Christine Dark, college student and nerdgirl, is transported to an alternate reality where she gains super-powers, but becomes a pawn in a game of powers far beyond her comprehension. Christine Dark, a somewhat-directionless college student with an absentee father, is transported from a kegger to an alternate universe where superheroes exist. She is initially helpless and at the mercy of her summoners, but she is quickly rescued by face-changing vigilante Face-Off, who is guided by precog Cassandra. In a dream state, Cassandra tells Christine Dark that great events are afoot, and that she will play a key role.
Click here to see the rest of this review...
Meanwhile, at the home of the world's premiere superhero team, the Freedom Legion, the ultra-powerful Ultimate the Invincible Man is confronted in a press conference by allegations that his wife left him out of fear for her life. He experiences a visible and dangerous flash of anger, frightening the world. He reveals to his close friends Daedalus and Doc Slaughter that he is increasingly losing control of his emotions.
Face-Off takes Christine to a church, where he explains that she has entered an alternate reality where superheroes came into existence around the time of World War II. The super-powered individuals are called Neo-Olympians, and Christine shows signs of being one herself, despite her extra-dimensional origins. The exposition is interrupted by a news flash: the Freedom Legion is under attack by unknown foes. The assault is devastating, leaving the Legion reeling.
Face-Off and Christine Dark visit the former's friend and fellow Neo Condor's lair, where Condor and his ladyfriend Kestrel (Face-Off's ex) test the limits of Christine's powers. They find that Christine has the ability to summon an energy field, as well as the longevity, endurance, and strength attendant to Neos as a whole. They also find that her power level approaches Type Three, the most powerful level of Neo ability known.
In the aftermath of the attack the Legion finds evidence linking the attacks to the Neo-dominated Empire of China, but diplomatic concerns prevent direct action. Ultimate decides to seek psychological help, according to a recommendation by Daedalus. And a Freedom Legion operative named Chastity, trying to help a defecting Chinese scientist, is attacked by a powerful Neo, but is able to overcome him in a horrific way by using a dagger given to her by Daedalus, draining her foe's essence and increasing her own minimal Neo power in the process.
The reporter who ambushed Ultimate at the press conference runs afoul of pro-superhero hooligans, who cripple him. He is found by Mr. Night, an agent of the parties behind the recent events, who kills the reporter as a part of a cover-up. We also discover that the Russian mobsters who Face-Off killed to rescue Christine were in the employ of the same shadowy cabal, as is a mysterious Ukranian Neo named Archangel.
Christine, Face-Off, Condor, and Kestrel follow a lead on the Russians to the former sidekick of a Neo called the Lurker. Unfortunately, the Russians are aware of their activities, and send a team to capture them, employing an as-yet unknown technology that drains Neo powers. Christine is able to escape, but the others are taken captive and tortured.
Chastity confronts Daedalus about the dagger, and he reveals that it uses a strange, magical technique to tap in to the power that drives the Neo, called the Source. The reader also finds out that Daedalus is one of the key conspirators driving events, along with anti-Neo media mogul Twist. Their employee Archangel, accompanied by Russian superman the Bear and Japanese Neo Lady Shi, close in on Cassandra, who, despite knowing that she will die, unleashes her full power to delay the enemy agents.
Christine wanders for a while until a confrontation with local authorities draws media attention. Ultimate arrives, under the mental control of the cabal. While captured by him, Christine is able to manipulate the Source link between Ultimate and his controller to break him free; the two set off to find the others.
Condor, Kestrel, and Face-Off are freed from captivity by the Lurker, who demonstrates powers far in excess of his recorded potential. They reunite with Christine, who recognizes the Lurker as her absent father. The Lurker claims that his new powers are the result of his affiliation with the Source. He reveals that he kept her in our world, where her abilities would be repressed, in order to keep her as a reserve to protect the Source. The team heads to the Lurker's lair.
After an extended delay, Archangel breaks free of Cassandra's power, only to be denied vengeance when she dies from the strain. He swears vengeance on Face-Off instead. He and his companions head to intercept the heroes.
At the lair, Christine is confronted with mystical lettering that tell the story of extra-dimensional conflict that resulted in the creation of the Neo-Olympians to help protect reality. Her epiphany is interrupted by the arrival of Archangel, the Bear, and Lady Shi. In the struggle, Face-Off is almost killed, but Christine discovers that she can manipulate the Source to save him. Face-Off and Christine combine their powers, decapitating Archangel; Lady Shi also dies in the conflict. When Mr. Night arrives, the Lurker forces the others to leave while he expends his great power to stop the puppetmaster, dying in the process.
The story concludes with the heroes dedicating themselves to finding the rest of the truth about the conflict and saving the Earth in the process. In a coda, a grieving Bear, mourning Lady Shi, is enlisted by Mr. Night for the next stage in his plan.
Best part of story, including ending:
Carell's prose is overly-expositional and lacks tonal variation at times, but his world-building is immaculate. Fans of franchise fiction will find a lot to like here.
Best scene in story:
The flashbacks to Christine's childhood and her fractured relationship with her absent father provide an emotional core that drives the latter portion of the book.
Opinion about the main character:
Christine Dark is a likable protagonist, scattered and uncertain as to her place in the new world she is thrust into.
