The Extraordinaries

Description

In Nova City, there are extraordinary people, capable of feats that defy the imagination. Shadow Star protects the city and manipulates darkness, and Pyro Storm is determined to bring the city to its knees using his power over fire. And then there's Nick who . . . well, being the most popular fanfiction writer in the Extraordinaries fandom is a superpower, right? Instead of fighting crime, Nick contends with a new year at school, a father who doesn't trust him, and a best friend named Seth, who may or may not be the love of Nick's short, uneventful life. It should be enough. But after a chance encounter with Shadow Star, Nova City's mightiest hero (and Nick's biggest crush), Nick sets out to make himself extraordinary. And he'll do it with or without Seth's reluctant help . . . Rainbow Rowell's Fangirl meets Brandon Sanderson's Steelheart in TJ Klune's YA debut: a queer coming-of-age story about a fanboy with ADHD and the heroes he loves.

When TJ Klune was eight, he picked up a pen and paper and began to write his first story (which turned out to be his own sweeping epic version of the video game Super Metroid - he didn't think the game ended very well and wanted to offer his own take on it. He never heard back from the video game company, much to his chagrin). Now, over two decades later, the cast of characters in his head have only gotten louder. But that's okay, because he's recently become a full-time writer, and can give them the time they deserve. Since being published, TJ has won the Lambda Literary Award for Best Gay Romance, fought off three lions that threatened to attack him and his village, and was chosen by Amazon as having written one of the best GLBT books of 2011. And one of those things isn't true. (It's the lion thing. The lion thing isn't true.)

TJ Klune is a master storyteller * The Mary Sue * The Extraordinaries was the distraction I needed from a terrible world and I loved it for it. I definitely recommend it, if you're in the need for some good, light-hearted fun that doesn't take itself too seriously with just a dash of angst * Wild Heart Reads * Klune plays with superhero genre tropes and fan-fiction cliches with the skill of a true fan - completely aware of their ridiculousness but in love with them anyway * Kirkus Reviews * The Extraordinaries will stick with me as one of my favourite books of all time. It is a book that this gay nerd would have loved as a teenager, and I think many geeky teenagers across the world need to read. It is The Incredibles meets Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda, it is Marvel meets Ness' The Rest of Us Just Live Here, it is GAY SUPERHEROES . . . WHAT MORE COULD YOU POSSIBLY WANT?!? * Lit Life London * A wonderfully talented writer * All About Romance * Klune's signature mix of humor and heart-shredding angst make this another unforgettable reading experience. I can't wait to read it again, and again * The Novel Approach on Ravensong * TJ's storytelling brilliance shines as bright as the sun * Diverse Reader * One of those authors that can make you laugh out loud and then has you sobbing like an idiot by the next page * Joyfully Jay * There was nothing I didn't love about this book. There's not a single thing I would change. * Gay Book Reviews on How to Be a Moviestar * The Extraordinaries is fun and funny, sweet and twisty, campy and canny and smart . . . This is not a coming out story, but it's an unmasking anyway - of getting to live as your true self, in all your nerdiness, grief, anxiety, love, and power * Tor.com * TJ Klune is doing powerful work that inspires and impresses. He is a gift to our troubled times, and his novels are a radiant treat to all who discover them * Locus *