Overview
It's not easy being a superhero's daughter....
Carrie Vaughn has captured legions of fans with her wildly popular Kitty Norville novels. Now she uses her extraordinary wit and imagination to tell a sensational new story about superhuman heroes—and the people who have to live with them.
Most people dream of having superheroes for parents, but not Celia West. The only daughter of Captain Olympus and Spark, the world's greatest champions, she has no powers of her own, and the most exciting thing she's ever done is win a silver medal in a high school swim meet. Meanwhile, she's the favorite hostage of every crime boss and supervillain in Comemrce City. She doesn't have a code name, but if she did, it would probably be Bait Girl, the Captive Wonder.
Rejecting her famous family and its legacy, Celia has worked hard to create a life for herself beyond the shadow of their capes, becoming a skilled forensic accountant. But when her parents' archenemy, the Destructor, faces justice in the "Trial of the Century," Celia finds herself sucked back into the more-than-mortal world of Captain Olympus—and forced to confront a secret that she hoped would stay buried forever.
Synopsis
After the Golden Age, a stand-alone urban fantasy by bestselling author Carrie Vaughn features the thoroughly mundane daughter of two famous superheroes, who finds in herself an unlikely hero.
It's not easy being a superhero's daughter....
Carrie Vaughn has captured legions of fans with her wildly popular Kitty Norville novels. Now she uses her extraordinary wit and imagination to tell a sensational new story about superhuman heroes—and the people who have to live with them.
Most people dream of having superheroes for parents, but not Celia West. The only daughter of Captain Olympus and Spark, the world's greatest champions, she has no powers of her own, and the most exciting thing she's ever done is win a silver medal in a high school swim meet. Meanwhile, she's the favorite hostage of every crime boss and supervillain in Comemrce City. She doesn't have a code name, but if she did, it would probably be Bait Girl, the Captive Wonder.
Rejecting her famous family and its legacy, Celia has worked hard to create a life for herself beyond the shadow of their capes, becoming a skilled forensic accountant. But when her parents' archenemy, the Destructor, faces justice in the "Trial of the Century," Celia finds herself sucked back into the more-than-mortal world of Captain Olympus—and forced to confront a secret that she hoped would stay buried forever.
Editorials
From Barnes & Noble
Celia West wants to defeat the super-villain in court, but as the star CPA witness in a tax fraud case, she is vulnerable to devastating cross-examination. This mild-mannered forensic accountant has no superpowers, leaving her with just one other option: To save Commerce City, she must abandon her quiet ways and take matters into her own hands. A refreshing revamp of Golden Age super-villain sagas; now in mass market paperback and NOOK Book.
— James Killen
From the Publisher
Praise for Carrie Vaughn: “Brilliantly structured, beautifully written…. Vaughn brings together mythology, fairy tales, and very human lives, immersing readers in the stories these complex characters tell themselves to make sense of their war-torn worlds.”—Publishers Weekly, starred review, on Discord’s Apple “Carrie Vaughn weaves a gorgeous tapestry of the human condition in a postapocalyptic world filled with mystery, magic, and immortals. Her world-building is masterful!”—L. A. Banks, New York Times bestselling author of The Thirteenth, on Discord’s Apple “Carrie Vaughn masterfully weaves together comic books, Greek gods, King Arthur, and a world on the brink of nuclear war. Discord’s Apple is phenomenal!”—Jackie Kessler, co-author of Shades of Gray, on Discord’s Apple “Enough excitement, astonishment, pathos, and victory to satisfy any reader.”—Charlaine Harris on Kitty and the Midnight HourPublishers Weekly
Vaughn (Discord's Apple) delivers a loving homage to classic superheroes, throwing in layers of darkness and realism while avoiding the cynical satire and deconstruction common in contemporary comics. Forensic accountant Celia West is the powerless and estranged daughter of two of Commerce City's great heroes, Captain Olympus and Spark. When the city prosecutes the evil Destructor for tax evasion, Celia gets pulled in to track down evidence. As a new crime spree creates tension between the city's heroes and the police force, Celia's investigation uncovers long-buried secrets about her family and the city. Vaughn throws in elements of romance and humor, but the drama between Celia and her father really drives the story. The story is very accessible to readers who have never picked up a comic book while boasting plenty of clever in-jokes for fans of golden age superheroics. (Apr.)Kirkus Reviews
In this warm homage to and deconstruction of classic comic books, a young woman demonstrates that you don't need superpowers to be a hero.
Although estranged from her superhero parents, the amazingly strong Captain Olympus and pyrokinetic Spark, Celia West sees them every time they rescue her from villains attempting to use her as leverage against them (it's happened so often she's blasé about the whole thing). Possessing no superpowers herself, she's struggled to make her own life as a forensic accountant. Asked to analyze the financial records of Simon Sito (aka the Destructor), an insane supervillain currently on trial, her investigation leads her to a criminal conspiracy, the mysterious origin of the superheroes of Commerce City and, ultimately, love with the one man truly capable of understanding her troubled history. The author of the bestselling urban fantasy series starring radio talk-show host and werewolf Kitty Norville (Kitty Goes to War, 2010, etc.), Vaughn uses the comic-book setting to take a serious look at the seemingly superhuman pressure exerted by parents' expectations and how difficult it can be for children to create their own destiny. The more over-the-top elements of the plot are aptly balanced by the emotional validity of Celia, whose quest to find her own strengths feels real in spite of the fantasy trappings of her world.
For readers who admire Lois Lane more than Superman.