Thirty//Thirty 2014 10/30: Crisis of Infinite Girlfriends

I cannot exist in this.

My life has since
traveled
upon this timeline,
tangled,
a criss-crossing web
where alternate histories,
worlds,
collide and crash in upon themselves.

A simple breeze could undo
these threads
and shatter the illusion
of a safety net.
Balancing a sticky situation
wound tight
blood, draining from you
and the fear that catches you
off guard.

Lies have been spun.
All eyes are upon
you
watching your struggle.

An "Empire State" of Mind

I'm not one to primp my own beard, but I can scarcely believe I made it this far into Monday without mentioning the sheer awesome that slapped me upside the head Friday evening.

Still new to this whole blog thing, I finally figured how to track just where my hits were coming from.  Turns out my REVIEW of Adam Christopher's Seven Wonders is up on his site!

So, not only did this make my weekend, but he's also got a sequel to Empire State coming out in March called The Age Atomic.  Just like in my review Empire State of Mind, Eagle Eye 04/26/12, you can't judge a book by its cover, but boy-howdy did they do a bang-up job.  Reminds me a lot of Metropolis, Sky Captain or The Day the Earth Stood Still.

Counting more than seven wonders

Books With Your Barista

Jared A. Conti

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.

http://angryrobotbooks.com/our-authors/adam-christopher/seven-wonders-adam-christopher/ 

Click Here to Buy!

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.