I grew up on Marvel comic books, so having a female-led Superhero story out there is something that I automatically gravitate to, especially when a near-future Alternate Reality version of my city (Atlanta, GA) is involved. Burden of Solace did not disappoint, giving me a great introduction to Cassie Whelan’s world and making me care about her and her world right out of the gate.

As the reader, you are thrown straight into Cassie’s world as a fourth-year trauma resident. Her whole world at that point is simply to heal all of the damaged people that come into her life, and she prides herself on that ability, regardless of the way that her pride gets in her own way over and over again in her professional and personal life. When she is brutally attacked and finds that her healing hands have become more than just a phrase, she finds herself being pulled into a world where those who have “Emerged” with powers are treated as non-human from all sides to be more than a theoretical debate.

I was pulled into this story from the start, being able to feel completely immersed into this near-future, alternate world where people who develop abilities have not only been around for such a long time that they are an ingrained part of the landscape, but they have been regulated by the government to not even human status since Prohibition. The things that people in this world have accepted as “just how it is” is palpable and done in such a way that reminded me of when I first read “When Worlds Collide” and was taken aback seeing the full moon after reading about its destruction in the book. I was pulled into the world that Cassie’s bucking of traditional world-view was not only right in line with her personality, but I wanted to help her.

If I had to give any criticism at all, it was that I would occasionally realize that Cassie’s voice was a bit more surface thought than what I was used to from a female lead. I wanted her empathy to be a little more from her core self on these occasions instead of from the outside, but they were minimal intrusions into an absolutely great story.

All of that said, go out and get this story if you’re a Superhero fan – as the first book in a series, I’m really excited to see more from the Starforce Saga. Richard L. Wright has built a rich world that I would be really happy to stick around in for a long time.