Supergirl: Age of Atlantis by Jo Whittemore

Supergirl: Age of Atlantis by Jo Whittemore

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Reasonably okay Supergirl story. One specific reason why I call this reasonably okay instead of good, though I'll mention that later.

I had two specific problems enjoying this book more – 1) I knew going in that this was a young adult book – geared for people younger than me. Though I thought it’d be geared more the level of, say, 1980s Star Trek media-tie-in books (which most libraries I spotted the books in would put the books in the juvenile section). Instead, well, I just didn’t realize that the book was geared more for people in the age group below young adult. Assuming the definitions of young adult I’ve seen apply – ‘targeted at ages 14 to 21’. This book here, instead, was geared for people aged 9 to 12 (grade level 4-7). And the book really did feel that way. Both from the overall tone and story, and the numerous ‘lesson’s people learned along the way. 2) Even considering that the book was geared towards people younger than me and that might have an impact on how I interpret things and ‘they’ interpret things, I’d have to say that the ending action scene was a little messed up – which is where that ‘reasonably okay instead of good’ comes in. And where I now mention what I mean more specifically. It’s not even plot holes, but the way the story was told in a specific series of events.

(view spoiler)[In the climactic battle, Supergirl fought some ‘supercitizens’, people who had been exposed to a specific something or other that caused them to get powers. During the events that unfolded, a series of ‘lead the bad guys a certain direction’ was laid down by Supergirl (while mostly keeping everyone else in the dark about her plans – she had a reason, the reason was stupid). Long and short: (view spoiler)[bad guy ‘shadowman’ had been prearranged to be ‘choked out, lightly’ before the fight occurred (eh? Supergirl just knew the one person who she told the plan would be the one and only person to encounter this specific individual and take them out? That’s . . . ludicrous, she’s putting everyone in danger, and the plan in danger by keeping quiet. Shadowman would then wake up and . . . instead of doing anything at all else, and somehow Supergirl ‘knew’ this despite constantly getting people’s reactions and motivations wrong throughout the book (that was one of Supergirl’s ‘lessons’ in this book), head for the ‘special magical metal’ and flee with it. There was no way Supergirl knew the one person she told part of her plan would encounter Shadowman, she had no way to know he’d try to flee with the special metal (and why? Made no sense, sure she directed the guy to a specific location but . . . they could have handled the matter on scene). Then, while the bad guy was fleeing, Supergirl kept popping up and making suggestions – which Shadowman heard and did the opposite – Supergirl directing him. To a pier. Where he, and the special metal, got into a boat Shadowman had left at the pier and fled further. Supergirl directed Shadowman to where Shadowman was going to go anyway? What? (hide spoiler)] (hide spoiler)]

Right, so. As noted: this book was geared for people much younger than me and it read that way. There were many lessons to be learned by most of the characters in the story. The action had some odd weirdness in it. Most fanfiction seems to make Mon-El out worse than he actually appears on the show, and this book here makes him out slightly better than the tv series shows him. So, I mention that to note that Supergirl’s heterosexual relationship with Mon-El was quite relevant to this book. Alex and Maggie’s lesbian relationship was included but in a barely there, blink and you’d miss it way. Though that’s kind of the nature of the situation – Supergirl is the main character, everyone else are side characters. And Mon-El is quite important to her, while Maggie, Alex’s girlfriend, is not. I mean not at the same level.

Rating: 3.0

February 21 2018



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