Calvin Bush is not enjoying his job, or for that matter his life in general. Although given a choice to accompany his friend Lisa to an exhibition of African Artefacts, he turns it down to accompany his friend Norman on a double date. When he realises who the ladies are, he declines to stay for the date and contacts Lisa to go the the exhibit. Unbeknown to him, two magical gauntlets have escaped from Africa to be part of the exhibit. These gauntlets give tremendous power and are being chased by the kabuki-mask wearing wizard called Hondo and his familiar, Mnyama, who wants their power for himself. At the exhibit, the wizard launches an attack to get hold of the gauntlets. They escape by fusing with Calvin who suddenly finds he is transformed into a superhero. The initial battle is short with Hondo is short, as Calvin manages to drive him off, but the following day, Hondo goes after Lisa. Calvin has to decide what he wants to do in life and if it includes wielding the gauntlets and their power against Hondo to rescue his friend as the new superhero Zambaa.

This is a superhero story aimed at young adults of someone finding more meaning to their life. The fact it is set in Chicago with an African background to the characters and story just gives an interesting twist to what could be a stale formula. The story may be one that has been done many times over, but this is a fine version in it’s own right. While the story may be short, we find out about our hero, the people around him and the enemy he is facing as well as some exciting action scenes to hold it all together. Calvin is a likeable enough hero, trying to do the right thing but yearning for more in his life. His shock and surprise at being chosen to wield mighty power is enjoyable as he has to quickly come to terms with the opponent he is facing. As for Hondo, who is a surprisingly efficient villain, he stands out as being intelligent and driven, but still capable of being surprised. The author’s choice of tone comes into play as there is no bloodshed in any of the fights, giving it a refreshing, almost cartoon-like, feel to the story instead of the gritty and dark tone that so many stories have nowadays. The dialogue and actions follow the same line and it would be easy to see this as a fun afternoon piece of entertainment. The book is also written with young adults in mind and is easy to read and enjoy what is happening without complicated subplots or deep meaning.

The story does have a certain bias to it, although I am pleased to see the acknowledgement that history does begin before slavery and it is positive in the message regarding it’s origins. I am curious as to why a story with these origins has a kabuki mask wielding villain, as those are from Japan and doesn’t quite fit the feel of the book, but I may be incorrect. The layout and formatting of the story works well, from the opening image setting the scene to the well-laid out story that follows. There are more details on the author if you are interested in further books, although some of this is repeated at the front and back of the book.

Overall, this was an engaging story with an great premise for readers looking for a fun superhero tale.