Review of: Simon: Superhero in Training by Lucas Mayberry

A romp through superhero perfection and a must for any superhero fan who thinks they’ve seen it all.

As a character, Simon works because he’s so likeable. He’s an average kind of Joe. A young, married man living in a world that confuses him sometimes—until he isn’t average.

Following on from the last book in this sequel, we open on a remote Scottish island where the guys have fled to safety under Arthur’s watchful guidance and brilliant coaching.

They undergo months of combat training beautifully described in a fabulous setting. At first, Vasia follows their moves in secret until she’s discovered and brought into the full-on sessions with her husband—while Zack watches the single-channel television and grumbles a lot.

The Green Hood and her evil intentions are never far away. And, of course, after a quick trip to Mars, via the moon, we are off on a bookful of missions and rescues.

They have a lab where they are doing unimaginable things to the supers. Our guys have so much to do and so little time. We travel through space to beautiful Venice and end up in a vast football stadium for the thrilling climax.

The characters are real (apart from maybe Sean by the end of the book—god knows what he is!). Zack brings a lovely light tone to everything. While Simon and Vasia are the perfect wholesome couple, we’d all strive to be— though probably without the muscles, flying and other extras that humanity doesn’t yet provide.

This series is made for television. The novels run like episodes rather than sequels, with them picking up exactly where the last one left off. Perfect for a Netflix series, though some of the special effects might cost them a bit. A brilliant, fun, lighthearted read with goodies, baddies and some really cool abilities.

I love the vein of humour running through the book, and the pitch and pace are perfect. We even have some myth and magic from the history tomes cleverly interwoven into our modern-day plot as we dip backwards in time. Suitable for anybody from teenage to terminus—this is everything you would expect from a book in the superhero genre and more.