Between Books - Hollow World: Origins

I really enjoyed Hollow World by Nick Pobursky.  And so when I saw that there was a free EBook prequel on Amazon.Com, I jumped at it since the price was right for what I hoped was good content.  And as one can expect for that price, I was not disappointed.

Hollow World: Origins consists of three short stories.  "X-Ray" by Nick Pobursky shows us Team X-Ray in action before they met Charlie.  "Overboard"  also by Pobursky shows Hollow World's main character in action using his detective skills in a less life-threatening but important situation.  "Vacuous" by Hugh Allison shows the villain's main henchman Jeremy on a mission for Spencer Holloway.

Overall these all three worked for me because I was already familiar with this characters.  Charlie continues to be likable and impressive.  And we get to see his domestic life, which can make many family men feel like Charlie could be their buddy.  And further deepen the stakes when we later she his family kidnapped.  After "Vacuous" I have absolutely no sympathy for Jeremy, who at times seemed misguided to me in Hollow World.  I think if I had read Hollow World: Origins first I would have never attempted to find something redeeming in him.   And it was fun to see Team X-Ray in action.  Though I felt like this was a low risk mission, since I knew who would make the pages of the book.  But I enjoyed seeing the team work together without Charlie.

If you are considering Hollow World but have not taken the plunge yet, Hollow World: Origins is a good opportunity to become familiar with these heroes and villains without a large time or money expense.  And personally, it makes me want to see more of Team X-Ray and Charlie.