Rating: 4.3 Stars
The Nobody People by Bob Proehl is an X-Men like story about people who have special abilities that have been in hiding for decades or more. The story highlights how people are scared of anyone or anything that is different and they do not understand; and how this leads to prejudices then quickly turns to persecution.
The first portion of the story is told from the POV of Avi, a reporter, who is asked by a friend to look into a strange occurrence. What he stumbles onto is a new race of humans, they call themselves Resonants, who have special abilities. These abilities manifest around early adolescence. At about the same time, he learns his daughter has a special ability.
Avi is introduced to the group of people who run a school in New York City for Resonants and he is the one tasked with telling their story and introducing them to the world. Of course, this “coming out” does not go entirely as planned. Imagine that!
The story switches gears here and the author, for the most part, leaves Avi behind and tells the story through the eyes of the Resonants as Homeland Security starts rounding them up and putting them in camps. The Resonants must decide if they will continue to hide, submit, or fight.
This is an imaginative take on super heroes. I loved how the author betrayed what would happen when the Resonants came out, so to speak. It was spot on. Control anything you can’t understand and because they are different you can disregard the fact they are human. I also liked where the story went. If something like this were to happen, I can easily see the events occurring.
I liked the characters a lot. However, there was so much going on I did not get as much character development as I would have liked, with the exception of Avi. The pace of the plot was excellent and there were enough twists to keep me reading well past my bedtime.
One last comment I wish to make. I struggled with the rating because while it is not a five for me, it is better than a 4. I will make it as 4 but in reality I feel it is closer to 4.5.
This is a fresh look at super heroes and I enjoyed reading it. There is a lot left hanging so I am lookly forward to the next installment. I just hope I don’t have to wait too long. I recommend this book to anyone that likes science fiction stories. Especially those readers who are into super heroes. I received a free copy from the publisher through NetGalley.