Smallville: Strange Visitors by Roger Stern

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Smallville: Strange Visitors by Roger Stern

pub: Orbit. 285 page paperback: Price: £ 5.99 (UK). ISBN: 1-84149-246-9.

Check out website: www.orbitbooks.co.uk

An adolescent schoolboy in Kansas, dreams he is flying and finds himself in the barn at night without knowing how he got there. It can only be Clark Kent, later to be known as Superman, as yet unaware of his full potential. He can outrun the school bus and do his farm chores in less than one minute but the girl of his dreams loves another and he can never tell her who he is.

'Smallville' goes back to the origins of Superman and attempts to show why he became a super-hero. It re-makes the story making it relevant to the audience that laps up 'Buffy', 'Roswell High' and other fantasy series.

Smallville Strange Visitors It seeks and may well have found the winning formula that encourages not only its target to audience to watch but more mature viewers.

Our trouble is we have been spoiled. In the 1970's, there was Chris Reeve a near perfect super-hero, darn it, and in the 90's, Dean Cain came a close second.

Now when it's too late for some of us, we have the 'teenaged' version. The cast is full of beautiful people with a rather sexy (soon to be villainous) Lex. Heck, even the 'oldies' are cute with Superman's dad being an ex-Duke of Hazzard and his mum being an ex-Lana Lang (something a bit Freudian there).

And now there are tie-in novels and the big decision is whether to read it or not. Tie-ins are often a disappointment with too much filler and not enough satisfying plot.

'Strange Visitors' written by Roger Stern, no stranger himself to the Superman story, chooses to concentrate on the more human aspects of greed and leaves aside the 'monster a week' currently so beloved. Clark's friend, Chloe, has constructed a website from her research into all the strange occurrences in Smallville.

This attracts the attention of a would-be new age healer or if you like an old-time snake oil seller. Believing or hoping that the meteorites that fell on the town in 1989 will cure many ills, Donald Jacobi and his manager, James Wolfe, arrive in Smallville. Wolfe sees a potential killing in the faith healing market but is worried that the gleam in Jacobi's eye is that of the true believer.

With the additional complications of a teen-ager with fatal brain cancer and Clark's very real problems with kryptonite this adds up to quite a satisfying twist on some well-worn themes.

There is some considerable back-story in this novel presumably because it is one of the first since Season One was shown on television. There are two pages explaining Lex's near fatal car crash that surely could have been telegraphed in two lines. There are numerous references to occurrences when the meteors struck which should be well known by this books potential audience.

It must be difficult how much to put in and how much to leave out but it becomes a bit like stock footage in films how often can you watch the same car roll over a mountain and not get bored.

It does overcome most of these difficulties and is an enjoyable holiday read. At £5.99 it won't break your bank and if you are waiting for the next series then it will tide you over.

Sue Davies

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