With it’s less than cosmopolitan setting, only fleeting references to the standard-bearers of the genre, inclusion of the dark arts and a very much non-traditional group of protagonists you wouldn’t be remiss in thinking that James Alan Gardner‘s ‘All Those Explosions Were Someone Else's Fault’ isn’t your average superhero story.
And you would be right. It is so much more. Gripping me from the first chapter Mr Gardner creates a world alive with magic, super powers, difficult choices and, quite frankly, a whole lot of fun.
There’s not a single skyscraper in sight, the capes are all homemade and the baddies are really, really, evil. On this Earth the forces of darkness – vampires, werewolves, ghosts and goblins - came out of the closet in the early 80s, and those of light – men of steel, women of wonder – appear some twenty years later.
Our narrator takes us through her (and her teams’) own origin story, but incorporates a meaningful look at how your average human - with all their foibles and issues - might deal with a greatness thrust upon them and combines this with the charming whimsy of the technicalities of superhero life – what happens when your costume catches fire?
I read this cover to cover in well, two, sittings and I would urge you to do the same. Like all good books it left me wanting more, and wondering what my superpowers might be...almost too much fun. ~ Alex Bakker
Monsters are real. But so are heroes. Sparks are champions of weird science.Boasting capes and costumes and amazing superpowers that only make sense if you don't think about them too hard, they fight an eternal battle for truth and justice . .. mostly.Darklings are creatures of myth and magic: ghosts, vampires, were-beasts, and the like. Their very presence warps reality. Doors creak at their approach.
| Primary Genre | Fantasy |
Monsters are real. But so are heroes.
All Those Explosions Were Someone Else's Fault features in the following genres: Fantasy, Fiction
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All Those Explosions Were Someone Else's Fault was written by James Alan Gardner and published by Tor Books an imprint of St Martin's Press
All Those Explosions Were Someone Else's Fault has 382 pages