Ex-Heroes

I didn't want to put it down and now that I have finished reading EX-HEROES, I want to read the sequel!

Having spent the last few years reading mostly non-fiction, this was the best escape from reality that I have had in a long time. I found the characters as compelling and fascinating as I remember the X-Men being during the Claremont years. Superheroes and zombies have not been a big draw for me since my teen years, but I loved this book and could not put it down. The way the story unfolds is gripping. This book also broached a topic I am very interested in, how do people respond in the face of disaster. Clines handled this beautifully with the complexity of his characters conflicts. As soon as I finished reading the last page, I was ready to pick up the sequel. I hope there will be a sequel!

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Entertaining Reading

I am a fan of the zombie genre and this novel adds a nice new twist. I was a little skeptical at first but quickly changed my mind as Clines developed the characters and their assorted histories. You might think the super hero factor seems out of place but I was amazed at how well the two genres blended together to form a cohesive story. I would definitely recommend reading this novel.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Superheros plus Zombies. It's like Chocolate plus Peanut Butter.

I'm not a huge fan of zombies or the horror genre in general. But I do enjoy superheroes. So the combination of the two in this book turned into one of those "you got chocolate on my peanut butter; this is awesome!" moments. The only thing that kept me from giving it a full five star rating was a major plot element that I figured out as soon as something happens in the story that the main characters didn't seem to entertain as a possibility until just before the end. That and the flashbacks. I think they could have been woven into the story better. There's no connection between the flashbacks and what's going on in the story. They're like extras someone unlocks in a video game. You've unlocked this new character, here's a chapter about what their life was like during the start of the zombie apocalypse. Over all, I really enjoyed this book, and will be adding the sequel to my reading list shortly.

good read

Super heroes vs. zombies...best of both worlds, well written. I enjoyed it very much. Waiting for the next in the series.

Highly Recommended - you must check it out!!

This book can be the best tv series or movie ever.

So good

I was so impressed by this book- and surprised! Not really a comic book fan or 'into' super heros like Spiderman or Superman; these heros were amazing. Very well developed characters, great backstory, edge of your seat action, and good old zombie gore. The story flips between 'then' and 'now' and also between the heros each chapter so you get a true picture on how they all got there. Keeps you flipping the pages! There is so much crap zombie fiction and I am excited to find this author to add to my short list of great authors with Mark Tufo and James Bryan.

action

Lots of action with a variety of heroes. I will continue to read the series.

Great mashup of superheroes and zombies. What's not to like?

This is a really fun read. I recommend it along with the sequel Ex-Patriots which I'm currently reading.

Great book

Will be buying the sequal

Good Book

I didn't know how I would feel about this book, but it was pretty good. There are a few things that I didn't like, but the things that I did like outweighed the dislikes.

Zombie Apocalypse? Yes, please.

I have been out of the reading routine for far too long, and I am so glad I picked this title by Peter Clines to make my return to reading again. I absolutely loved this book. For me, it has everything in a book that I like. Heroism, zombies, post-apocalyptic setting, and even a hint of romance. I recommend this title to anyone remotely interested in SF/Fantasy. An easy read that I found exremely hard to put down. Can't wait to read the sequel!

Awesome!!!

Skeptical before I read, but now I am a believer. Great twist on the zombie genre that might be getting a bit over played.

Great read.

Normally the whole zombie thing is not something that interests me. This is my first book about zombies to be honest. When I saw it was about super heroes and zombies my interest was peaked, and by no means did this book disappoint. If you like super heroes, zombies, and/or both this is a great book. Characters felt real, back stories were great and no useless bs to bog down the story. Only complaint I it is to short.

Great read

Is it a bit of fan-service to combine two concepts like super heroes and zombies into one narrative? Possibly. Does it make for a great read? Absolutely. Great concepts, great conflicts, and a wonderful climax that I think allowed the story to pivot to a new level. Excellent work.

One of the best zombie novels to come out of a flooded genre.

Despite having a few convoluted dialogue sequences and a cast of characters that is sometimes overwhelming, Ex-Heroes proves that it can stand head-and-shoulders above the rest in a genre flooded with subpar current intetpretations. And who would have guessed it could do so by telling a compelling superheros-with-flaws storyline.

Interesting

An interesting story with a twist of "super hero" thown in. An easy read.

Doubleshot Reviews book review

Set in modern times Ex-Heroes is an amazing cross genre read. Zombies and Super-Heroes.what's not to love, right? The setting created by author Peter Clines is fairly simple. It's located in an area of LA, so there are familiar landmarks all around. The Heroes have themselves a pretty good setup. They have managed to block off a good chunk of LA that keeps the Ex's out and thus keeps themselves and the surviving humans living with them safe.

I loved most of the characters Clines created for Ex-Heroes. Zzzap is a trip with all his pop culture references and the fact that he's essentially a small star when he's in his Hero form is pretty damn cool! Cerberus was probably my favorite character other than Stealth.there is just something about her that I love. Anyway, back to Cerberus. Cerberus didn't have any super powers.she was just an extremely intelligent woman who created this, essentially, robot suit that could be worn to kick major ass. While not a HUGE superhero person, I have always tended to lean toward the heroes who really don't have powers, but have the heart to do what is right. What I liked most about Clines' Heroes was that most of them seemed to be your everyday Joe who just happens to have some extra abilities and chooses to use those abilities for good. The Ex's are just what we would assume them to be. Mindless undead clacking their teeth, reacting more to sounds and smells rather than sight.

Like I mentioned earlier with Ex-Heroes you get Superheroes, Zombies and a great story all in one package. I really enjoyed myself with this one and think you will, too.

Really enjoyed it

I think I read 3/4's of Permuted Press's books before I read this one. I just didn't think zombies and superheroes would be a good combination, but man I was wrong. I couldn't put this down. A totally different spin on the zombie genre. I finished it this morning and immediately downloaded Ex-Patriots to my nook.

Not your father's zombie story...

Good read,well developed characters, great narrative style. Loved it!

Solid Debut

The fact that this book mixes two of my favorite things, super-heroes and zombies, made it a must-read for me, and I actually decided to make it my inaugural read for my Nook. 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. SEMI-SPOILERS! 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. END SEMI-SPOILERS 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 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?