I loaded this one onto my Palm and was reading it here and there on public transit. Easier to pull out than a book and lighter too. When real e-books happen, I will be on that bandwagon... Anyway, Flyboy was light and entertaining, with endearing characters, goofy and sweet. It was bizarre enough to keep me happy. Cute! (August 10, 2004) ( )

I really didn't expect to like this book as much as I did. I picked it up for practically free at a library fundraising sale, stuffed into my huge $5 bag sale bag.

Having had a slightly punk politically minded if not active stage in my late teens, I really related to and liked the characters. Their smart mouthed cynicism reflects people I know and love. And the scifi aspect is more fun than technical, never really explained because the characters themselves don't understand how they came to be the way they are.

Flyboy is a really fun, quick read. I will look for other books by this author. ( )

Two youngsters (Flyboy and Ms.Place) use their super powers to fight cigarette ads, unfair laws, and evil. The plot is sweet and simple; the characters are the main attraction of this book. Each character has their own interests and style of talking--even the protagonist's friend's rival gets character development. The dialog sounds like conversations I'd have myself, and the people talking sound like people I'd like to know. It's all in all a fabulous, energetic take on modern life. ( )

It's a little hard to decide on the genre of this book. There's people with superpowers as the main characters so maybe it is science fiction. But there's not really any scientific explanation of the superpowers so maybe it is fantasy. On the other hand the main characters seem so normal, fitting in their superpower escapades around their jobs and classes and other activities. So maybe it's literature, a little off the wall, but literature just the same. Whatever it is it was a really fun read. Who knew people in Toronto could be so cool? (she says with her western Canadian bias against anything based in TO)

Ryan is a university student in Toronto. He's from London, ON originally and he seems like a bit of a hick. After all he is 21 and still a virgin. He has a major crush on Cassandra, a waitress in the diner he frequents. Oh yes, and he can turn himself into a fly. Cassandra wasn't always a waitress. She is also 21 but she's seen a lot more of life than Ryan. She grew up in BC and was in a punk girl band for a few years. The band fell apart when Cassandra got pregnant (by an alien -- maybe it is science fiction after all). Cassandra decided to move to Toronto (do West Coast people really do that voluntarily?) to have her baby. She's been in Toronto for about 2 years when the book starts. Eventually Ryan works up the nerve to ask Cassandra out and they have a great time. He reveals his big secret to her, something he has never told another person. She invites him over to her place to demonstrate and one thing leads to another. Cassandra realizes that she has the ability to make things disappear and she and Ryan team up to right injustice. One of the first things they do is change a big cigarette billboard because Ryan's mom has breast cancer and Ryan blames it on his mother's cigarette habit.

There's some big issues in this book as well as the humour. Munroe published this book with Harper Collins but he now publishes independently and some of the issues with big media show up in this book. There are also subplots about sexuality and drug use and I've already mentioned the cancer and smoking issue. But, mostly, the book is about young love between two people with superpowers. Well worth the read. ( )

Weird, fun little book. ( )