"Illinois author Alejandro Gonzalez refers to himself as ‘an anime and comic book geek.’ A peek into his genre is now possible for the public with the offering of this his initial book publication. – OFF THE PAGES.

The rollicking style of Alejandro’s prose makes reading this fresh novel a delight. The story is solid and the characters are not only credible but are also pained well, as a brief passage in the opening chapter shows: ‘As the stoners, criminal, and other various end-of-the-liners exited the building, completing a ten-hour shift with a quick run of their badge across the scanner, Manny stepped in to the break room, opened his locker and removed from it his cell phone, wallet, and car keys, and placed them into his pockets. As his knees grumbled and his back nagged away at him, the chairs, hard plastic as they were, looked awfully inviting, though he doubted he’d want to get up if he sat down. Yes, he thought to himself as he exited the building, scanned his badge, and headed for the parking lot. I’m fat. I get it. Don’t need a constant reminder.’

Using a plethora of expletives and a fine sense of satire, this novel, intended for the Young Adult set, is bound to please. The rhythms and tempos are maintained throughout, keeping the reader on edge with the antics, and the story has many levels of meaning without ever becoming overbearing. The plot outline suggests the voyage:’ Comic book-style superpowers become real in the ordinary modern world, and a group of comic book nerds have to fight a false prophet who has created a fake Jesus who is killing massive numbers of people and is amassing millions of followers. Manny is a working stiff who escapes from the everyday grind by reading comic books, watching anime, and playing video games. His superhero fantasy becomes real when a bizarre light show erupts in the sky worldwide, and he is one of the many who gain powers. Unfortunately, real life isn’t a comic book, and when a preacher creates a false messiah, millions of people are forced to make a potentially civilization-threatening choice. Now a handful of out-of-their-depth nerds must stand up to evil. But how do you stand up to evil, when that evil wears the face of the most recognizable figure in history?’

This is a fun new novel from an obviously experienced writer who should find an enraptured audience very quickly. Grady Harp, February 21"