The Dark Souls (The Viral Superhero Series)

There’s no real depth to this story or any of its characters. It starts with a dead high school cheerleader getting possessed and revived. Despite nearly everyone eventually finding out the girl they thought was missing was actually murdered, not one character seems to ever grieve or show that loss, and pretty much just acts like the possessed version makes it okay that the original died.There are multiple murders (including a few more kids), making it seem like it might be a bit dark, but the “good” guys work on scooby-do logic where they bonk the evil guys on the head and consider it a job well done (not even bothering to tie up defeated enemies, so they keep popping back up in the next ambush).Every character is a horrible stereotype: POC athlete, brainless bullies, minority sidekick who exists only for comedic effect, and all parents are useless. Nobody bothers to delve even the slightest into why anything is going on (never get a single name for any of the possessed, their world, or anything beyond one side is light and the other is dark).I’d suggest skipping this one.

The Dark Souls, first volume of the Viral Superhero saga, is an incredibly fast read. You may have heard the term "page-turner". Well, The Dark Souls is just that. When the first half dozen paragraphs offer a dead cheerleader resurrected by a lightning bolt, to then have her leap from a shallow grave, flip some impressive cartwheels and remark, "Good. Good. I can kill with this body.", you know you're in for an incredible ride. That's indeed what authors Bryan Cohen and Casey Lane deliver. There is no slow buildup or meandering narrative to get things going in this book. It reaches right out from its pages, grabs you by the lapels, and pulls you into the thick of things whether you're ready or not. Characters are introduced promptly yet still defined well enough that you understand who they are and what's more, feel for them in short order. Multiple mysteries pop up and unravel at a good clip, carrying the reader from one chapter to the next. Complaints could be made that this follows the tired old trope of "Teenage loser gets super powers and is thrust into an impossible situation where he must find the hero within himself to stand up against the imposing bad guys to save the world". Yeah, it's got that to be sure, but it's how that classic story line is presented that gives it new life. I am a comic book and superhero aficionado from as far back as 1979 when I picked up my first copy of The Amazing Spider-man at age 11. I am something of a connoisseur and even a bit of a snob when it comes to a good superhero story. And this, dear reader, is a good superhero story. I wasn't even finished with the book when I placed my order for the second volume in the series. As fast as it was going, I didn't want the story to end. I wanted to keep on reading, even as I ran out of pages. So will you.

_The Dark Souls_ has an interesting pedigree. It is a complete rewrite/revamping of _Ted Saves The World_. I happened to have the original in my library and decided to compare them. _The Dark Souls_ is an improvement.Ted Finley is an average teenage high schooler. When the story opens, he's going through his first breakup with his girlfriend. Although the relationship was good, Ted still pines for the girl-next-door, the girl who outgrew him as they grew up. That girl is missing, and though no one knows it, she's been murdered...but she'll be back. Ted's life is about to change in a big way when, immediately following the breakup, Ted is given superpowers and foils a world-shattering crime at the local diner. And that's just the beginning. Ted is ultimately charged with saving the world, and it won't be easy.This first book sets up the concept, and introduces the characters who will populate the rest of the series. There's lots of action, realistic dialogue, a fun plot, some teenage angst, interesting characters that I cared about, and just a bit of a cliffhanger. It's a YA novel for all ages. I look forward to the rest of the series. NOTE: You can receive the prequel for free when you purchase this first book of the series. Find out how Ted was chosen to be the superhero the world needs.

A quick, fun read, with plenty of action and a sufficient number of cliffhangers. Any High School athlete experiencing the number of concussions suffered by Ted would be grounded for the season, but Ted cannot afford to recuperate before his next battering; the world is at risk! At least, he's popular with the girls now, even though his superpowers don't include x-ray vision (too bad!) or invulnerability (really too bad; ouch!) Also too bad; some of the girls aren't who they used to be. That isn't all bad. Not bad at all...

This is a fast-paced, action-packed book. Adults can enjoy it a as much as teenagers. Worth the read for anyone at any age.

Not quite sophisticated but enjoyable. I will read the next book. I was kind of off balance for a good portion of this book trying to figure out what was going on. Sometimes I lost track of who some of the female characters were and who was good. Even so, I still enjoyed the book.

Fun story, easy to read, but a touch confusing. Have finished the first book, and only have a tenuous grasp on what is going on. Will see how it fleshes out in the following books.

I really enjoyed reading this book because, 1. I love super hero stories and, 2. It was very well written! I really enjoyed watching the character's stories develop and seeing how they all fit together. This is a great book to start off the series and I'm looking forward to reading more!

Amazon recommended this book as being something I might like, and boy were they right!.A very engaging read, and easy to get invested with the characters and plot.