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.

Unexpectedly great

The premise sounded crazy but it was a great book and it works like a charm

X-men meets Walking Dead

Would you consider the audio edition of Ex-Heroes to be better than the print version?

Didn't read the print version.

What did you like best about this story?

I enjoyed this book a lot because I bought it based only upon audible recommendations. I didn't read the description and had no idea it was a zombie novel. After figuring out what the book was about I loved the character development, the idea of super heros fighting off zombies in Los Angeles and making a fortress out of a movie studio. My favorite though is their celebrity game where they get points for killing zombie celebrities. Very fun quick read.

What about Jay Snyder and Khristine Hvam ’s performance did you like?

I liked that a man did the male voices and a woman do the female voices because sometimes a narrator trying to do the opposite sex sounds goofy. Both narrators did a good job.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

This was a fast paced book and really didn't have any fat to cut out. I tried to listen to it in one sitting but couldn't. I would love for the author to expand on the world.

Any additional comments?

Had I known the book was about super heros dealing with a zombie apocalypse, I never would have bought the book. It just sounds too weird... And it totally works.

Last thought, I think of St. George as Superman. Stealth as Batman. Cerberus as Iron Man.

Love it!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

This was my 2nd book by Peter Cline (1st was 14) and I loved the way this story is done, lots of different stories within main book but all entwined lovely.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Stealth was my favorite character because she mantains her persona without slacking.

What about Jay Snyder and Khristine Hvam ’s performance did you like?

I loved Jay Snyder and would love to listen to anything else but I'm sorry to say Kristine's voice was not very easily to hear.

Another Unecessary Review for Good Reading!

Peter Clines has a talent for writing interesting books or books with interesting twists to them & he doesn't disappoint in this story. As with many reviewers I was also skeptical about being able to write a 'zombie' book that I would find interesting or 'new', but after reading the many reviews to the contrary & got the book with the predetermined conclusion that Clines did a good job making a popular Dystopia into an interesting & enjoyable read. I think that it was even harder for him to reach my expectations now that I read all the reviews already, very similar to over-hyping a book or movie which can easily be done. I'm sorry to say a typical i.e. was that I walked away only satisfied after reading 'The Hunger Games' due to over-hyping of the book. I enjoyed the book but it was pretty impossible for it to break the hype surrounding it when it was recommended to me.

Ex-Hero's will def. have me getting the trilogy because its not ur standard powerful characters conquer all or even the more powerful characters having better self-esteem. IMO Clines does a great job humanizing a group of hero's that are suppose to be so powerful they are loved for the help, but they obviously couldn't stop the dystopia trope & there is back stories for the major characters that give an interesting POV for the people involved around them & what happens realistically when the world goes FUBAR. Even the antagonists which are not always the infected are believable, Clines is able to make the populace almost part of the 'normal hazards of living'. There is humor, action, & more than the typical story involving 'superhero's', now that I've read this book & since it was written before Sanderson, I look at 'Steelheart' a bit differently, I enjoyed both but I have to give credit where its due, Clines spun it before Sanderson, although 'Steelheart' is still a unique story & worth the read still. I was pleasantly surprised even after the 'hype'. Narration was fine, nothing too special but not bad either.

This is a quick read, u will prob. finish it in a couple days, I was hoping it would go on sale so I didn't have to waste a credit, but it was not to be. Nonetheless, if u don't have a time requirement its worth the cred.

Easily one of the best and most imaginative series

Where does Ex-Heroes rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

The series at a whole is at the top of my all time favorites, right up there with Kevin Hearne and BV Larson.

Any additional comments?

This whole series is just plain fun and I couldn't stop listening.

a good listen even if you're not into zombies

I generally steer away from post-apocalyptic books like the plague, but gave this one a try because I liked the author's books "14" and "The Fold" so much. Although I didn't care for this one as much, I still liked the pacing of the action and the banter between characters. Peter Clines definitely has a great imagination!

A fresh take on super heroes.

Where does Ex-Heroes rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Ex-Heroes is definitely one of the better audio books that I've listened to. It's excellently produced and has a fantastic cast. Very professionally dond.

What other book might you compare Ex-Heroes to and why?

When I downloaded Ex-Heroes I was worried that it would be yet another in a long line of derivative books about super heroes. There are a lot of those out there these days, riding the waves of success of movies like Batman Begins, Captain America, and The Avengers. Those books are poorly written, the half remembered adolescent daydreams of authors thrown hastily onto a page. Ex-Heroes is very different from these, it's well written, interesting, and takes a fresh look at heroes.

What does Jay Snyder and Khristine Hvam bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Jay Snyder always brings everything he reads to life. His range of voices for the characters really brings the story to life.

Any additional comments?

When I downloaded Ex-Heroes I was worried that it would be yet another in a long line of derivative books about super heroes. There are a lot of those out there these days, riding the waves of success of movies like Batman Begins, Captain America, and The Avengers. Those books are poorly written, the half remembered adolescent daydreams of authors thrown hastily onto a page. Ex-Heroes is very different from these, it's well written, interesting, and takes a fresh look at heroes.

Great Book!

I didn't know what to expect but i loved this book. Definitely worth a read.

Great performance and story

I normally don't like male and female combo narrations but this one was done very well!

fun blending of two overplayed genres

I thought the premise sounded corny, but I soon found myself hooked.

Some of the dialogue was a little weak (the frequent talk about how hot all the female characters are is particularly cringe worthy), but this had enough twists and fun retellings to be highly enjoyable. I look forward to reading the next book in the series.

having different voice actors jump in for a quick line of dialogue here and there could be jarring, but overall I thought the performances were on point.