ALEX WISE VS. THE COSMIC SHIFT

Twelve-year-old Alex Wise is back, trying to save the world from the next phase of the apocalypse.

Alex’s adventures with 10-year-old sister Mags, best friend Loren, and budding love interest, 13-year-old demigod Liam, are moving forward after their defeat of Death in the first series entry. Now, they must travel from West Los Angeles to Las Vegas to stop the Horsemen of the apocalypse from finding Calamity—“an amalgamation of magic from each of the Divine Six deities who created Paradisum many millennia ago”—and ingesting their powers to take over the multiverse. No biggie. Along the way, Alex wrestles with his deepening emotions, which have nothing to do with his being possessed by a nonbinary god named Orin and everything to do with feeling like everything he says and does is an utter failure, even though he has the weight of the world on his shoulders. Benton-Walker inserts elements (such as the history of bustling Black towns’ being destroyed by white supremacists) into the narrative as reminders to the characters—and readers—that they’re fighting for a future they can help shape. This context helps balance the inner conflicts the characters must face in order to keep heading toward an uncertain future. Some of the slang used by these young Black suburban superheroes feels dated, but the care given to rounding out their portrayals through action and dialogue is superb.

Another captivating caper.