Books With Your Barista
Jared A. Conti
Counting more than seven wonders
Counting more than seven wonders
I may never get to be the superhero I long to in my own
mind: the sting of bullets bouncing off my torso, the rising temperature behind
my eyes before heat vision kicks in, losing my breath running at mach speeds,
or my absolute favorite, just seeing what this great city looks like from
above, under the powers of flight.
No longer. Adam Christopher has taken care of that for me.
Christopher’s first outing turned detective noir fiction on
its ear, bending and breaking where he saw fit with alternate realities gone
awry in Empire State, a tough mystery at best. His second novel Seven Wonders,
however, plays superheroes straight, and it reads like any good comic should.
From the get-go, we’re thrown into the action—our “hero” is
just beginning to realize the extent of his newly-begotten powers and foiling
(with little grace) San Ventura’s one and only remaining villain. Seven Wonders
throws a new spin on the arch-nemesis, and I use hero loosely, because face it:
sometimes learning how to use your newfound skill set is just as important as
what you do with it.
A wildly imaginative cast is introduced in the super team,
police force and the villain that for some reason they can’t seem to put down.
At one point during the novel’s climax, Christopher spends a page or two
listing off a roster of ancillary characters whom not only sound impressive in
name, but even more fun comes from deciphering what their powers might be
according to their codenames.
Seven Wonders keeps you guessing until the very end, as
twists and turns abound amid the action. The story jumps out of comic panels
with more excitement better than the latest issue of your favorite hero…or
summer blockbuster.
Seven Wonders by Adam Christopher landed in stores August
28.
Jared A. Conti is a local writer, blogger and Lock Haven
University graduate who spends his work time as a barista at Avenue 209 Coffee
House. He would love to hear your suggestions on great books, movies or comics
to review. He can be reached at jaredaconti@gmail.com.
