The Upstream Writer: Reader's Review: "Excelsior" by George Sirois

Synopsis from Amazon:

A comic strip. An evil to defeat. Two planets to save.

High school senior Matthew Peters thinks he’s just writing some online fiction about an alien superhero, Excelsior. But when a woman arrives at his school claiming to be from the distant planet he’s writing about, he must think again. What’s more, she says Excelsior’s lifeforce lives within him.

As an alien assassin tries to kill him, Matthew must decide what is more important: to save his own life or to retrieve an ancient artifact that could save two worlds. To stay the guy with growing online popularity, or lose himself to something he can’t understand. Whatever his choice, he must face an enemy more powerful than him in almost every way.

Hold on to your seat as you race through the first book in George Sirois’ series, The Excelsior Journey, a story that will leave you gasping for breath and wanting more.

Put down the pen.
Pick up the sword.
Unleash the hero within.

>>>>>>>>

My Review:

I have to admit, when I first read a description of this book and its premise, I got very excited. As a writer, I can attest to the fact that it would probably be both my wildest dream and my most terrifying nightmare if one day, out of the blue, some people arrived and said they were the characters in a story that had hitherto only existed in my imagination.

In the case of Matthew Peters, he discovers that not only is the story he is writing about something that actually happened in another dimension, but it came from the actual memories of their greatest hero--and he is the "chosen host" of that hero, the next incarnation destined to battle and destroy the vile enemy who strives to destroy the hero's entire world.

He's an innocent enough hero--high school senior, living with his uncle after his parents died, who started writing this comic since the age of ten, all centered around this mysterious and incredible artifact he saw in a museum once... thrilled about getting five thousand follows on his blog... Just trying to make it to graduation, so he can figure out what he wants to do with his life...

Is it just me or does this sound like a Marvel Comic Origin Story?

The dual storyline, telling about the scenes from this other dimension, and more importantly, the frantic search in a foreign planet for both the weapon and the hero to wield it, was a little hard to get into at first, and the names really did feel like they were "invented" by a teenage boy... but then again, I make it through the Chronicles of Lorrek and all those strange names just fine, so that part didn't bother me as much as it might bother someone else. If anything, the bizarre names lent an air of credibility to the fact that these characters weren't humans from Earth, but a humanoid race from an entirely different dimension!

The character interactions felt a little staged, like you knew where everything was headed most of the time--but it was the pacing that kept things from stalling out entirely. The fight scenes were well-framed and the twists just kept coming as the characters learned to work cohesively as a team, and the main characters stepped up to stand against the ruthless forces of evil. I felt like the important lessons Matthew (and even Jason) learned as they prepared for the battle and then went through with it were presented with a lot of intentionality, which was good. All in all, I did feel like I'd read your average superhero comic book--which I do not doubt (based on the sheer amount of references alone) was the author's objective, so to that I can say "Mission Accomplished!" Especially considering the real-life inspiration behind the creation of this novel... the story was not lacking in significance!

It is due to all of these factors taken together that I can give EXCELSIOR a solid *****4.5 STAR***** rating, and for the good, wholesome story, the excellent villains, the development of distinct characters rather than just faceless names that blend into each other... I'm going to add an Upstream Writer Certified Recommended endorsement. If you're looking for a light, fun, simplistic, superhero-type story in a brand-new setting, enjoyable for readers young and old, then EXCELSIOR awaits!

Further Reading: (Space-Based Adventure/GameLit/Sci-Fantasy/Young Heroes)

Puatera Online--Dawn Chapman

-Desert Runner

-Domechild--Shiv Ramdas
-Warriors of the Edge--Katie Bridges
-The Arena--Santana Young
Starstruck Saga--S. E. Anderson

-Starstruck

The Children of Dreki--N. R. Tupper

-TYR

Punk Anthologies--Writerpunk Press Group

-Sound & Fury: Shakespeare Goes Punk, Vol. 1
-Once More Unto The Breach: Shakespeare Goes Punk, Vol. 2
-What We've Unlearned: Classic Literature Goes Punk

The Chronicles of Lorrek--Kelly Blanchard