Source: Goodreads
Before Superman came to Metropolis, the city had another unlikely hero: Lois Lane. The daughter of an army general, Lois has moved more times than she can count and she’s been kicked out of even more schools. When her father takes a permanent assignment in the city, Lois does her best to put down roots and avoid trouble, but it seems trouble isn’t done with her just yet. Before long Lois is on the case of some school bullies with freaky mind control talents, and she’s landed a brand new student reporter job to help her figure it out.
A series based on Lois Lane pre-Superman? Sign me up! As a child, Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman with Dean Cain and Teri Hatcher was one of my favorite shows, though I probably watched it mostly in reruns since it originally aired from ’93-’97 when I was still a toddler. I always though Lois was SO cool. She was probably my first female hero, actually. I started writing my own newspapers soon after that so you can see what a major influence the show and the character had on me, haha! Anyway, ever since then I’ve been very interested in Superman and especially Lois, who is just a bad a** reporter who only really needs saving because she falls in love with Superman and then everyone puts her in danger to get his attention. But this series is before Superman really exists.
Lois is just a normal high school student, struggling with the inequalities of this world. The story in Fallout started a little slow, and with my brain stuck in the 90’s (or actually, high school would have been the late 70’s or 80’s for Hatchet’s Lois), I wasn’t prepared for virtual reality headsets and cellphones. Once I accustomed myself to the fact that everything was happening in the modern day, I got sucked right in. Lois is spectacular – spunky, brave, smart, good, and a heavy dose of reckless. And her foes are on a level equal with anything Lex Luthor ever threw at Superman.
The vibrant characters, the high-tech backdrop with a side of high school politics and a heavy dose of up-and-coming reporter combined with murky intentions and fierce foes has created an immersive and captivating world that I can’t wait to explore more of in the next two announced books in the series. Lois Lane is the kind of hero everyone needs in their lives right now: no powers, just morals and smarts. I highly recommend this series to anyone who loves Superman and Lois, but especially to anyone interested in journalism or female heroes. Lois Lane is just one of those role models you’ll want to come back to again and again.
HHC Rating: 4 Stars
Other reviews in this series: Book #2 – Double Down Book #3 – Triple Threat