The Somebody People

July 13, 2020
Proehl’s whirlwind follow-up to The Nobody People starts at a run and only picks up steam as it goes on, which will delight some readers, but leave others in the dust. Seven years after series heroine Fahima Deeb triggered the Pulse, which left millions of people—referred to as resonants—with enhanced abilities, the general public still struggles to accept the superpowered among them, while safe havens like Bishop Academy allow resonants to hone their skills. But even isolated from the rest of the world, peace cannot last: Fahima discovers that someone is taking over the minds of other resonants to exploit their powers. Worse yet, the mysterious villain is primarily operating through the body of Fahima’s friend, Patrick Davenport. If Fahima and her unlikely team of friends can’t stop him, the precarious peace between resonants and nonresonants may give way to a new wave of hatred. Proehl does an admirable job navigating the nuances of otherness and bigotry while ably juggling his myriad distinctive characters. But the complex plot becomes difficult to untangle as it barrels forward, and Proehl rarely gives context to relationships and story lines carried over from the first installment. Readers will be delighted to return to this X-men-esque fantasy world, but are advised to refresh their memories of the first volume before diving in.