3 out of 4 stars
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Superhighway 2 is the second installment of the Superhighway Trilogy. This Sci-Fi novel starts right where the first book ends. Alex Fine can travel through network cables and access every kind of information. He employed these abilities to steal a Russian oligarch's money. Alex used this money to indulge himself and do some charity work. Now, Sverdlovski is after him and wants his money back. In an attempt to escape, Alex fakes his death and decides to hide in Las Vegas. There, he falls in love and tries to have a normal life with a new identity. Unfortunately, he falls into the allure of cocaine and ends up having a son. The story of his father repeats itself on him, and Karma comes back to bite him. Alex Fine is now facing the consequences of the immature and impulsive decisions he made in the past. Sverdlovski is still after him along with the CIA and the Kremlin.
This novel had me hooked from the very first page. The author's writing style is very fast paced and full of action. I loved the first book and had high hopes for this one. I was not disappointed. Superhighway 2 is definitely better than the first one. The whole ordeal Alex has to face keeps the readers at the edge of their seats. All the action scenes involving CIA agents, assassins, and Russian agents make this novel a gripping story. It's very easy to get emotionally involved with the events and devour this book as fast as you can.
Even though Superhighway 2 is filled with a lot of action sequences, the author also reflects on Alex's state of mind throughout the story. Because of this, his character is well-developed. You can see him grow up as his reflections become mature and less impulsive. However, the rest of the characters are lacking some development. This novel is written from a first-person perspective, so this is somewhat understandable. It's very difficult to develop other characters from just one point of view. Even though Alex's character is well-defined, I think the author should pay more attention to how he handles grief. Alex is too quick to forget a lost love and pursues another in a matter of days. This makes me think that either Alex is superficial or the author gets lost in the fast pace of the book to hurry the story along.
I feel this novel is a more realistic take on the superpower genre. Alex Fine is a normal person that suddenly discovers his powers. His character is not meant to be loved. He is immature, impulsive and pleasure-driven. In other stories, the main character uses his abilities for the greater good without thinking too much about it. But, instead of having all figured out, Alex makes a lot of mistakes and misuses his powers. Even though he also uses his powers for good, he doesn't do it the right way. His naïve actions cause a domino effect that leads to his doom. And of course, the government gets involved because every country wants to use him.
I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. This novel is well-written and somewhat well-edited. I just found three minor grammatical errors, and they don't affect the flow of the story. I was close to rating it a 4 out of 4 stars but, the few grammatical errors and the character development issues prevented it. Nonetheless, these problems don't affect the story that much and can be slightly overlooked. Sci-Fi and Action lovers should definitely read this novel. It's short and fast-paced which makes for a quick enjoyable read. In my opinion, this is certainly a page-turner. I can't wait for the next installment of the series.
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Superhighway 2
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