Review – Cho5en by William Dickstein
I better mention before I write this review, that I got a free unedited copy directly from the author, but this in no way influenced my opinion of the book.
Cho5en is a superhero tale, part of a world told in a bunch of episodes, the first of which you can download for free if you wish to give it a try. I received the tale of Ivy, but there are other options out there.
As mentioned, this is a superhero story. The world has changed, with superheroes basically running the show. There are two types, those who possess a gene that activates at a moment of stress, giving them their powers, and agents who are “muggles,” signing up and receiving implants to gain their skills, making them cyborgs in all but name. Ivy is a “born” superhero, her gene activated when her father was killed when Ivy was a child. Now a ward of the superhero state, we meet her in the academy as she endeavours to make the cut and join a hero team. Here’s my thoughts on the novel:
Worldbuilding
Quite an interesting idea. Superheroes running the world in a kind of Agents of Shield scenario. The powers are somewhat run of the mill – speed, strength, telepathy and so forth – but there’s nothing ridiculous either. I can’t say the same for the agents, who seem to have “an app for that” for almost any scenario, which was somewhat irksome. Also, despite their concerns about their power waning, it never seemed to happen, We only have Ivy’s story, but the technology that seems to be available to the world government, isn’t available to those they rule. A nice touch is the “villains.” They’re are genetic heroes who chose to freelance, thus becoming bad guys by default. Perhaps a little hint at some government oppression that shall be revealed down the road?
Score – 2.5/5
Characters
Ivy is an interesting character. Becoming an orphan at an early age, she has little knowledge of her family, and is completely ingrained into the state. She also knows little about her powers though. She hears voices that talk with her, and protect her when she is in danger, We hear her adventures as she works her way through her last days at the academy, and as her instructors struggle to figure out her power. We get to read some of her father’s journals, which shed some light on the background, and it is interesting to learn of him too. The other characters are either mere cameos, or not particularly interesting, such as Lochlann and Khard, who are almost unintentional parodies of every buddy movie ever made.
Score – 3/5 (thanks,to Ivy)
Plot
The plot is one of the strengths of the book, as everyone is in the dark about what’s going on, and the author maintains the mystery by revealing a little at a time – there are no flashes to meetings of dark minds, revealing the plot in sizeable chunks. There are two main plot strands over this part of the series, with some quick peeks at what I deem to be the main plot of the series. The first plot strand is Ivy and her academic struggles,. As she comes close to graduation, her lack of concrete knowledge regarding her powers weigh more heavily, as it is part of her success. Imagine it as knowing the general idea of your thesis, but having no idea of your closing argument. The second revolves around the two agents as they investigate some strange goings on in a small town. It has its moments, but not quite as engaging as Ivy’s, and how the two tie together at the end is a bit of a stretch.
Score – 3.5/5
Writing
It’s okay, and has a Teen/YA vibe to it. There is the occasional use of “big words” that look out of place in the context of the story, but don’t really fit and it is one of my pet peeves, so take that as you will. I liked the use of bold/italics for Ivy’s conversations with her voices, but when they started popping up in Lochlann’s parts, it wasn’t obvious (at least to me) straight away that she was telling the tale after the fact. Some of the dialogue was a bit stilted, and people were too quick to forgive someone who beat the crap out of them five minutes earlier, for example.
Score – 2.5/5
Personal Enjoyment
I love superhero stuff, and this was a nice take on the genre, at least in concept. As I mentioned, Ivy was a good narrator, and a pretty normal teen. Who has super powers. Also, the plot was good, and there is enough potential for this series to have some serious legs, as long as the author can keep the plot ticking over and making sense. He could have mini MCU on his hands if he plays his cards right.
Score – 3/5
Verdict
Not a bad start to a potentially long-running series.
Total Score – 14.5/25
