Ex-Heroes

By: Peter Clines

Narrated by: Jay Snyder, Khristine Hvam

Length: 8 hrs and 33 mins

Publisher's summary

Stealth. Gorgon. Regenerator. Cerberus. Zzzap. The Mighty Dragon. They were heroes. Vigilantes. Crusaders for justice, using their superhuman abilites to make Los Angeles a better place. Then the plague of living death spread around the globe. Despite the best efforts of the superheroes, the police, and the military, the hungry corpses rose up and overwhelmed the country. The population was decimated, heroes fell, and the city of angels was left a desolate zombie wasteland like so many others.

Now, a year later, the Mighty Dragon and his companions must overcome their differences and recover from their own scars to protect the thousands of survivors sheltered in their film studio-turned-fortress, the Mount. The heroes lead teams out to scavenge supplies, keep the peace within the walls of their home, and try to be the symbols the survivors so desperately need. For while the ex-humans walk the streets night and day, they are not the only threat left in the world, and the people of the Mount are not the only survivors left in Los Angeles. Across the city, another group has grown and gained power. And they are not heroes.

©2010 Peter Clines (P)2011 Audible, Inc.

Fun mixing of genres

Fun to listen to and easy to stay with it. Characters are well rounded and hilarious. Heartfelt and light hearted in the midst of the apocalypse. An unbelievable world that feels authentic.

Super heroes plus zombies equals fun.

I ran across this book when checking out Austin Grossman's 'Soon I Will Be Invincible'. The book was in the list of things that listeners who bought 'Soon I Will Be Invincible' also bought. I am a fan of the zombie, both as a literary metaphor (like in Alden Bell's [Joshua Gaylord's] novel 'The Reapers Are the Angels') and as just a pretty cool subject of horror fiction (as in most incarnations). I have also been a reader of comic books and a lover of super heroes since my early childhood. The idea of throwing the two things together seemed interesting to me.

I have to say that I'm glad I picked up this book. The heroes aren't entirely original, but they are characterized well and fit well into the story. The story itself is also constructed pretty well. The descriptive quality of Clines' prose is a bit ham-handed sometimes ("like a missile through a garden trellis") but doesn't take away from the story too much.

The performance of both the narrators is excellent. The differences between the voices of the characters they portray are subtle but easily recognizable.

I plan on checking out the first sequel to this novel ('Ex-Patriots'), which is also available here on Audible, and the upcoming third novel in the trilogy (which may already be out in print but not yet on Audible).

The story is essentially fluff, but if you like super heroes and zombies, it's worth a listen.

Completely engrossing

The story is fascinating and the narrators were perfect together. A woman doing the female voices and a man doing much of the rest. I found myself being pulled into the story more then any other I've listened to, almost to the point of not being able to listen while I drove.
Can't wait to start the next one.

Watchmen meets the Walking Dead

A superb story with incredible performances by both narrators. With such ease Clines combines superheroes, the grittier type, with the the atmosphere of a Living Dead film. The characters are diverse and colorful and does a better job of creating a mixed cast of heroes than the heavy weights of the comic industry. My only.hang up is the odd blend of somewhat sexual ideas blended in, they're not so many to be such a constant bother but however casual it's a personal annoyance to myself being sort of unnecessary. All things considered though it is an amazing listen and a must have for zombie and superhero fans.

A little too much like a soap opera for me

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

No, I don't think so. I didn't find this story to be much fun. I just came to this book from a really fun one about monster hunters, and by comparison this one was less like an action movie and more like a soap opera. I read another book by Peter Clines that I fully enjoyed, so I was disappointed that I didn't fully enjoy this one.

What do you think your next listen will be?

I'm not sure, but I'm not going to move onto book 2 of this series. This kinda leaves a gap in my listening planning that I need to fill.

Which scene was your favorite?

To describe it would be a spoiler, so I'll refrain from describing it.

Did Ex-Heroes inspire you to do anything?

No... I don't think so.

Any additional comments?

I needed to get used to the dual narrator setup. But once I did, the narration was very good.

so incredibly boring and predictable

bad and borring, 20 words, audible? I can sum it up with don't bother

Really awesome

original idea and very creepy. The heroes are all so cool. the story is intense and keeps you hooked. I couldn't stop listening to this book

watchmen in a zombie apocalypse

these are some really original heroes. lots of fight scenes keep the action coming throughout. the performance definitely does the story justice.

Entertaining, but keep your expectations low

What can I say about a Zombie story with comic book super-heroes? This is pretty rough material to make a masterpiece out of. What is surprising is that the author pulls off an entertaining story that kept my interest up.

One of the better aspects is that you actually have super-heroes that perish. This isn't all that usual in this genre, and it helps keep you engaged as it is something you really don't expect.

So, if you liked comic books as a kid, and enjoy the recent trend of zombie fare, this book should appeal to the kid in you.

Ok but lacking any research

As a physician that listens to audible for mind numbing the daily commute I find myself overlooking a lot of scientific gaps. This story is entertaining but the plot hinging on someone loosing enough blood from a broken finger to require a transfusion is simply a laughable lack of any research prior to writing the story.