Books of 2020: Quarter 4, part 2

 And finally the last books of 2020, making the total count 40 (I really should've found a better use for all my free time).

Continuing this year's theme of digging up old books I haven't read in a while, I pulled out the Ex-Heroes series by Peter Clines (surprisingly I didn't have to dig that far). If there's one book series I want to suggest to everyone to read it's The Night Angel Trilogy by Brent Weeks, but if there's one book series that I can recommend that people might actually read it's this one as, like the back of one of them says, "It's The Avengers meets The Walking Dead" and who doesn't love those things.

Ex-Heroes by Peter Clines

After the ex-virus decimates the US population causing a zombie apocalypse, St. George, Stealth, and other emerging superheroes are left to care for the survivors of Los Angeles. Holing themselves up on the Paramount Studios lot, the superheroes try to keep the peace within their walls as well as going out on scavenging runs amongst the horde of zombies. They are just trying to survive as millions of the undead stand at their gates. What they don't know is the world outside has changed and a new supervillain is looking to not only take their territory but also for revenge against one of the superheroes' own.

Ex-Heroes is your standard superhero story with the twist that a zombie apocalypse has struck and wiped out most of humanity already. It raises the stakes in that the people they are protecting are almost all that is left. The story jumps back and forth to give more insight into who these heroes are and what they are capable of. This first book is the standard Heroes vs Villain storyline with the climax being the assault on The Mount by the Big Bad. In regards to book recommendations this is one that I'd recommend to anyone who is a fan of superheros stories and is looking for something relatively easy to read (I think I breezed through it in about a week, week and a half). The heroes are the standard set people are used to seeing in superhero teams though with Clines own twist on their names and powers. The story itself has everything you'd expect from a superhero story (superpowers, funny one-liners, etc) as well as from a horror zombie story (gruesome descriptions, people being bitten, the constant fear).

Ex-Patriots by Peter Clines

St. George, Stealth, and the other superheroes are getting back into their regular routine after an attack on their home by a supervillain. Mysteriously, a drone flies overhead, a drone piloted by the US military. The military base in Yuma promises the survivors a wealth of resources and security as well as several enhanced super-soldiers designed to take on St. George himself. However, the superheroes discover things are not quite what they appear. They'll need to take on a practically invisible enemy as well as an old nemesis from the past to get home.

Ex-Patriots plays on the hidden-villain storyline, usually the Big Bad being smart and savvy and hiding themselves since they aren't able to physically go toe-to-toe with the hero in a standard fight. Like the previous book, this one also jumps to the past, this time to give backstories on a couple of the individual super-soldiers as well as other people still alive on the base.

Ex-Communication by Peter Clines

After the events of the last book, things are starting to settle back down on The Mount. As much as possible, anyways with hordes of ex-humans still at their gates and Legion setting them into coordinated attacks as well. That is, until Zzzap finally explains the voice he's been communicating with is the ghost of Maxwell Hale, also known as the magician superhero, Cairax. With Zzzap's help, Hale manages to reincarnate but brings with him a new threat to The Mount, the demon Cairax Murgen, the same demon that Hale would possess with his own consciousness when he transformed into a superhero. Now the superheros must figure out how to exorcise the demon back to hell before he possess one of the strongest heroes of The Mount and kills everyone.

It's inevitable, but eventually most stories that pit good vs evil will get to the ultimate Good vs Evil showdown and introduce God or Satan or Heaven or Hell. This one goes into Hale's power and the demon he possessed to do good for the city.

Ex- Purgatory by Peter Clines

George Bailey is a normal, everyday college groundskeeper. In his dreams though, he can fly and is extremely strong, and the world is filled with monsters. But those are just dreams. Until he meets a girl that tells him that the real world is the dream and he really is a superhero fighting against monsters to save the people of Los Angeles. As his dreams start to invade his world as visions, he sets out to find the other heroes to awaken them from their perfect nightmare.

I'm not a big fan of the "everything was a dream" type stories. Personally, my least favorite type of stories because they 90% of the time end with the characters just waking up back in the real world with no real consequence as everything that happened so far didn't really happen. I remembered when I finished the previous book, I thought "ugh, maybe I can skip this one." Out of the 5 books, it's my least favorite but I do have to say that I didn't hate it as much as I thought I would having to reread it again.

Ex-Isle by Peter Clines

The superheroes discover a group of survivors floating in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, a floating island made of ships and vessels chained together. At the same time, a fire rips through part of The Mount and destroys a large portion of their crops. The group decides to split up: St. George, Zzzap and Corpse Girl will investigate the new group of survivors, and The Cerberus Team (Danielle/Cerberus, The Driver, and Gibbs) as well as some of the Unbreakable super-soldiers head to secure The Mount's new farmland. St. George's team find another superhero ruling over the survivors, brainwashed into believing the rest of the world is dead. At Eden, Danielle suspects the Unbreakables might be leading a coup to establish their own colony.

So far, the last of Clines' Ex-Heroes series books (I really, really hope he'll write more). Along with the great superhero action and creepy zombie horror found in the rest of the series, this book also explores the nature of leadership. Who should be in charge in a crisis, how should a leader hold power, what makes an effective leader, etc. Not only does St. George discover a hero that rules his people through fear because they've got no where else to go, but the story also jumps back into the early days of the zombie apocalypse to look at other characters and how they've either established or held on to their power and authority.

I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell by Tucker Max The Art of Living Other People's Lives by Greg Dybec

As the year came to an end and after rereading a bunch of old series this year (and after such a strange, and somewhat harried ending, year), I thought I'd end the year with something funny. So, I dug under my bed for I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell by Tucker Max. If you don't know, this book as well as his other two (Assholes Finish First and Hilarity Ensues) are Max's hilarious stories of drunken nights, picking up women, and other dumb shit people do in their twenties. I probably hadn't read it or any of his other books in many, many years but it seemed like a no-brainer that if I was looking for something funny, this was that book. Instead, I got through three or four stories into the book and it just wasn't the same. The crazy, insane stories just didn't hit me the way that I remember. I'm not saying I don't find the stories funny anymore, they're just not as hilarious as I remember. I would find myself smirking at stories I remember before needing to stifle a laugh or risk looking like a crazy person. It's the weirdest thing because it's not as if I've grown up a whole lot after all these years (at least I don't think so). I still love drunkenly reliving memories of other drunken nights when I'm hanging out with friends, so why should reading about someone else's drunken nights be any different?

Anyways, so I put the book back and went looking for something else. I ended up with The Art of Living Other People's Lives because I remember it not only being funny (what's funnier than finally catching a mouse in your apartment by getting it high?), but also relatable as Dybec recounts trying to fake his way as an underwear critic to secure a job; eavesdropping on strangers for story ideas and finding much more; and watching his grandparents get older. If this book sounds familiar, I know I read it before and I probably wrote a review of it a long time ago. It was a good book to end 2020 with, not just because it provided laughs to a year that really needed them, but also to remind me that there are people out there that understand, and you're not the only one out there going through theses struggles.

Books of 2020: Quarter 4, part 1

Well, like the previous 3 months, reading filled a lot of my free time from October through December.

First off, it took about a month and a half to finish the last 5 books of Piers Anthony's Incarnations of Immortality series. Also, just a fun thing to mention that has nothing to do with the stories, when I said before that I've had these books for a long time, I mean a really long time.

Just seeing how yellow the pages have gotten over the years shows how long I've had them. I also enjoyed the series so much that, I went out of my way to replace one of the books (second to the right) after accidentally tearing one of the pages rather than just live with a book that I'll rarely read with a torn page.

With a Tangled Skein by Piers Anthony

When Niobe Kaftan discovers that Satan was behind the murder of her husband, she vows revenge. Her opportunity comes in the form of an invitation from the Incarnation of Fate, an invitation to join their triad for the Office is Fate is held by three different people. Niobe accepts their offer, leaving behind her mortal life as well as her newborn son. Upon joining with the trinity, she assumes the role of Clotho, the youngest of the three women and the one who spins the thread of life. In this form, she learns about the other Incarnations and the roles of the other two aspects of Fate: Lachesis, the one who measures the threads of life, and Atropos, the one that cuts the threads. Though the youngest and most inexperienced, Niobe manages to thwart Satan's corruptions a few times. Eventually, Niobe decides to give up her office and return to her mortal life. After another lifetime raising her daughter and growing into middle age, she is again approached by the Incarnation of Fate and asked this time to take on the role of Lachesis. Not only will Niobe guide two other inexperienced aspects of Fate, but also confront Satan in Hell itself.

Writing this out, I didn't realize just how ... winding (I think that's a good word) this plot was. I'm sure the teaser on the back of the book is much more concise, better written, and gives away much less of the story but I couldn't figure out a place to stop without saying to myself, "No you need to talk about his part and how it leads into this other part to eventually get to the climax of the story." So, obviously one of the interesting things about the Office of Fate is that it's the first one in the series that allows a person to vacate the office of their own free will (Death is killed by their successor, and Time gives up the office when they get to the moment of their birth). I don't think it's explicitly stated, but it is probably to because no one wants to vacate an office only to step into a dead person's shoes as the one vacating the office takes on the remaining lifespan of the one stepping into the office.

This book is also the first with a female protagonist and a female Incarnation, and unfortunately (obviously looking back through the eyes of someone in 2021 to a book written in 1985) also contains a lot of sexism. Since Fate is typically an office held by three women, she is expected to handle all of the household chores of her Purgatory mansion, such as cooking and cleaning, while the other male incarnations have a staff to take care of those things. Further, Fate is expected to "service" the needs of the other male Incarnations. Though Niobe does say that she enjoys her time with Time, it's weird that she says it is expected of her since they work closely together and it would make working together easier.

This is also the first book (obviously we're three books into the series already) that I noticed a real connection between the characters. Niobe's son from her first marriage becomes the Magician Kaftan, Luna's father from On a Pale Horse. I can't think of a particular Marvel movie for comparison, but it's the movie where connections start to be made between the stories, when you think, "Oh, that's connected to what happened in this other movie. Are they all connected somehow?" Will this all be building toward a final conclusion involving all of the different protagonists?

Wielding a Red Sword by Piers Anthony

Mym is a runaway prince looking to escape his kingdom and his royal duties. He joins with a traveling circus as a mime and juggler to hide his identity. Eventually he is caught and brought back to his kingdom to marry and eventually rule. It is at this point, about to again lose his chance at love and with his kingdom on the verge or war, the Red Sword presents itself to Mym. Mym takes the sword and accepts the office of the Incarnation of War. As Mars, Mym travels throughout the globe to supervise conflicts and even stops them if he feels the battle, and thus the suffering, unnecessary. It is Mym's personal life that eventually leads him into Satan's ploy, trapping the new incarnation in Hell. It is here that Mym must confront Satan to free himself, and then regain control over his office on Earth.

This book bore a similar early plot line to On a Pale Horse, in that a lot of the Mym's first duties are spent dealing with specific, individual situations that don't necessary flow into the next but rather reveal more about Mym's duties, the role of War, and introduce him to the other Incarnations. While on the comparison, Mym, as Mars, proves a contradiction to his Office. Instead of promoting war in all its forms, Mym will stop or abate conflict if he deems it unnecessary. He eventually finds that war is an essential part of human nature as, without it, some suffering will be allowed to continue.

As I said about With a Tangled Skein, connections are starting to be made and now that we're in book 4, we see more of the picture start to form. Mym, while traveling with the circus, falls in love with Orb, the daughter of Niobe Kaftan. Mym also possess the snake ring that Orlene gives to Norton in Bearing an Hourglass.

Being a Green Mother by Piers Anthony

Orb Kaftan knew all her life about the power of her music. From her voice to the instruments she plays, her music can magically reach out and affect those that hear it. Her special ability causes her to seek out the most powerful song, The Llano. The mythical song has been said to calm conflict and to heal the sick, working miracles wherever it is sung. Orb travels the globe, not only searching for the song, but helping those she meets along the way. It is eventually revealed that Orb is being groomed to take over the Office of Nature. Her growing power attracts the attention of Satan who seeks to marry her as the old prophecy decreed. Satan's plans are interrupted by another powerful singer, Natasha, who eventually wins Orb's love. But is Natasha's love real, or just a bigger part of Satan's designs on her?

To be honest, reading this book kinda felt like watching "Avengers: Infinity War" when you really just want to skip ahead to "Avengers: Endgame": I know that I need to read this one since it is the next one in the series but I really want to get to the next book. Being a Green Mother is a little slow in the beginning mostly because a lot of it is a sort-of retelling of previous events in the series just from Orb's point of view. It isn't until halfway through that we leave these events behind and we focus on Orb's search for The Llano. I think it also felt slow because, unlike the other books, Orb doesn't come into the Office of Nature until almost the very end of the book. Though she was technically a "mother" as she traveled the world helping and nurturing those she encountered, I really would've liked to see Orb in the role of Gaea, the Green Mother, one of the most powerful incarnations even according to the other 5 incarnations.

For Love of Evil by Piers Anthony

Parry is a sorcerer's apprentice during the Middle Ages when he is forced into hiding as a friar during the Inquisition. He spends the next several decades with the Church studying evil and even manages to foil some of the plots of Lucifer. After foiling Lucifer's attempt on his life and soul, Parry assumes the office of the Incarnation of Evil. As Satan, Parry spends the next several centuries tempting mortals to discover their hidden vices, reorganizing Hell so that sinners are appropriately punished, and striking at the other Incarnations for embarrassing him when he first took charge of the Office. It is during this time when he learns the true nature of the struggle between the Office of Evil and the Office of Good, and strikes a wager with the angel Gabriel for power. But, can Parry corrupt the specific soul needed to win the ultimate battle?

This is my favorite book in the entire series! It took a lot not to write just a full summary of the book. I think I might've re-read this book the most, even without going back and re-reading all the previous ones first which is probably how my original copy got torn and needed to be replaced. That Satan is the protagonist not just because the reinterpreted "rebelling against the tyranny of God" that some stories have used, but because Parry is actually just a good person trying to do good is a great interpretation of the role. Also, thankfully, this book doesn't spend too much time recapping the events of the previous books with Satan's attempts to embarrass or corrupt the other Incarnations.

I know it's a spoiler (whatever, does anyone even read my reviews of these books), but my favorite part comes when Parry searches for the Demon Banishing spell. Without the spell, he cannot take over the Office as it allows him to control all the demons of Hell. When he learns that there is no such spell and that he just needs to make the demons believe that he can banish them, that his power (and the power of every office holder before him) is built upon lies as apparently the Office of Evil has no power - even rereading that part for the whatever time this was, it still had me going "what the fuck!" especially after all the trouble Parry causes over the last 5 books.

Also, if you're curious, and I'm probably misremembering this part, but the reason the cover art for the last two books changed is due to a change in publisher. I skipped the Author's Note section on these re-reads but I'm pretty sure the first 5 books were published by one company and the last two were published by another one.

And Eternity by Piers Anthony

After the death of her child, Orlene commits suicide. In the afterlife, however, Orlene learns that the soul of her baby was taken by Nox, the Incarnation of Night, who refuses to relinquish the soul. Instead, she offers Orlene the chance to cure the child of the illness that killed it and give him a new life if she can complete a seemingly impossible task: gather specific items from each of the other seven incarnations. On her journey, Orlene will be guided by Jolie, the ghost of a Middle Ages's peasant and mistress of Satan, and, to exist in the mortal realm, they'll possess the body of Vita, a teenage runaway, drug-addict, and prostitute. The three of them will encounter each Incarnation, attempting to acquire the objects Nox seeks while learning about the hardships each Incarnation faces in their immortal duties. The journey not only has implications for Orlene but the rest of the world and afterlife too.

And Eternity is the seventh book in the series, and the last one amongst the Incarnations of Day (I've never read the last one about Nox, the Incarnation of Night, that was released almost 20 years after this book was published). Obviously, it's really hard to write about this book without giving away spoilers so this is a warning, but I figure you know what's coming anyways. As this is the last book and there's only one office that hasn't been covered yet, yes, this one is about the Incarnation of Good, aka God. As we learned in the last book, as well as in this one, God doesn't interfere with humanity not because he honors the covenant between Satan and him, but because he doesn't care as he is too consumed with his own greatness. Like in Being a Green Mother, we don't get to see the much about the Office of Good since the role isn't taken over until the very end. What we get to see though is the journey to become worthy of the Office of Good, to learn about the struggles not only of the other Incarnations but, by extension, the struggles of humanity.

 

For some reason, I feel like I should write something to wrap this all together as it's not only one of my favorite series but also influenced my writing and even, to some extent, my outlook on life. After the Animorphs series and I guess before Marvel started its cinematic universe, this series falls between as one of my experiences with an extended universe type story. Most book series keep one character as the main protagonist throughout the entire series but this one had a new one every book and sometimes didn't even feature characters from the previous book. The writing was great, though a little dated at times (especially looking back on it with my 2021 values). The way that the series blended both technology and magic to make both equally relevant in society was great, that it is mostly personal preference that determined which one a person might prefer. The idea that not only are there higher powers that influence and, to some extent, impact our lives isn't necessarily a new concept. The idea that these powers are held by ordinary people just trying to do their best makes it really relatable and, personally, I find it kinda comforting when thinking about these kinds of things.