10/19/2020
Chen (Here and Now and Then) delivers a fun, fast-moving superhero adventure that sees supervillain Mind Robber (aka Jamie Sorenson) continually running into vigilante Throwing Star (aka Zoe Wong) at inconvenient moments—first when he’s mid–bank robbery, and later at the San Delgado Memory Loss & Dementia Support Group. There they discover they share an uncommon backstory: both lost their memories two years ago, waking in strange apartments to find a one-year lease from 2D Industries and a note detailing their superpowers. Zoe’s desperate to know who she was before as proof that she’s “more than just a weapon,” while Jamie’s focused on committing enough robberies to realize his dream of an early retirement. Zoe offers to help Jamie pull off his biggest heist yet if he’ll use his mind manipulation powers to restore her memories. But when Jamie sees himself in Zoe’s mind, he’s sucked into an investigation of his own past and how it intersected with Zoe’s. Chen’s creative spin on the standard hero/villain origin story zips along—and unfortunately speeds past an enormous plot hole, offering a less than satisfactory explanation for the motivations and operations of 2D Industries. Still, fans of the genre will enjoy how thoroughly and gleefully Chen ticks off the checklist of superhero tropes. Agent: Eric Smith, P.S. Literary. (Jan.)
Praise for WE COULD BE HEROES
“I had a blast… a delight from start to finish even if, like me, you don’t know the difference between Batman and Robin.… For these two, being extraordinary is easy. The hard part is being their true selves.” –Riley Sager, New York Times bestselling author of Home Before Dark
“We Could Be Heroes is an incredibly fun and thoughtful take on superhero lore, with flawed but immensely relatable main characters.” —Buzzfeed
“The story of deep friendship and the sheer power that comes from feeling less alone in the world…. An overall enjoyable, exciting, and action-packed read.” –Associated Press
"The perfect blend of light science fiction and contemporary fiction. It’s accessible and easy to read, but because of how vivid the characters are, this book is guaranteed to hook readers from the very first page.... Amazing enemies to friends storyline... The themes of identity, choice, and believing in yourself are woven through every aspect of the story, giving the plot depth and heart. The characters are endearing, and the story is entertaining, culminating in a satisfying ending." —The Nerd Daily
“Propulsive, entertaining…both brainy and fast on its feet…also has a nicely comic touch with aspects of 21st century living.… It’s a dystopian novel that is more sunny than dystopian, warmed by the friendship that grows between Zoe and Jamie. Together they discover their pasts are more troubled than they knew, and that troubled pasts can be overcome.” –San Francisco Chronicle
“A fun, fast-moving superhero adventure…Chen’s creative spin on the standard hero/villain origin story zips along… Fans of the genre will enjoy how thoroughly and gleefully Chen ticks off the checklist of superhero tropes.” –Publishers Weekly
“Interesting characters and solid pacing enliven this superhero story with twists. Chen’s writing wraps hard topics with heartfelt and humorous prose, creating a delightful novel of the steps and missteps of power, friendship, and trust.” –Library Journal
“Richly developed characters and the inner workings of their friendship root the action as the plot dives and twists. Chen’s novels always put character first…The growth of these flawed but relatable super-people power this fast read.” —Booklist
"Brimming with hope, goodwill, and friendship goals, We Could Be Heroes is the Thor: Ragnarok of superhero fiction." —Delilah S. Dawson, New York Times bestselling author of Star Wars Phasma
“Sweet, sincere, and sure to see you sob, We Could Be Heroes is the almost-super hero story we all need right now.“ —Sam Maggs, bestselling author of The Unstoppable Wasp: Built on Hope
"We Could Be Heroes is a potent team-up of terrific characters, unusual ideas, and a ton of heart. It's everything you want in a superhero story." —Jackson Ford, author of The Girl Who Could Move Sh*t With Her Mind
“We Could Be Heroes by Mike Chen is part daring superhero adventure, part mystery that will keep you on the edge of every page-turn. Jamie and Zoe are delightfully flawed and charmingly relatable despite their extraordinary gifts. If you’ve ever wanted to dive deeply into the minds of superheroes and villains, and have a marvelous time doing it, this is the book for you.” —Amanda Deibert, author of Wonder Woman ‘77 and DC Super Hero Girls
11/01/2020
Jamie Sorenson has superpowers. As the Mind Robber, he has been robbing banks and saving the money to get away from San Delgado and its new hero, the Throwing Star. As the Throwing Star, Zoe Wong figures at least she can pound on some bad guys while she tries to figure herself out. These two enemies have one thing in common: neither of them have any memories from before two years ago. When Jamie runs into Zoe at a memory-loss support group, they discover their pasts may be linked, and the search for answers will lead them into a deep conspiracy of medical experiments and memory wipes that threatens their city and more. Each has reasons to mistrust the other, but it will take breaking down boundaries—and pounding on more bad guys—to find their paths to true power. Interesting characters and solid pacing enliven this superhero story with twists. VERDICT Chen's (A Beginning at the End) writing wraps hard topics with heartfelt and humorous prose, creating a delightful novel of the steps and missteps of power, friendship, and trust.—Kristi Chadwick, Massachusetts Lib. Syst., Northampton
Emily Woo Zeller expertly narrates this fast-paced story about friendship, memory, and the murky nature of good and evil. Jamie and Zoe are sworn enemies: Zoe uses her superhuman powers to help people; Jamie uses his ability to manipulate other people’s memories to rob banks. But neither of them can remember their pasts. When they form an alliance to recover their missing memories, they unearth a plot that threatens the safety of their city. Zeller perfectly captures Zoe and Jamie’s personalities. She infuses Zoe with a frenetic energy, and Jamie with a quiet calmness. Jumping smoothly between many accents, Zeller delivers witticisms with perfect timing and quickens her voice deliciously during chase scenes. Her agility makes this audiobook a pure pleasure to listen to. L.S. © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine
Emily Woo Zeller expertly narrates this fast-paced story about friendship, memory, and the murky nature of good and evil. Jamie and Zoe are sworn enemies: Zoe uses her superhuman powers to help people; Jamie uses his ability to manipulate other people’s memories to rob banks. But neither of them can remember their pasts. When they form an alliance to recover their missing memories, they unearth a plot that threatens the safety of their city. Zeller perfectly captures Zoe and Jamie’s personalities. She infuses Zoe with a frenetic energy, and Jamie with a quiet calmness. Jumping smoothly between many accents, Zeller delivers witticisms with perfect timing and quickens her voice deliciously during chase scenes. Her agility makes this audiobook a pure pleasure to listen to. L.S. © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine
