Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Reviews
Super Human
Fiction Series
For ages 12 and up
Penguin, 2011 ISBN: 978-0142419052
Four thousand years ago the world’s first superhuman, Krodin, set about uniting human societies so that he could rule over all of them. His method was simple. He crushed those who opposed him until they gave in, personally killing countless of people to attain his goal. With his enormous strength, analytical mind, and his ability to understand other people’s thoughts, Krodin was like a god and he did indeed expect to be worshipped.
In the present day there are quite a few superhumans around. Some are “villains” while others use their abilities to help the human race. Fifteen-year-old Roz Dalton has the ability to move things with her mind and she is following in her brother Max’s footsteps, honing her ability so that she can help those in need. There is a situation at a power plant that Roz, Max, Quantum and some U.S. Army Rangers have been asked to look into. A group of people have broken into the plant and they are holding hostages. The plant reactor core isn’t even in place yet, so Max and his team members are not sure what the terrorists, if that is what they are, are hoping to gain from this attack.
Soon after they arrive at the power plant, Quantum gets terribly sick. Max and the Rangers are soon in a similar state, and the entire team is captured by the enemy. Roz is still health,y but there is nothing she can do to save herself or the others. Her telekinetic powers just aren’t strong enough.
Meanwhile, another teenager, Lance, is getting himself in trouble and getting caught by Paragon, another super hero type. Lance goes home in disgrace but then encounters Paragon again under less than ideal circumstances. When Paragon is summoned to help at the power plant, he ends up taking Lance with him.
When they get to the power plant they meet two superhuman teenagers. Abby, who is incredibly strong and heals quickly, and Thunder who can manipulate sound. Though Abby and Thunder are not experienced when it comes to crime fighting, they are the only superhumans, aside from Roz, who are not sick. It would appear that the illness that struck down Max and his team is affecting all adults worldwide, superhuman and none superhuman alike. The only people left who can stop the terrorists are teenagers.
Abby, Thunder, Lance and their allies are able to rescue Roz, Max and the other captives at the power plant but it is soon clear that the group who attacked the power plant, The Helotry, have barely begun. They are the ones responsible for the illness that is affecting billions of people around the world, and their plan is to bring a superhuman from the past into the present so that he, the Fifth King, can rule over the entire world. Somehow, the teenagers have to stop The Helotry from achieving their goal.
In this exciting and very unusual book we see how some ill-prepared teenagers, most of whom are superhumans, face a formidable enemy. As the story unfolds, the teenagers grow, adapting and learning how to cope with the challenges that are thrown at them.
