this was a really unique take on the superhero book, the characters were great and I really enjoyed how unique the plot was.

Not your normal super-hero story. A super-hero runs for president. His quest to find meaningful issues to run on boils down to an observation he makes, a hypothesis that possibly addresses the problem he sees, and then a discussion with an expert in the subject that appears promising but never quite makes the grade. No charecter development and no plot.

Spectrum, an alien superhero in the tradition of Superman, longs to make a difference in the world. Sure, he can save lives and prevent destruction with his ability to fly and to manipulate molecular structures, but what about the bigger problems? Inequality, hunger, sickness, economic woes, unrest, how can a superhero address these? In Brian Cato's Candidate Spectrum, Spectrum, a.k.a. Grant Goslin, decides to step aside from his career as a superhero to enter political life, where he thinks he can have a greater impact. He has no trouble being elected governor of Missouri, Congress finagles a way to allow him to run for president, and he joins the fray in the 2020 election.

This is a clever set-up for the story, and Cato has some fun with it. Spectrum's reflections on public service and the life of the superhero are at times interesting and engaging. As the story gets rolling, the story-telling style is very straightforward: this happened, then this happened, then this happened. I kept thinking, OK, Cato is setting the scene for the meat of the plot. Unfortunately, by the time in the book where you think it's bound to get more entertaining, Cato shifts to a lot of speechifying.

Here's the feeling I have. Rather than thinking, "I'm going to write a book about a superhero. As part of the story, I'll have him run for president, and that will frame the adventures and conflicts of the novel," Cato thought, "I have some political ideas and ideals I'd like to write about. I'll create a superhero story to communicate those ideas." In other words, this is a political pamphlet with the barest story, rather than a superhero story in which the superhero runs for office.

So, take it for what you will, but if you are interested in a new superhero backstory, with adventures in crime fighting and heroic deeds, you'll be disappointed. Spectrum is not terribly original, and really only serves as a mouthpiece for Cato's political ideas.


Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the complimentary electronic review copy!

**I received and voluntarily read an e-ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**

I wanted to like this book, but unfortunately, it was not one of my favorites.

I love the idea, a superhero who runs for office because he really wants the world to be a better place. The execution of the idea, however, falls flat. It was hard enough to read in present tense, but I got used to it. What really makes this a difficult read is that it is political in a way it shouldn't be- it's wordy.

It's far too long in it's current form. I think the length might be okay if it weren't for the present tense, but written as it is, everything feels over described and oversimplified. It just feels like I'm being spoon-fed bit by bit instead of treating the reader as intelligent enough to be able to be able to read some of the situations presented.

Overall, I think another pass or three on editing would have been able to trim it down and make it more palatable. It's a great idea, but it needed some more work before heading to the presses.

CANDIDATE SPECTRUM by Brian Cato is classified as general fiction, but it is more than that. Spectrum is the superhero name that Grant Goslin chose for himself. But during one rescue mission, he realizes that his actions as a superhero are reactive and aren’t solving the root causes of the incidents he faces. Therefore, he decides to go into politics and runs for governor of Missouri. Eventually, he decides to run for President of the United States. First, he has to overcome the fact that he is an alien from another planet and currently not eligible to be president.

The main character is certainly someone you can root for or against depending on your political views. Grant’s goals are clear, but the road to get there is not without major issues including his naivety and inexperience. While his thought processes were interesting and raise serious issues that need to be dealt with, the story tended to be slow and therefore the impact and effectiveness of the dialogue was diminished.

Overall, there were some emotional moments and the book is definitely thought-provoking, but the implementation lacked the impact I was expecting. However, the concepts are important enough that I would recommend this to others that are interested.

Many thanks to Smith Publicity, Inc. – BC Studios and Brian Cato for a complimentary digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley and the opportunity to provide an honest review. Opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way.

DNF. I dislike present-tense, but that's a personal thing, not something I hold against a book. What I do hold against a book is incredibly simplistic writing and clumsy info-dumping - and a LOT of it. I knew I was done when I reached the passage where Spectrum, the superhero main character, picks up a wounded civilian, and 'realizes he's never felt the touch of a daughter, a wife, and wonders if all the things he's sacrificed to become a superhero are worth it.'

On its own, that kind of emotion is brilliant. It could have been really poignant and impactful. Instead, that which should be delicate is wielded like a hammer, bluntly, without the finesse to make it as special as it could be.

The premise for this book is incredible. The execution is lacking. And that's a really awful thing, because this could have ROCKED. Hopefully it will impress other readers more than it did me.