Fallout (Lois Lane)

LOIS LANE by Gwenda Bond is a book that has been on my to-read list for a while, and I was terrified to start it because I was afraid of disappointment.

In LOIS LANE, we meet Lois as a teenager starting a new school and resolving to stay out of trouble, make some friends, and really settle into her new life in Metropolis after moving constantly due to her dad's position in the Army.

On the first day at her new high school, Lois stumbles onto a bullying problem at her school and accepts a position as a student reporter that gives her the opportunity to investigate and take care of that problem.

And so it begins...

First, let it be known that I love comic books (though I'm not the committed fan like a lot of my family members), and I love many of the strong female characters that can be found in them despite a lot of the sexist stuff that exists in the comic book world. So I had incredibly high hopes for LOIS LANE--especially knowing that an author that I know and like was writing it.

That said, I confess that I was a little concerned for the first few chapters of LOIS LANE. I couldn't get into the rhythm of the book, and I was afraid it was going to be another YA book with a bit of action and a LOT of love story.

Thank goodness that ended up not being the case. Once the setting of the story was established, LOIS LANE was almost non-stop action and suspense. There were moments when the story slowed a bit, and I didn't like the way Superman (Smallville Guy) was incorporated into the story, but overall, this was a really good addition to the YA action genre and I look forward to the next in what I hope will be a series.

While the superhero excitement continues to flourish in pop culture, there are wonderful opportunities to take a hero, a lover, a sidekick, or a villain and turn present them in a new light as Gwenda Bond has fabulously done with LOIS LANE: FALLOUT. Many may recognize Lois’s name as the journalist whom Superman falls for, and this story shows just how magnanimous Lois is on her own. Here is a larger than life character I would want as a best friend, someone I can’t help but be inspired by after finishing this book, and a protagonist whose complexity illustrates a perfect balance of strengths, weaknesses, and a thirst for justice. Readers searching for a character with similar qualities to Veronica Mars should grab this one immediately.

Lois wins my pick of favorite character, but the secondary characters shine beautifully in this story as well. With Lois’s father being in the army, she isn’t used to having or keeping friends, and I love her journey in learning to connect and trust others in Metropolis. Maddy, James, and Devin are all distinctive and intriguing, and I can’t wait to see what other adventures they get into in the next book. “SmallvilleGuy” makes quiet but important appearances, and Lois’s messages with him are brimming with true friendship and the intense potential for more someday, awaiting them in the horizon.

The plot unfolds wonderfully, creating various levels of conflict and antagonists from the crushing location of a principal’s office to top secret, illegal program developers. The Warheads prove to be creepy with more than a touch of sadness, and I found it hard not to shiver every time they finished each other’s’ sentences. The back drop of bustling Metropolis is perfect, allowing ample room for corruption, opportunity, and adventure.

FALLOUT is a story I won’t soon (or potentially ever) forget, holding an array of incredible characters, delicious plotting, and a premise of which I can’t get enough. Gwenda Bond takes an important character and transforms her into someone readers can admire and enjoy in a new perspective. I am left with the crucial question of when the next installment is available for preorder.

FALLOUT is fresh, engaging, and impossible to put down. From the first page, readers will be captivated by the voice of Lois Lane, narrator and rebel with a hundred causes. The author perfectly captures Lois's indomitable spirit while also giving us a glimpse of ordinary teen loneliness and a deep desire to finally make friends (in her umpteenth new school) that last. Lois is flawed (headstrong meets refusal to lean on others for help), but she learns her lessons. And even in her flaws, the warrior for righting wrongs that is the core of her being shines through every decision. Her character is engaging and enjoyable, the arc is well-developed, and readers are going to be begging for more books in this series the second they close the last page.

The pacing is spot-on, with just enough breathing spaces between the increasingly tense mystery that Lois is trying to unravel. The mystery itself was fascinating, and the little nuggets placed in the plot for those who love the original Superman series will delight fans without making any part of the book incomprehensible to those who are new to the franchise. The fast-paced plot, along with the engaging characters, make this a perfect book for reluctant readers as well.

FALLOUT is a compelling, fascinating story that will have readers anxious to read another installment of teenage Lois Lane. I highly recommend it.