We Could Be Heroes

This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
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At this point with Mike Chen, I don't bother looking at the book blurb, I just read what he publishes. But so I could decide how much to say in this post, I had to go look at the blurb. Just between you and me, I think I wouldn't have given as much away as it did, but now I feel a little freer about what to say.

JAMIE SORENSON/THE MIND ROBBER
Two years ago, Jamie Sorenson woke up in an apartment with no memory of who he was or how he got there (the name is something he picked). He's a coffee snob, has taken in a stray cat that he's named, “Normal.” He reads a lot of autobiographies and memoirs from the library, because he likes hearing life stories since he doesn't have one.

Oh, and he has super-powers. He can read people's memories, and erase a little bit of them. He uses these abilities to rob banks as “The Mind Robber.” He's not living an extravagant lifestyle with these funds, in fact, he lives fairly frugally. His goal is to save up enough to finance his retirement on a tropical beach—just him, Normal, coffee, and books. If he can just pull off one or two more without getting caught, he should be able to do just that.

He was almost caught once, and he's pretty sure he won't be able to evade capture too easily next time. He was almost caught by:

ZOE WONG/THE THROWING STAR
She, too, woke up without memories in an apartment two years ago. She had a name tag, so at least she didn't have to come up with a name. She spends her time watching horror movies on an app on her phone and drinking so much I think I might have liver damage from reading about it. She makes ends meet by working for a food delivery service.

She doesn't drive for one, though, she has super-powers, too. Including speed—not Flash or Quicksilver fast, but she's fast. So fast that she can deliver food fast enough to maintain a 5-Star rating, even though she'll take quick detours to beat up criminals. She's also super-strong (not quite Superman-level, but more than Captain America) and has a couple of other tricks up her sleeve.

She's assembled enough of a uniform to stand up to the punishment her speed puts on normal clothing and to protect her identity, and was dubbed “The Throwing Star” by the press. Although, she'd prefer Shuriken, not that anyone asked. Besides, she's pretty sure she's of Chinese descent, not Japanese, so both names are problematic.

THE TEAM UP
Jamie regularly attends a support group for people with Dementia or other memory problems. No one's treating them there, it's just a place for emotional support. One day, not long after he's almost captured by The Throwing Star, Zoe walks in. Afterward, the two have a quick conversation by the coffee pot and (thanks to their abilities) recognize each other. For the sake of the group, they don't start battling each other, instead, they talk.

A few things happen, and then Zoe decides to ask Jamie to help her with her memory—surely, he can use his powers for something other than crime, right? They strike a little quid pro quo deal and get to work.

From this point, two things happen, one harder to believe than the other. First, they start to uncover things about Zoe's past (and Jamie's, although he's really not that interested at first) that lead them to a therapeutic organization that seems to have something else going on. And, the two begin to become friends.

It's that “something else,” naturally, that gets their attention. It's not long before they discover that not only does this organization (or maybe just what it's a front for) hold the key to their pasts but has a secret plan to change to the world as we know it. To combat it, this thief and this vigilante might have to be something more, they might have to be heroes.

THE MAD SCIENTIST
A mad scientist at work is a mainstay of Super-Hero Fiction and Chen delivers that well. Not just a mad scientist, but one who doesn't see herself in that way. Indeed, she's going to save humanity from itself and the world from humanity while she's at it. And sure, she's doing this on her own, without consulting the countless lives that she's going to radically alter, because when you're a super-genius with a messianic-complex (among other psychiatric problems) playing with unimaginable technology, who cares what anyone else might think?

That sounds almost dismissive, and I don't mean it to be. She's a well-drawn character, absolutely convinced she's doing the right thing, and is pretty convincing about it. Don't get me wrong, I love a super-villain who's just out to watch the world burn, or driven by pure avarice. I was raised on that stuff. But a super-villain convinced they're the city's/nation's/world's savior? There's something more compelling about them, and that's what we have here.

EXTRAORDINARIES
One challenge that non-Marvel/DC Super-Hero Fiction has it coming up with what they're going to call their costumed, super-powered crime-fighters. Most of the time, I note the term and move on, while it's usually a serviceable term, it's a challenge to come up with something that really clicks on this front.

Chen's world uses the term, “Extraordinaries.” That's catchy, a little quirky, and it sticks with you. Sure, this is a minor point, but you add up enough of these minor points, and you elevate a good book into something more.

THE MIKE CHEN FACTOR
The something more...does this have it? Readers of this blog know that I'm always game for a Super-Hero novel, and from early on, it was clear that this was a good one. And that'd be enough for me to recommend it, maybe even highly recommend it. But Here and Now and Then and A Beginning At The End have taught me that I should expect something more than just a good Time Travel/Dystopian/Super-Hero novel from him. The Mike Chen Factor.

And while I didn't go looking for it—that would distract me from this entertaining story—I did keep wondering when it'd crop up (and if I'd recognize it right away). I think it popped up in a couple of different places and while I espied one instantly (or pretty quickly) the other slipped by me until it was in full bloom—making it my favorite.

The first thing that makes this more than a good Super-Hero novel is that it's about the role our memories play in who we are—our identity, our personality, how we act. Two characters whose tabulas are about as rasa as you can get make excellent candidates to explore this. In the end, one character's deliberate choices in spite of natural inclinations and what we learn about their past becomes something they didn't expect. While the other character is driven by their past (especially the parts they can't remember but shaped who they are) and ends up being a better (more complete) version of what they were all along.

So, you know, if you were looking for Chen to settle a debate, I think you can skip that.

The other expression of the Mike Chen Factor was the friendship that develops between Jamie and Zoe. This was something special. Too, too, too often when we look at relationships in fiction (in whatever medium) we focus on romantic relationships, familial bonds, or even that between enemies. We don't see enough explorations of friendship. I wish we had more of them—Rick and Louis aren't the only one's with a beautiful friendship, a well-written one is a great thing.

And Jamie and Zoe's friendship promises to be a beautiful friendship, it's off to a great start, anyway. I think the reader sees it before either of them do, which is an added layer of fun. But before they realize it their mutual aid pact starts to carry shades of something else. They banter, they tease each other (including in that almost-cruel way that only good friends can), they look out for each other beyond what's needed for their project and care about each other. Eventually, they're inspiring each other to be more than they think they are.

SO, WHAT DID I THINK ABOUT WE COULD BE HEROES?
This was great. It was a good Super-Hero Story that had a lot of other things going on. Like Chen's other work, it could probably spawn a sequel or two—but probably won't.

Can you enjoy this without spending time thinking about what he's exploring in terms of identity, memory, and friendship? Sure—I don't know why you'd want to, but if you're just looking for a compelling story featuring people in outlandish dress flexing super-abilities, this would absolutely fill that need. On the flip side, if you prefer to focus on the other material? This would work, but you'd have to put up with the Super-Hero stuff, and that might be harder for you. If you're a Greedy Gus like me and want it all? You're definitely in for a treat.

There's a little something for everyone here, get to it.

Disclaimer: I received this eARC from Harlequin Trade Publishing via NetGalley in exchange for this post—thanks to both for this.