Stan Lee's Riftworld: Odyssey

Had been endlessly searching for a follow-up to part two (Villains) for over two years before sporting this on the import shelves in the local Forbidden Planet store. All I can say is "wow".The first half of the book deals with Harry's formation of a superhero team on the 'utopian' world of Argonia when the bad-guys (called Deviants) start trying to topple the regime. This alternates with what's happening back on Earth. With Harry, Peg and John missing presumed dead, the arrogant Marty Burke has took over the Fantasy Factory, making life hell for the talent there. Plus, hard-nosed reporter Leslie-Ann is starting to pick threads at the giant's cover-story.The second part of the story hits you slap-bang with the realisation that all the **** that's happening may be a product of John's unconscious mind, warping reality. The Deviant leaders turn out to be Fantasy Factory villains upon which Peg realises that their situation is following the tried and trusted story-threads of a comic-book plot.Upon defeating the Deviants, Peg and John 'rift' back to Earth to join Harry in defeating whatever nefarious plan the giant's are cooking up. However the rift becomes unstable and starts forming pocket-universes with physical laws far different to our own... universes which intersect ours with devastating consequences as all technology starts (literally) blowing up in our faces.To add to the chaos, two Deviants have escaped Argonia and have their own plans for Earth, to breed a master race of telepaths. And we find out Robert and the rest of the giants' masterplan... to ignite World War 3 and decimate the lessers (us) in nuclear fire so they can take control of what's left.Many different people with many different plans for the planet and the only people who can save us are Harry, Peg and John having brought back a few superior Argonian weapons and battle-armour. The end is a real cliffhanger as Robert's plan does it's deadly work sooner than anticipated. All the nuclear missiles have been launched and the first humans have succumbed to megadeath.Can the world be saved and the Deviants & giants thwarted. I guess we'll just have to wait for the next book. Only this time, I hope Stan and Bill write it and get it published sooner rather than later. Odyssey was dated 1996, so with any luck it should be soon.

This book is really something, it got me reading so much that I even had to put my food aside and at the end what does stan lee do?He leaves me hanging, I've been combing bookstores and surfing the net to see if I can find the continuation but up till now I've not yet seen it I hope it will be written soon because it will really be a great sell and story.Why I like this book? Because it's got everything you need to make a book really interesting and it really got me hooked. Stan you gotta do something because I reeeally need to know the fate of the Earth in your book.

I liked this book and I think you would too if you like "superhero" type books. The problem is...they still haven't writen a sequel (as of Feb 98) and this one didn't really have an ending. It left you hanging. I look forward to the sequel if it's ever published.