Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful.
Awesome can't wait for more
By Trishap
Zodiac by the renown Stan Lee, along with Stuart Moore, and illustrated by Andie Tong, is a really good book! This book packs action from the start to the very end and there it promises more as the series is advertised as a trilogy, and thank goodness, because you will be yelling for more, just as I am. I can't wait to find out what happens to Steven, Jasmine, Carlos, Roxanne, Liam, Duane, and Kim, not to mention Maxwell and his goons. But I am ahead of myself, let me start a bit earlier in the story.Steven is just a ordinary kid on a once in lifetime school trip in Hong Kong, when in a strange Chinese heritage museum he slips away from his group, following the strange guide down into the basement (of sorts). While down there Steven and the strange guide (Jasmine) are hit and infused with the power of their Zodiac signs while trying to stop Maxwell from hatching his evil plan, and unfortunately also releasing four rogue Zodiac powers into the wild. Now Steven, Jasmine, and Jasmine's friends must join to track down the people infused by the rogue Zodiac powers before Maxwell as his group of paramilitary goons get to them first.The characters in this book (even with their Zodiac powers) are still believable, they still have the same fears, insecurities, and joys as the rest of us. It is refreshing to see that it didn't get lost, and that maybe things like this can happen to plain everyday people like you and me. It is also nice to see how four kids from very different walks of life and are very different from each other can come together and learn to work as a team. This is also a great book on diversity in so many ways, the weak and the strong, the male and the female, and the different backgrounds and types of people that come together, it just melds together, it's so nice to show that no matter who you are you matter. This is a great book for all the middle graders, boy and girl alike as the two main characters are a boy and a girl and both will make awesome role models and are both strong very capable characters. This book will keep you on the edge of your seat and glued chapter after chapter until you realize you are at the end and you too will be yelling for more.
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful.
I Expected More From Stan Lee
By Jon (Scott Reads It!)
When a book has Stan Lee’s name on it, you expect great things from the man who helped turn Marvel into an international sensation. The Convergence is the first in a planned series that tackles a team of young superheroes who each have a special power based on their zodiac sign. So much of this novel is a setup for our story and establishes what the Zodiac is and so, not enough time is devoted to developing our characters. The heroes and villains are almost cartoonish in nature and are mere husks, devoid of much personality. Steven Lee is a Chinese-American teenager who struggles to balance his heritage and American culture. He’s never really felt like he’s been apart of anything and has felt like an outsider his whole life. When he finds out that he is a Tiger and is asked to join the Zodiac, it seems like this is what he’s been waiting for along. To defeat Maxwell, Steven and his team leader Jasmine need to recruit other Zodiac team members from all over the globe. I applaud Lee and Moore for including very diverse characters from a variety of backgrounds, making this team more relatable. I believe that reader’s will find Steven’s cultural struggle very realistic and will only make him easier to empathize with. Considering that the majority of superheroes out there are white, it’s refreshing to see that Stan Lee is following Marvel’s mission to make superheroes more diverse in The Convergence. Zodiac will definitely appeal to those who loved Ms. Marvel and the female Thor and this novel is the answer to the public’s appeal for a different kind of hero. Zodiac has a large cast of characters and many of them aren’t given enough page time causing the majority of the characters to be pretty basic. Steven and Jasmine are the only characters whose personalities had any substance, everyone else’s characters are vague and lacking. In addition, we’re never given the opportunity to understand the motives of the villains, beyond the fact that they’re evil. I wanted to understand why someone would destroy a city and plan on destroying the whole world next. While Zodiac is very readable and addicting, it lacked the heart and soul that was apparent in classic Marvel comics. This is a decent series opener and my interest is definitely piqued, but I expected more from Stan Lee.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful.
Young comic fans will enjoy this original series pulling from lore with a modern-day ...
By SciFiChick
Young Steven Lee is suddenly give the powers of a Tiger from a mystical Zodiac. And he becomes an integral part of a renegade group whose sole purpose is to stop a tyrannical madman from gaining the ultimate power from the entire Zodiac. Lee and his new acquaintances must hunt down the youth who have gained powers of the Zodiac and recruit them, before others can reach them.Convergence is the first in a new super-powered series from the living legend, Stan Lee. Young comic fans will enjoy this original series pulling from lore with a modern-day twist. The young characters are unique and entertaining. And the villains (at least the henchmen) are given personalities and backstories as well. This exciting series debut is packed with action, mystery, and humor. And it ends with a big showdown that doesn’t disappoint. There’s even a fun twist at the end that will leave readers eager for the next in the series.*Review previously posted at SciFiChick.com
