Ex-Patriots: A Novel (Ex-Heroes)

Summary: Slightly better than the first book because of it's a deep plot but this book doesn't focus on the heroes as much as the first book.Pros:1. Ex-Patriots, unlike Ex-Heros, has a solid interesting plot behind it. Ex-Heros was just superhumans beating up zombies...and nothing deep until the last quarter of the book. But the entirety of this book had a solid plot with unpredictable twists and turns.2. This book introduces characters that are almost as interesting as the Heroes with various complex personalities and moral compasses...just like the heroes.3. It's nice to see the Heroes struggle a bit....sure it's cool to see Superman kicking butt but it's also cool to see him face an obstacle that takes everything he has in him to defeat it. We get to see that a bit more in this book.Con:1. The book makes the same mistake an anime I watched recently (one punch man 2) makes. It focuses on the new characters a tad bit too much, particularly when it comes to the various flashbacks presented in this book. ANd since like with ex-heroes flashbacks make almost half the book...that in itself was enough for me not to give this book a full-on 5-star rating.1A. the other problem I had with this approach is that there are still a lot of questions that have yet to be answered about the current heroes in the book, and the heroes that died off. Moreover, the flashbacks from book 1 that focused on the various heroes allowed us to see the flaws, history, and experiences that shaped who each of the heroes became. Maybe this is addressed in the third book....but we will see.2. If I was older....maybe I would appreciate the various pop-culture reference jokes....but since I'm young I couldn't enjoy them as much. I didn't deduct points for this though cause it's subjective but yeah just a con for me.

When it comes to writing fiction, Peter Clines is an abstract artist. A brand new author who dares to defy the conventional in order to find his own unique style of writing. His debut Ex-Heroes was anything but ordinary, it combined the traditional zombie splatter-fest with superhero fiction, it was the kind of story you'd expect to come from a graphic novel. No, it technically wasn't original, but Clines was the first I've seen to truly do the concept justice, and now he's back with a sequel, Ex-Patriots. Despite some missteps, fans of Ex-Heroes should be satisfied.With communication established with a U.S. Army, it would seem it's time for the superheroes to hang up their coats and let them take over as the guardians of Los Angeles's survivors, yet appearances can be deceiving. The creation of super-soldiers is merely the beginning, what's really going on at Project Krypton? Can the United States Army be trusted? And are they the real enemy?A personal criticism I had for Ex-Heroes was its run-of-the-mill storyline. It found its own identity towards the latter half, but for the most part Ex-Heroes was a very strong character driven story instead of a plot-driven one. Ex-Patriots on the other hand doesn't suffer from a typical zombie apocalypse plot that you've probably already seen a million times already. The story this time is definitely strong enough to stand on its own without the added awesome factor of superheroes fighting zombies. That being said, there's a bizarre story-arc that's completely dropped without giving any further exposition or closure. The book's synopsis describes the inhabitants of the Mount growing irrationally dissatisfied with living under the heroes' leadership. There are a mere two scenes that correlate with this plot-thread, then it's unceremoniously dropped, making the whole thing amount to nothing. Why this was on the book's synopsis, let alone in the book is beyond me.An opportunity that I felt Clines didn't quite nail in the last book was showing the decline of moral codes in the individual heroes. It's a characteristic from the zombie genre that would have had an interesting effect on superheroes. It would have tied the two genres ever closer and given the title Ex-Heroes a deeper meaning. In Ex-Patriots, Clines instead uses the U.S. Army to demonstrate a collapse in proper ethics. Despite several satirical diatribes made about the cliché nature of the plot, it does eventually divert its course in an interesting new direction that I doubt anyone will see coming.The key aspects which made Ex-Heroes so incredible was its insane premise and its believably flawed characters. Each individual superhero was so well characterized that it easily saved the book from an average storyline. Ex-Patriots seems to be the opposite from its predecessor, forgoing the incredibly strong characterization for a better plot. It's an interesting gamble that I don't think was for the better. Each of the heroes was previously characterized in a very peculiar fashion, through personal flashback "THEN" chapters from the viewpoint of their first-person perspectives. It was a unique method of storytelling that worked beautifully. It really fleshed out each of the superheroes' personas, origins, and experiences as crime fighters. By the end, each hero was well characterized and really melded together as a team. The format returns for Ex-Patriots but it isn't as well utilized this time. The various super-soldiers and military personal in which the flashbacks elaborate upon simply aren't very interesting. St. George and the other heroes stole the show in the last book, these other characters simply pale in comparison. Their personalities range from bratty, rude, to insufferably annoying; a certain flashback probably broke a record for the most dropped F-Bombs and use of vulgar insults at female promiscuity.The problem with the flashbacks focusing on the military personal is that the original superheroes feel less developed than in the first book. They each feel like caricatures for superhero archetypes rather than the flawed human beings which Clines did an excellent job illustrating. This doesn't mean they're any less interesting, I still tipped my hat at St. George's honor, held my sides laughing at Zzzap's pop-culture references, and marveled at Stealth's cunning superhuman sense of analysis. Danielle a.k.a Cerberus was the only character to undergo any development or retain her original flawed nature. Clines also needs to seriously reconsider how he implements minor characters into his narrative. Offering nothing more than an anonymous group of names isn't giving the reader characterization or any reason to be concerned for their safety. I couldn't even tell that the character Billy was a woman at first.A few new hero characters are introduced, though one of them works better than the others. The first is The Driver; a wily kid from the disbanded Seventeens simply looking to do some good with his powers. He's a welcome addition, though his introduction is a very obvious set up for a deus ex machina. The second new addition is Captain Freedom, whose characterization is absolutely all over the place and frankly isn't very interesting. One moment he's a no-holds brawler who punches first and asks questions later, then he's an honorable pacifist who only uses force when necessary. Like the rest of the super-soldiers he's very generic and pales in comparison to the other superheroes. I can see him becoming more interesting in the third novel if the ending is any indication, but for the majority of the book I didn't care much for him.My critiques may give off the impression that I dislike this book but that simply isn't the case, this is a book that absolutely needs to be read. Like Ex-Heroes, there simply isn't anything quite like it. I'll say it again, Peter Clines is an artist who defies nearly all contemporary guidelines in order to find his own unique style. We need to reward daring people like this who are passionate about following their own direction, even if it may or may not catch on. He didn't dumb-down his vision for a wider audience, he stuck to his guns and has earned my respect for it.Oh lest we forget Peter Clines's delightfully dark sense of humor. He's created a very interesting balancing act between illustrating an entertaining story with large stakes, while at the same time not taking itself completely seriously, even going as far as to parody its own ludicrous premise. The infamous "dead celebrity" running gag from Ex-Heroes returns, along with cynical jabs at overused cliches, and several pop-culture references. A particular Transformers joke had me cracking up with laughter. It lightens the mood considerably from what would otherwise have been a very downtrodden and morose atmosphere. It's the sign of an author who truly has fun as a writer.Ex-Patriots isn't quite as good as Ex-Heroes, but it's still a one of kind experience that can't be found anywhere else. The flashbacks weren't as compelling this time due to their focus on less interesting characters, I would have preferred more attention being paid to the original characters while seamlessly implementing the new ones. But this misstep doesn't stop Ex-Patriots from being something truly special. It's a uniquely realized homage to zombies, superheroes, mad science, and pop-culture all wrapped up with a deviously twisted sense of humor. How could you go wrong with that?

I love the concept and ideas for Clines book. He is definitely channeling his imagination and letting it run free. What could be better? Superheros and zombies? Cool! However, as great as the concept is, the writing style is more suited to middle school and high school age, and that is probably what he is writing to. As a kid this would have probably been my favorite book series, but once a person reads a Game of Thrones, Wheel of Times an the Stormlight Archives, it is hard to compare the complexity of the writing. This is a fighting shoot'em up series. One of the thing that frustrates me the most is some of the decision making of the heroes. I am sure Cline is hard pressed to have superpowered characters and find ways to limit their abilities in a realistic way based on circumstances and the environment, but sometimes I don't buy it. With the Mighty Dragon having super strength and the ability to fly, there is no reason anyone should have to go out and die on a scavenger hunt. Cline tries to explain it away, but if the Mighty Dragon got a dumpster and filled it up with goods, and flew it back that would be just as effective. Regardless, this is a fun, light read that will engage you for a few hours.

A good sequel, with plenty of excitement. It mostly sets up for what will come with the new characters and the new options that they bring.A military base, with some scientifically engineered Heroes. Of course, there might be some misinformation and some controls when they leave behind closed doors... or a gated/fenced in installation. Are they friend or foe?

there is nothing i can say about this that the other reviewer hasn,t already said. when i reviewd ex heroes, i remember asking the author for a sequel, and little did i know he was already planning one. better than the first in my opinion, and i can,t wait for the third book

Love the combination of super heroes and zombies, can't wait for the next one in the series ... I'm assuming there is going to be a next one.Highly recommended

Having read the first book in this series  Ex-Heroes , I was hoping for more of the same in the second book in the trilogy. And it delivered. Briefly, the series takes place in the near future in a world populated by (slow) zombies as well as a few super-heroes amongst the human survivors. In the second book we get to see most of the same heroes in action along with a few new heroes and villains. As the group is contacted by a military outpost, you know things aren't going to go quite as smoothly as they might hope. That's the clumsiest part of this novel, as the reader can pretty much guess from the start that something is wrong with the military (the book's description of a dark secret on the base doesn't help). Too bad as it diminishes the suspense in some ways, but fortunately Clive is able to keep the darkness and the villains relatively surprising. I half-guessed two of the dark secrets but was completely surprised by some of the others. My only other complaint was that while the first book examined what it meant to be a hero, the second book focuses more on what it means to be a patriot or soldier. Which isn't quite as interesting to me, although it might appeal more to others. Still, it's not too heavy-handed in its moralization which keeps it enjoyable.At 400 pages, it's longer than the first novel, so you do get a chance to have a deeper look at the characters. There is a stronger focus on the heroes as opposed to the community members simply because much of the action takes place at the military base (that has a few "super" soldiers of its own). As before the book's chapters are divided between "now" and "then" moments, the latter being used to illuminate the origins of new super heroes (or villains). The writing is still crisp and engaging, the action is still fast, and the book still meets the criteria of being a very fun read. If zombies and super heroes are your thing, this is a five star book. I just couldn't quite take it seriously enough to give it five stars myself, but I wouldn't have a problem if someone else did (I'd probably go 4.5 stars myself). Overall then, I strongly recommend this as a light but very fun way to pass the time if zombies, super heroes, and the apocalypse sound interesting to you. Ex-Heroes

Excellent book,I read the first one and really enjoyed it and this book is longer and a great return to Peters post apocalyptic world.Two big thumbs up, I really hope he writes another one. They introduced some new and immediately enjoyable characters with the Driver and Captain Freedom.