lot of other people, the story just ended...
Hugo, Grayson, and Simon are lowkey my fave characters. It was nice to see each main character have their own story and they all connected. Looking forward to reading Book 2 later this year
Hugo, Grayson, and Simon are lowkey my fave characters. It was nice to see each main character have their own story and they all connected. Looking forward to reading Book 2 later this year
December 10, 2022
3.5. The plot is so enthralling and I am aching to find out everything in the sequels but the texting type lingo language is really cringey sometimes. No one says OMGeezies or LOL out loud
April 16, 2019
Very fun origin stories
Good story with relatable characters. I am very much looking forward to part two.
I like that much of the world building is done though the characters experiences (instead of through boring exposition). I also like the various viewpoints... Gives a nice look at a series of events without overwhelming your ability to remember who is who.
I do want to know more about some of the bad guys. Some of the fights felt very 'hero defeats subvillain 3', but that is a minor quibble.
I recommend this book to anyone who loves superhero stories.
Good story with relatable characters. I am very much looking forward to part two.
I like that much of the world building is done though the characters experiences (instead of through boring exposition). I also like the various viewpoints... Gives a nice look at a series of events without overwhelming your ability to remember who is who.
I do want to know more about some of the bad guys. Some of the fights felt very 'hero defeats subvillain 3', but that is a minor quibble.
I recommend this book to anyone who loves superhero stories.
July 14, 2022
I would have said I loved this book but the story just ended and it felt flat, I guess the author did it this way to make sure you get the next book, which I was going to do anyway. The story is made up by following three different characters and as they didn't come together (which I spent the whole book waiting for) it did feel like it could have been made into three different stories and then maybe we could have had a better ending. This also meant that the story would get exciting with one character before jumping to another character and then back again, making it jumpy but having the three narrator's helped. Each character and the challenges they face is very different but I liked the characters. There is a lot of names and super hero names but you quickly learn the main ones. There is plenty of teen drama such as bullying, super hero fights and learning how to use powers, mystery as are intrepid reporter looks into the super hero world and backstabbing, all of it making for an entertaining listen. Off to start the next book to see who really killed Titan.
With the greatest super hero dead Hugo, a high sophomore has to come to terms with not only losing his hero but after a serve beating gaining his powers. He has a summer to learn how to control his powers before he has to once again face the bullies at school. Gaining powers changed his way of looking at things including the girl he has been crushing on for years. Can he keep his powers secret of will the bullies finally push him to far?
Quinn tackles the death of Titan differently by shadowing his old team mates in order to do an in depth interview with the supers to find out how they are coping without there leader? Being up close to her hero's is an eye opener for Quinn, who use to do fluff pieces for the newspaper but is she about to learn to much?
Greyson has know he has had powers for years, ever since he and his father got caught in super hero battle that killed everybody else but his father's glee at Titan's death leads him to losing his temper. As a result he seeks therapy from the one man who seems to understand him but it is only when he attends group therapy that things start to change for him. Can he finally start to control his powers?
I liked having the three narrator's it meant I never had to try and work out which characters point of view I was listening to because they each had there own distinctive voice.
With the greatest super hero dead Hugo, a high sophomore has to come to terms with not only losing his hero but after a serve beating gaining his powers. He has a summer to learn how to control his powers before he has to once again face the bullies at school. Gaining powers changed his way of looking at things including the girl he has been crushing on for years. Can he keep his powers secret of will the bullies finally push him to far?
Quinn tackles the death of Titan differently by shadowing his old team mates in order to do an in depth interview with the supers to find out how they are coping without there leader? Being up close to her hero's is an eye opener for Quinn, who use to do fluff pieces for the newspaper but is she about to learn to much?
Greyson has know he has had powers for years, ever since he and his father got caught in super hero battle that killed everybody else but his father's glee at Titan's death leads him to losing his temper. As a result he seeks therapy from the one man who seems to understand him but it is only when he attends group therapy that things start to change for him. Can he finally start to control his powers?
I liked having the three narrator's it meant I never had to try and work out which characters point of view I was listening to because they each had there own distinctive voice.
May 15, 2019
What I liked:
The primary characters are thoughtfully conceived and none of them are paragons. They all have flaws and virtues. None of them are perfect people that make mistakes and rely on others to achieve their goals.
The things that annoyed:
I think Mr. Ekeke needs to visit a high school or at least observe some freshmen/sophomores. From the way he describes the characters in the Hugo story line, you'd think they were all 20-somethings. They're all 15ish years old, but they're all somehow out of puberty, some have jobs that require licenses and training to even start. The "love interest" is a Queen Bee at high school in her freshman year. Huh? No. That doesn't happen.
For the Quinn story line, what black woman describes herself as "the kinky-haired black woman over here"?
The author also seems to have a disconnected view of reality when it comes to clothes. He describes a girl wearing Louboutin shoes as "casual".
Things that REALLY got under my skin:
There's an almost pathological need to make the cast as diverse as possible. It was like the author had a checklist for ethnicities that he cycled through when he wanted to create a new character, it cycles from black, asian, latin, inter-racial (and not just white/black, but dominican/black, egyptian/arab. and a few others), native, polynesian, white, etc.
The story takes place in California. I would expect there to be mostly white and latin people.
The primary characters are thoughtfully conceived and none of them are paragons. They all have flaws and virtues. None of them are perfect people that make mistakes and rely on others to achieve their goals.
The things that annoyed:
I think Mr. Ekeke needs to visit a high school or at least observe some freshmen/sophomores. From the way he describes the characters in the Hugo story line, you'd think they were all 20-somethings. They're all 15ish years old, but they're all somehow out of puberty, some have jobs that require licenses and training to even start. The "love interest" is a Queen Bee at high school in her freshman year. Huh? No. That doesn't happen.
For the Quinn story line, what black woman describes herself as "the kinky-haired black woman over here"?
The author also seems to have a disconnected view of reality when it comes to clothes. He describes a girl wearing Louboutin shoes as "casual".
Things that REALLY got under my skin:
There's an almost pathological need to make the cast as diverse as possible. It was like the author had a checklist for ethnicities that he cycled through when he wanted to create a new character, it cycles from black, asian, latin, inter-racial (and not just white/black, but dominican/black, egyptian/arab. and a few others), native, polynesian, white, etc.
The story takes place in California. I would expect there to be mostly white and latin people.
July 30, 2019
Starts slow finishes fast
I'll be honest. This books pace was so slow I almost stopped reading it. It really took off after a third of it was read. Do not put this book down it gets a lot better.
There are three main story lines going on in the book. At first This irritated me because one of them (Quinn) was really boring. (Hugo) was the most interesting. (Greyson) was just OK. These are the three main characters in the book. All three story lines really take off after awhile. Superheroes can be just like politicians. Corrupt! Have not so heroic pasts and lots of other less than heroic traits. This book has it all. Quinn is a reporter. I despise journalists because of our real world American journalists embarrassing America almost daily with their less than professional propaganda reporting. Hugo is in high school getting bullied and dump on by everyone. Grayson has daddy issues. Actually his dad has the issues. All three of their lives are chronicled separately throughout the book. This is without question following Kurt Busiek's Astro City style of making these three regular people the main focus just ad of the heroes. In reality the author is providing the back story of all three. That's where the slow comes in. Keep reading as you will not be disappointed. Their lives get very interesting as the book travels along.
I'll be honest. This books pace was so slow I almost stopped reading it. It really took off after a third of it was read. Do not put this book down it gets a lot better.
There are three main story lines going on in the book. At first This irritated me because one of them (Quinn) was really boring. (Hugo) was the most interesting. (Greyson) was just OK. These are the three main characters in the book. All three story lines really take off after awhile. Superheroes can be just like politicians. Corrupt! Have not so heroic pasts and lots of other less than heroic traits. This book has it all. Quinn is a reporter. I despise journalists because of our real world American journalists embarrassing America almost daily with their less than professional propaganda reporting. Hugo is in high school getting bullied and dump on by everyone. Grayson has daddy issues. Actually his dad has the issues. All three of their lives are chronicled separately throughout the book. This is without question following Kurt Busiek's Astro City style of making these three regular people the main focus just ad of the heroes. In reality the author is providing the back story of all three. That's where the slow comes in. Keep reading as you will not be disappointed. Their lives get very interesting as the book travels along.
April 22, 2020
I quit after 3 pages
This is the first time I've ever quit a book without even making it to the end of the first chapter. I don't know anything about the plot or the characters, I didn't make it that far. The writing is terrible beyond anything I've ever read from an adult human being before. If someone told me this was written by a third grader, not only would I believe that person, I would assume that this unknown small child did not receive full marks on their assignment. It's hard for me to describe what's wrong with the writing other than "everything," so suffice it to say that the book is written the way stupid people text. "Plus, by the three gunmen's WTF looks, they knew him." is an actual line, actually written that way. There is so much wrong with this one sentence but it would take me several sentences to correct it, and the entire three pages I could read is this terrible. It literally gave me a migraine from how bad and wrong the writing was.
AVOID.
This is the first time I've ever quit a book without even making it to the end of the first chapter. I don't know anything about the plot or the characters, I didn't make it that far. The writing is terrible beyond anything I've ever read from an adult human being before. If someone told me this was written by a third grader, not only would I believe that person, I would assume that this unknown small child did not receive full marks on their assignment. It's hard for me to describe what's wrong with the writing other than "everything," so suffice it to say that the book is written the way stupid people text. "Plus, by the three gunmen's WTF looks, they knew him." is an actual line, actually written that way. There is so much wrong with this one sentence but it would take me several sentences to correct it, and the entire three pages I could read is this terrible. It literally gave me a migraine from how bad and wrong the writing was.
AVOID.
March 15, 2022
Superhero novels are one of those weird genres where you're so accustomed to seeing them in one format that it can be hard to visualize them working in any other. (Or at least it's that way for me. ;) )
And yet, I've encountered quite a few that have been so much to my taste that they so clearly DO work.
This one, sadly, was not as much to my taste. It happens. While I did dock a couple of stars, I want to say straight up that of the two issues I had that made this hard to get into, only one of them was a problem with the actual book; the other was very much a "me" problem.
Let's start with the "me" problem. I don't know what it is, but every time I read a book where characters are blatantly Christian (and the book itself is clearly NOT Christian as a genre), it just feels... off. Even my short-lived attempt in my own writing to make a realistic Christian character felt contrived, like I just couldn't do it without making it about MY religion and not about the story.
I've never noticed this issue with other religions and mythologies, just my own, which makes me wonder if this is shades of empathy (we clearly don't have the issues with representation that minorities do, but I have wondered, for instance, if ancient Greeks would have felt the same way about modern mythologies like Percy Jackson), or just that I'm so accustomed to fantasy that takes place in universes where Christianity as such couldn't exist that it makes the religion feel more unrealistic than the rest of the story. Probably the second one.
The problem with the actual book, though.... I try to give any KU and Prime Reading books a full read-through, to give the author a fair chance to get paid for books I've borrowed even if I never end up buying them outright. But it is ironic that I, with as little medical knowledge I have under normal circumstances, read this one so soon after a refresher course in CPR/basic first aid, because it felt like I had to stop reading every five pages to yell at the characters "That's not how strokes work!" The one thing that kept me reading was that I kept hoping, page after page, that SOMEONE would explain how a super's physiology is so different than a normal human's that it is TAKEN FOR GRANTED that a character dying of a stroke could so clearly be murder... or that someone having magnetic powers automatically makes him guilty of giving a human-sized person a "planet-sized" stroke (as opposed to him simply being guilty of being in the wrong place at the wrong time) despite the story making it clear that aside from the stroke there was NO evidence of injury to the victim.
And as for him being the allegedly guilty party.... not very heroic on the "heroes'" part there. I get that they're grieving, but the sound thrashing they gave him, sans evidence that he had any guilt whatsoever, was not justice, nor even vengeance; it was simply beating someone up because it made them feel better and his past made him a convenient target. How they acted in that scene is something I would expect of a villain, full stop. (Though I will say this in the author's favor: the entire book makes it feel like people want the heroes to be both relatable AND someone to look up to, and they prove many times that sometimes you just can't have it both ways.)
And speaking of actions not being heroic? I'll need to reread a particular passage but I could've sworn Lady Liberty punched out Hugo BEFORE he could run in to save that last person from a burning building. I get not wanting him to cause further damage with his uncontrolled powers but you'd think saving lives would be higher priority and I don't remember any indication that the official heroes had made the save before this altercation.
And yet, I've encountered quite a few that have been so much to my taste that they so clearly DO work.
This one, sadly, was not as much to my taste. It happens. While I did dock a couple of stars, I want to say straight up that of the two issues I had that made this hard to get into, only one of them was a problem with the actual book; the other was very much a "me" problem.
Let's start with the "me" problem. I don't know what it is, but every time I read a book where characters are blatantly Christian (and the book itself is clearly NOT Christian as a genre), it just feels... off. Even my short-lived attempt in my own writing to make a realistic Christian character felt contrived, like I just couldn't do it without making it about MY religion and not about the story.
I've never noticed this issue with other religions and mythologies, just my own, which makes me wonder if this is shades of empathy (we clearly don't have the issues with representation that minorities do, but I have wondered, for instance, if ancient Greeks would have felt the same way about modern mythologies like Percy Jackson), or just that I'm so accustomed to fantasy that takes place in universes where Christianity as such couldn't exist that it makes the religion feel more unrealistic than the rest of the story. Probably the second one.
The problem with the actual book, though.... I try to give any KU and Prime Reading books a full read-through, to give the author a fair chance to get paid for books I've borrowed even if I never end up buying them outright. But it is ironic that I, with as little medical knowledge I have under normal circumstances, read this one so soon after a refresher course in CPR/basic first aid, because it felt like I had to stop reading every five pages to yell at the characters "That's not how strokes work!" The one thing that kept me reading was that I kept hoping, page after page, that SOMEONE would explain how a super's physiology is so different than a normal human's that it is TAKEN FOR GRANTED that a character dying of a stroke could so clearly be murder... or that someone having magnetic powers automatically makes him guilty of giving a human-sized person a "planet-sized" stroke (as opposed to him simply being guilty of being in the wrong place at the wrong time) despite the story making it clear that aside from the stroke there was NO evidence of injury to the victim.
And as for him being the allegedly guilty party.... not very heroic on the "heroes'" part there. I get that they're grieving, but the sound thrashing they gave him, sans evidence that he had any guilt whatsoever, was not justice, nor even vengeance; it was simply beating someone up because it made them feel better and his past made him a convenient target. How they acted in that scene is something I would expect of a villain, full stop. (Though I will say this in the author's favor: the entire book makes it feel like people want the heroes to be both relatable AND someone to look up to, and they prove many times that sometimes you just can't have it both ways.)
And speaking of actions not being heroic? I'll need to reread a particular passage but I could've sworn Lady Liberty punched out Hugo BEFORE he could run in to save that last person from a burning building. I get not wanting him to cause further damage with his uncontrolled powers but you'd think saving lives would be higher priority and I don't remember any indication that the official heroes had made the save before this altercation.
May 26, 2019
I have mixed feelings about this book. Of the three different storylines, two of them were really engaging with sympathetic characters and held my interest from beginning to end. Unfortunately, the third point-of-view character I found to be really dull and I ended up skimming most of her chapters because they just didn't connect, and I found myself eager to get back to the other two characters I was much more invested in. Some additional work definitely needed to be done to make all three storylines compelling, and to better transition between them. On a personal level I could have also done with a little less description about how attractive all the characters are, but it is a superhero story, so maybe others will appreciate all the talk of hourglass figures, washboard abs, toned legs, and perfect hair more than I did. It started to feel a little tedious to me after a while. Still, I think the author has a lot of potential and I liked the way he had the characters deal with and employ their super powers; I'd be interested in checking out some of his other work for sure.
May 13, 2021
Three story lines are followed in this book. In the first there is a man who is an unregistered superhero who is trying to come to terms with and control his abilities. Where this leads to is well developed and well presented.
The second story line is about a teenager who is the biggest idoliser of the world's greatest superhero. When the hero dies the teenager somehow gains some (all?) of his powers. He goes from being a loser to, well almost a loser. This part is not well developed and ends abruptly so I assume the next book will continue it.
The third line is the female reporter who discovers that the superhero who died might not have been killed by the villain everybody believes was responsible.
I agree with other reviews that this book feels unfinished, as in there was a bigger book that was just cut into two parts at some arbitrary point. Instead of reaching some kind of conclusion the book just ends. I almost expected a "Next week on The Pantheon Saga...." announcement, like an old TV show.
The book was good enough that I will continue on to the next part.
The second story line is about a teenager who is the biggest idoliser of the world's greatest superhero. When the hero dies the teenager somehow gains some (all?) of his powers. He goes from being a loser to, well almost a loser. This part is not well developed and ends abruptly so I assume the next book will continue it.
The third line is the female reporter who discovers that the superhero who died might not have been killed by the villain everybody believes was responsible.
I agree with other reviews that this book feels unfinished, as in there was a bigger book that was just cut into two parts at some arbitrary point. Instead of reaching some kind of conclusion the book just ends. I almost expected a "Next week on The Pantheon Saga...." announcement, like an old TV show.
The book was good enough that I will continue on to the next part.
February 21, 2020
Now this one is interesting. Definitely not for the faint of heart. This is on the more mature side of Young Adult, but it still falls under it. The world's greatest hero is dead, and now Bogie has his powers. He has to figure out how to handle his new powers while maintaining a life. Meanwhile, we follow two other characters. Quinn is an amazing reporter who stumbles into a huge story and risks everything to follow it to where it leads. Grayson, a man with amazing gravity powers, has struggled with his abilities since he was a child. We see his ascent and descent.
This one challenged me. It has swearing and violence, but in the context, it works. This is a world that adores established heroes but fears new ones. And for good reason. I think it has a lot to offer from a social justice standpoint.
Triggers
Death
Violence
Crudity
Swearing
Suicide
This one challenged me. It has swearing and violence, but in the context, it works. This is a world that adores established heroes but fears new ones. And for good reason. I think it has a lot to offer from a social justice standpoint.
Triggers
Death
Violence
Crudity
Swearing
Suicide
March 15, 2020
Essentially a superhero origins story. In a world where superheroes and super villains exist, the greatest superhero of all, Titan, is murdered. This would be the basis for a great story in and of itself but this book centers on 3 different stories. Two are origin stories. Hugo, a high school sophmore and Titan's biggest fan, somehow inherits Titans powers when he dies (this is never explained). Greyson also is a new hero trying to adapt to his new-found powers to control gravity. But the most compelling story is Quinn, a reporter who doesn't believe Titan's alleged murderer is a former super villain.
At about 70% in, I realized none of these storylines would be resolved in this book, so hopefully the sequel will fix this. Still, a pretty fun read for superhero fans, otherwise you might want to stay away.
At about 70% in, I realized none of these storylines would be resolved in this book, so hopefully the sequel will fix this. Still, a pretty fun read for superhero fans, otherwise you might want to stay away.
November 26, 2021
A promising opening book
I'm intrigued enough to keep reading. It's a story you need to allow to develop, because it certainly gets better as the book progresses. The writing is a little all over the place, sophomoric at times and then quite good at others. And the story itself, while not particularly original, is at least intriguing. I grew up with Marvel and DC comics where most of the characters have specific archetypes. I've always enjoyed stories like the Boys, however, where the heroes are flawed human beings, just doing the best they can. It makes the characters more relatable. I feel the author achieves this well enough. Couple that with a little murder-mystery action and I'm more than happy to continue the series.
I'm intrigued enough to keep reading. It's a story you need to allow to develop, because it certainly gets better as the book progresses. The writing is a little all over the place, sophomoric at times and then quite good at others. And the story itself, while not particularly original, is at least intriguing. I grew up with Marvel and DC comics where most of the characters have specific archetypes. I've always enjoyed stories like the Boys, however, where the heroes are flawed human beings, just doing the best they can. It makes the characters more relatable. I feel the author achieves this well enough. Couple that with a little murder-mystery action and I'm more than happy to continue the series.
May 19, 2020
This novel is not your average superhero novel, it doesn't portray a rosy world with clear right and wrong, where superheroes are always the good guys. Instead, C.C. Ekeke offers an excellent superhero novel that explores the question "what would society be like if people had superpowers?" The world is strikingly realistic and well developed. Characters are nuanced and human. Many things are unexpected. Worth buying and worth reading.
One thing I would advise is to stick it out for the first few chapters. Those were a bit tedious and stereotypical to me, but the author quickly sheds the tropes in the next few chapters.
One thing I would advise is to stick it out for the first few chapters. Those were a bit tedious and stereotypical to me, but the author quickly sheds the tropes in the next few chapters.
September 14, 2020
Yes, it's teenagers who you're reading about--but also adults. Two things that really sell this for me as a great read (other than the fact that I love superhero stuff and want to read more superhero stuff). It's not black and white--as in, the good guys are not boy scouts while the bad guys are not all Nazi soldiers. This starts getting a little closer to how humans work and how power corrupts. Also, the superheroes are a diverse range of people with different beliefs, cultures, economic backgrounds and races.
It might take me a little while to get around to the entire series, but it's got my interest.
It might take me a little while to get around to the entire series, but it's got my interest.
January 19, 2021
An interesting, modern look at stories written in a Superhero setting. In essence, the story is written as a combination mystery/coming-of-age story in that setting, and while some parts can be predictable, there are enough interesting twists and unanswered questions to keep my attention during the whole book.
There are a few pop culture references that date this book, including unusual interest in a not-too-popular TV show that is no longer airing. But, it isn't too distracting yet. It is likely that the already-dated references and slang will quickly reduce the quality down the road, though.
There are a few pop culture references that date this book, including unusual interest in a not-too-popular TV show that is no longer airing. But, it isn't too distracting yet. It is likely that the already-dated references and slang will quickly reduce the quality down the road, though.
October 30, 2021
Okay, this review is a bit weird. I am going to start by saying I do not like this book.
And I really mean that. This was going to be a one star review practically the whole way through. But once I got near the end, and saw how all the character choices melded into the plot line, I realized everything was chosen with exquisite purpose. The balance and the narrative are well done overall, but the first half is hard to get through since it is very skewed. So I do not like the book, but I want to give the series a chance. And overall, it was written well, hence the four star review.
And I really mean that. This was going to be a one star review practically the whole way through. But once I got near the end, and saw how all the character choices melded into the plot line, I realized everything was chosen with exquisite purpose. The balance and the narrative are well done overall, but the first half is hard to get through since it is very skewed. So I do not like the book, but I want to give the series a chance. And overall, it was written well, hence the four star review.
April 8, 2021
Good start
Good start to the series and I’m looking forward to reading the others.
Although I didn’t find any real surprises in the story I did think it was a well written and thought out tale. I do wish a few of the plot threats were tied up before the end of the book, even though I knew it was book one in a series I was still a bit turned off by having no real resolution to all the conflicts introduced. It didn’t spoil my enjoyment of the book, but it did make the ending feel very abrupt.
Good start to the series and I’m looking forward to reading the others.
Although I didn’t find any real surprises in the story I did think it was a well written and thought out tale. I do wish a few of the plot threats were tied up before the end of the book, even though I knew it was book one in a series I was still a bit turned off by having no real resolution to all the conflicts introduced. It didn’t spoil my enjoyment of the book, but it did make the ending feel very abrupt.
August 11, 2022
Decent
I enjoyed the book. This is my second reading of it and I realized why it isn't a 5 star book for me. I enjoy the storylines, but Grayson just doesn't do anything for me. I know it's important for future books, but his character is uninteresting to me. He's just...I can lose myself in Hugo's story and in the reporter espionage going on with Quinn, but Grayson just brings the story to a screeching halt for me. I find myself skimming his chapters more often than ever reading them.
Just my two cents.
I enjoyed the book. This is my second reading of it and I realized why it isn't a 5 star book for me. I enjoy the storylines, but Grayson just doesn't do anything for me. I know it's important for future books, but his character is uninteresting to me. He's just...I can lose myself in Hugo's story and in the reporter espionage going on with Quinn, but Grayson just brings the story to a screeching halt for me. I find myself skimming his chapters more often than ever reading them.
Just my two cents.
October 30, 2023
Fine but sort of uncomfortable
The book is fine, but not much better than that. Another review mentioned the author’s seeming obsession with race and its very there. It reads as if in an effort to make it diverse every character is biracial, but then that becomes their defining characteristic whenever they come up. The characters feel flat, as if the author struggled to have 3 POV characters in the book, especially when they have no interaction with each other.
Read it if you like superhero fiction and have already finished all the better books available.
The book is fine, but not much better than that. Another review mentioned the author’s seeming obsession with race and its very there. It reads as if in an effort to make it diverse every character is biracial, but then that becomes their defining characteristic whenever they come up. The characters feel flat, as if the author struggled to have 3 POV characters in the book, especially when they have no interaction with each other.
Read it if you like superhero fiction and have already finished all the better books available.
December 29, 2023
Blend DC, Marvel, and The Boys, add in a big dose of Woke Diversity and you get this series.
I like the world building, the situations of emerging and hidden supers, and the dented rust armor under the veneer of the superheroes, showing their gritty humanity.
Yet that is crimped by the author's overworked push to be sure we know the skin color/ethnicity of the characters, when in reality it doesn't matter.
The next crimp is the cringeworthy way that many of the characters speak, and the author's obvious lack of knowing how kids of that age actually speak.
I like the world building, the situations of emerging and hidden supers, and the dented rust armor under the veneer of the superheroes, showing their gritty humanity.
Yet that is crimped by the author's overworked push to be sure we know the skin color/ethnicity of the characters, when in reality it doesn't matter.
The next crimp is the cringeworthy way that many of the characters speak, and the author's obvious lack of knowing how kids of that age actually speak.
January 6, 2021
Maybe this book contains more of a 4-star story, but I bump my rating up to five stars for two reasons:
1) The narrative is very unique. Instead of focusing on powers, battles, and large scale villainous plots, the novel is almost completely character driven, which I loved.
2) I think isn't incredibly well known, but I think it should be, so maybe the 5-star rating will bump the overall rating a little bit, too.
1) The narrative is very unique. Instead of focusing on powers, battles, and large scale villainous plots, the novel is almost completely character driven, which I loved.
2) I think isn't incredibly well known, but I think it should be, so maybe the 5-star rating will bump the overall rating a little bit, too.
September 3, 2019
Cool!
We always loved superheroes, and the conflicts they have with the villains. This author is doing a great job on the background and build up of the characters. Lots of action, but not only that, but finding out no matter how much power some one has, that they are only human. We are really looking forward more from this series. It is a great read.
We always loved superheroes, and the conflicts they have with the villains. This author is doing a great job on the background and build up of the characters. Lots of action, but not only that, but finding out no matter how much power some one has, that they are only human. We are really looking forward more from this series. It is a great read.
November 3, 2019
I really enjoyed this. I'm not usually a big fan of the superhero based books (Wild Cards not one of my favorite series), but the characters in this are well rounded and well developed. The superheroes are depicted as real people as well, with their own issues. I'm looking forward to the next book.
March 9, 2020
Slow burn then it gets good. Very diverse cast. There are a few twists, but this is mostly a typical hero and "coming of age" story. There's a bit too much young romance for my taste, but after the initial setup (that almost made to stop reading because of boredom) there actually is action and excitement. I will be reading the next in the series.
July 6, 2020
YA, BUT GOOD.
The author says he was a Superman reader since the late 80's. Okay, I was a Superman listener since the mid 50's. I pardon his writing in a young adult style and understanding that his possible biggest audience is the late teen. I caution him to remember that the real Superman fans are around 50!!
The author says he was a Superman reader since the late 80's. Okay, I was a Superman listener since the mid 50's. I pardon his writing in a young adult style and understanding that his possible biggest audience is the late teen. I caution him to remember that the real Superman fans are around 50!!
March 22, 2021
Surpricingly good
When i bought this kindle edition of the book i had no idea what to expect but glad i read the reviews, got me interested. And it was a pleasant surprice and read, not only good caracters but for a story about superheroes a great storyline with deepth as well, defently gonna read the next book
When i bought this kindle edition of the book i had no idea what to expect but glad i read the reviews, got me interested. And it was a pleasant surprice and read, not only good caracters but for a story about superheroes a great storyline with deepth as well, defently gonna read the next book
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