Publisher’s blurb:
Why did Robin Laughlin (aka. Failstate) think being a superhero on a reality show would be a good idea again? Things seemed so simple: win the show, become an official, licensed hero. But with his brother, Ben (aka. Gauntlet) stealing America’s heart and his own powers proving too unwieldy even for the monitored studio challenges, Robin begins to wonder if his calling isn’t to save the world after all.
Until one of his competitors is murdered.
Vowing to find the killer, Robin sets out on a very real quest to unmask the hidden villain. Can Robin find justice? Or will his lunk of a big brother ruin everything?
I’m starting to think of Marcher Lord Press the same way I think of Pixar Studios. I remind myself each time I pick up their newest book that sometime some book has to fall short of the high standards of its predecessors. And then I walk away stunned that somehow the new book has knocked expectations out of the park. Failstate has definitely raised the bar for future releases.
It seems best to start with the two partial complaints I had while reading the story. I say partial because they are both very easy to overlook and mostly came of an actual effort to think of any possible negatives before recommending it to a friend for her kids to read.
The first is that many of the adult characters seem underdeveloped. I think much of this stems from a having a first person narrative by a teenager. Most of the people Robin is interacting with are his own age, and many of adults only have walk on parts. But I never really felt grounded when it came to his parents. I spent most of the book wondering if his mother knew about his superpowers or not. Based on the conclusion of the book I even suspect that Mr. Otte was deliberately withholding information on Robin’s parents for a later book. So, a small peeve I admit.
My other partial negative is that the book is very clearly written for teenagers. However, it was done in a fashion I could appreciate, and I’m sure that for teenagers, this would be a great bonus. For me and for most of the people I lend books too though, this makes the book a little less relatable. Like many books aimed at a certain demographic, Failstate is still immensely enjoyable for adults and even younger children.
The best part of Failstate, like many other Marcher Lord books, is the way a strong Christian message is woven through the story without seeming forced or preachy. The pastor’s role and the role of Robin’s faith enhance the story and add a new dimension to the world of superheroes. I think that in a world of “great power” there has always been a question of where “great responsibility” comes from. Rather than expect some kind of inherent goodness in heroes, Failstate shows them turning to God for the strength and the wisdom to use their powers for His glory.