One of my favorite story tropes is the villain turned hero. It’s so satisfying to watch a character slowly change their mind into someone who wants to do the right thing, even if it’s the last thing they do. Power On by H.L. Burke is a classic villain to hero story from a teenager’s perspective. Below is my review of this superhero novel along with an interview with Burke about her writing.
Power On plot summary
Jake Lucas and his brother, Caleb, work for their Uncle Vic as members of The Sand Foxes, a supervillain team pursued by the Department of the Super-Abled, or DOSA. When DOSA catches the boys mid-mission, instead of incarcerating him, they send the underaged Jake to a rehabilitation program run by two retired DOSA members, a husband and wife team known as Prism and Fade.
Joining Jake at the compound is Laleh, the granddaughter of a founding DOSA member whose parents send her to the facility as punishment for her recent non-heroic actions, and Marco, a good-hearted kid who needs help learning how to control his powers. This unlikely team of misfits train together, learn how work as a team, and eventually must work together to get out of trouble.
Jake plays along while waiting for an opportunity to escape. But while waiting for that opportunity, he grows to like this new group and finds himself torn between returning to The Sand Foxes or sticking around in the safety and security of his imprisonment.
The story
Power On blends X-Men with The Breakfast Club as it explores a universe where superpowered beings are a real thing and the politics involved in controlling or containing them are a gray area that blurs the lines between good and evil.
The Sand Foxes are a kind of cult that has brainwashed the Lucas brothers into believing that they are nothing without the group. Having been taken in by their uncle as soon as their powers manifest, the group is crucial for the boys’ survival but also takes its toll on their self-worth.
DOSA is considered “the good guys,” though they are far from flawless with their own ulterior motives behind taking Jake. So, it’s no wonder that he doesn’t trust them or the husband and wife duo who take him in and train him to excel in teamwork, strategy, and control.
What Jake doesn’t expect, though, is to be won over by Prism and Fade and to see them for their genuine willingness to want to help the teen while there’s still time to change his ways. Throw in a sassy princess with the power to create electricity and a timid boy with pyrokinesis, and slowly, Jake’s armor is chipped away to reveal a desire to leave The Sand Foxes and make this found family his permanent home.
The characters
The story is told mainly from Jake’s point of view, though the first third of the book is full of exposition and world building in order to get to know this world and how it operates with these both genetically and experimentally created super people. Eventually, it condenses into a much more personal story as Jake arrives at the camp and his priorities begin to shift.
If Jake is the John Bender of this Breakfast Club then the mild-mannered Marco is the Brian and Laleh is the Claire. They each have their demons as well as their motivations, and eventually, they come to like each other for who they are. It provides the security and trust that they need to fulfill the requirements of the camp and look ahead to the future and how they want to utilize their abilities in the years ahead.
The message
This book got me thinking about who is determining the good from the bad. Burke quickly sets up the fact that DOSA is not completely good, like many large organizations that exist in the world. So, when they try to convert a villain, under what guidelines are they determining his evilness?
Jake does not change his mindset because of any societal or organized influences. He does it because of the loyalty of just a handful of people who look out for him and who he wants to look out for in return. The reverse brain washing doesn’t come from the two rivals shouting at him to “pick a side.” It comes from naturally building these relationships and knowing that someone has his back, even when he messes up or makes bad choices.
That’s not to say that his upbringing was a preferable lifestyle either. The Sand Foxes were well equipped with their mental manipulation techniques to create a hive mentality that puts value on being in the group rather than being an individual in that group. And it’s easy to convince someone that they don’t matter when they depend on you for survival.
That’s what makes Jake’s transition so fun to watch. He’s constantly being pulled in two different directions, and even as he begins to give into the good side, those instilled beliefs are still hard to shake.
His friends, Marco and Laleh also struggle with their identities and beliefs. Marco feels responsible for his mother, and Laleah is rebelling against her privileged pedigree. And it’s this shared struggle that ultimately pulls Jake towards the side of good… but on his own terms.
My recommendation
Power On is a must-read for any superhero fan, misunderstood teen, or reader looking for a character-driven villain to hero story. There’s not a ton of action and a long opening to get through. But once it gets going, it really holds your attention, gets you rooting for the characters, and makes you question what defines a hero.
My rating
An interview with H.L. Burke
What made you decide to tell this story from Jake, a supervillain’s, point of view?
I’ve been carrying the idea of a former supervillain looking to redeem himself and prove to the world at large that he could be a hero in my head since I got bored watching The Incredible Hulk in theaters. Normally I like Marvel movies, but that one was pretty early, and I don’t think they’d quite nailed the magic yet, so I just remember sitting there trying to write my own superhero story in my head and that was what I came up with.
That idea eventually became Reformed, which is the first book in the series set in the same world as Jake’s story, but which tells the story of the adult mentor figures from Power On, Fade and Prism. In some ways, Jake’s story is a continuation of Prism and Fade’s story as Prism has always been about redeeming those who deserve a second chance and Fade, being a former villain himself, knows what it means to get a do over.
Did you draw inspiration from any superhero graphic novel, TV show, or movie storylines?
I have consumed a lot of superhero related media in my lifetime from watching Batman: The Animated Series and the Adam West Batman as a very small girl to having seen most (not quite all) Marvel movies. I’ve even read some comics, so I’m sure I’ve absorbed enough tropes and story lines that they are now sort of bleeding out of me like some sort of insane remix. That said, there’s not one story that really influenced this one.
Who is your favorite character?
I have a super soft spot for Fade, but Jake is kind of my sulky pretend son (I have two daughters, no sons, in real life), so it’s hard to choose between them. Fade is the character I’ve written across all my books who has the personality closer to my own husband, though, so I always like when he’s on the page being sarcastic but charming.
How did you choose the characters’ names and powers?
Jake is just a nice, solid boy’s name I’ve always liked, and I wanted his powers to be fun to work with … plus I do rather like the Sandman from Spider-Man so making something similar I can use on the good side was fun.
Laleh: I picked her name off a list of popular Persian girl names after I watched an indie romcom about a Persian American family and decided that I wanted her to be that ethnicity … her powers came out of what was more expedient for the story. I knew I had a couple of plot points that having a person with technology manipulation powers would make much more workable.
Marco, finally, I can’t remember where I got his name, but … yeah, I rewatched Avatar: The Last Airbender (the cartoon) a little before writing this, and I really wanted to play with a firebender. I have my readers calling him “Chibi Zuko.”
Jake is introduced to the original Star Wars trilogy. What do you think he gets out of this story about the struggle between good versus evil? Do you plan to feature more of the Star Wars franchise throughout your series?
Jake’s not really into thinking about meanings and themes in the entertainment he watches, but I do think he would identify with the idea of being a rebel for a good cause rather than for a bad one. The idea that going against authority can still be right would appeal to him, and Han Solo demonstrates that you don’t have to be a super squeaky clean, good boy type to be a hero.
Jake will probably reference Star Wars again, especially as it is something of a bonding moment between him and Prism so it’s something that made an impression. How and when remains to be seen.
Prism is pregnant throughout the story. What was the motivation in featuring a pregnant hero and a family juggling normal life with super abilities?
You don’t see a lot of parents in fantasy and sci-fi. It’s not completely undone, but generally speaking once the babies arrive, the story is over. As a parent myself, I know life doesn’t stop when you have kids, plus I like playing with the dynamic of it. The hero life is very much a family affair for Prism and her husband, so I wanted to make sure that was portrayed fully.
Whose backstory would you most like to explore further?
The biggest gap in the story, not covered in any of the connected books, is probably Fade’s childhood/adolescence. How he ran away from his foster home at 14 and ended up a supervillain/master thief for several years before he eventually got arrested and reformed. It would be mildly depressing because he had a rough childhood followed by years of being a criminal loner.
If your book is made into a movie or series, who would you want to play your main characters?
Unfortunately, I am not hip enough to know the names of any under 20 actors off the top of my head. Or even 20 somethings that could pass as 16-year-olds. Everyone who I can think of who at one point would’ve been fine for Jake, Laleh, or Marco would now be pushing 30. I think a story with a young cast is a great place to find new faces and talents, so I’d like something like that.
Fade would be Criminal Minds star Shemar Moore, though.
Did you know the ending before you started writing, or did it emerge as you wrote?
I actually have most of Jake’s story planned up until his twenties. Little details are blurry, but I know where he ends up and who he ends up with. I have a whole other book in my head about what he gets up to as an adult, which I actually thought of before I realized whose kid he was and why that mattered, and I kind of worked backward from there.
What do you want readers to take away from Power On?
Mostly, I want them to have had fun. I don’t write to advance a message or a cause. When someone gets something deeper than that out of my books, I’m always happy, but I always feels it’s more inherent to them than anything I did intentionally, or maybe God working through my somewhat fluffy tale of superheroes and snarky references to make something better.
That said, I think there are some things that are important to me—family, hope, second chances, the bravery it takes to make the right choice—and I like to think those bleed through into the story.
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It’s really interesting that it’s told from a villain’s point of view! Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for the great feature!
Thank you for sharing your book!