The Ninth Metal

Too much going on here. And none of the characters had a distinct voice, so they all blended together.

This is essentially a comic book novel. It's an origin story of a superhero, with more than few nods to Superman's early days. It's apparently the first in a shared world series, and there's a sense that it's a little like the first Iron Man movie - a fun adventure that sets the stage for something bigger to come along in its wake. The book took a little while to click with me - I wasn't at all impressed by the opening chapters but after a while I realised I was getting through the pages pretty quickly. It's a fast moving read, and while I'm not sure there's an awful lot gong on under the surface, it's entertaining.