Ex-Purgatory: A Novel (Ex-Heroes)

Yet again we're treated to another incredible zombie-bashing, hero-worshipping, genre-bending extravaganza; courtesy of the madman himself, Peter Clines. Now that we're four novels in, the Ex-series has to overcome the bane of all long-running book series: stagnation through predictability. Fortunately, Clines has stepped up to the plate by throwing a curveball into the mix that retains the series' unique identity, while changing it just enough to reinvigorate the series. While I feel the series already possesses one of the most distinguished identities on the market without a single competitor in sight, it's still commendable to see an author who is willing to go the extra mile instead of continuously attempting to replicate his previous successes. It isn't without its faults, nor is it my favorite installment, yet it's easily another worthy addition to a phenomenal series that I hope to see even more from in the future.Reviewing this book is a bit difficult due to the circumstances of the plot. I will avoid spoiling the actual scenario of the book, but I will comment on how it both adds and detracts from the overall enjoyment of this installment.Taking a glimpse at the synopsis makes it apparent that Ex-Purgatory offers another glimpse into the series' past, though in what manner it provides this outlook I won't be spoiling. I can say that it forgoes the traditional "then" and "now" chapters which have dominated the structure of the series thus far. The larger contrast between the structure of Ex-Purgatory in juxtaposition to the rest of the series is how Clines manages to intertwine the past and the present into one cohesive narrative instead of illustrating two separate arcs that support one another. Again, I can't explain how he does this without spoiling the crux of the story. I enjoyed this change of pace to Cline's traditional style of storytelling that has become synonymous with the series due to it enabling Clines to further delve into the characters' past, paving the way for further characterization for already delightful characters while also expanding upon the overarching mythology of the series.With that said however, this approach comes with both pros and cons. For roughly half of the novel, the narrative follows St. George's ordinary life as a college janitor before he gained his superpowers and donned his cape as The Mighty Dragon. I've always been a huge fan of St. George and similar characters cut from the same cloth; superpowered individuals who use their gifts not as a means to further themselves, but as tools to help others and set a better example for society. However, as much as I love the St. George character, I feel that Clines didn't take the story concept far enough by forgoing the majority of the cast of characters. Aside from Stealth who gets some decent insight, the other heroes are mostly allocated to minor roles for a large portion of the book which is a shame; I would have liked to see chapters dedicated to other characters as well. Another issue that arises from focusing solely on St. George for a prolonged period is that Cline's signature pop-culture filled black humor isn't given a chance to surface until much later on. And while it isn't technically a flaw, the slower build-up of this particular installment lacks the same sense of urgency that pulled the reader into the previous books.Now for the positives. Again, I will be keeping this completely spoiler-free. Where Clines uses the past perspective in his favor is by placing the heroes in a scenario where they're more vulnerable than they've ever been. He does so in a manner that maintains the fun chemistry between superheroes fighting the zombie apocalypse, while placing more emphasis on the survival aspects that have traditionally been diminished in the series due to the presence of superpowers or other added strengths and benefits the heroes possess. The entire scenario has an excellent sense of foreboding mystery that permeates nearly the entire narrative. It's akin to something out of an episode of the Twilight Zone or a Steven King novel. What may appear to be the simple answer to their predicament turns out to be far more complicated than they initially imagine, and the reveal of the villain behind the entire scheme really took me by surprise.Ex-Purgatory is certainly not without its flaws; I feel it placed too much emphasis on one character instead of emphasizing the larger cast and the pacing could have been better. Yet the book still has everything that I've come to expect and love about the series. The characters are still absolutely delightful to read about, the action is highly entertaining and it maintains the same balance of immediacy and self-aware parody that made the past novels so unique and enjoyable to read.

Pros:1. The book introduces us to a new setting with characters in new "positions"The book (as the description indicates) throws you into "another world" where George is a janitor working to pay the rent, Madalyn is in a wheelchair, Stealth is a legit celebrity, etc. Moreover, there are various interesting side characters that are introduced in this new setting. People who didn't like this book were fine with the same repetitive "on the mount" "battle it out" scenario but in my opinion that was getting played out. This book provides a much-needed shift in the right direction.2. Once again Peter provides a very creative title that you only uncover the meaning of towards the end of the book. Morever, this book (as my description in my first pro gives) creates a sort of Matrix-like vibe...and oftentimes you see flashes of the world we read about in books 1-3 as the characters begin to regain certian memories.3. Out of all the books...this one is the most creative in terms of how it plays out.Cons:1. Once again the relationships between characters aren't emphasized/showcased or developed to the way they should be this far in.2. The final battle in this book wasn't as interesting as any of the final battles in the other books within this series....I mean it was good but not as good.3. I was kind of hoping we would get to learn more about Zap in this book...generally the character featured on the cover of each book gets emphasized more but that wasn't the case here. Outside of what Zap looks like in human form...you don't learn all that much about him here.

Ex-Purgatory: A Novel by Peter Clines is a great book to follow the events at the Mount after Ex-Patriots. The story twists and turns and you never know just what is going to be thrown at our heroes next. Throughout the series there are NOW and THEN segments. The THEN segments work as flashback stories. However, in this 'episode,' we are never quite sure what is going on until the end. The suspense is riveting as the characters and us as the readers attempt to figure out just what is going on. At first, it feels like the book is entirely a THEN segment, but subtle events and clues begin to slip in that tell us that this is something different. Like a fine wine, it has a wonderful finish that is literally a kick out the window. It is wonderful to see more of the background of the main characters as well as a clue as to what happened before the Mount. It compliments the previous books of the series and does a wonderful job in setting up reader for an extra special treat for the next in the series, Ex-Ise (that I also highly recommend!). If you are looking for another review that is just a repeat of the books' blurb or telling of spoilers in this review, sorry. The proof of quality is in the pen of Mr. Clines. But, I will say that even though I have mentioned that there is Some violence, I have to qualify by saying that this is a series about super powered or skilled individuals who have to destroy zombies (or Ex-Humans) to survive. Mr. Clines does not typically dwell upon the Graphic of the violence, but spends more time describing who these poor victims of the Ex-Virus were. This is the part I find most important to this series. He tells a story of who these people were in the descriptions and how the heroes are not cold, methodical destroyers. They see the animated bodies of real people and what lives they used to have. In our society today, it seems like there is so much political correctness that knowing where to draw the line in a review about what should be considered "sexual content." In this story in the Ex-Heroes saga, there are implications about sexual content, but Amazon has not expressly defined what designates each level. There are other books that like to describe in great detail, "sexual content" but this one does not.

The Ex novels get better and better with each consecutive novel. No spoilers but as the Ex universe grows there is more scope for larger stories with more characters. This novels takes a slightly different approach to the previous ones and that is a good thing as it keeps the story fresh and better yet keeps the reading guessing as to what is going to happen next.Can't wait for Ex 5 to be released and surely by now someone must be looking at this series as a possible movie or even tv series?

Had a little trouble getting into this one as the overall tone changed a bit. That said, once the action started to begin and the story ''matured' I enjoyed it. The pace picks up in the third section and the formula continues much as it has in the other books of the series.To some degree the finales have become similar but then the heroes have a set of abilities that in someway dictate this. All in all another good heroes vs undead outing.Please remember to read the books before this first as the story continues!!!

Enjoyed the whole series. Although not completely original subject matter, the books are still fresh and engaging. Can't wait for next book to come out.

Peter Clines Ex series are intelligent and entertaining.

Im loving this series but this is the weakest so far, lets hope for a reaturn to form for book 5