All Those Explosions Were Someone Else's Fault

September 1, 2017
The origin story of badass Canadian superheroes fated to defend humanity against a dark scourge. Naturally.A respected emissary for groundbreaking science fiction, Gardner (Gravity Wells, 2014, etc.) kicks a hyperkinetic reboot into gear with a series that combines classic monsters, steampunk-ish science, and a gender-fluid hero who vacillates (delightfully) between snarky and valiant. Our narrator is Kim, born Kimberlite Crystal Lam, a 21-year-old Chinese-Canadian earth sciences student specializing in geology at the University of Waterloo. Kim's world is very different from our own, as the world's nightmares (think vampires, werewolves, demons, and sorcerers) decided that 1982 was a good time to offer power and immortality as a commodity to the insanely wealthy. Now the world's elite roam the world as "Darklings," creatures of immense power and appetites. When Kim and three roommates (goddess Miranda, supportive girlfriend Shar, and Jools) are predictably caught in a freak accident, they turn super. "Wow, I have superpowers!" exclaims one. "Excellent." Armed with a variety of supernatural powers, among them flight, psychic abilities, superstrength, and the ability to shrink down to a subatomic level, the quartet don costumes to enter the battle between Light and Dark as "Sparks." "That's how the Light works," explains an elder. "It supers up everyday people and trusts 'em to do what needs doing. Surprisingly often, they do it." But a "Hiroshima-level" villain named Diamond could be more than this team bargained for. There's the requisite amount of worldbuilding going on here, but the team's humor shines through even in their dire straits--a montage in which the quartet must assemble their costumes and code names is particularly memorable. Through it all, Gardner's adroit, hyperkinetic pace, creative heroes and villains, and refusal to pigeonhole his lead make this a ride well worth the ticket--look forward to seeing Jools and company again in 2018 for the sequel, They Promised Me the Gun Wasn't Loaded.We'll give Gardner's narrator the last word on this terrific superhero adventure: "Spectacularity ensued."

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November 6, 2017
Science spectacularly collides with superhero tales and magic to form the background of Gardner’s often hilarious exploration of friendship, stereotypes, and gender identity. Kim, a genderqueer Canadian of Chinese descent, is a geology major at the University of Waterloo. Kim both exemplifies and resents a number of Asian stereotypes: focused on grades, preternaturally accomplished, and emotionally isolated. Living with take-charge chemist Ashariti, activist physicist Miranda, and jock biologist Jools has only enhanced Kim’s appreciation for studious solitude, but the four roommates are forced to work together after they witness a “scimagical” event and become superheroic Sparks. They’re meant to wield their new powers against the Darklings, ultrarich humans who have voluntarily become vampires, werewolves, and demons. But gender isn’t the only arena in which Kim defies binaries: hidden in Kim’s past is an experience with the Darklings, and the mix of Dark and Light magic and science has the potential to turn this superpowered future on its ear. The themes of identity and self-discovery are strong but not overwhelming, and Gardner (Trapped) elevates this enjoyable urban fantasy with an appealing cast and well-crafted prose. Agent: Lucienne Diver, Knight Agency.

November 15, 2017
Good versus evil is a story that has been told in countless ways, but with the start of the Dark and the Spark series, Gardner (Radiant, 2004) offers a fresh new take with a delightfully fast-paced story. Evil is represented by the Dark Pact, an elite, strictly members-only club made up of all those things that go bump in the night, as long as they can afford the entry feejust about 1 percent of the population. The Good are the Sparks, as in sparks of light, superheroes by any other name. Kim Lam's ordinary life is shaken up by a strange accident when she and her three housemates get zapped and become Sparksjust in time to dive headlong into the latest battle in the eternal struggle of light versus dark. As her past comes back to haunt her in the most literal ways, she and her friends need to master their newfound powers to overcome the darkness. Nonstop action, an engaging narrator, witty characters, and a modern look at an age-old struggle.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)