Review for The Silver Hood by Justin Richman

For a superhero novel from a first-time author, The Silver Hood is ultimately a good read. The action is well-written, and the interaction between characters feels mostly real and relatable. The superpower and its description are some of the story’s strengths.

The humor is another high point, particularly within character interactions. This isn’t one of those lone-hero-saves-the-day-completely-alone stories, and the supporting cast of characters each have a distinct personality. The relationships the protagonist has with others, especially his grandfather, made me want to turn the next page almost more than the superhero plot. The dialogue is exceptionally strong.

However, not all relationships or characters were portrayed the same way, and this is largely one of the reasons I chose 3 stars after teetering between worth reading and loved it. All of the relationships check a certain box: best friend, family member, competent helper, love interest, and villain. But most novels do have that to an extent, and that isn’t exactly what I had issues with. If anything, the characters fitting the first three boxes are anything but flat and often make a more enjoyable read than the protagonist. And maybe by comparison, these were so good that some of the problematic aspects of the last two seemed worse.

“Our beautiful receptionist, Lara,” as she is introduced to us, isn’t even a bad character nor truly a flat one as things progress. But that introduction and the way she is written at the start made the relationship through the rest of the novel and fleshing out of the character an uphill battle for me. Physical attractiveness should not be the main qualifier for a female character (or any female), especially if you’re going to pigeonhole her into a stereotypical job. Coupled with an early line about ‘girly shows,’ my first impressions weren’t great. I can’t really dive into my issues with the villain without spoilers, but they went from being more multidimensional to almost cartoonish.

There are also a few scattered errors, but none that truly disrupt the story. At quite a few points though, the narrative portions almost read like we are getting a summary of what’s happening instead of feeling a part of it. I did have a slight issue with the catalyst that gives the hero superpowers. While 20 minutes underwater and surviving is incredulous, it becomes much less so when you factor in subfreezing temperatures. That even medical personnel never seem to call attention to this, it took me out of the story a bit.

Overall though, this was still a superhero novel worth reading. There seems to be heavy influence from Green Arrow (Lara and Tommy made me think of Laurel and Tommy) and Daredevil, so I highly recommend fans of those shows to take a look. And despite the rough edges described, I’m excited to see more of this world in the next novel.

The Silver Hood by Justin Richman is available to buy on Amazon or you can visit the author’s website to find out more about this and their other works.