Customer Reviews

Black and White (Icarus Project, Book 1)

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I purchased the book for my Kindle, and I am extremely satisfied with the selection. I am a fan of the superheroic genre despite the fact that I have not bought a comic book (other than the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen volumes) in some time. I think that there are a lot of good tales to be told in this genre, and this is certainly one of them.

In fact, Black & White ranks right up with Grossman's Soon I will Be Invincible, another book that I think has done a marvelous job of representing good superheroic storytelling. The two share many similarities, such as the fact that they both use flashback "origin stories" as well as a "something going on in the here and now" plot, and the fact that they both alternate between hero & villain. But they are hardly the same book, because these are structural elements. The heart of the two -- characters, situation and setting -- are very different. These essential elements (in both books) make them both excellent stories in general and fine examples of how well a superhero book can be done.

I thought that the pacing was excellent. The author's "Then" and "Now" device undergirds the back-and-forth of the two characters and helps drive the story forward. While the same back-and-forth storytelling device was used in Soon I will Be Invincible, and the differences are noteworthy. There I was enamored of one side of the story (Dr. Impossible of course) and not-so-well connected to the other side. I understand why it was necessary: too much Impossible will spoil the soup, and the over-the-top villain had to be balanced out by the stalwart hero. In Black and White, these very different characters are both compelling to read and held my interest equally. It is not a matter of 'better' or 'worse' though, the technique needs to conform to the tale, and in both does. The characters here have a different dynamic and so -- like SIWBI -- the back-and-forth technique as applied was perfectly suited to the story. The various main supporting characters were extremely well done, both unique and interesting without going into tangents or derailing the main characters and their stories.

Beyond that structural issue, the dialogue/character/setting content was excellent. The dialogue was rapid-fire and did a good job of establishing their character's motives both externally and internally. The characterizations themselves are not only consistent but realistic within the framework of the setting material. In a way, this is even more important in a superheroic book than a non-superheroic book: cardboard cut-out characters are an anathema in Superhero fiction because that only feeds the stereotype (unless, like 'Jason' from SIWBI that *is* the point). The Plot well done, with one or two quibbles I won't belabor here because these certainly do not detract from an excellent read.

Excellent work from the authors, I look forward to more.

FOR THE KINDLE: No annoying formatting mistakes! It is really nice to see a book in Kindle version which is well-formatted. Kudos to whomever "kindle-ized" this book with one little problem: the Chapters were not "pre-notched" or Bookmarked. Navigating my way to where I need to (should I try to find a particular passage) is going to be a problem. I started Bookmarking myself as I went along, but as I got into the story I stopped: the Kindle "became invisible" which is the stated goal by Amazon, so that is no complaint. I think that also speaks highly of the story but will make going back that much harder. There was also no Table of Contents, which is the other alternative to Bookmarks in overall navigation. Still and I think this bears repeating: No mistakes! And the formatting was the most important thing to do in helping the reader 'get' the story -- if one thing needed to be done right, that was most certainly "it".

I like Jackie Kessler, and I'm a huge fan of Caitlin Kittredge, so I was expecting this to be really good. They did not disappoint! Not a comic fan as the authors are, but you don't have to be to enjoy Black and White.

This is an introduction to Jet and Iri, young extrahumans who met at the Academy and became not only room mates, but really good friends. They are opposites in many ways so they compliment each other perfectly. Iri is very smart, like high I.Q. smart. Jet is too, but she has to work very hard for every A. Iri is impatient and has a temper. Jet is very calm and likes to think things through. Iri is great at improv, and Jet is just trying to stick to protocal. Iri is a Light power, where Jet is a Shadow power. What they do have in common is how their fathers have shaped their lives. Iri's father is a rabid - what a superhero is called when he turns bad. He's imprisoned for life for speaking out against the Corp. Jet's father killed her mother and was institutionalized. The novel starts five years after the Academy where we find Jet as the superhero of New Chicago, and Iridium a supervillian.

Black and White flashes back and forth in time, to when the girls were in school, and as they are five years later. The novel also flashes back to point of view. One chapter it's Jet and the next is Iri. But it is so wonderfully written that a reader does not get confused with either time or character. As a matter of fact, this really works because you get to know each year of their lives even as the present story unfolds. It also makes for a really good mystery, suspense, and some interesting plot twists and turns. I couldn't help but cheer for them both as there are a lot of misunderstandings between the two that caused them to be enemies.

As the first of what may be a series, it couldn't have been better; and it laid down a lot of solid foundation to not only the history between the two, but of the way things are in the future, and the fight between superheroes and the Everyman, a group of regular humans who are determined to destroy the very heroes that save them.

I'm a sucker for superheroes. Always have been and probably always will be. I'm obsessed with the whole good versus evil philosophy.

A fertility clinic figures out a way to help woman become pregnant. Soon after the children are born, the clinic realizes that the children are not your average humans. They have special powers. Jet is a shadow power who's father killed her mother when he went insane. She is told that all shadow powers loose their mind eventually. Then an adult shadow power named Night takes Jet under his wing. He becomes a friend, a mentor. Iridium is a light power. Her father became a "rabid" because he defied Corp and all it stands for. He was sentenced to prison for being a traitor.

Both Jet and Iridium have suffered from tragedy. They are partners and roommates at school and become friends. But just as quickly they become enemies. Both are fighting for the good humanity, they just happen to disagree about who's is right and who's is wrong.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who likes superhero or the good versus evil stories. When I got close to finishing the book I felt sad. I do this when I read something that I really like because I never want the story to end. Luckily when I got to the back of the book I saw that there will be a sequel "Shades of Gray" in July of 2010. I will definitely put this on my "to be bought" list.

If you haven't read this, I suggest you purchase a copy.

Not being all that big on comics or movies based on comics, my expectations for Black and White weren't that high. Don't get me wrong, I love both jackie Kessler and Caitlin Kittredge and knew they would put together a fantastic story, but I didn't think it would be my cup of tea. I was so wrong. This book blew me out of the water, and has officially made me a huge fan.

When I first flipped through the book (I like to get a feel for the layout before I start reading), I noticed that the book was split up into sections of "Now" and "Then", and that each of these sections were split up between the two main characters, Jet and Iridium. What sounds confusing, ended up melding together perfectly. At the end of each "Now" section, the reader is left with a cliffhanger, but is then sucked into the past in the following "Then" section. This could have easily become confusing and choppy, but for Jet and Iridium's "frenemies" realationship, it was the perfect way to progress the story while still giving the reader the background information needed to truly understand what's going on.

Almost every chapter in Black and White switches between Jet and Iridium, with a few actually integrating both. Each writer gives their character a unique and distinct voice, while still blending seemlessly together (Jackie Kessler writes Jet, Caitlin Kittredge writes Iridium). Even when one writer was writing about conflicts between Jet and Iridium, the parts involving the character that was not their's did not stray out of character. And secondary characters blended seemlessly between the two writers also.

Black and White kept me constantly on my toes and completely surprised. Coming from someone who tends to figure things out a couple scenes ahead, this is what sets this novel apart from most. I recommend this book to both comic book lovers, and urban fantasy readers who are looking for something new within the genre.

Holy crap! If you love superheroes you need to read this book. It's like all of the best parts of Heroes, X-Men, and every other superhero comic, book, movie, and show you can imagine!

Jet and Iridium were a team, best of friends as they grew up at the Academy, until a very specific series of events changed all of that. Now Jet and Iridium are enemies of the worst kind. But to say that one fights for good while the other for evil would be simplifying things a bit too much and there are always two sides to every story.

Loved it!

Superheroes: check. Supervillains: check. Dystopian future: check. Moral ambiguity: check. Fiendish plot: check. Excellent read: check.

This book is chock full of awesome. Set in a dystopian early 22nd century Chicago (now known as New Chicago), it's the story of two former friends: by-the-books superhero Jet and budding supervillain Iridium. Once the closest of friends, they're now bitter enemies. Jet is the adored superhero, and Iridium, once a superhero in training, is now on the other side of the law. In this world, the so-called extrahumans have had superpowers for a few generations, apparently the result of fertility treatments gone wrong (the how and why are left somewhat unanswered, but I get the feeling it could be important in future books). Superheroes are sent to the Academy as children for intensive training. A mysterious corporation controls the Academy and the superheroes' lives. When the heroes graduate from the Academy, they vie for corporate sponsors. The superheroes are revered by some segments of society and loathed by others, especially the regular human police and the Everyman Society, a group dedicated to ridding the world of extrahumans.

Alternating chapters switch between Jet and Iridium's points of view. The book also switches back and forth between the past and present, so we see how the two protagonists first met and how it all went horribly wrong. Like so many superhero stories, the villain is a touch more interesting than the hero. But although I preferred Iridium, I still found Jet to be a multifaceted character. Her particular power, shadow, is a dangerous one, and she's constantly worried about staying sane.

The story moves at a quick pace, and I had a hard time putting this book down. Although it's written by two authors, the writing never felt disjointed or awkward. There are two different voices, but the voices belong to two very different characters, so it really works. The plot is intriguing, and it leaves a lot of potential for future books. There are lots of fun nods to the superhero genre. Kittredge and Kessler have built a compelling world.

My only complaint about the writing is a small one: there are a few scenes between Jet and her potential love interest that veer into romance novel clichés (weak knees, fluttering stomachs, etc.). It's only a few paragraphs, but these bits stick out in what is otherwise a gritty, dystopian superhero tale.

Overall, Black and White is an absorbing, entertaining read. I'm definitely looking forward to future volumes in the series.

This is a fun read! The characters are quirky and the dialogue is fun. I can't wait to read the sequel and I am definitely going to be sharing this book with all of my super hero loving friends. Iridium and Jet are fresh contributions to a genre that has been getting a little stale.

For anyone who has read either Black and White and Shades of Gray, I have started a discussion on the author's page so we can beg for the next book in the series.

Superhero books are a strange breed. They tend to either embrace the absurdity of their premise and aim for a wild and over-the-top style that is intended to make up for in quantity and variety what they lack in depth or they go the Watchmen/Dark Knight route and aim for a gritty, personal experience steeped in pathos.

There are elements of both in Black and White. Most of the book is relatively light and doesn't delve too deeply into the darker aspects of the world Jet and Iridium live in. There are some darker parts to the story - such as when one of the teenage heroes is killed during a supposedly routine training patrol.

Most of the novel, however, is focused on the relationship and history between the two main characters. The now-and-then alternating character style of story telling works fairly well in keeping the now part of the story moving while filling in the back story of how things ended up as they are.

One of the problems with the novel is that only one of the stories is interesting. Iridium is by far the more believable of the two characters and, to be honest, much more likeable than Jet. Granted, there is an in-story explanation for why that is but since that isn't revealed until late in the story it makes the preceding chapters told from Jet's point of view a long, hard slog. That's unfortunate because some of the glimpses into her personality during her days at the academy revealed someone that would have been a fun and engaging character struggling with the darker aspects of her gift. Instead we got RoboCop with darkness powers instead of armor and a gun.

One of the other reviews said the novel had elements of 'Harry Potter' in it. I have to agree in that the students are divided into categories based on their powers. This felt a lot like the different Houses in the Potter series. More importantly, this had the unfortunate effect of diminishing the uniqueness of the characters. Jet was Darkness Hero #57 and Iridium was Light Hero #68. They didn't seem special in and of themselves. It robbed them of uniqueness.

Finally, although a decidedly minor nit-pick, the use of certain expletives (Christo!) and religious references was something that detracted from the narrative. It just didn't feel organic to the characters. It felt like a safe cop-out for what would have been a curse word from a real person.

Those issues aren't fatal for the book but they did drag the novel down a star or two in my opinion.

Okay this might be Harry Potter meets X-men meets Watchmen, but it doesn't matter because this story is such an enjoyable read that you care less about clichés, deux ex machinas and other flaws. The heroines Iridium and Jet are different but both very likeable and their reasoning is very human and both complex and simple - just as with ordinary humans. You really do get under their skin! In fact their character developement is very interesting to follow, as it takes place in two time spans - the present and the past, since the story jumps back and forward in time. And it does it without spoiling the plot, and thus the character build becomes as interesting as the story itself. Both good guys and bad guys are beleivable and even the guy who is only motivated by greed makes sense, because the world is after all filled with these characters. So for everyone who like their superheroes and like a good read - do pick this one up. And yes yes yes - there's a sequel coming up! Can't wait!