Before the Cape
Before the Binary powers. Before the Kree wars. Before the name Captain Marvel meant anything to anyone outside a comic panel, there was Carol Danvers, a young woman standing at the threshold of the United States Air Force Academy in the 1980s, quietly daring the world to stop her.
That is the story Liza Palmer tells in Captain Marvel: Higher, Further, Faster, published in 2019 by Disney Books as an official prequel to the Marvel Studios film. The novel follows Carol as she kicks off her Air Force career during her first year at flight school, where she faces tests she never imagined, and forms a lifelong friendship with Maria Rambeau in the process. It is not a graphic novel. It is not a movie tie-in full of action sequences and aliens. It is, at its core, a deeply human story about two young women navigating a world that does not want to make room for them.
And honestly? That makes it more powerful.
A Story Rooted in Real Resistance
Palmer focuses on Carol and Maria as they make their way through a space that was still very much a boys’ club in the 1980s. The social pressures they face feel grounded and believable rather than dramatized for spectacle. If you have ever been the only woman in the room, or fought twice as hard for half the credit, you will recognize this story. It is not about superpowers. It is about persistence.
Kirkus Reviews praised the book as a touching tale of self-discovery, determination, and hope, noting that Palmer gives clear voices to both protagonist and secondary characters with admirable character development, and that the feminist message captivates readers from the very first page. That is no small thing for a tie-in novel, a category that too often delivers thin characterization dressed up in brand recognition.
What Other Reviewers Are Saying
The review community has been divided in interesting ways, and the contrasts are worth noting.
Over at Lady Book Dragon, the reviewer admitted to a slow start, nearly putting the book down in the early chapters. She credits her perseverance as worth it, particularly praising how the friendship between Carol and Maria develops throughout the story, showing how a character genuinely grows through connection with another person. She also noted that reading the novel deepened her appreciation for Carol Danvers as a film character, which is exactly what a good prequel should do.
The Dark Matter Zine offered the most thoughtful reading. The reviewer gave the book five stars and recommended it for every child but especially every girl, highlighting how Carol’s story arc models the reality of hard work: striving, sometimes falling short, and learning to change direction without losing purpose. That reviewer also raised a fair concern about one supporting character’s physical description leaning on a tired trope, a small flaw in an otherwise strong book worth acknowledging honestly.
On the other end of the spectrum, the Manhattan Book Review found the pacing slow and felt the plot lacked development. That reviewer suggested the book might work best for younger readers, ages ten through fourteen, who are already devoted Marvel fans. That is a fair audience profile, and it is worth knowing as you decide if this title belongs on your reading list or your gifting list.
About the Author
Liza Palmer is a two-time Emmy-nominated, internationally bestselling author who describes herself as a tea enthusiast who gets to write for Marvel sometimes. She has written ten novels and is perhaps best known for Family Reservations, currently in development as a drama series at NBC, and Nowhere but Home, which won the Willie Morris Prize for Southern Fiction. She lives in Los Angeles, where, by her own account, 95.3% of people call her Lisa. You can find her books at lizapalmer.com and follow her newsletter on Substack.
Should You Read It?
If you love the MCU and want a richer understanding of who Carol Danvers is before the powers and the war, yes. If you are looking for a feminist YA novel with substance rather than spectacle, yes. If you have a young woman in your life who needs to see herself in a hero who had to earn it, absolutely yes.
You can pick up the hardback edition, in good condition with its dust jacket intact, right now at Jolene’s Bookstore for just $7.99. One copy available. This one will not last.
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