Ex-Communication

May 27, 2013
Clines’s high-concept mashup of superheroes and the undead, now on book three (after Ex-Patriots), continues to be one of the few interesting updates of the tired postapocalyptic zombie subgenre. In a ravaged Los Angeles, heroes like the gunslinging, analytical Stealth and her partner, powerhouse St. George, fight alongside enhanced soldiers. The threat of the mindless “ex-human” hordes, or “exes,” makes life complicated enough, but things get stranger when Stealth and company meet Madelyn Sorensen, an unusually well preserved and shockingly sentient ex. Further casting doubt on their already-limited understanding of life and death is the revelation that Max Trent, a hero who supposedly died, is haunting the city as a ghost; the demon Cairex, whose body Max had previously hijacked, is not pleased. Fans of zombie gore might be a tad disappointed to realize this is a superhero tale at heart. Clines throws in a whole lot of plot, but the distinct voices of the characters and the solid pacing keep the story entertaining and the action fresh. Agent: David Fugate, David S. Fugate Agency.

July 1, 2013

In this genre mashup, comic book-style superheroes are all that stand between the last remaining humans in Los Angeles and the ravaging hordes of zombies that surround the walled refuge they have made in an old movie studio. While in book one (Ex-Heroes), the heroes faced off against a hostile street gang and in the truly excellent sequel (Ex-Patriots), they were up against forces from the U.S. Army, the opponents in this third entry are just as likely to be from within their own community. VERDICT Clines succeeds best in his swift and engaging action sequences and in his portraits of superheroes who remain human and relatable in spite of their formidable powers and responsibilities. The rather late reveal of the big bad in this volume means that it lacks some of the narrative focus of previous entries, but one can hope that Clines will be returning to his intriguing postapocalyptic world.

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