You can find the full review over at The Founding Fields:http://thefoundingfields.com/2013/02/...Shadowhawk reviews the audiobook edition of Kevin J. Anderson’s novel about the fall of Superman’s world and its final moments.“Emotionally super-charged, this is a story that is not to be missed.” ~The Founding FieldsUp until I read Matt Forbeck’s Brave New World trilogy and Adam Christopher’s Seven Wonders last year I don’t think I’ve ever read a superhero novel. Or a comics tie-in for that matter. My memory is rather hazy on that point. As things stand at the moment however, I’m rather keen on dipping into the sub-genre and exploring more of it. Larry Tye’s Superman: The High-flying History of America’s Most Enduring Hero is what has really galvanised my interest and it’s why I bought the audiobook for Kevin J. Anderson’s The Last Days of Krypton. My fascination with Krypton’s last moments arose when I saw the first couple of episodes for the old Superman: The Animated Series cartoon. There’s something deeply inherent in those last tragic moments that really speaks to me, and when I picked up the audiobook, I wondered if Anderson’s take would do something similar. And it did.There are several characters in The Last Days of Krypton: there is Jor-El and his brother Zor-El, Commissioner Zod, Jor-El’s wife Laura Lor-Van, and many others who pop up with regularity every now and then. Theirs is a story that takes place over several months, as Krypton undergoes great upheavals in its social and cultural structures, upheavals that rock it to its core. Whether it is apocalyptic doom from the sun (Rao) going supernova, or tectonic instabilities, or alien raids, or the grim stupidity of its leaders, Krypton is doomed and the story that Anderson writes is full of emotion and tragedy, one after another. I highly enjoyed the story, but I couldn’t help thinking that the universe had picked Krypton to be its punching bag. The secluded planet goes through one staggering change after another.The high point of the story is not the science, or the grandeur of the doomed planet, or Kryptonian culture, or the rise of General Zod or anything else. It is a simple concept: the inter-personal relationships between all the characters. The relationships are what ultimately drive the entire story, because a lot rests upon how Jor-El, Zor-El and Laura are manipulated by Zod, how all of Krypton itself is manipulated by him. If Anderson hadn’t given each character a distinctive voice and had portrayed them realistically, each with their own motivations and beliefs and attitudes that differed from each other. Whether it is Jor-El’s stubbornness and optimism and naiveté, or Laura’s drive to find the truth in all things and compile a true history of events, or Zor-El’s unflinching dedication to the people of Argo City, or even their collective desire to safeguard all of Krypton, these are all things (concepts even) that I could get behind and support fully.It goes without saying that these are the characters I enjoyed.
Finally, after three years I was able to read this book over the course of a short road trip. It's an enjoyable read, but this book fell just short of being epic. We know the planet blows up, right? Good, not too many spoilers follow...I'll list my gripes first:Jor-El: He is supposed to be the most brilliant man on all of Krypton but this is sacrificed at the altar of "science must come first" at any cost and also at the altar of common sense. He could tell you how much water a glass can hold, but then put in the ice cubes after filling it to the brim. He never had his "epic" moment where he was confident and made things right. Sure, he wore the "S" but it just never happened. Zod: he starts off shrewd and manipulative but then becomes this huge megalomaniac in the course of a few pages. Never have I seen a character start with depth and then become shallow.The Council: The destruction of Krypton was not enough punishment for the bumbling arrogance of the original council and the successor after Zod. Many times, I wanted the protagonists just to go all Zod on them.The Kryptons: They just up and follow anything that breathes? Yeah, they deserved the BOOM.My praises:Lara: A feisty artist, historian, and mother. Not what I expected, but she was super.Zor-El: This guy was down to Earth...er, Krypton and seems to be the only smart one who had common sense. He loved his wife, his citizens, and his brother. He was willing to do what it took to protect them without compromising his morals. Truly worthy of the "S". I think the book should have been about him.Overall, I liked some of the touches to previous works: Braniac, J'onn J'onzz, "kneel before Zod", "truth and justice", the fortress of solitude, the crystals, and some others. It was not heavy, but they came at good times in the narrative.This book really could have been a larger work and many of the characters could have been fleshed out. It seemed like the timeline of events happened awful fast. Also, the idea that Krypton faced 3-4 global planetary threats in nine months seemed to be a bit much.I would only recommend this book to just below hardcore Superman fans. It offers nothing new, but it came close to being something epic and great. It's just lost potential.
What do You think about The Last Days Of Krypton (2007)?
Despite the mixed reviews, I thought Kevin J. Anderson did a good job portraying life on Krypton. I have often wondered, if Krypton were so much more advanced than Earth, why didn't they explore new worlds? Why when the planet exploded, there were no Kryptonians around except those that barely escaped? Anderson answers these and more in a thick book about the rise and fall of Krypton. Krypton is like Rome was in its waning days of the Empire. Fat from its long, proud history, there is little creativity amongst the people. There are a few who stand out but their potential is squashed. The civilization on Krypton is old, decadent and very conservative. Jor-El, his brother Zor-El and Jor-El's wife, Lara, are the triangle that keeps the story flowing. Zod, who wants Jor-El's technology for himself, is playing like he is following Council's orders to suppress all "dangerous" tech. The Council represents Krypton's ruling class and they're not about to repeat history and let their planet again go to war or fight the alien threat that may come from space, or from their own backyard. Keep the status quo very status'd and very 'quo'd. It's a story about taking chances, about doing what you think is right and about fighting back against suppression. It's also about learning and taking advantage of what you could know (Jor-El's adventure with an alien who lands on Krypton and tells him marvels is such an event). Overall, I was happy with the book. A bit over-long in going over Zod's megalomanic plans. The Braniac scene where Kandor gets sucked out of the planet and what's left is a black scar on the surface and how Zod takes advantage is great. You just want to strangle the old Council for being so backward and stupid. And you want to kick people for letting Zod take control. Clearly the book takes a lot of its material of crystal technology from the original Superman film -- there are many allusions to it throughout the novel. Recommended for the Superman fan.
—James
Rarely do I read a book that can be described fittingly using only one word, but The Last Days of Krypton is just such a book -- and that one word is incompetent.I could stop there. I should stop there. But I can't. I must be heard (or read if you prefer the literal over the figurative).Jor-El, the father of Kal-El (Superman) and the brother of Zor-El, is the obvious place to start. He is supposed to be the most brilliant man on Krypton (or so we are constantly told). His intellect is supposed t
—Brad
The “Last Days of Krypton” was an awesome telling of the events leading up to baby Superman’s journey to earth. I was never a diehard comic book person and only read a few here or there, so up until I read this book, I really only had glimpses of what happened to Superman’s home planet thru little bits of comic books, or movies, and even TV shows. This really gave me a whole complete picture.The characters were portrayed loyal to what I’ve read and seen in the DC universe, identifying with them was easy. I hope someone picks this story up for a movie, because if it is done right, it would be a great addition to all the other superman movies and shows out there.
—Mary
