Bystanders

Author Phillip Murrell provided the first three books in the Bystanders series for review. Apologies to him for taking so long to get to them. I wrestled with the decision to read all three books and review them as a series or to do them individually. I am currently half way through the second book, and even though they are not stand alone books I think individually is the way to go. 

After reading the first chapter of Bystanders I seriously thought my testosterone levels had probably increased. The action while not completely nonstop, it was darn close. We start with a superhero (maybe?) suddenly making an appearance in the small town of Colberton. 

Many interweaving story lines with pretty well developed characters, quite a complex story. This would be my complaint about this book: too much. It seems like the author doesn't want to leave out any social group almost too much of a nod to inclusivity. There are strong females able to kick male butt, sensitive males, hardcore toxic males, gays, mental disorders, military style tech, females fighting the patriarchy, teenage angst and parental dysfunction, the usual assortment of good guys and bad guys. I was overwhelmed by the diversity of the characters and their own stories. By the time I finished this first installment I came to the conclusion that there really weren't any of the characters that should be edited out of the story. It just requires a bit more attention on the part of the reader.

Good start to the series, we aren't given much in the way of backstory for our semi-superhero which was another argument in favor of completing the three books as one. But I have since learned that the series extends beyond three books so that pretty much ends the argument.

Overall really enjoyed the book and looking forward to continuing the story. But I am hoping for more answers. Over the top in all aspects (that's a good thing) taking the reader on a very wild ride. Open the book, start reading and hang on! Enjoy!

Mike