Reviewed by Rosie Malezer for Readers' Favorite

Gathering is the first book in the Legion of Colors series written by G. Diamond. When a student at school, Tom, is bullied, he throws a punch, quickly realizing that his punch had been nothing normal. With his fist freezing the air around it, Tom wonders what other superpowers he might have and is soon befriended by others who also have such gifts. With four people in Tom’s “superhero” group, each with different superpowers, Tom feels in his element but is disappointed when three go to Europe on vacation without him. His disappointment turns to shock when two of his vacationing friends are killed and the third is severely injured by an evil which had quickly overpowered them. After Tom meets a girl, Sandra, while on vacation, she tells of her superpower, advising Tom that each person with these gifts is known as a Color. Tom and Sandra seek out as many Colors as they can, travelling around the world in an effort to do good and to find and destroy the evil which had killed Tom’s friends. Each one dons a uniform and is given a special “superhero” name in the New Legion of Colors, but little do any of them realize that a much greater and far more powerful evil exists, the likes of which has never been seen, when the New Legion of Colors discovers the true Origin of their name.

G. Diamond’s tale of a child standing up for himself against a bully, only to discover extraordinary powers within himself, was the perfect way to start this tale of superheroes. I very much looked forward to what lay ahead and how these powers would be used, not only for Tom, but for all of those who possessed their own supernatural abilities. The story is fun in some areas and pulls quite a punch in others as superheroes meet their demise. I found two battles in the story which were quite action-packed and extremely memorable, leaving Gathering with a shock ending which entices the reader to buy the second book in the series. I very much enjoyed the battle scenes as they were so well described that it was easy to visualize being in the very same room and watching everything happen in real time. I look forward to the second book in the series and recommend Gathering to those who love superhero adventures which allow the underdog to step up and take on those who wish to harm the innocent, regardless of the risk.