All Those Explosions Were Someone Else's Fault

By: James Alan Gardner

Narrated by: Emily Woo Zeller

Monsters are real.

But so are heroes.

Sparks are champions of weird science. Boasting capes and costumes and amazing super-powers that only make sense if you don't think about them too hard, they fight an eternal battle for truth and justice...mostly.

Darklings are creatures of myth and magic: ghosts, vampires, were-beasts, and the like. Their very presence warps reality. Doors creak at their approach. Cobwebs gather where they linger.

Kim Lam is an ordinary college student until a freak scientific accident (what else?) transforms Kim and three housemates into Sparks - and drafts them into the never-ending war between the Light and Dark. They struggle to master their new abilities - and (of course) to design cool costumes and come up with great hero-names.

Turns out that "accident" was just the first salvo in a Mad Genius's latest diabolical scheme. Now it's up to four newbie heroes to save the day, before they even have a chance to figure out what their team's name should be!

©2017 James Alan Gardner (P)2017 Audible, Inc.

Now one of my favotite superhero novels.

If you could sum up All Those Explosions Were Someone Else's Fault in three words, what would they be?

Rock solid storytelling.

What other book might you compare All Those Explosions Were Someone Else's Fault to and why?

Probably 'Soon I will be Invincible'. That book delves more into the psychology of the characters while this one, while not skimping on motivation is more action oriented.

What does Emily Woo Zeller bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Emily also reads for the 'Don't tell my parents' series, so I was used to her idiosyncrasies. She's a good narrator and does hit the different voices well.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

I particularly liked the scene at the beginning with the three darklings and the farmhand reveal. (No Spoilers). But I have to say that all the fight scenes were very well done and the excitement as powers emerged was contagious.

Any additional comments?

This is a novel for adults. Not to say that there are scenes of sex, or excessive abuse that doesn't serve the story, just that the vocabulary and storytelling is geared towards a mature ear, which I loved.
I have a liking for the superhero genre, and have explored many of those books on Audible.I would rank this number 3 in a listing of the best.
1. 'Grimnoir Chronicles' series by Larry Correia
2. 'Ex-Heros' series by Peter Clines
3. This one.
Which puts it in fairly exalted air considering all the novels below them. Buy it. It's a great ride.

Perfect modern superhero origin story

4 college girls become super. Shenanigans ensues. Super happy, fun book. Really enjoyed myself! Five stars. Will look out for this author in the future

great story and great read.

interesting plot. the world building character building and use of magic science history and storytelling is cool and fun. Really enjoyed and would recommend to those who enjoy young adult fiction and sci-fi.

One of my favs

A fun tale of super heroes and villains. The story is brilliant, lots of twists on classic themes. I listen to it every few months, and it's always a pleasure to listen to.

Good, but

I enjoyed the story, but the characters are so woeful, whiny, and kind of pathetic. I hope the next book it more confident.