Summer Reading 2013 Hero.com and Villain.net

Another of the books I read this summer is Rise of the Heroes (Hero.Com #1) by Andy Briggs. In the story, some kids discover a website that will let you download super powers to try out. I enjoyed the interaction of the characters. Their very realistic reaction to finding super powers on the Internet was amusing; rather than investigate or try to find instructions, they simply begin downloading powers.

The website also offers the users a choice of missions where they can use their powers. When the kids foil a bank robbery, they become the enemies of a super villain who vows revenge. There are all sorts of other problems: the powers only last a certain length of time, they need the computer to download more powers, they have to pay for any more powers after the free trial period is over, and they are trying to keep their parents from finding out about all of this.

The action is fast-paced and makes it a quick read. I think boys and girls would both enjoy it, because the male and female characters are believable - and the girls have just as much intelligence and use their powers just as well as (or better than) the boys. Anyone who enjoys super hero stories (whether they are comics, books, or videos), will enjoy this series and the companion books from Villain.Net. We have both these books in the library.

Find more info on the book at Amazon.com. 

Of course, if the good guys have a website to recruit young new heroes - the bad guys need their own recruiting site. The other side of the story is told in the Villain.Net series, beginning with Council of Evil. For more info on the book, check out Amazon.com. The way the author, Andy Briggs, has written the stories so they overlap and the characters know each other and make appearances in both series is really clever.

And if you would like to see more of what the characters see when they visit the website, try it out yourself.