It's the moment Failstate fans have been waiting for, the conclusion to John W. Otte's superhero tale about a boy with destructive powers bound to save his hometown. If you're already a fan, suffice to say you'll love the ending. But like the series as a whole, Failstate: Nemesis doesn't offer a grand epic or flawless character study. It's more like an entertaining B-movie that offers some fun surprises for the reader who follows it through to the end.
As with many third chapters, this one begins with our title character firmly established in his role as a hero. He's already saved the day several times, gained and lost friends and enemies, and developed a lasting relationship. But when a new powerful villain with shadowy ties to our hero emerges, spouting a vendetta against Failstate and his city, things begin to spiral out of control. Soon his allies are whittled down, his love life's in shatters, and he's not even certain what he stands for anymore.
You'd be forgiven if that summary sounds like a paraphrase of the ill-fated Spider Man 3, but any similarities are surface level and more owing to the genre they both inhabit. Unlike some of his Hollywood counterparts, Otte's able to juggle multiple tugs at the story while still keeping his eye on the prize, staying one step ahead of the game and drawing the reader to a rousing conclusion. Even the love plot with its requisite angst didn't faze me; it's there, and given proper respect, but it didn't drown the story out or succumb to the worst excesses of relationship drama.
The peek into other potentially dimensional futures, especially of our main characters' lives, was a unique twist on the superhero third act, adding just enough introspection to spice up a fairly straightforward action adventure. There were one two many scenes of character sitting around rehashing the same facts over again to suit me, and I felt like one of the main plot threads revolving around Failtsate's family wasn't developed far enough.
Still, give Otte his due: I didn't see the final reveal until halfway through the book. Even seeing what was coming, the showdown played out nicely and gave our hero enough good moments to give him a rousing sendoff.
Every time I made the mistake of taking these books at surface level, Otte would slip in a morsel of thought that forced me to sit up and pay attention. He's got a knack for interweaving moral and story that few others can pull off with such success, especially in this genre. It may not be amazing, but the Failstate books are certainly fun reads.
This review is also posted on Goodreads, Amazon, Speculative Faith, and CBD. I did not receive anything from the publisher or author for this review. The cover was illustrated by Carlo Garde. The novel is currently available from Enclave Publishing as a Paperback ($13.10) and via Amazon as an eBook ($5.99).
