Being a Hero isn't easy. It's not just a job, it's what people expect you to be 24/7 and while Craig is ALL about saving lives and doing the right thing, sometimes all he wan'ts to do, all he wants to be, it a regular Joe. Being surrounded by a force field means he is out of reach from life at all times. He can't eat unless it's with a special straw with a concoction GenCorp has manufactured especially for him. It isn't tasty but he can't taste if anyway.. But what he misses the most is being touched. Even a simple caress. Being appreciated and SEEN not as just a Hero but a person.
The only person who did that he almost destroyed.. and that was Edward. He mistakenly saw his kindness as personal and then he couldn't NOT pursue him which was wrong because Raul was already in the picture (and frankly Edward wasn't really interested to begin with). But his worst crime was doing nothing when his grandmother rattled Edward to the authorities for harboring and collaborating with a Villain (Raul). He SHOULD have done something yet he didn't and now it's a real wonder he, Edward and Raul are sort of friends. Well, working together.. cooperating.. as much as they can considering Craig is the "Good Guy" and Edward and Raul are considered "Bad Guys" as they are both Villains now (after Edward was experimented on shortly while in prison).
From the outside life seems good with all the benefits he receives as one of the most known and appreciated Hero, yet he is mostly lonely and he starts to realize just how out of control his life really is. His agent does only what HE wants and when he doesn't comply it's SO easy to take away benefits - like REAL crimes to solve but also getting cellular connection on his phone so he can communicate with the short list of friends he has on it. Not to mention GenCorp, the company who maintains him yet does NOTHING for him, only what they need so he can FUNCTION nothing less, nothing more. The little data Edward was able to decrypt of Freight Train (from the memory stick he stolen) just leaves more blank spots.
Enter Dr. Ari Mansourian, a new scientist in GenCorp who wants to work with Craig and try and understand what makes his "tick" and what can be done, maybe, to help him. Though Craig is worried of Ari's intentions he is mostly loving the attention he is getting from the guy. He enjoys his company and hopes Ari can help make his life a little bit easier though he isn't sure what to expect would happen really.
There's quite a lot of happening with another Hero who is close to Craig (though could hardly be considered a friend..) and all in all it just makes him realize how much he wants and NEEDS a change even if he isn't sure what he can offer the world if one day he will stop being the Hero he have been for the past 7 years. Can he dare to hope?
When Ari's past is revealed it puts a big questing mark on all they shared together yet Craig still wants to hope that's why he makes the mistake of confiding someone with what they have been up to. BIG MISTAKE one that almost cost Craig his life, even if he thought he mostly cannot be hurt. Oh, he can.. What Craig doesn't know about his ability Dr. Steuben does. He is not "just" the head doctor in The Abattoir (Panopolis' Prison for Supers) he is SO MUCH MORE. I was getting WWII Dr. Mengele vibes. Frankly, I was pretty scared I won't be able to sleep last night when I finished the book. Lucky I was DEAD tired..
The romance between Craig and Ari was precious. It was sweet and endearing, it was slow going, mostly about getting to know each other, being friends first as touch is mostly out of reach for them with Craig's powers. Yet the feelings are THERE, waiting for an opportunity to be explored if only they could.. if Craig could.. if Ari would find a way..
The whole story ended beautifully, Cari wrapped everything up beautifully. Though there is much to do to fix all the wrongs that have been done to both Heroes and Villains, there is HOPE it can be achieved now that GOOD people are making sure it's done. It doesn't matter if they are Villains or Heroes or even Supers. Panopolis CAN change for the benefit of ALL it's people.
A wonderful ending to a SUPERB series. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
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Rating:
★★★★★ |
E-Book
Edition |
223
pages
|
Read on:
5-6 December 2018
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ABOUT THIS SERIES
Panopolis is a Paranormal Series by Cari Z. It
contains three parts, two short one and the 3rd a full length novel.
The first two are novellas, telling us the story of Edward Dinges and
his lover Raul Tremblay who is actually a Villain called "The Mad
Bombardier" in a city full of Heroes and Villains. The last is a full
length novel of Craig Haney (aka "Freight Train"), a Hero we've met in
the previous installments.
Don't expect either Hero nor Villain to be what you'd expect them to be and look for the hidden reasoning for WHY this city is so special.. Yes, there are people behind the amount of Heroes and Villains and the treatment BOTH are getting though very different is still not truly beneficial for both parties.
It's up to the "Good Guys" - Heroes, Villains, regular Joes to bring the evil down and make Panopolis a city for all it's citizens.
This series was simply SUPERB. I enjoyed it SO MUCH. All three installment were extremely engaging. I loved the setting, world building and the way the story progressed. There's a lot of action but within it there are still two sweet love stories.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
Books:
1. Where There's Smoke [Edward Dinges & Raul Tremblay] (Published 25 April 2015) ★★★★★
2. Where There's Fire [Edward Dinges & Raul Tremblay] (Published 12 July 2015) ★★★★★
3. Where There's A Will [Craig Haney & Dr. Ari Mansourian] (Published 3 April 2016) ★★★★★
Don't expect either Hero nor Villain to be what you'd expect them to be and look for the hidden reasoning for WHY this city is so special.. Yes, there are people behind the amount of Heroes and Villains and the treatment BOTH are getting though very different is still not truly beneficial for both parties.
It's up to the "Good Guys" - Heroes, Villains, regular Joes to bring the evil down and make Panopolis a city for all it's citizens.
This series was simply SUPERB. I enjoyed it SO MUCH. All three installment were extremely engaging. I loved the setting, world building and the way the story progressed. There's a lot of action but within it there are still two sweet love stories.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
Books:
1. Where There's Smoke [Edward Dinges & Raul Tremblay] (Published 25 April 2015) ★★★★★
2. Where There's Fire [Edward Dinges & Raul Tremblay] (Published 12 July 2015) ★★★★★
3. Where There's A Will [Craig Haney & Dr. Ari Mansourian] (Published 3 April 2016) ★★★★★
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