Tom King is a former Counterterrorism officer for the CIA who served in the Gulf.   A husband and father, he’s also worked at Marvel and DC Comics, and lives in Washington D.C. His debut novel, a mix of graphic novel and literary prose, A Once Crowded Sky, is out from Touchstone. It’s the story of superheroes who’ve lost their powers and purpose until a crisis calls them again. He can be found online at Goodreads, on twitter as @TomKingTK and on Facebook.

SFFWRTCHT: First things first, where’d your interest in science fiction and fantasy and comics come from?

Tom King: I was your typical nerd kid who escaped from the world of bullies to the world of heroes and swords and powers.  I think it started with Greek Myths, moved on to Narnia, and then the world, not this world, but other, cooler ones.
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REVIEW SUMMARY: Comic book in prose sends us inside the heads of heroes and villains fighting for the world and those they love.

MY RATING:

BRIEF SYNOPSIS: A mysterious threat to Arcadia forces the last superhero to choose between being a husband and saving the world.

MY REVIEW
PROS: Superhero adventure with heart, mystery, and immersive action that makes reading about these characters a moving experience.
CONS: The prose may take too many liberties in what the reader understands to be happening, and the mystery of The Blue may be too slow of a burn to hold some reader’s attention.
BOTTOM LINE: May require more concentration and patience than some readers will give, but if they do, they’ll be rewarded with a philosophical gem on heroes, sacrifice, and the meaning of life in a corrupt world.

I don’t read comic books and I’m not really a fan of superheroes. That said, I can appreciate a tremendous cover, and was intrigued by the premise of a world where all but one of the superheroes gave up their powers to save the world.

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