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Ex-Heroes Book Summary and Study Guide

Detailed plot synopsis reviews of Ex-Heroes


In the ruins of Los Angeles, a band of superheroes and the community of survivors they keep watch over must fight against both the undead "ex-human" hordes and a hostile band of gang members with their own powers. In the zombie wastelands, a small survivor community in the Mount, a former film studio, is watched over by a set of superheroes. We find out more about their history in flashbacks, beginning with George, a.k.a. Saint George, formerly the Mighty Dragon. George's origins lie in a mysterious accident at the university where he worked as a janitor, which gives him powers: fire breath, a tremendous jump, the ability to glide, super strength, and incredible endurance. George's compatriots include Stealth (a beautiful woman a genius IQ and an almost pathological detachment from humanity), Cerberus (a suit of robot armor piloted by its builder), Zzzap (a pop-culture obsessed man in a wheelchair capable of transforming into an entity of pure energy), Gorgon (with a power-draining gaze that allows him to build his own strength temporarily), and Regenerator (a med student with a healing touch, though his power is now consumed trying to fight off the "ex" infection coursing through his own arm).
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The Mount survives by sending out scavenging parties into the large LA landscape that surrounds them. During a trip to Los Feliz, the group is ambushed by a group of exes and a communications jammer, temporarily isolating them from their base and forcing them to abandon one of their semis. Meanwhile, a small wave of zombies assault the compound, although they are repelled with too much effort. The group is also attacked by the South Seventeens, a former street gang from Koreatown that many of their number tangled with before the apocalypse. Now the Seventeens have their own base, somewhere in LA. The heroes take several Seventeens prisoners, though most of them kill themselves in captivity.

Another party is sent out to recover the lost semi. They find a new set of traps and a raiding party of Seventeens. The heroes are dismayed to find that the gang has managed to wrangle the former hero Cairax, a demonic giant now turned ex. They indicate that the scavenging party will be ransomed for the Mount's guns. The situation is changed when George arrives to reinforce Cerberus, and the gang is forced to back down in the face of superior force, though not without threatening to invade the Mount.

Meanwhile, inside the Hollywood compound, Stealth and Gorgon are astounded when one of the suicided Seventeens, now an ex, begins talking. It serves as a mouthpiece for Peasy, the gang's leader. it demands Gorgon, an old foe of the Seventeens, turn himself over in exchange for the survival of the compound as a whole.

The reunited hero team strategizes on how to best deal with the new gang threat. They observe the ex horde ouside the base acting in unison and seemingly observing their actions. George and Stealth set out to survey the Seventeens' camp. They discover evidence debunking the initial assumption that the talking exes represented zombies somehow maintaining intellectual capacity. instead, they find that Peasy is a superpowered individual as well, with the ability to control exes and act through them, as well as superhuman size and strength. Peasy finds the heroes and the two factions threaten each other. The Seventeens swear that they will assail and destroy the Mount that night. George and Stealth retreat with the news.

The heroes prepare for a siege. Gorgon surmises that their foe is Rodney Casares, the former top dog of the Seventeens. The group figures out that Rodney's chosen moniker is actually PZ, standing for Patient Zero. Some careful deduction links an attack on Rodney, which infected him with the virus and prompted the growth of his superpowers, with the death of Regenerator's wife. The horrible truth is revealed: the "ex" virus is the result of Regenerator's failed attempt to resurrect his dead wife. When Stealth attempts to end the ex plague by killing Regenerator, it becomes apparent that his healing powers, thought to have been ended by the infection in his arm, still function as far as keeping himself alive.

Rodney's attack on the Mount begins with his deployment of another undead superhero, Midknight, whose ability kills the electrical power at the Mount. As panic begins to spread, the Seventeens, led by Peasy, Cairax, and a horde of exes, attack. George attacks Cairax, only to find out that the dead demon's teeth and claws are actually capable of piercing his powerful flesh. Eventually, George manages to beat the demon by removing its magical amulet, discovering an ability to fly in the process. At the same time, Gorgon sallies forth to confront Rodney, who uses the reanimated corpse of Gorgon's girlfriend Banzai to get inside his guard and kill him. Cerberus, who harbored an attraction to Gorgon, steps forward and avenges her fallen comrade by decapitating the giant Rodney. Leaderless and surrounded by suddenly-hostile exes, the Seventeens scatter or surrender. The book ends with George and Stealth discussing the future of the Mount. Stealth signals her trust of George by telling him her real name, and and the two set out to make a better world.
Best part of story, including ending: Superheroes and zombies are an oddly appealing combo, and Collins' focus on the history of his be-spandexed supporting cast balances between Watchmen-esque realism and Silver Age oddity. The mystery at the core of the novel also unfolds nicely.

Best scene in story: The book's final chapter, when the Mighty Dragon accepts his responsibility to protect the survivors, ties things together nicely.

Opinion about the main character: George's high moral standards combined with his personal fallibility make him a oddity: a relatable superhuman.

The review of this Book prepared by Joshua Richardson a Level 4 Yellow-Headed Blackbird scholar

A handful of LA's last superheroes protect innocent people against a zombie menace. Peter Clines' Ex-Heroes follows a small group of superhumans who protect the Mount, a walled portion of a Hollywood production lot in Los Angeles. These superheroes - St. George (formally known as the Mighty Dragon), Stealth, Zzzap, Gorgon, Regenerator, and Cerberus, are all that stands between a small human population and millions of shambling, undead zombies outside the Mount's walls. Unfortunately for the heroes, there are living humans outside the walls, too – a gang called the Seventeens who managed to not only survive the zombie apocalypse, but thrive in the new, harsh world. The Seventeens also have two undead heroes on their side, the demonic Cairax and the shadow-wielder Midknight. During the course of several supply runs, St. George and the others face a series of unexpected clashes with the Seventeens, one of whom receives a fatal shot to the head – and promptly gets back up to taunt the heroes. The story alternates between the present day and the past, where the lives of the heroes are detailed, and the true source of the zombie plague stands revealed. As the final battle between the heroes and the Seventeens looms, St. George and his fellow superhumans find out that the leader of the Seventeens has a superpower as well, one that could spell doom for everyone in the Mount.
Best part of story, including ending: I enjoyed Ex-Heroes because it involves two of my favorite genres, superheroes and zombies.

Best scene in story: I enjoyed the final fight scenes between St. George, his fellow heroes,and the Seventeens, because of the intense, life-or-death stakes of the fight for everyone living in the Mount.

Opinion about the main character: I liked the fact that St. George was immensely powerful, almost immortal, and yet all too human in his mannerisms, thoughts, and feelings.

The review of this Book prepared by Adam Koeth a Level 3 Eurasian Jay scholar

Chapter Analysis of Ex-Heroes

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Plot & Themes

Composition of Book Descript. of chases or violence 30%planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives 25%Feelings, relationships, character bio/development 25%Descript. of society, phenomena (tech), places 20% Tone of book    -   suspenseful (sophisticated fear) FANTASY or SCIENCE FICTION?    -   science fiction story Is this an adult or child's book?    -   Adult or Young Adult Book Horror story?    -   Yes Horror plotlets    -   the zombie chased me!

Main Character

Identity:    -   Male Profession/status:    -   champion of justice    -   warrior/knight Age:    -   20's-30's If magical mental powers:    -   super strength

Setting

Earth setting:    -   near future (later in 21st century)    -   current (early 21st century) Takes place on Earth?    -   Yes

Writing Style

Accounts of torture and death?    -   moderately detailed references to deaths    -   explicit references to deaths scientific jargon? (SF only)    -   none/very little science jargon needed    -   some scientific explanation How much dialogue?    -   roughly even amounts of descript and dialog

Books with storylines, themes & endings like Ex-Heroes

Peter Clines Books Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s).
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