Gwenda Bond’s Fallout is a wonderful mishmash of things that I love. First – the characters. Bond understands the characters of Lois Lane, Clark Kent, and that annoying itch to do the right thing, even if it’s not safe or convenient. The setting, high school, provides appropriate stakes for Lois’ origin story. She risks a lot to do good. It may not be the end of the world if she fails in her mission in the book, but there are real consequences. Finally, it was a fun read. I like fun, at least from a distance. 
In this iteration of the famous DC characters, Lois Lane is a high school student who just moved to Metropolis. Her dad is a general, and as an a is used to moving around, stirring up trouble, and leaving the mess behind. She has no real friends, and her goal at her new school is to lay low and establish some real roots and relationships.
From her first day of school, though, Lois sees that’s probably not going to happen. She can’t help herself when she sees someone in power punching down, and someone vulnerable getting bullied. It’s not her style to back down from a fight. So she doesn’t. To her surprise, her nose for trouble earns her some interesting acquaintances. The Daily Planet is launching a sister site featuring young journalists. Perry White plucks several students from Lane’s school to work in the program. Lois, with the other reporters, take on a shady high school principal and a less than scrupulous company. Along the way, she get’s help via internet chat from a guy she has never met in person but who shares the same proclivities for truth and justice. Maybe you know who I’m talking about.
Without getting too far into the plot, I really appreciated Bond’s characterization of Lois Lane, Clark Kent, Perry White, and the rest of the crew. She gets the inherent goodness of the characters, as well as what sets them apart from the rest of society but draws them together. I’ll definitely keep reading.
3.5/5 stars.
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