Dragonlaird Gaming Studios

Book Review: Who Can Save Us Now?

Third in my series of Superhero books takes a look at a collection of short stories edited by Owen King and John McNally (both of whom have entries in the book). The book is divided thematically into:

• The Most Unlikely Beginnings
• The Beast Within
• A Shadowy Figure
• Behind the Mask
• Super Ordinary

I found all the story concepts to be quite original but they were uneven in quality of execution. One story, the Somewhat Super by David Yoo, stood out in my mind with a neat setup, good characterization, and an ending that made me go “Wow!”. I’ll leave that one for you to discover, but give you a taste of some others.

Man Oh Man – It’s Manna Man by George Singleton tells us about someone who discovered that he could reach through the television set and put words into the mouths of the people speaking there. In order to do good works, he focuses on forcing corrupt televangelists to call for money to be sent to places, people, and organizations in true need.

The Thirteenth Egg by Scott Snyder looks back to the atomic bomb experiments after World War 2 and the man infused with all that energy. The real story is what happens when he gets home, discharged from the service without any guidance and little control of his power. What happens to him as he tries to adjust to life as a civilian again.

The Rememberer by J. Robert Lennon examines a life where nothing is forgotten, ever. How can it be of use? How vital is the ability to forget for our sanity?

This anthology is labelled as “No. 1” so I hope they keep trying. There was enough intriguing ideas and deft writing to make it worth the read.