What do you think?
Rate this book
Miles Taylor and the Golden Cape #1
Attack of the Alien Horde (1)
"Clever and funny with an irresistible premise, this middle grade adventure/comic book hybrid will engage even the most reluctant reader. Somebody get me a golden cape, stat!” —Rick Riordan, author of the worldwide bestselling Percy Jackson and the Olympians, the Kane Chronicles, and the Heroes of Olympus
What if superheroes were real—and you had to become one? A boy is suddenly thrust into the role of a real-life superhero and tasked with saving Earth from an alien invasion in this action-packed novel from New York Times bestselling author Robert Venditti and award-winning illustrator Dusty Higgins.
When twelve-year-old Miles Taylor unexpectedly inherits a golden cape that gives him amazing superpowers, his life instantly changes: he becomes a superhero. For real. With some help from a new friend named Henry, Miles does his best to protect his city. But his skills and courage are about to be put to the ultimate test—an alien horde is working its way toward Earth, with their sights set on the golden cape…and total domination. Ready or not, Miles is about to discover whether he has what it takes to save all humankind.
What if superheroes were real—and you had to become one? A boy is suddenly thrust into the role of a real-life superhero and tasked with saving Earth from an alien invasion in this action-packed novel from New York Times bestselling author Robert Venditti and award-winning illustrator Dusty Higgins.
When twelve-year-old Miles Taylor unexpectedly inherits a golden cape that gives him amazing superpowers, his life instantly changes: he becomes a superhero. For real. With some help from a new friend named Henry, Miles does his best to protect his city. But his skills and courage are about to be put to the ultimate test—an alien horde is working its way toward Earth, with their sights set on the golden cape…and total domination. Ready or not, Miles is about to discover whether he has what it takes to save all humankind.
304 pages, Hardcover
First published June 16, 2015
About the author
Robert Venditti
764 books369 followersRobert Venditti is a New York Times bestselling author of more than three hundred comic books and graphic novels. Some of his works include the monthly comic book series Justice League, Superman ’78, Hawkman, and Green Lantern for DC Comics, X-O Manowar, Armor Hunters, and Wrath of the Eternal Warrior for Valiant Entertainment, and the graphic novel Six Days, inspired by the story of his uncle’s participation in D-Day. He has also adapted Rick Riordan’s global bestselling Percy Jackson and the Olympians and The Heroes of Olympus novels, as well as Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky by Kwame Mbalia and Blue Bloods by Melissa de la Cruz. His graphic novel The Surrogates was adapted into a feature film by Touchstone Pictures, and his work on The Flash was the basis for season three of the CW television series.
Venditti lives in Atlanta, where he both writes and serves as a storytelling consultant for some of the most recognizable entertainment brands in the world.
Venditti lives in Atlanta, where he both writes and serves as a storytelling consultant for some of the most recognizable entertainment brands in the world.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
March 19, 2016
This superhero book has a strong character arc, layered themes, and hero's journey to create a humorous and entertaining read that mixes comic illustrations with narrative text. The technique strengthens the story and will help readers because every time Miles turns into a superhero the text becomes a comic strip with speech bubbles. It works particularly well with the story and is funnier because of the visual of a small middle school boy turning into a six foot five, muscular caped crusader. Seventh grade was the ultimate in awkward periods for me and I would have loved this book with its alter-ego protagonist who deals with middle school peer pressure and identity that is grounded in strong morals.
Miles Taylor is the new kid in school and he is bullied by the star football player and his flunkeys. If it isn't coke dumped on him, it's food getting stolen, or verbal abuse. He takes it as best he can and even tries to fight it but always ends up on the losing side. Worse, Josie sees it all - the girl he has a crush on at school. Top that off his parents have gotten divorced as his mom ran off with another man. She calls once a week and Miles feels angry and frustrated. The divorce has meant his dad, an electrician, has had to move into a small apartment and they don't have enough money to pay the bills. The reader never learns the mom's career or even if she had one, but I assume so since Miles and his dad are so short on cash.
The strong character arc and definition of what makes a hero is what kept me engrossed in the story. Miles is pretty clueless and downright stupid at times which makes him the antithesis of the conventional superhero. When he goes with his dad on a job and ends up with a magical cape in his hands from the previous superhero, it is obvious that its going to be hard to save the world when you have to be in school all day long. Miles hooks up with genius and superhero aficionado, Henry Matte, who helps him discover and manipulate the powers of the cape (and use his brain power more efficiently).
The two figure out that in order to use the cape, thoughts must be on others and not oneself or the promotion of oneself. The cape will not work if the user has any thoughts on pride, domination, or using it for personal gain. Miles learns to deal with power humbly. He also learns that to be a hero he must be willing to die even though the odds are so against him. He must act because to do nothing is unacceptable. At the climax Miles realizes that he might not be the smartest, or best looking, or athletic, or exceptional, but he is good and he can use that to better the world. When he fights the Gaarls and the odds look bad, it is an outside force that rescues him. This is like the hero's journey in the "Lord of the Rings." It involves a character dealing with the corruption of power and going on quest or journey that will most like fail and being rescued by others.
The play on words and cartoonish villains are a hoot. The Unnd's not only stand for the prefix "un", or not, their name is used in all the words such as unhappy- they are un(nd)happy, un(nd)friendly, un(nd)inviting, un(nd)amusing. It reminds me of "ikke" in Norwegian which means "not" - an influence on Midwesterners use of the phrase, "ick!"when Scandinavian immigrants moved there. And while the villain, Commander Lord Calamity, is a tyrant that kills a servant that displeases him in a cruel way, he bows to his mother who calls him "Oggie" and makes his favorite rancid soup. Calamity is evil incarnate and quite silly. When he sees Earth for the first time he feels moved by its beauty but he has no inkling what the concept means. One of his soldiers has to explain it to him. The Commander might have a thing or two to learn from the earthlings and suggests that he is not beyond redemption and the ending shows that evil exists on Earth too as well as with the aliens. The General (from Earth) sees his rescuers as aliens with too much power (reminds me of the Transformers movie plot). The end definitely implies a sequel. Nothing too serious here, folks, and one that young readers will find fun and funny.
Miles Taylor is the new kid in school and he is bullied by the star football player and his flunkeys. If it isn't coke dumped on him, it's food getting stolen, or verbal abuse. He takes it as best he can and even tries to fight it but always ends up on the losing side. Worse, Josie sees it all - the girl he has a crush on at school. Top that off his parents have gotten divorced as his mom ran off with another man. She calls once a week and Miles feels angry and frustrated. The divorce has meant his dad, an electrician, has had to move into a small apartment and they don't have enough money to pay the bills. The reader never learns the mom's career or even if she had one, but I assume so since Miles and his dad are so short on cash.
The strong character arc and definition of what makes a hero is what kept me engrossed in the story. Miles is pretty clueless and downright stupid at times which makes him the antithesis of the conventional superhero. When he goes with his dad on a job and ends up with a magical cape in his hands from the previous superhero, it is obvious that its going to be hard to save the world when you have to be in school all day long. Miles hooks up with genius and superhero aficionado, Henry Matte, who helps him discover and manipulate the powers of the cape (and use his brain power more efficiently).
The two figure out that in order to use the cape, thoughts must be on others and not oneself or the promotion of oneself. The cape will not work if the user has any thoughts on pride, domination, or using it for personal gain. Miles learns to deal with power humbly. He also learns that to be a hero he must be willing to die even though the odds are so against him. He must act because to do nothing is unacceptable. At the climax Miles realizes that he might not be the smartest, or best looking, or athletic, or exceptional, but he is good and he can use that to better the world. When he fights the Gaarls and the odds look bad, it is an outside force that rescues him. This is like the hero's journey in the "Lord of the Rings." It involves a character dealing with the corruption of power and going on quest or journey that will most like fail and being rescued by others.
The play on words and cartoonish villains are a hoot. The Unnd's not only stand for the prefix "un", or not, their name is used in all the words such as unhappy- they are un(nd)happy, un(nd)friendly, un(nd)inviting, un(nd)amusing. It reminds me of "ikke" in Norwegian which means "not" - an influence on Midwesterners use of the phrase, "ick!"when Scandinavian immigrants moved there. And while the villain, Commander Lord Calamity, is a tyrant that kills a servant that displeases him in a cruel way, he bows to his mother who calls him "Oggie" and makes his favorite rancid soup. Calamity is evil incarnate and quite silly. When he sees Earth for the first time he feels moved by its beauty but he has no inkling what the concept means. One of his soldiers has to explain it to him. The Commander might have a thing or two to learn from the earthlings and suggests that he is not beyond redemption and the ending shows that evil exists on Earth too as well as with the aliens. The General (from Earth) sees his rescuers as aliens with too much power (reminds me of the Transformers movie plot). The end definitely implies a sequel. Nothing too serious here, folks, and one that young readers will find fun and funny.
August 11, 2018
Review by James, ages 9, 8/11/17
This book is about Miles Taylor. He is in 7th grade. His parents divorced and his dad is struggling to pay the bills. One day his dad brought him to work at the construction site after detention (which, by the way, was unfair, because the bully hit Miles but somehow Miles got in trouble.) His dad went to work in the circuit breaker room and Miles did his homework. Suddenly outside he heard "BOOM!" Then, unexpectedly, Gilded crashes through the roof of the parking garage carrying an alien with him. Gilded kills the alien but senses that his job is done and he gives the cape - the source of his powers - to Miles because he was the only one there. The "booms" were from aliens shooting giant sonic laser cannons at buildings. During the booms some stuff fell in front of the circuit breaker room door and Miles' dad can't get out. The fire department rushes in and the dad apologizes for Miles having called 911 for a little problem. They explain that they came because they were the first response team to the alien. Right after that the army comes in and General Breckenridge says "we're in charge now, Fire Department," and suddenly army guys start shooing fire fighters out.
The rest of the book is about Miles becoming Gilded and fighting all sorts of crime. And getting rid of the aliens - again.
I really liked this book because it was ridiculously funny and it had hidden comics all over it.
I read the second book in the series. Fair warning: it's a little bit scarier.
This book is about Miles Taylor. He is in 7th grade. His parents divorced and his dad is struggling to pay the bills. One day his dad brought him to work at the construction site after detention (which, by the way, was unfair, because the bully hit Miles but somehow Miles got in trouble.) His dad went to work in the circuit breaker room and Miles did his homework. Suddenly outside he heard "BOOM!" Then, unexpectedly, Gilded crashes through the roof of the parking garage carrying an alien with him. Gilded kills the alien but senses that his job is done and he gives the cape - the source of his powers - to Miles because he was the only one there. The "booms" were from aliens shooting giant sonic laser cannons at buildings. During the booms some stuff fell in front of the circuit breaker room door and Miles' dad can't get out. The fire department rushes in and the dad apologizes for Miles having called 911 for a little problem. They explain that they came because they were the first response team to the alien. Right after that the army comes in and General Breckenridge says "we're in charge now, Fire Department," and suddenly army guys start shooing fire fighters out.
The rest of the book is about Miles becoming Gilded and fighting all sorts of crime. And getting rid of the aliens - again.
I really liked this book because it was ridiculously funny and it had hidden comics all over it.
I read the second book in the series. Fair warning: it's a little bit scarier.
October 19, 2015
New to his school, 7th-grader Miles Taylor has enough to think about, and then he finds himself suddenly imbued with the powers of Gilded, the superhero everyone relies on to fight bad guys, fend off disasters, and rescue innocent bystanders. Miles Taylor and the Golden Cape: Attack of the Alien Horde is the first installment of a promising new series that shifts from text to comics whenever Miles morphs into Gilded.
An evil alien army fixes its sights on Atlanta, although the first attack causes surprisingly little concern. Miles is more concerned with stereotypical junior high troubles: how to deal with bullies, how to be cool around the school’s cutest girl, and how to deal with the friction between his parents. When trouble calls though, Miles becomes Gilded and does what he needs to do to help goodness prevail.
The combination of text and comics in this series should make it an excellent ladder for young comics fans. Several of the characters are comics fans, and the action unfolds with a sensibility that is likely to appeal to comics fans.
An evil alien army fixes its sights on Atlanta, although the first attack causes surprisingly little concern. Miles is more concerned with stereotypical junior high troubles: how to deal with bullies, how to be cool around the school’s cutest girl, and how to deal with the friction between his parents. When trouble calls though, Miles becomes Gilded and does what he needs to do to help goodness prevail.
The combination of text and comics in this series should make it an excellent ladder for young comics fans. Several of the characters are comics fans, and the action unfolds with a sensibility that is likely to appeal to comics fans.
September 22, 2023
Miles Taylor is the new kid in year 7. Life at school is tough, and the only thing he knows for sure is who the bully is. Mum moved away, and Miles and his father moved to a small, uninviting apartment. Miles usually goes with his father to his job site after school.
What’s not usual is the attack by aliens that destroy the multistorey carpark they are in. They escape uninjured, but the famous Gilded in his gold cape is injured. He calls Miles over and gives him his golden cape, saying, ‘You must be the hero now.’
Miles tries to use the cape, but sometimes it works, and other times it doesn’t, as he found out trying to take on the school bully.
Miles turns to Henry, the most brilliant middle grader he’s met and tells him about being Gilded. Henry takes on a co-pilot role and helps Miles master the cape. Aliens invade Earth again. What do Miles and Henry do to save the planet?
I enjoyed the format mix with the usual prose and chapters and the graphic novel style interspersed. The humour and conundrums the boys must deal with were excellent, too.
Recommended for readers who enjoy heroes and fantasy aged ten years and older.
What’s not usual is the attack by aliens that destroy the multistorey carpark they are in. They escape uninjured, but the famous Gilded in his gold cape is injured. He calls Miles over and gives him his golden cape, saying, ‘You must be the hero now.’
Miles tries to use the cape, but sometimes it works, and other times it doesn’t, as he found out trying to take on the school bully.
Miles turns to Henry, the most brilliant middle grader he’s met and tells him about being Gilded. Henry takes on a co-pilot role and helps Miles master the cape. Aliens invade Earth again. What do Miles and Henry do to save the planet?
I enjoyed the format mix with the usual prose and chapters and the graphic novel style interspersed. The humour and conundrums the boys must deal with were excellent, too.
Recommended for readers who enjoy heroes and fantasy aged ten years and older.
June 7, 2017
Combination of fantasy adventure and graphic book. The hero is a bit too preoccupied with girls to be a great choice for Div. 1, but 6th -8th graders will enjoy this story.
May 9, 2020
My son enjoyed this and it was overall a fun book, but I struggled with the writing style. This was not a easy book to read out loud and that's something we do a lot of.
November 3, 2015
Miles Taylor is an ordinary kid going through a difficult transition. His mom left and he and his dad have moved to a smaller apartment. This move also forces him to change to a different middle school, where he has caught the attention of the school bully. But everything changes when he inherits the golden cape of Gilded, the seemingly invincible superhero who has been protecting Atlanta for 50 years. Now the power and responsibility rest on Miles's shoulders (both literally and figuratively). Can Miles figure out how to work the cape in time to save the Earth from an alien attack? Luckily, his new friend Henry is obsessed with Gilded. With Henry's help, he just might be able to do this. A clever and well-written look at the ins and outs of becoming a superhero. Fun comic strip panels show Gilded's adventures whenever Miles dons the cape. Highly recommended for grades 4 & up.
October 19, 2015
Enjoyed the writing style, as well as the use of comic book formatting when the Golden Cape was in play. It will be interesting to see what the second book brings! The series should be followed by kids who are looking for a hero within themselves. As an adult, I liked the moral values being slipped in (selflessness, helping others in need), as well as learning to stand up for yourself. I received this book from a goodreads giveaway, and am glad I had the chance to read Attack of the Alien Horde!
June 21, 2015
What a great and entertaining book. Not too scary for kids, and easily understandable. An easy read. I particularly liked the graphics [comics] scattered throughout the book. They enhanced my enjoyment of the book at just the right spots! kudos to Dusty Higgins for those. Venditti has a sure winner here. I thought the ending was just right, then the Epilogue was even better- ready for the next book.
I was the lucky winner of an ARC of this book from a Goodreads contest.
I was the lucky winner of an ARC of this book from a Goodreads contest.
July 10, 2016
The story begins with a common scenario: father and son are forced to downsize after mother abandons them, followed by a new middle school, school bully, and inaccessible dream girl. Then our young protagonist, Miles Taylor, is given a magical cape by a dying superhero and everything about Miles's life changes. An engaging, albeit predictable, middle grade novel (with comic book panels) that will appeal to fans of superhero adventures.
September 13, 2016
An average (but good) kid is given a golden cape that turns him into a famous, known superhero. The only superhero out there, as far as anyone knows.
The downside? The cape only works if his motives are 100% pure.
It's an interesting, funny, and fun story.
The downside? The cape only works if his motives are 100% pure.
It's an interesting, funny, and fun story.
June 27, 2015
see review already written....
July 22, 2015
Great book that my nephew loved as it was a fun, interesting and easy read.
July 5, 2015
A little Green Hornet aka Miles Taylor aka Gilded w/ just a touch of Spiderman (Jonah Jameson aka Gen. Breckenridge) thrown in.
July 14, 2015
Great book for a third-grade reading level.
July 9, 2020
What's more difficult? Fighting nasty lizard monsters from outer space or talking to a girl? Ask any guy in middle school, he'll tell you the answer.
March 9, 2016
Asher (9yo) read. He blasted through this book in two days!
May 20, 2016
Campy fun, think 1960s tv shows Batman or Star Trek. Look for cheesy/funny teacher names. Combined format was a pleasant surprise. Some parts predictable, most parts fast paced fun.
Read
August 11, 2016750L
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews