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Ex-Heroes |  | Author: Peter Clines
Publisher: Permuted Press
Category: eBooks
This item is no longer available
Rating:  reviews
Sales Rank: 1336
Format: Kindle Book
Media: Kindle Edition
ASIN: B003AQBBT0
Publication Date: February 25, 2010
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
Stealth. Gorgon. Regenerator. Cerberus. Zzzap. The Mighty Dragon. They were heroes. Vigilantes. Crusaders for justice, using their superhuman abilites to make Los Angeles a better place.
Then the plague of living death spread around the globe. Despite the best efforts of the superheroes, the police, and the military, the hungry corpses rose up and overwhelmed the country. The population was decimated, heroes fell, and the city of angels was left a desolate zombie wasteland like so many others.
Now, a year later, the Mighty Dragon and his companions must overcome their differences and recover from their own scars to protect the thousands of survivors sheltered in their film studio-turned-fortress, the Mount. The heroes lead teams out to scavenge supplies, keep the peace within the walls of their home, and try to be the symbols the survivors so desperately need.
For while the ex-humans walk the streets night and day, they are not the only threat left in the world, and the people of the Mount are not the only survivors left in Los Angeles. Across the city, another group has grown and gained power.
And they are not heroes.
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| Customer Reviews:
 I like superheroes and I like zombies. I never thought I'd like them together! August 30, 2010
E. Gmutza (Indianapolis, IN United States)
I really loved this story. It sounds pretty silly from the description, but these are very believable characters in a really unique comic book universe. The comparisons to The Watchmen are well earned, though I much prefer this author's optimistic view of man over Alan Moore's nihilism.
I hope there's a sequel in the works. Either way, this will not be the last Peter Clines book I read. Highly recommended.
Solid debut August 27, 2010
Matt Martinez (Sherman Oaks, CA)
One of the things I love about Amazon is the ability to find small press books with which I'm unfamiliar. I came upon this title while looking up info about Day By Day Armageddon (which I still have yet to read). I was immediately intrigued by the premise of mixing superheroes into the well-explored zombie apocalypse subgenre. When I recently picked up an ebook reader,--not a Kindle; sorry, Amazon, but the lack of epub support was a deal-breaker--I decided to make Ex-Heroes my first ebook experience.
First, the negatives. I was a little disappointed by how short it was. With the setup, I felt the plot could have gone for something a bit more grandiose. However, it's left open enough that Clines could continue to write stories about these characters--well, at least the ones that survive. (That's actually another complaint. Some of the characters who don't survive are interesting enough that I would like to have seen more of them.) Also, there are some plot holes here and there. For example, take the character Zzzap. He's can basically turn himself into a being of pure energy, and unless I missed something*, I was left with the impression that he could pretty much take out all the zombies single-handedly just by flying through them. (He chooses not to because of how horrible it feels. My response would have been something like, "Man up, deal with it, and save humanity.") He's not as godlike as, say, Dr. Manhattan,--he isn't always in pure energy form, and when he's in regular human guise, he's paralyzed from the waist down--but he seems pretty much unstoppable.
A lot of the regular human characters feel pretty interchangeable and aren't very well developed. During the battle scene at the end, I often found myself thinking, "Now who's s/he again?" I think a little more time with these characters would have really helped to enrich the story.
The positives, however, outweigh the negatives. Like I said, it feels too short, but mostly in a good way; I want more. I really enjoyed the flashbacks that fill the reader in on what the characters were up to before the outbreak hit and how they got to where they were by the beginning of the book. I also really liked the revelation of how the infection started. It's a twist that puts things into a bit of a new perspective.
Clines has done an admirable job with his debut novel, and I hope he continues the adventures of the surviving heroes. Permuted Press is also to be commended for making their releases available as ebooks. It's something I'm surprised more small presses aren't doing.
*If I did indeed miss a sentence or two that mentions Zzzap's powers not being limitless, could someone please point that out to me?
Great read August 26, 2010
Nikodem Leszek Blach (Charlotte, NC)
Seriously, you'll enjoy this book. The heroes are fantastic, the zombie theme is unique, and it is written in such a way that you may very well read the entire book in one sitting. One thing it also does too is between chapters give you bits of back story from the heroes perspectives. That's a nice touch. I can't recommend it enough.
Zombies? Superheroes? Awesome! August 23, 2010
Al T. (NJ)
This is one of my favorite zombie novels. Combining the zombie apocalypse genre with the superhero genre is pure genius! Pete Clines for President!
If only I could give it 6 stars.... August 22, 2010
shelver2
As a fan of zomblit I have read almost every book published by Permuted Press, the gold standard bearer for the genre. This book is among the top 3 they have to offer. I have never been much of a 'superheroes' fan. "Ex-Heroes" is well-written, amusing and entertaining. In particular, the superhero characters are developed, plausible, three dimensional people. The dialogue is witty and apt, reflecting Clines experience as a screenwriter. This was easily my favorite zomblit novel of the year (2010) and I'm actually sad that I've finished reading it. Peter Clines, I'm begging you: Write a sequel. Soon!
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