Shades of Gray (book)

Shades of Gray (also called Shades of Night in the UK and Im Zwielicht in Germany) is the second book of The Icarus Project by Jackie Kessler and Caitlin Kittredge. The sequel to Black and White, Shades of Gray takes place in New Chicago. It follows the estranged friends, corporate superhero Jet and rabid vigilante Iridium. The narrative alternates between Jet and Iridium's point of view as it jumps between Then and Now storylines.

Back Cover
"Jet and Iridium--best friends turned bitter enemies--teamed up to foil the evil plans of the rogue superhero known as Night, but in defeating him they inadvertently destroyed the secret Corp-Co transmitter whose frequency kept the metapowered heroes of the Squadron in line. Now these heroes have turned against New Chicago, ransacking the city they once protected.

"Even worse, the powerful antisuperhero group known as Everyman has taken advantage of the chaos to fan the flames of prejudice against all superpowered men and women. Just when New Chicago needs them the most, Jet and a small band of heroes who have remained on the right side of the law find themselves the targets of suspicion and outright hatred.

"Things aren't going much better for Iridium. When she springs her father, a notorious supervillain, from prison to help her fight the maurading ex-superheroes, she finds that Corp-Co still has some nasty tricks up its sleeve.

"But when the most dangerous man alive, the sociopath known as Doctor Hypnotic, suddenly surfaces, Jet and Iridium will once again be called upon to set aside their differences. Yet in the process, deeply buried secrets will come to light that will change everything the former best friends think they know about each other and themselves."

Then
The Then half of the book covers about [x] years, c. [x] to [x]. The point of view alternates between Angelica, Luster/Arclight, Night, and Vixen.

Interlude
The Interludes are transition scenes between Then and Now sections. They are written in present tense, where the rest of the book is in past tense. The Interludes cover events congruent with the Now storyline (October and November, 2112), and are exclusively from the point of view of Garth McFarlane.

Now
The Now half of the book covers several weeks during October and November of 2112. The point of view alternates between Jet and Iridium.

US
Shades of Gray - published June 22, 2010 by Spectra.

UK
Shades of Night - published July 1, 2010 by Piatkus Books.

Germany
Im Zwielicht - published April 8, 2011 by Egmont LYX Verlag.

Notes and Trivia

 * Jackie Kessler writes the point of views of Jet, Angelica, Night, and Garth McFarlane.
 * Caitlin Kittredge writes the point of views of Iridium, Vixen, and Luster/Arclight.
 * Jackie Kessler attended the San Diego Comic-Con in 2010 to promote Shades of Grey.