Meta

Meta is a novel about Connor Connolly coming to terms with his life altering after becoming the first known bearer of metabands in a decade. The bands grant the owner, and only it's owner, super powers that can vary between each metahuman. Unfortunately, the bands don't come with an instruction manual so it is up to Connor to learn exactly what he is capable of as a metahuman.The novel is told in the first person and Connor is instantly likeable in this role with his tragic past, his awkward encounters with his crush, Sarah, and his relationship with his mysterious mentor, Midnight.There are plenty of action scenes as the story unfolds and builds up to the final encounter. Along the way however there are also some funny moments as Connor discovers his powers and tries to keep up his normal life working at the lake.Fans of the podcasts that Tom co-hosts with his good friend Tim will also recognise a few references with one in particular towards the end that caused me to laugh out loud on my morning commute. It was worth the awkward glances I received!Overall I would recommend this as being well worthy of a read as it was fast paced, entertaining, amusing and with some interesting characters for whom there is still a lot of mystery to be solved, perhaps in a future novel..

Ten years ago, Connor Connolly lost both of his parents in an event remembered by the world as the Battle, a final showdown between the world's most powerful superhero, the Governor, and it's greatest villain, Jones. Now, whilst trying to save a little girl in the woods, Connor suddenly finds himself in the possession of superpowers that rival even the Governor's.The first thing that draws you to this book is its excellent cover, featuring a superhero silhouetted in front of a setting sun, hovering above a city, with the title and author name emblazoned just above and behind the character's head. Ladies and gentleman, if you are thinking of self-publishing, this is the standard of cover you should aspire to.The book is basically the origin story of new superhero Omni, aka Conner Connolly. Following the infamous Battle, superheroes, or Metas as Reynolds calls them, disappeared from the public eye, most likely because of the collateral death toll of the Battle, or because the Meta bands (think Wonder Woman's bracelets), which granted normal human beings superpowers, stopped working. Connor is the first of a new wave of Metas who received these bands. It's not clear from the novel how people are picked by the bands, as in Green Lantern, but for Connor, they seem to latch on to him rather like a symbiotic life-form (like Spiderman and Venom). The rest of the novel, Connor spends his time trying to master his fear of the powers he's been given, whilst trying to learn how to use the powers and keep his identity a secret, which is difficult considering the almost omniscience of smartphones and CCTV. Oh, and there is a new super villain, the Controller (not the fat guy from Thomas the Tank Engine), who can manifest huge monsters and has the habit of sending them after Metas. Luckily, Connor is taken under the wing by Midnight, a man who wears a black cape and cowl to protect his identity, has no super-powers but knows how to take Metas down, uses martial arts and an array of gadgets including a grapnel gun (no rewards for guessing who this one is based on), and a new lady Meta, Iris.The story is set entirely in and around the fictional Bay View City. By far the most interesting thing about the setting of the book is of course the Metas. The book briefly explores the theories about the origins of the Meta bands, with the most likely theory being that they are an alien technology that has ended up on earth by design or accident. The Meta bands are made from an extra-terrestrial metal that bond to wearer at a genetic level. They can be removed when powered down, but are useless to anyone else (at least until the wearer is dead). The bands magnify the wearer's physical attributes and grant them various super powers, in Omni's case, flight, teleportation, super-strength and speed, the ability to freeze. The other interesting development in Reynold's world is that human's inspired by the Meta-powered decided to put on masks and become vigilantes too, with varying degrees of success. Some were pretty much fan-clubs and fodder for criminals and super-villains to pound on, others became side-kicks to Metas, but a few managed to make a name for themselves, chief amongst the latter being, Midnight, Reynolds homage to Batman.Connor Connolly comes across as the average teen, trying to get through school without drawing too much attention to himself, which is even more difficult when you're the only person in the class who lost someone during the Battle; especially when the current topic of study is the Battle. Even when he receives his powers, Connor comes across as being well-grounded and morally upstanding, which kind of makes him a little boring. For most part, he follows instructions (from Midnight and Iris) and tries and stay off the Controller's radar. He would have been a lot more interesting if he had shown more angst over his loss and more adventurous in exploring his powers. Reynolds does try to illustrate Connor's internal struggle and perhaps his personal past is what stops Connor from going all out with his powers.The writing is solid enough and the plot doesn't seem to vary much from the typical comic book hero's journey. The comic book influences are clear throughout (leaning more towards DC comics), and yet despite this (or maybe because of this) I found Meta compelling reading. There are better examples of this kind of fiction out there, namely Jade Kerrion's Double Helix series, and the Brandon Sanderson's Steelheart and Legion, but nevertheless this is a decent superhero story and a good YA novel. I wasn't blown away by this book but I most certainly did enjoy it and on that basis recommend this book to you.

I wasn't sure if I would enjoy this when I saw it advertised. But to my happiness it was great fun. I loved that The Controller reminded me of the Comic book store guy from Simpson's almost a nod to a cool character.The whole plot was great. I loved the idea of having these meta bands which once worn became a part of you and could only be worn by you after the first time worn.I definitely recommend this if you feel like a fun superhero romp with awkward teen "love story" staring to blossom. I'm looking forward to starting The Second Wave shortly.

I purchased Meta whilst on holiday, it popped up as a recommendation on my Kindle, I liked the premise in the description and gave it a try. I can whole heartedly say that I wasn't disappointed, the pace of the story is steady without one of those awful rambling back stories to highlight the angst and emotional confusion of a teenager so often found in these books. The characters are endearing and whilst not fully realised yet, they didn't detract from the story, it actually left me with a desire to learn more about them.I thought Meta was light hearted and fun, with a good mix of action and a couple of the plot lines made me laugh out loud by the pool (did I mention I'm writing this on holiday). I read the book in a single day and was deeply disappointed that I couldn't get the sequel immediately.In summary, a fun and innovative read that I would be happy to recommend to anyone and considering I would not normally write a review that's substantial praise in itself. Give it a shot....

Most YA authors have a difficult time balancing the story and immersing the reader. Not this book though. This is the 2nd time I have read it and I have to say it is even better the 2nd time around.The teen angst that is typical in these sorts of books is there but it does not overwhelm. That would have made me put down the book instantly as most writers seem to either overdo it or not include it at all.I find myself wanting to read more on this character and felt it was too fast paced even though it was the best speed for this kind of book/story.If you are looking for a superhero book that's easy to get into, enjoy and fully immerse oneself in, then this is a perfect example of what you want.