The Miranda Contract, by author Ben Langdon, is a novel about one of my favorite things: superheros. I'm as big a superhero junkie as you could find, so naturally this book already appeals to me on that level. It is really interesting to dive into these new superhero worlds that were created by people other than Marvel, DC, Image and the rest. The Miranda Contract didn't disappoint in that regard. It definitely had a great start and kept me turning the pages until the end. Here's the rest of my thoughts:
The things that I liked:
One of the biggest things about The Miranda Contract that I liked was the main super-villain. He had a compelling personality and really cool powers. The flashbacks of him were some of my favorite parts to the book and his formation of the teen super-villains was also unique. The term he coined for them was genius too: The Small Gods. I really liked how well that fit into the world Ben created. Dan, the main character, was well-rounded and had a likable personality and backstory as well, and it helped me really delve into the book. The powers that were showcased in the book were explained/described really well, for the most part, and they made sense. The book itself was well-written and I didn't find that many typos or grammatical errors. The dialogue flowed naturally and didn't feel stilted or forced to me, which is a definite plus.
The things I didn't like:
While the book was well-written, I thought that the overall plot could use some work. To me, it felt like it jumped around a lot and didn't really explain things that well. Some of the characters had motives that drove them but the motives weren't described in depth. It left me confused as to why some characters (most notably, Halo) were doing the things they were doing. Another example would be Grim. The motivating factors behind his actions were never clearly, or concisely, described so the story left me confused in that regard. Again, another example, would be the character of Sully. Without giving away any spoilers, he agrees to a plan that would put his "friend" in danger (someone that he cherishes and protects), and then later on in the book, it's like he never did any such thing. Like the fact that he betrayed that friend never happened. I could have missed something there, but I wasn't a big fan of how that part of the book just got dropped. Also, I understand that Miranda and Dan were supposed to form a romantic connection to each other, but the connection didn't transition from hatred to love very well. I felt like I was reading it one minute and Miranda hated Dan, and then bam, all of a sudden, she's in love with him. The beginning of the book really pulled me in. I loved the different ubers. I loved the way they fit into society. I really enjoyed how the story was going. But, towards the end, I really felt like things were rushed. The plot sort of crumbled and things got really confusing. The villain's whole convoluted plan started to not make any sense to me.
Overall, yes it was a good book. It was entertaining and it kept me going until the end but I do feel that there were certain areas that need work. I think that Dan and Miranda's relationship should've been detailed more. The hate directly into love aspect of it bothered me. I also had a problem with the way the plot crumbled towards the end. It is a worthwhile read, in my opinion, but would be a great read if the story was tinkered with a bit more.
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars.
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