Is this another coming-of-age fantasy about a super-powered teen, his friends and rivals?

Use this forum to discuss the September 2021 Book of the month, "The Fourth Kinetic: Clairvoyants Book 1" by Brady Moore
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SunVixen
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Re: Is this another coming-of-age fantasy about a super-powered teen, his friends and rivals?

Post by SunVixen »

Sushan wrote: 01 Sep 2021, 00:26 The book features the constant battle between a group of people with super powers (the Clairvoyants) and a group who are determined to eradicate them (the mysterious organization which tries to capture all the super-powered ones).

The moment I took this in I thought "this is a common concept which has been used in sci-fi fantasy for a long time". And with its published date (2021 May), it is unlikely for the other work to be inspired by this book.

What do you think? Is this another book in which can be categorized as a common sci-fi fantasy with super powered fellows and their rivals? Or has the author been able to create something more with it?
There are indeed a lot of stories about teenagers who suddenly discover their extraordinary abilities. Perhaps this is just a new archetype that is being born right before our eyes. After all, ancient archetypes were also new thousands of years ago.
In theory, this modern story (let's call it Teen-Turned-Superhuman) could be a subvariety of the old Cinderella story. In the old tale, a poor orphan suddenly gets new clothes and becomes the wife of a prince. In the new story, a simple teenager (often an orphan or a child of a single parent who is also an introvert or the target of bulling) gains extraordinary abilities and becomes a superhuman. Both girls and boys appear in these Superteen stories, while Cinderella is a girl. However, there is a Native American legend about the boy's Cinderella. It's called "Ash Boy".
Therefore, Rion's story is not secondary. It's just archetypal. Most likely, many more such stories will be written.
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SunVixen
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Post by SunVixen »

I made such a stupid mistake. It should have been “Cinderella boy”, not “boy's Cinderella”. English is not my first language. I can make stupid mistakes at times.
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Post by Amanda I »

I think this is just another coming of age story with little changes. It follows the same concept as other stories where a teen or a person has to make use of powers he just discovers and tries to figure out how to use them.
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Post by Kira Bonita Reece »

Yes I agree with you. The storyline is very common and the book is a bit cliched. It seems like just another coming of age teen story. That been said, I think the author did a wonderful job keeping us engaged and willing to read about Rion's experiences
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Post by Ayomid »

I believe that there are novel twists in this story. Rion's trusting character is one of these. Therefore, it is possible that it would inspire other works.
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Post by Sara chhawniwala »

Having read so many coming-of-age sci-fi novels, this book, unfortunately was nothing new. The story follows the same concept as the other novel of similar genre.
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Post by Lomyders »

In my opinion, yes, this book is definitely another coming of age fantasy. A teenager getting to know he is endowed with supernatural powers, taking charge of the use of such powers, and being able to bear the responsibilities that come with it makes this book a sci-fi to reckon with.
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Post by Katherine Powell-Polkey »

I agree that it is a popular storyline. There are so many in the media. Spiderman, Superman, and several of the X-men are centered around a teenager gaining powers and rivals. That doesn't necessarily mean the stories are bad, just that the concept is common.
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Post by Kazak »

Sci-Fi/fantasy coming of age? Yes, as a fantasy coming of age story it is like the rest. But only looking at it from that broad angle. Lookin closer, it's different from the other fantasy coming of age stories. At the scene by scene level, that is.
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Post by amakaokoye »

I personally feel this book is just another coming-of-age fantasy about a teen with super powers. But this wasn't really a problem to me as I still enjoyed the book.
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Post by Joyjim »

I would say the author has done much in making this piece interesting. However, I don't think it stands out from other sci/fi with similar themes by a wide margin. The part about frequently moving is common in other similar stories.
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Post by doley »

Sushan wrote: 01 Sep 2021, 00:26 The book features the constant battle between a group of people with super powers (the Clairvoyants) and a group who are determined to eradicate them (the mysterious organization which tries to capture all the super-powered ones).

The moment I took this in I thought "this is a common concept which has been used in sci-fi fantasy for a long time". And with its published date (2021 May), it is unlikely for the other work to be inspired by this book.

What do you think? Is this another book in which can be categorized as a common sci-fi fantasy with super powered fellows and their rivals? Or has the author been able to create something more with it?
While this book might seem cliqued in some aspects, it is very unique in others. I like the author's writing style and I fancy the twist with Aquila and Perseus. My verdict is that the author created a unique storyline out of a cliqued concept, and that is very creative. Altogether, it is a great read. I am sure many others will agree with me about that.
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Post by Lily Baker »

I think the book is a coming of age, sci-fi story. A young person trying to get a handle on his abilities while facing challenges and danger from other forces. But I enjoyed the book regardless of the common theme.
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Post by Menace Crypto »

The concept for me is just another coming of age sci-fi/fantasy story. It contains the basic framework of all coming of age sci-fi/fantansy story where a teenager suddenly find out he has powers, tries to deal with it, and is persecuted by mysterious people or organizations.
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Post by Daniel-Davis »

In this genre, who doesn't like the origin story of normal person getting a power and then unraveling into an epic story. It reminds me of a dungeon master taking a level 1 whatever and drawing him through epic battles until he's OP
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