Tales of Fascination

Super is the first novel of (so-far) three books and multiple short stories. It depicts a world where certain people have fallen into a coma and emerge with superhuman powers — able to leap tall buildings in a single bound and all that.

An action adventure, Super starts with not-so-mild-mannered Zita Garcia on a blind date which goes bad quickly. We are introduced to Zita and discover she’s quite a handful to people who break the law. After Zita emerges from her coma, still powerless, she finds she and her companions are all stuck in a locked-down medical facility. While the world outside is starting to adjust to living with superheroes, Zita’s world is all about getting out of this “jail” to continue her extreme sports activities. Unfortunately, villains have designs on the people in the institution and one night, all hell breaks loose.

Without giving too much away, Zita discovers her powers and becomes involved in a kidnapping case. She doesn’t seek out justice, but finds herself often in situations where she must use her powers against evil-doers, both human and superhuman. I won’t reveal her abilities–as that would be spoilerific–other than to say she has multiple gifts and her primary power is quite creative.

While there are actions scenes aplenty, the characters also have time to themselves to interact and learn their new abilities. The plot engaged me from chapter one and I never wanted to put it down. Despite her abrasive nature, I enjoyed Zita’s personality and found it a refreshing change from the modern “dark” hero or the “I regret having any powers” anti-hero. While Zita doesn’t decide to become a crime fighter, she consistently makes moral choices in dangerous situations — always the true test of a hero. This made me root for her through the novel.

I’ve read a lot of comic books and graphic novels so superhero origin stories aren’t anything new to me, but I enjoyed the playful way Zita’s origin story was told. I liked how she and other characters had to learn their powers and how and where she exercised them. I also found Zita’s arc in the story interesting. And while I think others may want her to go from less snippy to more heroic, I’m glad she didn’t. It gave her an edge and makes her unique among other people in tights.

The story’s narrative style is difficult to follow at points and it took me a while to get into the flow, but eventually I got it. The plot and characters carried me over the rough spots, but you may want to read the first chapter to get a sense of the book. I think others may have wanted to dig deeper into Zita, but there’s so much going on in this novel, I’m happy to leave that for a future offering.

This novel exudes fun. It’s a positive take on the superhero genre, and it hits all the required sequences you would expect. Overall, I’m glad I picked up Super.

I should’ve been born in the time of pulp magazines when Doc Savage and The Shadow ruled the shelves. Running home with my latest August Derleth, Henry Kuttner, or titles like “Lagoda’s Heads” would’ve been a thrilling experience. Alas, I was born too late and had to buy reprints. However, my guess is George Lucas did run home with pulp magazines under his arm and today we have a certain ophidiophobic (fear of snakes) archeologist embedded in pop culture, Mr. I. J.

Recently, I spotted Brina Williamson’s Merona Grant and the Lost Tomb of Golgotha on a reading list on Amazon. The fantastic cover harkens back to the great adventure movies of all time, including a film involving “lost arks.” As you can imagine, I purchased it immediately, and it secured a spot as the next book on my reading list. I could not wait to start reading it. Could. Not. Wait.

A few chapters in, I knew I had acquired a well-plotted novel with interesting characters. The book was all-sorts of pulpish joy. I was concerned it would be too much like a Professor Jones adventure as it was similar to the beginning of the first movie. I’m happy to report this book follows its own trajectory.

Merona Grant, self-proclaimed adventuress, is hired to find the lost thirty silver pieces of Judas he received for the betrayal of Jesus Christ. Legend surrounds where the silver ended up. A wealthy aristocrat, a dog sidekick, a doctor from Australia (but not from the outback), and a linguist who helps bring them together join forces when a map to Judas’ tomb is discovered. Merona, in desperate need of money, brings in a pilot who…gads…happens to be the only man in the pack of treasure-seekers. Before you can say “H. Rider Haggard,” bullets and chase scenes ensue. Following that, our heroes fly away (with not one but two cliffhangers in the air) and start following a unique map to the (deep announcer voice) Lost Tomb of Golgotha. There are puzzles and traps galore before they reach the tomb. Unlike in the Bible where Golgotha means “Place of the Skull” for a certain reason, the Golgotha in this novel is a literal skull-shaped place.

Characters are fleshed out more than in a typical pulp adventure story. Merona is no Indiana despite her pugilistic and gun skills, her trademark adventurer’s special “weapon”, and her affinity for her hat. She has a rich backstory and a ruthless manner of which Dr. Jones would not approve. She shares with most heroes a dogged determination and insightful nature which serves her well in this adventure. Her team’s dynamic make for snappy dialog and exciting scenes.

The writing is top-notch and contains just enough description to enliven the story but not too much to bog down the narrative. The settings, which I don’t want to give away, are exotic and on-the-mark for this type of story. The plot devices are imaginative and the way characters deal with them realistic. The enemies are sufficiently menacing, although I wish the final main encounter had lasted a bit longer. Everything you hope for in a novel like this is delivered with enough imagination to fill two books instead of one. The reader will not be disappointed.

I want to highlight three elements of Merona Grant and the Lost Tomb of Golgotha. The first is if you’re going to write an adventure novel, you have to have good pacing. This novel, over 400 pages, rarely lagged. What made Raiders such a classic movie was the breathtaking sequences, each topping the one preceding it. The same is true here. The pacing is excellent and the cliffhangers are not the typical “A car raced toward them.” The heroes are in real danger and they realistically solve their problems. The second is the snappy dialog of Merona. She has some of the best witticisms I’ve read in a long time. An example occurs when a pug-ugly comes to threaten her to pay a debt and informs her her time is up. Her reply? “Oh please. You’re not the “time’s up” kind of guy…No, I’d peg you as more of a first or second warning goon, which means I have at least a month before the real threats start.” I noted at least ten instances when I laughed out loud and the eleventh, a reference to where Merona grew up, is a classic. And the last highlight, but not least, is the author is also the illustrator. The novel comes with sketches throughout which absolutely drew me in and brought the story alive. I refrained from flipping through the illustrations before I read the story. It was hard, but I’m glad I did because it was a delight each time I came across a sketch.

Remember how I said at the beginning that I wanted to hold a pulp novel in my hands and have the fun a young person may have had in the 1930s? This novel will indeed give you that experience. If you remotely enjoy the pulp fiction of yesteryear, or want an adventure story stuffed with thrills, pick up Brina Williamson’s Merona Grant and the Lost Tomb of Golgotha. You won’t regret it.

All images Copyright (c) Brina Williamson

Oh the tyranny of the second book of a trilogy! Bridging the first book to the last, it must still take its place as a relevant member of a three-book series and not exist solely as a pass-through. I’m happy to say Karma Lei Angelo’s second book in her trilogy, Abbac1, is a fine novel in its own right.

The book starts where the first book, Modi Ind0rum, left off. It assumes the reader has read the first entry in the trilogy. Our main character, Ameena Jardine, AJ, reacts to a shocking revelation which ended the first novel. From there, she continues her investigation of the murders of the Fasciata, a dangerous underworld cartel intent on selling a potent drug.

AJ has issues she’s dealing with throughout the novel. She has a partner she doesn’t know if she can trust, an informant who knows too much, a boss who is withholding information, and a missing person who she’s desperately seeking. At home, she continues to mourn her first husband, deals with the illness of her father, interacts with a daughter with a hidden ability, and must choose between not one but two romantic interests. During the course of the novel, no less than five murders occur. Described in stark detail, it becomes clear to the detectives that the murders are not random drug overdoses. When the code is finally cracked, AJ looks to be on the verge of administering justice but then…

I’m purposefully being vague on details, but found this to be an engaging and quick read. I finished the majority of the book over two days. Equal parts thriller and mystery, the pacing never lets up and leads to the reader to that important element of all middle books of a trilogy, the cliffhanger at the end. The last fifty pages make for some brutal reading. I don’t recommended it for the squeamish.

The characters become more defined in this novel as you may expect. AJ in particular grows from a rookie to confidant detective. She can be foolhardy at times and the reader may wonder “what is she thinking by doing that?” but that’s part of the charm of the story. But AJ has real emotions, and must overcome her demons, both in her mind and the ones in the world, to move on with her life.

I took a liking to Conrad, AJ’s boss, more in this novel. He came across, especially at the start of the novel, as more of a protector than a middle manager. While it’s revealed he has his secrets, there’s a sense of paternal guardianship over AJ. Her partner Tony comes across as more quixotic. The author also introduces a trio of new, reprehensible characters associated with the Fasciata who play an important part near the conclusion.

There are winsome and witty passages in Abbac1. When a medical examiner teases AJ about her feelings for her partner, she says, “Oh my, look at the eighty-nine flustered of flavors on you.” And a harmless sleepover by AJ’s partner leads to all kinds of confusion when her mother walks in on them. These scenes are a welcome break to an otherwise tense novel, including a phone call to AJ that forces her to listen in while someone is murdered. The author gives the reader a number of chilling details and then, at the end, uses them to dial the suspense to maximum. The end was certainly the best part of the novel.

Not only is the writing clever and filled with suspense, its elegant prose heightens ordinary scenes as well. At one point, AJ receives a gift of a vase. “The vase whimsically spiraled like a polished strand of DNA. Each spiral edge beveled around, and the light caught every reflection, causing it to shimmer rainbows of colors everywhere.”

Lastly, I know the first novel in the trilogy was well-researched but it really shows in this novel. The author has done her homework in spades. At one point, the main character visits a research center and asks about octopi. A detailed description follows, never slowing the story down but stuffed with information. The narrative, whether in the medical examiner’s room or describing “the breakthrough” is authentically presented to the reader.

This was a fun book to read and I look forward to the next, and last one, in the trilogy.