Hey'a, all! If you're a fan of H.L. Burke's Supervillain Rehabilitation Project universe like I am, you know that this is a pretty exciting month. For one thing, we have the DOSA Files Kickstarter, which has hit its first stretch goal (an audiobook version of the anthology) and is reaching for the next (downloadable coloring pages). For another, Burke is launching another new series in this world: the Supervillain Legacy Project, which focuses on our next generation of superheroes. Book one, Game On, releases in just a few weeks on May 24. I was lucky enough to get an ARC, and let me tell you that this is a really fun read that's simultaneously rewarding for long-time fans and a great entry point for newcomers. If you're anything like me, you're going to love it . . . and, of course, I have five reasons why that's the case.

 

Reasons You'll Love Game On

1. H.L. Burke knows how to do next-generation stories well. Next-generation stories are always a risk — after all, there's so many ways they can go wrong, whether they echo the originals too much, present beloved original-generation characters in an unflattering light (or kill them off entirely), or commit a myriad of other storytelling sins. However, Burke avoids all these missteps with a story that honors the rest of the canon while still being something new. Ruby, Curran, and Oliver may echo past characters, but only in the way that kids normally echo parents or other influential people in their lives. The storyline is very different than the rest of the books — rather than a fight versus a supervillain, we have a superhero tournament (which, let's be real, is exactly the kind of PR stunt we knew DOSA would pull eventually). And we see plenty of past characters, either as mentors or in brief cameos, but they don't steal the spotlight, and where they fall short, it's in ways consistent with their past characterization.
2. The connections to past books are really fun. Game On has ties to pretty much all the past SVR series, and the list of appearances is almost like a "Who's Who" of the DOSA-verse. Ruby and Curran are Fade and Prism's kids, obviously, while Oliver last appeared in Wishing on a Supervillain. The story also features Jake and Laleh as significant secondary characters (Jake is the one adult to get POV chapters, and his dynamic with Laleh is still so good) and a few characters from Second Chance Superhero, along with some other reappearing characters in more minor roles. I loved getting to see Prism and Fade in full-on parent mode (and seeing the success of Prism's dreams!) and getting updates on a lot of past characters and their lives.
3. It's a great way to discover the SVR-verse. This might sound contradictory, given that I just talked about how Game On has so many connections to past books. However, the story itself doesn't require a lot of background knowledge to understand, and what is required is explained in the narrative. Ruby, Curran, and Oliver are very much their own characters with their own stories, and I think you could easily pick this up and fully enjoy it without having read any previous SVR books. And the fact that the story does have so many connections kind of gives new readers an idea of where they might like to read next — someone curious about Prism and Fade would go to the original series next, someone who loves Jake and Laleh's dynamic could pick up the Superhero Rescue Project, and so on.
4. It's a family-focused story. This is true of most SVR-verse books, but it's particularly true here. All three kids have very strong bonds with, love for, and pride in their families — Ruby's whole thing, in fact, is wanting to not just compete in the Games but specifically to compete in them with her family by her side. The story is also very much, as the series name would suggest, about legacies and about the way your family affects you and the way others perceive you.
5. It's a YA book that still has reasonable adults. We all know that adults — parents especially — are often the antagonists in YA books, whether that's intentional or not in-world. That is not the case in Game On. All three main characters have strong, healthy relationships with their parents, even in circumstances where other authors would see bitterness as a character-justified way to add drama. That's not to say that all these relationships are perfect, but they're realistically loving. Even adults who do act as an obstacle to some degree generally (with one or two exceptions) aren't seeking to be cruel; they're just acting realistically.
   

Are you ready to pick up Game On? If so, make sure to preorder it on Amazon and add it on Goodreads. Before you go, though, tell me in the comments: what other really good next-generation stories have you enjoyed?
Thanks for reading!