Blurb:
Humanity faces extinction. Ten-kiloton monsters are rising from the depths of the Pacific, levelling entire cities in frenzies of destruction. Earth’s heroes have been decimated. The survivors put their hope in one last, desperate plan: find Hyperion, Earth’s most powerful hero, and ask him to return from exile to save them.
What they don’t know is that Hyperion is dead.
The Griffin spent ten years fighting wars across the sector as a weapon of mass destruction for the il’Drach Empire. His victories made his name a curse on a dozen worlds and a nightmare on scores more. He retired to the peaceful station Wistful and discovered that leaving his name behind didn’t clear his sins, his debts, or his conscience.
Earth’s peril may give him a chance for redemption, if he can only find a way to stop the monsters without turning into one. Without becoming The Griffin again.
Review:
Six months after the end of Wistful Ascending, Rohan is still working as her tow chief (and saving treasure hunters who don’t heed the warnings about dangerous megafauna on Toth 3). His life has settled into a routine, until a ship arrives at Wistful from Earth. His home world is under attack by giant shark-like creatures with legs—land sharks.
The humans came seeking a different Hybrid, Hyperion, but Rohan is forced to tell them the terrible news that Hyperion is dead. So are the other Hybrids who left Earth with him—and Rohan is all they have left. The humans aren’t thrilled he’s their only hope for stopping the land sharks’ destruction. He didn’t exactly leave Earth on the best terms…
This was an insanely entertaining read. Rohan’s return to Earth was filled with various Powered humans (basically superheroes), some of which were recognizable from pop culture though acting under different names and with different backstories.
In line with book one, there was a lot of action, and not just with the shark monsters. There was a reappearance of the decipede a couple times as well, some fights with other powered humans, and one rather diabolical, ancient super-villain.
Rohan, in typical fashion, got beat up a lot, but he got the job done. He maintained his sense of humor, much like in book one, though he’s also grown as a character since the start of the series. He seems to have a better handle on his unusual temper, and is genuinely trying to do better as a person.
While Return of the Griffin is technically book two in the series, I think it reads well enough as a standalone too. It was a fun and light-hearted read.
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