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The Crashers
At 9:17 AM, a subway train crashed in East Brighton City. That was when everything changed.
Five survivors emerge from the accident: former detective Kyle Jeong; single mother Norah Aroyan; Afghanistan veteran Adam Harlow; the genius Clara Reyes; and the dying Bridger Levi. These five strangers walk away from the crash unscathed, only to realize the event has left each of them with strange new powers. As their city falls into chaos around them, they find themselves drawn into a story far more dangerous than they ever knew - and it will change their lives forever.
Death, undeath, superpowers, and apocalyptic visions. Welcome to East Brighton City - hope you survive.
Five survivors emerge from the accident: former detective Kyle Jeong; single mother Norah Aroyan; Afghanistan veteran Adam Harlow; the genius Clara Reyes; and the dying Bridger Levi. These five strangers walk away from the crash unscathed, only to realize the event has left each of them with strange new powers. As their city falls into chaos around them, they find themselves drawn into a story far more dangerous than they ever knew - and it will change their lives forever.
Death, undeath, superpowers, and apocalyptic visions. Welcome to East Brighton City - hope you survive.
330 pages, Paperback
First published April 8, 2016
12 people are currently reading
487 people want to read
About the author
Magen Cubed
29 books186 followersMagen Cubed is an Eisner-nominated writer, essayist, and occasional critic, best known for her queer monster-hunting urban fantasy/paranormal romance series SOUTHERN GOTHIC. She has appeared in the critically acclaimed TWISTED ROMANCE comics anthology from Image Comics and has bylines on the award-winning Women Write About Comics. Magen lives in Florida with her girlfriend Melissa and a little dog named Cecil.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
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December 8, 2022A take on the superhero origin story in which our five heroes gain their powers after a dreadful subway crash. (It's never entirely clear why or how this happens, though it's possibly related to a ghost.) The heroes work to stop a terrorist bomber who's perpetrating atrocities (it's a domestic terrorist who taps into kneejerk racism as a very effective cover; his motivation is very punchy) but most of the story is really about their before lives, and then how they settle into their new selves.
I really liked the single mum and the college student bowing under the weight of expectations, both of whom take to power like ducks to water, finally reclaiming their lives. There's a queer romance which tbh I didn't really feel, though I liked the older man (bi, now psychic, ex-corporate dickhead) enormously. Where it falls down a little is Adam (super strong) who I felt needed more characterisation to carry his role as the heart of the group / book / romance: he's the least well developed of the five. But it's a good ensemble overall, and makes for an engaging, enjoyable take on the superhero that I whipped through.
I really liked the single mum and the college student bowing under the weight of expectations, both of whom take to power like ducks to water, finally reclaiming their lives. There's a queer romance which tbh I didn't really feel, though I liked the older man (bi, now psychic, ex-corporate dickhead) enormously. Where it falls down a little is Adam (super strong) who I felt needed more characterisation to carry his role as the heart of the group / book / romance: he's the least well developed of the five. But it's a good ensemble overall, and makes for an engaging, enjoyable take on the superhero that I whipped through.
April 14, 2016
Like superheroes, broken people, and found families? Don't bother reading the rest of this review, just go read the book. Will it live up to your standards for these tropes? Why yes, yes it will.
The Crashers is about five people - Kyle, Adam, Clara, Norah, and Bridget - who all end up drawn together by a shared accident, after which they develop superpowers. And a superhero story wouldn't be complete without a supervillain to defeat - but that isn't the bulk of the story. Rather, the focus is on the characters each having to deal with their unique powers in the middle of their own real lives, which are falling apart to varying degrees, and having to deal with each other. Even as they're drawn together by their common circumstance, they're also repelled by their differing opinions and approaches to the situation and their differing pasts and current lives.
Each of the characters are broken, but in their own unique ways. And each of them are formed by their past experiences - they're neither defined solely by their brokenness, nor is it a footnote in their diaries. Some books struggle to make the reader care about one character - this book easily does so with five, and balances the five surrounding casts easily, such that I (who sometimes struggle with big casts) rarely had a problem remembering who was who.
Crashers is set in the "real" world - a world that is callous, dark, unfair, and sometimes unrelentingly cruel. But unlike some superhero stories that get bogged down in the grimness by becoming grim, Crashers remains a sense of optimism, that even when the world is awful and unjust and bad things happen to good people, not everything is hopeless bullshit. The main characters, for all their troubles and flaws, rise above their broken world and prove that there are still good people in the world - not by saving the day, but by being kind to one another. Which is really what a superhero story *should* be about.
The origin behind their superpowers
Having read both this one and the author's previous book (Fleshtrap), I see noticeable improvement in the prose itself. It's descriptive, splashing feelings and imagery across the page when it needs to, but restrains itself when it doesn't. I did find a couple of typos, but overall the book is well-edited.
Although this book is over 300 pages, at no point did it ever feel too long or did I feel like the plot was dragging. In fact, I could've used more of The ending works very well both as a standalone and as the first in the series, tying up its loose ends but opening new doors for a sequel. If anything, the book's flaw is that it's not long enough/I don't have a sequel in my hands yet.
TL;dr: The real but not grimdark superhero novel we all deserve.
The Crashers is about five people - Kyle, Adam, Clara, Norah, and Bridget - who all end up drawn together by a shared accident, after which they develop superpowers. And a superhero story wouldn't be complete without a supervillain to defeat - but that isn't the bulk of the story. Rather, the focus is on the characters each having to deal with their unique powers in the middle of their own real lives, which are falling apart to varying degrees, and having to deal with each other. Even as they're drawn together by their common circumstance, they're also repelled by their differing opinions and approaches to the situation and their differing pasts and current lives.
Each of the characters are broken, but in their own unique ways. And each of them are formed by their past experiences - they're neither defined solely by their brokenness, nor is it a footnote in their diaries. Some books struggle to make the reader care about one character - this book easily does so with five, and balances the five surrounding casts easily, such that I (who sometimes struggle with big casts) rarely had a problem remembering who was who.
Crashers is set in the "real" world - a world that is callous, dark, unfair, and sometimes unrelentingly cruel. But unlike some superhero stories that get bogged down in the grimness by becoming grim, Crashers remains a sense of optimism, that even when the world is awful and unjust and bad things happen to good people, not everything is hopeless bullshit. The main characters, for all their troubles and flaws, rise above their broken world and prove that there are still good people in the world - not by saving the day, but by being kind to one another. Which is really what a superhero story *should* be about.
The origin behind their superpowers
Having read both this one and the author's previous book (Fleshtrap), I see noticeable improvement in the prose itself. It's descriptive, splashing feelings and imagery across the page when it needs to, but restrains itself when it doesn't. I did find a couple of typos, but overall the book is well-edited.
Although this book is over 300 pages, at no point did it ever feel too long or did I feel like the plot was dragging. In fact, I could've used more of The ending works very well both as a standalone and as the first in the series, tying up its loose ends but opening new doors for a sequel. If anything, the book's flaw is that it's not long enough/I don't have a sequel in my hands yet.
TL;dr: The real but not grimdark superhero novel we all deserve.
Read
March 8, 2017The book is well written and has enjoyable characters. If I'd read it in a different time, I would be wildly enthusiastic about it, but at the beginning of 2017, it was very difficult to read about domestic terrorism.
January 22, 2018
“Because I know that I don’t know how we became what we are, or if this was fate, because I don’t believe in fate even if it were. I don’t even believe in ghosts or angels, but you’re both, aren’t you? And... and as bad as it sounds, I’m glad that all of this happened to me. I’m happy, and I don’t think I’ve ever really been happy before. And I’d really like to think you had something to do with that, if that’s okay.”
* * *
I'm having a hard time even finding what to say about this, there are so many things I loved. It was just, entirely, 100%, completely up my alley. An intricate, character-driven storyline, a diverse group of strangers "brought back to life" (it's Arguable how literally) to rise up and become the heroes a city in crisis needs, a complex and actually sympathetic villain (in the "cool motive; still murder" way), piledriver-hard-hitting emotional punches, incredibly personality-rich and natural dialogue and character development, and queer characters with a happy (For Now, At Least) ending.
This book was my Jam, Aesthetic, Design, Brand, and Shit. And I do not say that lightly.
In all seriousness, for some books, if I started talking about how many individual things I loved about it - which is literally every character (but particularly Adam, Bridger, and Clara), every plot turn, and the tantalizing way the ending aligns everything and begs for a continuation - I wouldn't stop for days. This is one of those books. So in this case, I think less is more.
So, to wit: I know there's a Book 2 at least planned, and *I would do unspeakable things for an ARC.* Just saying. <3
* * *
I'm having a hard time even finding what to say about this, there are so many things I loved. It was just, entirely, 100%, completely up my alley. An intricate, character-driven storyline, a diverse group of strangers "brought back to life" (it's Arguable how literally) to rise up and become the heroes a city in crisis needs, a complex and actually sympathetic villain (in the "cool motive; still murder" way), piledriver-hard-hitting emotional punches, incredibly personality-rich and natural dialogue and character development, and queer characters with a happy (For Now, At Least) ending.
This book was my Jam, Aesthetic, Design, Brand, and Shit. And I do not say that lightly.
In all seriousness, for some books, if I started talking about how many individual things I loved about it - which is literally every character (but particularly Adam, Bridger, and Clara), every plot turn, and the tantalizing way the ending aligns everything and begs for a continuation - I wouldn't stop for days. This is one of those books. So in this case, I think less is more.
So, to wit: I know there's a Book 2 at least planned, and *I would do unspeakable things for an ARC.* Just saying. <3
April 27, 2016
I don't normally go for superhero stories. I've never read comic books, never watched any of the shows or cartoons, and I can probably count on one hand the number of movies I've seen.
I don't go for most, but I do go for some. And this is most definitely one of them. It wasn't quite a "sit up all night and read it" book, because I can't really do that any more, but it was one that led me to lose track of time and keep reading the four or five times I sat down with it. It's well paced and has some good twists, but what really caught me and brought me in were the characters.
I realize this may sound terribly cliché, but superheroes are people too, and Magen writes them as people with superpowers, not superheroes who happen to be human. Bridger, Adam, Kyle, Clara, and Norah are far from perfect. Their struggle isn't just with the greater evil that's been unleashed in their city, but with their pasts, their personalities, and their futures. They're flawed and relatable characters, and it was a pleasure to enter their world.
I don't go for most, but I do go for some. And this is most definitely one of them. It wasn't quite a "sit up all night and read it" book, because I can't really do that any more, but it was one that led me to lose track of time and keep reading the four or five times I sat down with it. It's well paced and has some good twists, but what really caught me and brought me in were the characters.
I realize this may sound terribly cliché, but superheroes are people too, and Magen writes them as people with superpowers, not superheroes who happen to be human. Bridger, Adam, Kyle, Clara, and Norah are far from perfect. Their struggle isn't just with the greater evil that's been unleashed in their city, but with their pasts, their personalities, and their futures. They're flawed and relatable characters, and it was a pleasure to enter their world.
September 2, 2017
This was enjoyable sci-fi/thriller with an interesting, diverse group of central characters.
This is a superhero story about a reluctant/non-heroic group of people, and that's where most of its charm lies. I didn't find the "hunt the bomber" aspect of book all that gripping, preferring the sections which described interactions between the surviving 5.
Worth checking out if you're intrigued by the idea of a random group of people suddenly discovering they have supernatural powers and not all being that thrilled about it!
This is a superhero story about a reluctant/non-heroic group of people, and that's where most of its charm lies. I didn't find the "hunt the bomber" aspect of book all that gripping, preferring the sections which described interactions between the surviving 5.
Worth checking out if you're intrigued by the idea of a random group of people suddenly discovering they have supernatural powers and not all being that thrilled about it!
September 21, 2017
Oh I loved this book so much.
It hits almost all of my favorite tropes: found families, ordinary-to-extraordinary, dark but not grimdark, hope in the midst of chaos...and so many more.
I love superhero stories, and I love when a book makes us care about the plot and the characters equally. I love when you can at least emotionally understand the justifications of even the most evil of evildoers, I love when a book creates characters with detailed backgrounds who MAKE SENSE within the parameters of both the story itself and those introduced backgrounds. I love when a story introduces characters who are assholes but you end up loving them anyway because you know why they're assholes and because they maintain a balance between asshole-ness and genuine emotion and concern. THIS BOOK DOES ALL OF THAT!!
I also love that this story has people of diverse backgrounds come together and have adventures. One character is a mother! Do you have any idea how few mothers get to be kick-ass action heroes in books like this? Another character is a traumatized veteran, one is a super-smart college kid, one is a middle-aged man....there are characters of color, of different economic backgrounds, characters from healthy families and characters from broken ones....ALL SO GOOD.
My ONE critique, the one thing that I wish had been done differently maybe sounds a bit like nitpicking, but it's something important to me. One of the characters is written as bisexual and yet that term itself is never used by the character or the narrative to describe them. It's hard to find good bisexual representation and the character in this book is wonderful bisexual rep but I really really wish the author had actually used the word. It sounds like it shouldn't make a difference but it does. Seeing it in print "this character is bisexual" is incredibly helpful and important to people like me who don't see enough good bisexual representation.
Otherwise I enjoyed this book so much and I really hope there's a sequel!!
It hits almost all of my favorite tropes: found families, ordinary-to-extraordinary, dark but not grimdark, hope in the midst of chaos...and so many more.
I love superhero stories, and I love when a book makes us care about the plot and the characters equally. I love when you can at least emotionally understand the justifications of even the most evil of evildoers, I love when a book creates characters with detailed backgrounds who MAKE SENSE within the parameters of both the story itself and those introduced backgrounds. I love when a story introduces characters who are assholes but you end up loving them anyway because you know why they're assholes and because they maintain a balance between asshole-ness and genuine emotion and concern. THIS BOOK DOES ALL OF THAT!!
I also love that this story has people of diverse backgrounds come together and have adventures. One character is a mother! Do you have any idea how few mothers get to be kick-ass action heroes in books like this? Another character is a traumatized veteran, one is a super-smart college kid, one is a middle-aged man....there are characters of color, of different economic backgrounds, characters from healthy families and characters from broken ones....ALL SO GOOD.
My ONE critique, the one thing that I wish had been done differently maybe sounds a bit like nitpicking, but it's something important to me. One of the characters is written as bisexual and yet that term itself is never used by the character or the narrative to describe them. It's hard to find good bisexual representation and the character in this book is wonderful bisexual rep but I really really wish the author had actually used the word. It sounds like it shouldn't make a difference but it does. Seeing it in print "this character is bisexual" is incredibly helpful and important to people like me who don't see enough good bisexual representation.
Otherwise I enjoyed this book so much and I really hope there's a sequel!!
March 16, 2023
DNF
I read 50%, but it really wasn't coalescing for me and I let it go. There are several problems, some more pressing than others. I think this book was originally set in the UK, but then someone told the author is would sell better if set in the US, and then they changed some details but not others, so you get a really confused feeling of time and place. Those inconsistencies kept throwing me out of the story. And then there was the problem that although there were bombs going off and superpowers being discovered, it was actually oddly slow going and we didn't get any character development over time. Why was Kyle such an ass? How could he be both a cop and a criminal and what was going on with him? Similarly other characters felt either underwritten or just too simple, we needed more complexity and repeating the same information about a character does not add to their depth.
My feeling is that this book is crying out for a thorough professional edit, and then things might improve, but as is, it wasn't readable for me.
I read 50%, but it really wasn't coalescing for me and I let it go. There are several problems, some more pressing than others. I think this book was originally set in the UK, but then someone told the author is would sell better if set in the US, and then they changed some details but not others, so you get a really confused feeling of time and place. Those inconsistencies kept throwing me out of the story. And then there was the problem that although there were bombs going off and superpowers being discovered, it was actually oddly slow going and we didn't get any character development over time. Why was Kyle such an ass? How could he be both a cop and a criminal and what was going on with him? Similarly other characters felt either underwritten or just too simple, we needed more complexity and repeating the same information about a character does not add to their depth.
My feeling is that this book is crying out for a thorough professional edit, and then things might improve, but as is, it wasn't readable for me.
January 17, 2026
That’s a good thriller, where the outcome is not always predictable. There is a nice introduction on the main characters, that’s resumed now and then along the plot to give you some subtract. However, there is a dissonance between the plot and those dive ins, some leaps are tad bigger to be just assumed by the reader. Then, the main plot resumes and you get carried away into confrontation for what our heroes don’t always feel prepared for. It’s an exciting travel experience where common people become heroes without stopping being common people.
I recommend it as a nice story and a thrilling page-turner.
I recommend it as a nice story and a thrilling page-turner.
June 7, 2019
A nice read with some strange characters with super powers. It is also just an enjoyable story with a good ending.
December 13, 2016
When people start getting shouty on twitter about books I must read, they usually end up on my TBR. When people start getting shouty on twitter about books I must read that are free today on Amazon…well…they get added to my Kindle IMMEDIATELY DO NOT PASS GO OR COLLECT $200–especially when they out of the LGBTQIA and/or POC community. Please shout at me all of the books.
The Crashers was one of such shouty books, just before my vacation. I actually intended to take my Kindle with me, but already had a couple book books going so didn’t manage to get to it while traveling. It has everything: POC leads, gay leads, bisexual leads, disabled characters, mental illness, several badass women who take no shit, and did I mention they are superheroes?
Also, the author’s bio says she lives in Texas with a little dog named Cecil, so how in the world could I pass that up?
The story itself was just a little slow to start for me, but I think that was just the anticipation because I knew it was going to build up so much. It was a case of being TOO excited to read it. I LOVED almost all of the characters. There were one or two that I didn’t quite mesh with, but Adam? Ohhh Adam. I’m so in love with him. Is there anyone in the world who isn’t in love with Adam?
If you love cop dramas, superheroes–especially dark ones (think DC, not Marvel)–you’re going to love this. The Crashers has so much grit. SO MUCH, you guys. I think there’s still some in my teeth. I need a graphic novel version with blacks and grays and reds. Sin City style.
OOCH I cannot wait until Koreatown. GIMMEE GIMMEE GIMMEE.
The Crashers was one of such shouty books, just before my vacation. I actually intended to take my Kindle with me, but already had a couple book books going so didn’t manage to get to it while traveling. It has everything: POC leads, gay leads, bisexual leads, disabled characters, mental illness, several badass women who take no shit, and did I mention they are superheroes?
Also, the author’s bio says she lives in Texas with a little dog named Cecil, so how in the world could I pass that up?
The story itself was just a little slow to start for me, but I think that was just the anticipation because I knew it was going to build up so much. It was a case of being TOO excited to read it. I LOVED almost all of the characters. There were one or two that I didn’t quite mesh with, but Adam? Ohhh Adam. I’m so in love with him. Is there anyone in the world who isn’t in love with Adam?
If you love cop dramas, superheroes–especially dark ones (think DC, not Marvel)–you’re going to love this. The Crashers has so much grit. SO MUCH, you guys. I think there’s still some in my teeth. I need a graphic novel version with blacks and grays and reds. Sin City style.
OOCH I cannot wait until Koreatown. GIMMEE GIMMEE GIMMEE.
July 4, 2016
THE CRASHERS is intelligently plotted, with neatly interwoven storylines all coming together in a satisfying climax and denouement. A diverse mix of characters thrown together by fate (okay, and a sympathetic villain) aren't TRYING to save the world, but they are trying to right a wrong that only they are able to.
I had a lot of difficulty getting into this novel. While the writing itself is solid, the style doesn't work for me: long chapters broken up into brief PoVs end up feeling like scenes in a movie, and I can understand how that suits the novel's superhero theme, but I found it distracting and difficult to keep up with. Being introduced to so many characters so quickly, and squeezing into each of their minds, really threw me off.
That said, I think there's someone here for every reader to identify with. Whether in terms of culture, lifestyle, or hobbies, one of the main characters will connect with you. And once that happens, hold tight: THE CRASHERS goes hard.
I had a lot of difficulty getting into this novel. While the writing itself is solid, the style doesn't work for me: long chapters broken up into brief PoVs end up feeling like scenes in a movie, and I can understand how that suits the novel's superhero theme, but I found it distracting and difficult to keep up with. Being introduced to so many characters so quickly, and squeezing into each of their minds, really threw me off.
That said, I think there's someone here for every reader to identify with. Whether in terms of culture, lifestyle, or hobbies, one of the main characters will connect with you. And once that happens, hold tight: THE CRASHERS goes hard.
November 17, 2016
a fascinating and unique take on the superhero mythos, asking whether a hero is born, made, or simply a dormant state waiting to be awakened by something remarkable. A group of ordinary people find themselves imbued with strange powers in the wake of a terrible accident. Their lives are forced to intersect, at first with reluctance but they soon come to understand that what is at stake is bigger than any of them. That said, the novel's real excellence, for me, is the examination of the little details - the lives the heroes live before the incident, and how they try to retain a sense of normality even as everything around them spirals out of control. A very fun and engaging book.
May 5, 2016
A really surprising read - I honestly hadn't expected to enjoy this one as much as I did
January 6, 2022
Listen, it has superheroes, it has found family, I love it. The characters are all super real and I wish that the book was longer so I could spend more time with them. I am obsessed with this book.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews