When I first noticed this series I saw that the subject matter was a combination of a zombie apocalypse and super heroes and I knew this was not something that I would get into. Therefore I chose to ignore the series despite seeing many positive reviews for it. These books are also shorter than what I normally prefer so I had multiple reasons to pass this series up as the positive reviews continued to roll in. However, eventually I found myself looking for a change of pace so I decided to give it a try ore ยปand I am very glad I did. Peter Clines masterfully combines the two genres into an interesting, face-paced storyline with some surprising detail behind it. I listened to this series on audiobook and it felt like I was listening to a comic book filled with fun characters. I enjoyed every minute of it and eagerly await more.
In any post-apocalyptic story I am a stickler for details about the events that led to the collapse of civilization and I always have a burning desire to know why it happened. Ex-Heroes did not disappoint me on this front and I found the explanation provided to be perfect for the material. It added some decent depth to the overall story as well as good background to some of the main characters. The storyline contains plenty of action, lots of zombie killing, and some interesting super heroes with a sense of humor. Combine all of that with narrators who do a great job with the characters they voice and you have a winning combination.
The series starts with Ex-Heroes where a world over-run by zombies is revealed. Super heroes organize the resistance and protect the remaining citizens from the undead threat. They are holed up in "The Mount" which is short for Paramount Studios' movie lot in LA which means that every now and then someone gets to celebrate a celebrity zombie kill. Ex-Patriots adds super soldiers to the mix as the so-called government creates its own answer to the zombie plague. This third faction complicates matters greatly as it is unclear exactly how much of the government actually remains intact. Ex-Communication brings demons and sorcery into the mix and provides a little more background to the events of the first two books. Peter Clines then throws a curve ball with the next book, Ex-Purgatory, as he doesn't add any new classes of beings to the mix but instead changes the whole world. All of the main characters are back but now they aren't super heroes or super soldiers and it takes a while to sort out exactly what is going on.
The series itself is full of pop culture and sci-fi references and it is just a lot of fun. Peter Clines' witty writing and interesting story telling keep things moving along and these books never outstay their welcome. Jay Snyder narrates all of the books and in 3 of the 4 he has help, including Khristine Hvam. All of the narrators do a great job on their characters and keep the fun spirit of the books intact. Book 5, Ex-Isle, is due out in February of 2016 and I eagerly anticipate the continuation of this great series.