As a Stan Lee fan, I was really looking forward to reading The Zodiac Legacy: Convergence, created by Stan Lee with Stuart Moore and illustrator Andie Tong.
What I wasn't quite expecting was how much my son would enjoy it too!
He was pleasantly surprised by the story, and it turned out to be one of those books that we could both enjoy – an action-packed adventure for younger readers with plenty to keep an adult comic book and superhero fan entertained too.
What Is The Zodiac Legacy About?
The story follows Steven Lee, an ordinary teenager visiting Hong Kong on a school trip.
While exploring a museum of Chinese history, Steven becomes curious about one of the tour guides and slips away from his group to follow her.
That decision is about to change his life completely.
Steven soon finds himself caught up in a battle involving a mysterious and incredibly powerful energy connected to the Chinese Zodiac.
When the Zodiac power is unleashed, Steven is accidentally infused with the abilities of the Tiger.
But he isn't the only one.
Other Zodiac powers have been released and have found their way to people around the world. Steven joins forces with Jasmine and her friends as they attempt to find these newly empowered individuals before the dangerous Maxwell and his followers get to them first.
Suddenly, Steven's school trip has become anything but ordinary.
Action From the Very Beginning
One of the things we really enjoyed about The Zodiac Legacy was its pace.
The action begins quickly and continues throughout the story, with new characters, powers and challenges appearing along the way.
There's a definite superhero feel to the book, but using the animals and mythology of the Chinese Zodiac gives the story its own identity.
Steven also has to learn what his new abilities mean and how to use them while discovering that he's now part of something much bigger than himself.
Illustrations Bring the Story to Life
The illustrations by Andie Tong are another great feature of the book.
Rather than being a traditional novel with page after page of text, illustrations appear throughout the story and help bring the characters, action and Zodiac powers to life.
They give the book something of a graphic-novel feel while still leaving plenty for the reader to imagine.
For younger readers in particular, I think the combination of prose and illustrations helps make the story feel accessible and keeps the pages moving quickly.
Characters We Wanted to See More Of
By the end, we'd become invested in Steven and the rest of the group – including Jasmine, Carlos, Roxanne, Liam, Duane and Kim.
And then, of course, there's Maxwell and his crew causing trouble along the way.
The story clearly leaves the door open for the adventure to continue, and after reaching the final pages, we were definitely ready to find out what happened next.
What We Thought
The Zodiac Legacy: Convergence was a really enjoyable read and one that both my son and I liked.
It's packed with action and adventure, with superheroes, mysterious powers and plenty of illustrations along the way.
Once the story gets going, it's difficult to put down. There's always something happening to make you want to turn another page and see what's waiting for Steven and his friends.
I'd particularly recommend it for tweens and teens who enjoy superheroes, comics, action and adventure stories, but there's plenty here for older Stan Lee fans to enjoy as well.
For us, The Zodiac Legacy was a fun, fast-paced reading experience that didn't disappoint – and by the end, we were already looking forward to more.
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