| Title | : | Ex-Communication (Ex-Heroes, #3) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | - |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Kindle Edition |
| Number of Pages | : | 352 |
| Publication | : | First published July 9, 2013 |
| Awards | : | Goodreads Choice Award Horror (2013) |
In the years since the wave of living death swept the globe, St George and his fellow heroes haven’t just kept Los Angeles’ last humans alive—they’ve created a real community, a bustling town that’s spreading beyond its original walls and swelling with new refugees.
But now one of the heroes, perhaps the most powerful among them, seems to be losing his mind. The implacable enemy known as Legion has found terrifying new ways of using zombies as pawns in his attacks. And outside the Mount, something ancient and monstrous is hell-bent on revenge.
As Peter Clines weaves these elements together in yet another masterful, shocking climax, St. George, Stealth, Captain Freedom, and the rest of the heroes find that even in a city overrun by millions of ex-humans...
…there’s more than one way to come back from the dead.
Ex-Communication (Ex-Heroes, #3) Reviews
-
Full review over at
Fantasy Book Critic
ANALYSIS: Ex-Communication is a book that I have been waiting to read for nearly 2 years. It was the third and supposedly the end of the Ex series but recent revelations by the author have clarified that this is not the case. The fourth book will be out early next year and remains a thing for the future. With Ex-Communication, I wanted to see where the author would take the story in regards to the plot arcs of the first two.
As the story begins, the author returns us to Los Angeles nearly six months after the events of Ex-Patriots. Things haven’t been that smooth even with the addition of the Krypton super soldier unit as Legion is back and has discovered newer ways to harass the living. St. George, Zzzap, Cerebrus, Stealth and the others are settling in while trying to figure out how to best overcome Legion. Their problems however take a strange turn when they find out Zzzap has been talking to a strange entity. This entity claims to be someone from their past and one who has fought alongside the heroes. In the flashback sequences, we get to see who this might be and also we get a new POV character, a girl called Madelyn. She has a strange connection to the events of the second book and heralds a possibility that will be hard to comprehend for all our beloved characters.
With the third Ex book, I’m glad to find the author taking the series in a new direction. Until now we have had different plots and directions from each book, but with this one, there is a culmination to several plot and character arcs from Ex-Heroes and Ex-Patriots. There’s a lot hanging from the previous two books like the origin of the Ex-Humans, Regenerator and his unique tie-in with this issue as well as issue of death. All of it is brought to the fore in this book along with the concept of magic. Among the heroes, it has always been superpowers but so far there was never any magical side to things. In this book though, the author focuses on a character from the previous books and brings in a whole new side to that person. We learn how the normal humans have been coping with such a drastic change to their lives and how religion fits into the overall scheme.
I enjoyed this aspect of the story as the author explored the religion angle, which had been left hitherto unmentioned, and in this book, it forms quite a significant chunk. Then there’s another aspect, which the author explores that is tied in more with science but I’ll let the readers find out about it as it falls under massive plot spoilers. Trust me you’ll know when you hit that part of the story. Basically the biggest question explored in this volume is about death and what makes us human. The superheroes struggle with it as do the rest of humanity but in the end it’s up to the readers to decide whether the answers provided in the book make sense to them.
The story employs the claustrophobic elements of being trapped in fabulously from the first book but with the caveat that there’s a timer set to the storyline and at the end of it is an apocalypse that would make the Ex event seem like a honeymoon. The plot twists are rather amped up as the author brings a lot of conclusion to several events and plot-lines from the preceding books. I very much enjoyed that aspect of the story as many questions were answered and a lot of clues in regards to characters and possible future story-lines were set into motion. This book can serve as a conclusion of sorts to the story begun in Ex-Heroes however it is definitely not an end to Ex-series. With previous books there have been a few character deaths and the trend continues in this one as well.
With death and its trappings being explored here, it becomes quite fascinating to read about what the author has planned for the readers with these three books. Looking back now, one can see all the hints and foreshadowing that comes into play with this book. I think readers will enjoy reading all three books in one go to see how closely knit they are and perhaps they might spot further knots that have been planned by the author. Almost as good as Ex-Heroes. Ex-Communication will have more readers flipping pages to see how it all ends and hungering for Ex-Purgatory immediately.
Lastly with such a series, there are bound to be a few flaws that creep in, namely with such a huge cast of characters and POV characters, there’s no way the author would be able to fit all of them in a single book unless he goes all George R.R. Martin on the story (which thankfully he doesn’t). The story focuses on most but leaves out some others and therefore we are left wondering as to how those characters are doing until the next one. Like I mentioned previously, the author explores the religion aspect but doesn’t quite take it all the way, this I feel was more due to page constraints and plot pacing issues. I would love to see this angle explored in further stories.
CONCLUSION: Peter Clines’ Ex-Communication come with a whole lot of expectations and anticipation (2 years) but the beauty of the book is that it manages to overcome all of it and yet surprised me with the plot and story direction. A terrific third volume, which shows how much planning has gone into the writing of the first three books. Ex-Communication is a fun book that explores another angle of the Ex world and yet manages to retain a fresh approach to this zombie-afflicted story. -
I started reading the Ex-Heroes series because I have a geeky affection for zombies and superheroes, but Peter Clines is growing on me. The second book was a little better than the first, and the third book, while more of the same story-wise, continues to improve. It's still just a comic book in novel form, but like any ongoing series, if you stick with it you start to get attached to the characters and conversant with the continuity.
The heroes guarding the walled enclave of Los Angeles, surrounded by several hundred thousand "Exes," or zombies, ended the last book with a new arch-enemy: Legion, a superhuman who has the power to spread his consciousness among an ever-growing number of zombies and control them. In Ex-Communication, Legion continues to try to get at the survivors, but then a new Big Bad appears. St. George, Captain Freedom, Stealth, Cerberus, and Zap have to defeat an honest-to-God demon lord from hell.
The addition of actual magic into the Ex-Heroes' cosmology does it no great damage; it was already a comic book world. St. George continues to be the Superman of the series, and Stealth (now his girlfriend), the Batman. Zap is the Green Lantern, Cerberus is Iron (Wo)Man, and Captain Freedom... well, guess.
Clines spins a fun yarn, and it's about as consistent and coherent as a superhero/zombie novel can be. There are the usual twists, reveals, a little more worldbuilding, and some clever power stunts, but at this point the books are just new installments for fans of the series. Hopefully Clines will expand this universe and stretch out a little before it gets stale. -
"We're not safe. This isn't remotely safe anymore. This is like being out in the middle of the ocean, a thousand miles from anything, on a six-dollar pool raft with a great white shark circling you. Except the raft has a hole in it and the shark's armor-plated, on meth, and has a laser cannon mounted on its skull. That's about how 'safe' we are."
3.5 STARS
But I'm rounding it up to 4 because Peter Clines just makes me giddy with all his pop culture references. I get you Mr. Clines! I get you!
Nearly a year after the end of Project Krypton, Captain Freedom and his team has joined the Supers at The Mount in protecting the living community of Los Angeles against the imminent threat of Legion and his Agent Smith-like powers over the walking dead. Despite this, Legion is getting increasingly smart in his efforts to breach their defenses. Meanwhile, recent developments on the other side of the fence has led the living to cling on the hope that there might be a way to bring their ex-human loved ones back to life and question the Supers harsh strategy in dealing with zombies.
This is a little different from the past two books in the series in that some paranormal aspects were integrated in the story. Which is always a bit of a difficult sell seeing as this speculative zombocalypse was founded on hard science and logic. While the occult and paranormal was featured in the first book's plot, it wasn't as heavily central to the bigger story arc then as it was here. It did throw me off since the fit wasn't as seamless as I'd like it to be. The effort was there but some of the metaphors just got too winded and confusing for me. This also brushed on some existential and religious issues on life, death and the in-between, without being too heavy-handed on the subject matter (more on the mysticism rather than dogma, thankfully). But again, it felt a bit off-key from the usual rhythm Clines usually delivers the story in.
I was pleasantly surprised how much I liked the new Supers in the fold, especially Captain Freedom. The Green Lantern-Captain America fusion is not lost on me, but something about his backstory just makes him the new favorite along with Barry (Zzzap) who is just a pop-culture vending machine.
I'm sorry but I don't loan out my comics to strangers. Besides, you've probably read them all, anyway. All my favorite titles stopped three years ago. I don't know about you, but I don't think it's a coincidence that civilization collapsed right after Spider-Man made a deal with the devil.
Sadly, I might be over the George-Stealth story line because that ship might have jumped the shark in this installment. While I was very happy about Stealth in this book, George is sort of slowly crumbling from the pedestal of cool in my eyes. The gag reflex is always stronger (TWSS) when its the awesome, kick-ass characters giving the cheese.
Oh, shut up George.
On the other hand, Captain Freedom and Corpse Girl FTW! I think its their vulnerabilities that make them more endearing that the obviously indestructible Mighty Dragon and his crew. The villain here was little bit too obvious and comic booky for my tastes. I think I liked the bad guy from the last book better because he's ever so creepy while this one is all about the SMASH. I guess Legion is now part of the cast and no longer just a 'Recurring Guest Star' anymore which certainly makes for an interesting development.
I'm almost sad to move on to the next book because it's an ARC and I'm going to have to wait a little longer for the next installment. Longer than the rest of its fans and definitely much longer than everyone else who hasn't discovered this wildly entertaining series.
Also on BookLikes. -
You might think that Superheroes vs. Zombies would get old. Not if Peter Clines is doing the writing. Instead he just starts to pile on other things to combat with. In Ex-heroes it was the rival gang, in Ex-Patriots it was the military, in Ex-communication it is the supernatural and our Heroes might be over their heads.
St. George threw himself at it. He thought of every Conan and Beastmaster movie he’d watched as a teenager and brought the sword down with a roar.
My favorite chapter in Ex-Heroes was from the POV of Max a.k.a. Cairax Murrain, and he has found a way to come back into the story. I love this guy as a character because you are never quite sure which team he is playing for. He is sorta like Ben was for me on LOST (I know another reference to LOST but Mr. Clines just puts me in that place in my head where anything can happen) you’re not quite sure what to think of him and he always seems to know more than he is letting on. Plus he gets to have a few really great lines.
“Isn’t there some kind of locater spell you can cast or something?”
“Yeah,” said Max, “but gosh-darn-it I missed that day at Hogwarts.”
Besides the addition of Max and the problems that he brings with him the Heroes are still dealing with Legion and he seems to be finding new ways to antagonize the people of the mount. On top of that there is a new religious cult of sorts inside the Mount who think the Zombie apocalypse is the beginning of the end of days. There are plenty of obstacles for sure including a prisoner kept in a secret room.
Freedom and the other military that found a home at the Mount are settling in but even that seems to have some growing pains as not everyone is acting like a cohesive unit yet. We also get the addition of Corpse Girl. I love this new addition, she is something completely different from all the other heroes at the mount. She brings a fresh fun younger additude to the cast and I really enjoyed her POVs past and present. While I was sure who she was right from the beginning I liked the explanation of her condition (super science geek alert) with the nano technology.
Again there is a lot of action throughout and the final showdown reminded me of a scene from either the Matrix or World War Z with all of the zombie bodies in the mix. But if you can keep it clear in your head it it is an epic battle. There is a lot going on and I did have to read through a section more than once to keep it all straight but I get confused when there are that many people in a fight. Fight scenes and sex scenes with more than three people can confuse me. Too many arms and legs to keep track of everything.
Other things of note: We get to see Stealth out of costume, I will just say I was surprised, she wasn’t at all what I was expecting. Not in a good or bad way, just different than what I had pictured in my head. Way to go Peter Clines for breaking stereotypes. Barry always gets the best comedy lines, although Corpse Girl might give him a run for the money in the future. I hope, I hope, I hope that Barry finally gets the girl or at least a date and that there is something between Freedom and Corpse Girl because that could be epic.
I loved the supernatural twist to this one and so far it was my favorite of the series. -
http://booknest.eu/reviews/charles/17...
4/5
EX-COMMUNICATION is the third volume of the Ex-Heroes series, chronicling our intrepid band of superheroes as they struggle to rebuild civilization one brick at a time. I enjoyed the first story for its originality, the second for what it brought to the series, and the third volume doesn't disappoint. Much. I enjoyed Ex-Communication but it isn't quite as enjoyable as the previous two. The stakes, despite being as high as ever, don't seem to matter as much as they used to. I believe this has to do with our heroes having had more success than is usual in zombie fiction. For once, the efforts of our heroes in trying to save the world are paying off.
Which isn't bad. The heroes of the Mount have started expanding their little city by leaps and bounds. They're not quite the same group of frightened masses huddled together for comfort they used to be. They've managed to establish a functioning society, albeit a small one. With the assistance of Captain Freedom (from Ex-Patriots), the kind of day-to-day danger they used to face no longer applies.
Even the character of PeeZee, formerly a terrifying figure to our heroes, has become something of a joke. The heroes are able to hold off his regular attacks against their city with relative ease and the poor zombie puppet-master is later used to illustrate the comparative danger of a much stronger villain. I feel bad PeeZee has lost so much of his bite and think this reduces the setting's first supervillain.
Ex-Communication's villain seems curiously non-threatening despite his apocalyptic power, perhaps because he's unable to penetrate the Mount due to some selective hand-waving. The heroes also manage to make several new friends, establish new relationships, and deal with some of their lingering emotional baggage. This isn't to say Ex-Communication is a bad book. Far from its. It's extremely entertaining. We get to find out what Stealth finally looks like, the humor is funny, and there are resolutions to a lot of dangling plotlines. The new character of Corpse Girl is decidedly fun, showing Peter Cline's ability expand his cast in new and exciting ways.
I, especially, liked Peter Cline's examination of the Mount's religious practices. With a bunch of people compacted together in a survival situation, the divine is going to be on a lot of people's minds. Peter re-creates Catholicism with a single surviving priest taking over most of the religious roles in the community. He also creates a cult based around the, sadly absurd, idea the Exes (zombies) might someday regain their humanity.
Sadly, I don't think the latter element really amounts to much. There's a lot of set-up that there's going to be some serious repercussions for the superheroes due to the religious sect's increasing popularity (brought about by some incredibly unlikely but plausible events). Set-up which, sadly, I didn't think really panned out. While it's nice to see characters actually talking about the issues which face them, it's not the most dramatic way of resolving a plot arc.
I was pleasantly surprised by some of the twists in the story. Not the least bit being the revelation of a certain character's ethnicity. Peter Clines has taken quite a bit of flak for the predominately Caucasian nature of his superheroes versus the multicultural melting pot which is Los Angeles. Given this issue was already improving by the second book, I wasn't too troubled but am pleased at the revelation a major character is a person of color.
While this book didn't blow me away, I felt it was entertaining from start-to-finish and a good continuation of the series. I recommend fans of the previous two books check it out and enjoy more of the same. I, myself, will continue reading this series as long as it retains its present level of quality. -
Cross-posted to The BiblioSanctum
http://bibliosanctum.blogspot.com/201...
Superheroes, zombies, and Hollywood -- you really can't go wrong with this combination. This third book in the Ex-Heroes series is just as fun and entertaining as the first two. A big thank you goes to LibraryThing and their Early Reviewers program, which is where I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Since this is a sequel, be aware that there may be possible spoilers here for the previous books Ex-Heroes and Ex-Patriots if you haven't read them yet. It is definitely best to read this series in order, as our superhero main characters and their community of survivors have come a long way. It has been years since the zombie plague decimated humanity, but St. George formerly the Mighty Dragon and his remaining fellow powered teammates have created a safe haven for the remnants of the population.
Still, many dangers still lurk beyond the walls. The hordes of ex-humans have become a new weapon for an enemy known as Legion, who uses the dead as pawns in his attacks against the superheroes. Things are not all well within the walls either, as dissension spreads amongst the survivors and Zzzap's behavior becomes more erratic. The zombie plague has changed the rules about life and death, but even then the heroes are surprised when a couple of faces they thought long departed also show up at the Mount. Featuring the return of an old hero and the arrival of a new one as well, this third Ex-Heroes book definitely goes all out.
Certainly, if you enjoy reading "superhero fiction", this series would be a great choice. The inclusion of the zombie apocalypse injects a new twist into the subgenre too -- because it's not enough that our heroes already have their hands full keeping order in a modern day world, they have to do it in the middle of a planet overrun with undead as well! I just love how ideas like that continue to make these books interesting and fun to ponder.
And naturally, it's the ensemble cast and their unique powers that define a superhero book. This installment allowed me to catch up with St. George, Stealth, Cerberus, Zzzap and Freedom. As always, I continue to find myself entertained by their individual personalities, quirks and hangups. In some ways, reading about how the heroes' attitudes and morals clash with each other is even more fun than seeing them use their powers to fight.
If anything, I felt the book could have done with less action scenes at the beginning. One might think "superheroes vs. the undead" would be something no one would tire of, like, ever -- but you'd be surprised. After all, there's only so many ways you can describe a superhero crushing a zombie's skull, and even in the opening sequence I was tempted to start skimming. However, the book picks up when it starts filling in the events of the present as well as in the past, the latter achieved through chapters that leave the "NOW" and go back to "THEN". These brief looks into the past give the reader the necessary background information to appreciate the story all the more.
I'm happy to see the series will continue. Peter Clines has provided me so much entertainment over the last couple of years with these books, I'd hate to see them end. Post-apocalyptic survival, fast-paced action, superheroes saving the world from evil and monstrous villains -- you'll find that all here. -
This is the third book in the Ex-Heroes series by Peter Clines. While nothing incredibly new happens in this book, it was still a fun read about the superheroes we love and know taking on new challenges and protecting humanity in a zombie infested world. There is a fourth book scheduled for this series called Ex Purgatory and it’s scheduled to release in January 2014.
I listened to this on audiobook and it was really well done. There are two narrators again, one for the male and one for the female voices. They do a great job of telling the story.
St. George the Dragon, Stealth, Zap and crew are still running the Mount. They have been joined by Captain Freedom and his men as well. The Mount is getting so big that pressure starts to build within it. To make matters worse Legion has increased his attacks on the Mount using his possessed zombies and even equipping them with armor of sorts. All of these problems get even worse when Zap starts acting erratically and talking to himself. Soon the Mount and its superheroes may face an enemy more powerful than any they have ever known.
All of our favorite superheroes are back in the story and it was fun to read about them all. Legion is getting more and more aggressive and creative with his attacks on the Mount. Even aside from all of the tensions that are rising within the Mount; the residents have to go farther and farther out to amass supplies.
As with previous book the story switches between “Now” and “Then”. The “Then” portions give us some insight into the superheroes’ past and what happened before things go to where they are today.
St. George and Stealth feature for much of the story. They’ve become an item and it is nice to see them have some happiness after all they’ve been through. We also spend quite a bit of time with Zap/Barry as the heroes try to figure out what’s going on with him.
Captain Freedom is a great addition to the story as well. He is such an upstanding and tough citizen and can fight like well...only Captain Freedom can. There is a new addition to the story in the character of Corpse Girl, she is a mystery at first but ends up adding a lot of fun and interest to the story.
There is a lot of wonderful action, a lot of zombie killing, and all in all it makes for a very fun read. I love reading about superheroes and zombies so the combination of the two make for a fun read for me.
Overall a fun addition to this series. It you liked the previous books in this series I think you will enjoy this one There isn’t a ton new here, but we meet a new character and get to see lots of zombie butt-kicking, so it was fun. I recommend to those who like action-packed reads about zombies and superheroes. I will definitely be reading Ex-Purgatory when it releases. Honestly although I enjoy this series, I enjoyed Peter Clines’ book 14 even more….so I recommend checking out 14 if you haven’t. -
Fixes some issues I had with the previous books in the series, but has its own problems to deal with.
Flashbacks are still present, but are handled better. It feels like there are less of them over all. They're all connected to characters that are important to the story. None of them involve getting into the head of a character with no redeeming value. And the only one that is used to set up a cliffhanger from a previous chapter helps to explain a plot twist.
The plot twists were hidden better. Or I wasn't paying close enough attention to pick up on them this time. Actually, thinking about it, when the heroes realize one of the plot twists, the evidence they use to reach that conclusion isn't really well explained. "This is happening! Why am I sure of this? The sky is blue. But that's not important, someone's in trouble! Lets go!"
One of the new problems is that the setting is starting to suffer a little from hero bloat. We get one new hero that the story has to focus on quite a bit. So a few of the previous heroes get pushed to the background. One only gets a name drop.
Also, a change to one of the survivor's internal antagonists didn't get explained well enough for me. She'd always been written as a pain in the backsides of the heroes, but for an understandable reason. This time a round, she's become a pain for a totally new reason.
Over all, Clines continues to do well what he's always done well, and he's getting better in some of his problem areas. But as the series continues on, it's picking up some new problems. -
I've really enjoyed how the voices were done in this and the previous Audiobook, where everyone's "words" were actually spoken by different voice actors.
Zzap's has been hiding something since the last novel and no one knows quite what to -or not to - believe...That aside in this novel - the title of Ex-Communication and the Catholic Excommunication really almost gives away too much. In this book religion's demons and sorcerers spirits and exes that speak and aren't Legion - but real people returned to consciousness without living bodies are all touched upon.
Regenerator makes a appearence as well, although his fate isn't a certain one. -
Awesome
-
Things are finally starting to get to a bit of normalcy for the heroes of Los Angeles. No longer stuck within the boundaries of the Mount, the community has grown much larger thanks to the completion of the Big Wall, which surrounds several blocks of the city. This allows the survivors to live their lives without the worry of a sudden zombie attack. Of course, that still happens occasionally due to the possessing power of Legion, the closest thing the group has to a super villain. This is where Ex-Communication, the latest in Peter Clines' series of novels, picks up.
You can read James' full review at Horror DNA by
clicking here. -
Why settle for one resurrection when you could have two? Both are done in extremely different ways and both have varying outcomes
I'm glad I stuck around after the disappointment of book two. There were things I needed to know about various characters (featured only in/introduced in the second book) to enjoy the feels of this one) . I also really enjoyed the chance to see more of one of the characters from the first book who I felt I didn't get to spend as much time with as I wanted to.
The then/now chapters still continue, but still tie in well so don't bug me (though anti-flashback people may disagree).
I really liked the fact that Rodney, villain and tough guy though he is, admitted to crying, even said flat out real men can cry if they want to when the situation calls for it. I love seeing this in fiction, letting men know yes, you're allowed to express emotions, screw what anyone else says.
Speaking of Rodney, or Legion as he prefers now, I liked the ingenuity he was showing as a villain, his scare tactics, his battle plans. He may not be the brightest, but he's trying hard, and hes still got a good sense of justice as demonstrated by his last actions in the book (which I won't spoil).
Because this book brought back
I just love the endless cavalcade of pop culture in jokes and references. it feels like I'm reading conversations had with most of my friends.
This book renewed my faith in the series and makes me eager for the next installation. -
In addition to being post-Zompocalypse, the world of Ex-Heroes is a “generic” superhero universe, with a wide range of heroes and villains without a across-the-board powers origin (like, for example, the WILD CARDS series). You have heroes who gained their powers though chemical exposure, meteorite strike (St. George), extreme training (Shade), cybernetics (Cerebus), medical experiments (Captain Freedom and the Unbreakables), psychic powers (Agent Smith), nanobots, tainted transfusions (Gorgon), and, yes, magic (Cairax). The superhero Cairax is an exorcist’s “man bites dog” story, where a sorcerer used magic to possess a demon, creating a charmed medallion to take over the body of a 10-foot tall monster and using it to fight crime (this book lets the reader see just how much hubris was involved in THAT decision). In Ex-Communication we learn 1) how powerful the Reaver Lord Cairax Murrain is and 2) just how big a jerk the sorcerer Maxwell Hale is/was. Cairax was infected and turned into a zombie (through an encounter with a walking dead starlet, about which the less said the better) prior to the events of Ex-Heroes, and was defeated and destroyed by St. George in that book. However, when it comes to magic and demons, death (or even undeath) isn’t exactly the end. I really enjoyed this installment in the series. It’s got a devious plot with multiple villains – who, unlike Ex-Patriots, ARE aware of each other -, a good bit of background on magic and demonology (mostly in the “then” chapters) – some of which has a Tim Powers-y feel to it, probably the grossest improvised weapon ever, the introduction of Corpse Girl (this missing daughter of Dr. Sorensen from Ex-Heroes), and multiple unlikely alliances.
-
For me, this was easily the most enjoyable of the Ex- books. Most of the world-building and character-establishing is done by this point, so apart from one significant new character introduced here, the book is free to charge straight ahead into a great deal of satisfying action, seemingly resolving at least one dangling plot thread from the first book, and bringing in several more organically. These remain pretty conceptually simple superhero-comic-book novels, packed with heroes and villains and lots and lots of action scenes. But they're full of quick reversals, and they move along nicely. This one isn't going to convert anyone who had problems with the previous books — if anything, it's even more dismissive of a vast percentage of humanity, with all the human characters as background noise, usually being shrill and annoying with their religious beliefs or pesky misunderstandings of everything that's going on. They remind me of the low-level characters on Lost, the ones who only assert themselves when the story needs a frustrated mob or a victim. But this particular volume focuses much more exclusively on hero-level problems and solutions, and much less on navigating the tricky, difficult waters of human/superhero interaction in a world where all of the important and significant characters are superheroes. In many ways it's a less ambitious book than the previous two, less concerned with illustrating a believable post-apocalyptic society, and more focused on determined people up against a seemingly impossible enemy. Short, simple, and satisfying.
-
Best of the series so far!
I thought the first book was just okay and felt a little let down by the second. I don't know what it was about this one though...couldn't put it down. Maybe it was the fact that I'd grown more used to the author's writing style or the characters had finally grown on me, I had a hard time putting this book down, especially at the end.
If you're reading this review you probably already know this is the 3rd in a series involving superheroes & a zompocalypse. Nuff said. In this installment a dead hero returns to life bringing all kinds of trouble with him. Add to that a strange girl who is not quite alive joins the crew. And of course there's still Legion to contend with.
There are still numerous flashbacks (THEN/NOW/NOW/NOW/THEN) but unlike the previous two installments, these are limited to 2 of the characters. The author also resolved some holes (apparently intentionally left open) from previous book(s). I'm not sure I like this approach as it comes off as plot hole rather than a planned device...oh well. Also, if you were hoping to see the return of the previous book's bad guy (Smith?), you'll be disappointed. I'm guessing he's being saved for another book.
Speaking of which, I wondered when I started this book if this was "it": the conclusion of the series. Not so. There's already a new one in the works. So if you're looking at this one to wrap things up...sorry. But as long as the books are entertaining I'll keep reading them. That's not to say that I don't wish for a conclusion one day, but clearly the author has more to tell. -
Not as good as the first two. More (even more) simplistic, and 99% focused on the superheroes. The new character Madelyn rang VERY untrue to me (eg her ready embrace of a "hero name" that frankly should have been horrifying to her), and the issues that should have resulted from her defective memory were completely overlooked/ignored (presumably in favor of simplicity and making her a functional (action) character). Basically, a superficial comicbook in novel form, without much of the added detail and depth book form allows.
-
Well I'm not sure it has ever taken this long for me to finish a book! That is in no way a reflection of how much I enjoyed it, just that I was in the middle of packing and moving. The book was pretty much incredible, as all his books are. And lucky for everyone that there will be at least one and possibly two more books in the series.
I also feel this author should get extra kudos for mixing zombies and superheroes together. Can you get more fun than that? I don't think so! -
This is a pretty good superhero story and personally I think it's better than the previous book in the series. It adds a new character who I liked, it fully embraces the comic book nature of the setting, and I think most of the character interactions were pretty well done.
-
Is this book life changing? Probably not. But I'm hard pressed to give it anything less than 5 stars. It's just really damn good and impossible to put down.
-
A so-so entry in the series. Definitely felt like place-filler between books.
-
Volume Three of this series continue to create a mash-up story that is better than it has any right to be, and here we have a number of story lines brought to their conclusion, creating the end of a story arc, though not the end to the story. The new character "Corpse Girl" is extremely fun -- at first seeming like a take on the Exes that Clines introduced in his short fiction, and then proving to be something else entirely. Her backstory chapters is one of the best Clines has done. Captain Freedom gets a lot more play, as well, which was great, although this comes at the expense of Cerebus, who just disappears from the narrative about half-way through the book and has no further character development.
The St. George/Stealth storyline moves apace, with a twist regarding Stealth...but I think Clines needs to let us see what is actually happening in her head. We know George is besotted. Stealth...is female Batman, but we've been led to believe that she also has some form of borderline emotional desensitization disorder that makes it virtually impossible for her to relate closely to others. Two different characters, one who certainly has the ability to know...suggest that is otherwise, both in the positive and the negative. It would be nice to actually see what the WhizKid of this series actually thinks and feels, as while I love the character, it is too easy for her to become Clines' Mary Sue.
In this volume we get the true gonzoness that ultimately hits comic-books -- as if zombies and super-powers weren't enough. We get magic and nanotech, several different after-lives (or pseudo-afterlives), and all of which is to explore questions about facing death and what part of us is what makes us human. Many of the metaphysical questions about how this world works are left a bit open-ended and open to interpretation, but this larger question -- with no clear answer -- is at the heart of the story, both for the heroes and the reader.
Nicely done. As with the first two, I have listened to this on audibook and the multiple readers really bring the characters to life, I recommend it. -
I liked Ex-Heroes because there was a lot going on. There were background stories about the zombocalypse and there was a fun plot for the present superheroes. Then there was Ex-Patriots which focused a lot more on the present timeline. Both stories were about superheroes fighting off a threat, at the same time explaining most of the events.
And then there is Ex-Communication. The flashbacks have an Ex-Heroes feel while the characters show the importance of the second book as well. The third instalment of the Ex-Heroes series is mostly build-up to an epic battle of a group of superheroes versus a giant demon. The first half of the book can be confusing as there's multiple storylines going on at the same time. This is in contrast with the other half. Here, the story feels like the end of a video game: the boss battle.
What made this book stand out from the series was that it introduces magic into the series. While this has a lot of benefits for the storyline - as magic introduces more ways to continue the series - there are also downsides. It is a concept that is a lot harder to explain, which might leave you with questions.
For me, this book consists of three parts. There's the first part which introduces some characters. It is a perfect encore of the previous two books in the series. Then there's the middle part, which builds up to the the boss battle I spoke of earlier. I felt less content with this part. And then there's the boss battle. Which is awesome. Like: "you won't believe me till you read it" awesome. That's why I rate it 4 stars, just like the previous books in the series. And now, I'm going to immediately jump into Ex-Purgatory. Can't wait to read it!
Read the full review at
my blog. -
Peter Clines once again hit it out of the park.
I absolutely love getting to see how the LA surviving community is evolving and dealing with the numerous challenges and dangers that are thrown their way. That Christian Nguyen woman annoys the hell out of me and I really hope that the heroes deal with her before she pulls something stupid and dangerous. Religion, especially the variety of Christianity that Christian is propagating, is going to be especially dangerous now, as we saw when that woman towards the beginning left the safety of the walls and tried to stop the guards from shooting her "almost" boyfriend (believing that he was still himself inside of the corpse) before being devoured by him and the surrounding exes.
I was completely surprised by Regenerator being kept in the cell, probably because I forgot he existed, and knowing that the demon Cairax was hanging around made me legit worry for the survivors when he (Regenerator) escaped. Speaking of the demon, I thought for sure he would go for Rodney since he controls the exes, but I wasn't all that surprised to find that he took Regenerator instead.
The final battle was totally epic and I was convinced that once again, one of the main heroes would die. I was especially worried for Zzzap since Cairax was hurting him so easily and he (Zzzap) kept talking about a cold feeling he had. What really had me floored though was Rodney's appearance at the battle and basically saving everyone. That was really unexpected, but his line ("You ready for round two, pinche pendejo?") when he showed up made me laugh. I am getting to like Rodney even though he is still a serious threat to the survivors.
The epilogue really cemented Zzzap as my favorite character and hero. His whole "going where I'm truly meant to be" joke actually made me laugh out loud. -
“Nobody comes back. You know that.”
Back with a mighty boom, the third book of Peter Clines’ Ex-Heroes series is more rock-solid brilliance. From heroes to villains to normal zombie-bashing civilians, the cast of characters – new and old – are an amazing group of friends and nemeses pitted against a high-stakes plot with plenty of twists, turns, world-shattering consequences, and cover-to-cover entertainment. Quite simply, this series is all that I want from a series of books: a wonderfully interesting world populated by great characters in a tale that is just a whole lot of fun.
You can, of course, safely assume that all of the good stuff from books one and two of the series are back in book three -- though this one deserves a few special (spoiler-free) shout-outs. Kudos to Clines for finding a way to ratchet up the threat of the zombie legions (snicker!) by providing the undead with a dash of malevolent intelligence without destroying the brainless mob mentality of the archetypal walking dead. Dinner with the founding four was also pretty great, and the call-backs to times pre-apocalypse are always a treat. Ex-Communication also ties up a number of loose ends that have been hanging around since the start of the series – and man, the resolution on these was well worth the wait.
Final Verdict: So … what more can I say about Ex-Heroes? It’s just great and an absolute pleasure to read. There’s probably no way to top the first book in this series – which I think is as close to perfect a read as you can get – but Ex-Communication takes a fair shot at the crown. Five stars for Clines' latest expertly plotted, super-hero versus zombie story! -
Pros:
1. Once again Peter manages to come up with a clever title that foreshadows what is to come. Peter again as is expected does a great job of "staying on topic" and bringing out the title/theme of the book.
2. New characters introduced again that contribute towards the overall theme of the book in meaningful ways. As usual, Peter does a great job of...how do I put it....of writing in such a way for each character that as you read what they're saying you "hear" what they're saying. Like the language he uses is distinct for each character that's introduced in the third book of this series...just as it is for each of the superheroes that have been featured in this series.
3. I liked how the 2nd book introduced something that the first book needed....a challenge for the heroes. Well...this book takes it to a whole new level with the "final boss" that's featured during the last quarter of this book. It's nice to see the heroes struggle and work together to overcome these struggles.
Cons:
1. Eh...not gonna go into details cause I don't want to spoil anything. But let's just say a relationship between 2 characters develops....yet for some reason Peter decided to fast-forward months later... (so we weren't able to see this relationship truly manifest itself). And in some instances...that's ok as long as the relationship that we are "fast-forwarded to" is focused on and featured enough in the book/movie/episode. But that's not the case here... in fact, it's easy to forget these 2 characters are even in a relationship...which bothers me because the last book chose to focus on an eh "friends with benefit" relationship that wasn't even that important to the overall story. So why not focus on this new one that is? -
We're back for another go around in this life-or-undeath battle between Superheroes and Zombies.
This is the third book in the series and by now we've come to know the characters and this means that we care about them. I found myself holding my breath about the fate of all the characters in the climax. This is in contrast to the past book where I would have accepted their deaths as part of the story. B
Peter Clines is super-comfortable with his world and the book, set in just the one location feels tighter and lets us see the heroes in their own space. The introduction of a new heroic character is great and they became my favourite instantly. Spunky without being too irritating.
I'm also intrigued about Stealth and I hope we get a better look at her life before the mask.
Still on Stealth, we see her and St George as a couple in this book. This would be my sole nitpick. We never get that satisfaction of seeing them finally get together though. Hopefully we get a flashback in future book.
Another nitpick is if Stealth is who she is, how does she take care of her hair?
As you can see it's reaching. All in all, this was a very entertaining read.