All Those Explosions Were Someone Elses Fault Review
Audiobook Review: All Those Explosions Were Someone Else'southward Mistake by James Alan Gardner
I received a review copy from the publisher. This does not affect the contents of my review and all opinions are my ain.
All Those Explosions Were Someone Else's Fault by James Alan Gardner
Mogsy's Rating (Overall): 3 of 5 stars
Genre:Science Fiction
Series:Book 1
Publisher:Audible Studios (Nov seven, 2017)
Length:13 hrs and 54 mins
Author Data:Website | Twitter
Narrator: Emily Woo Zeller
I think we can all agree that superheroes are awesome. Like virtually fans, I honey reading almost their powers, their adventures, and the lore that surrounds them and their origins—and for a long time, comics have been the get-to for my fix. However, recent years take seen an influx of superhero novels hitting the SFF arena, and while arguably the adept ones have been far and few betwixt, that has not stopped me from checking out new ones whenever they come out.
Hence my latest venture into the genre, a quirky novel bearing the equally quirky title of All Those Explosions Were Someone Else'southward Error. The short version of the description is Sparks vs. Darklings—Sparks being akin to traditional superheroes, while monsters are the supernatural creatures of folklore and legend, such as ghosts, vampires, lycanthropes, demons, and the like.
The long version of this story though, begins with an ordinary college pupil named Kim Lam who attends the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada. 1 night, she and her iii roommates Miranda, Shar, and Jools observe a grouping of Darklings lurking suspiciously around in one of the engineering buildings on campus. Deciding to investigate, they accidentally end upward getting caught in a freak scientific explosion, which transforms them all into Sparks. Endowed with amazing new powers, the four friends decide to take it to the next level by donning costumes and giving themselves superhero names.
In that location's plenty to like nigh this book, virtually notably the earth-building. In what is perhaps i the best opening chapters I've always read, James Alan Gardner testify us how very different Kim'south world is from our ain past offering us a niggling story about a demon, a were-beast, and a vampire who walk into a bar. Non just does this set the tone for the residue of the novel, it too introduces readers to the Darklings, a cabal of wealthy elites who have managed to buy their way into power and immortal life, condign reborn as undead creatures through an agreement called the Dark Pact. Sparks, on the other hand, have abilities based on a more than complex scientific discipline-magical system, fueled past a force called the Calorie-free.
I also enjoyed the refreshingly diverse bandage. Kim, a self-described "short, queer Asian", is a geology major who has gone through many personas and evolutions of her identity in an attempt to find herself and see where she fits in. We detect her withal struggling with this even when the story begins, every bit her narrative gradually reveals a young adult female who is emotionally aristocratic and unsure of how all-time to express herself. Kim also lives with three other scarily smart women, including Chemical science major Shar, whose fussy ways and talent for baking the near succulent cookies has earned her the role of "mother hen"; Physics major Miranda, who sings with the voice of an angel; and Biology major Jools who loves hockey and worships Wayne Gretzky. Despite the congenial relationships between the four women, readers get the sense at the beginning that Shar, Miranda, and Jools are only "the people I live with" to Kim, simply eventually their shared experiences pb them all to a deeper, more than meaningful esprit and friendship.
Also, a shout out to the fact that this volume takes place in Waterloo. I'm a transplanted Canadian who considers myself a Torontonian at heart, but UoW was one of my former haunts because I had friends who studied at that place. In that location was a surprising moment when I found out this story was set there, followed by a rush of nostalgia when I realized how much of the civilization Gardner had managed to nail down just right.
And now, for my least favorite part of a review—in which I talk most what I didn't similar. In truth, I would have given this book a 4-star rating or higher, had information technology non been for a couple of (in my eyes) major flaws. The get-go of these was the info dumping. In that location's also much filler in general, which ruined what could have been an action-packed and fast-paced book. Several dozen pages could have been shaved off, cutting out the bits that didn't add much to the story, and the pacing and period would no doubt have been much improved.
The second upshot that put a damper on the experience for me was Kim herself. She's a great character, but like many "new adult" books of this type, the wishy-washiness of the protagonist can sometimes bulldoze me to frustration and rage. Kim managed to kill a lot of the fun by constantly bringing up the by and pining for an sometime romantic interest. She's gone as far equally to invent new personalities for herself to forget some of the painful memories and unpleasantness—which would have been fine, if not for the fact that she herself is the one dredging up those bad memories in order to relive and captivate over them.
And thus, my search for a corking—and not merely just decent, or good—superhero novel continues. That said though, minus my gripes to a higher place, All Those Explosions Were Someone Else's Fault was even so a fun superhero novel, and I'thousand glad I got to read it. I hear a sequel is planned, and while I'm non sure I'll read it even so, it'southward good to know in that location will be more adventures on the horizon for Kim and her friends.
Audiobook Comments: This audiobook exemplifies top-notch voice acting. In a story where the majority of the characters were young higher-aged women, information technology was however piece of cake to tell who was speaking the dialogue at any given time considering narrator Emily Woo Zeller did an excellent job varying her voices, tones, and accents. Overall a great heed.
Source: https://bibliosanctum.com/2017/12/09/audiobook-review-all-those-explosions-were-someone-elses-fault-by-james-alan-gardner/
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