Scan barcode
jillheather's review
4.0
This isn't a 5 only because I read the rest of the stories on the website after I bought this compilation and loved them even more.
These are wonderful. If you like superhero stories -- a sadly underserved genre for novels -- you really should love these.
These are wonderful. If you like superhero stories -- a sadly underserved genre for novels -- you really should love these.
tsana's review
4.0
Velveteen vs. The Junior Super Patriots by Seanan McGuire is the first collection of the Velveteen vs stories. It's out of print in ebook so I wasn't actually able to get the book, but the stories themselves are all available to read on the author's website, so I'm counting it as having read the book. Because of how I've been reading and posting mini-reviews of short stories, you might have already seen my comments on some of the stories, but I still think it's nice to collect them all in one place.
The stories in this collection are set in a world with superheroes and, more importantly, organisations managing the licensing and public appearances of superheroes. It's also set in the US, which gives it a pretty different vibe to Girl Reporter and the preceding stories by Tansy Rayner Roberts, even while it deals with some of the same themes. (For the record, I like the Roberts series more, mainly for its Australian-ness and humour, but that's not to say I'm disliking the McGuire which, as I said, is a very different take.)
The Velveteen stories deal with Vel's life as an adult after having been a child hero and after quitting the life before turning eighteen and hence avoiding some legal troubles. However, as an adult, she's not allowed to be a superhero without going back to the organisation she's escaped and wants nothing to do with. Her only hope in escaping them is to make it to Oregon, which has different state laws and where she can be safe. Meanwhile, she's been working minimum-wage jobs and living pay-check to pay-check, so life hasn't been super fun. The stories in this collection follow her journey and eventual arrival in Oregon with a few detours for world-saving and flashbacks.
Overall these stories had a bit of bleakness to them, especially when the Junior Super Patriots were juxtaposed with Vel's adult life. Some of the stories felt more like chapters or instalments in a bigger story, which was fine since I was reading them in order (although not all in a row). For others looking to dip into the series, many of the stories work fine out of order, but some don't quite stand alone, in my opinion (as noted below). In general, I recommend these stories and this collection to fans of superheroes, especially more cynical takes on the superhero genre.
And now the stories:
Velveteen vs the Isley Crayfish Festival — A quick, fun introduction to a retired (for now?) superheroine, who features in several more stories. Recommended for fans of Tansy Rayner Roberts superhero stories and vice versa.
Velveteen vs. The Coffee Freaks — A fun superhero story about a retired child hero that just wants to get to her job interview in Portland.
Velveteen vs the Flashback Sequence — More of a chapter establishing character than a properly stand-alone story in its own right. Nevertheless, an enjoyable read.
Velveteen vs the Old Flame — A less fun read that dredges up some unfortunate back story from Velma’s time as a junior superhero. As with the previous story in this sequence, it feels a bit more like a chapter than a self-contained short story.
Velveteen vs the Junior Super Patriots West Coast Division — The plot thickens as Velma, our retired superheroine, faces off against the new generation of her former child hero team. New characters with interesting back stories are introduced and Velma’s road trip comes to an end.
Velveteen vs the Eternal Halloween — A story set entirely during Velveteen’s teenage years and featuring a Groundhog Day-like Halloween and the world of Halloween. A solid story. It inadvertently had me wondering how the world of Halloween would fit in with the Wayward Children, but this story was, of course, written much earlier. It was also kind of more fun (less cynical) than adult Velveteen.
Velveteen vs the Ordinary Day — Another chapter in adult Velveteen’s life. Having made it to Oregon, Velma reunites with some friends. An entertaining read.
Velveteen vs Patrol — A first look at Velma’s new life superheroing for Oregon. Mostly a pleasant read about her working out her new life, with and additional dollop of foreshadowing doom thrown in.
Velveteen vs the Blind Date — Velveteen is set up on a blind date with another freelance superhero. It seems like a terrible idea at first, but they have complementary powers and hit it off. Another entertaining read.
4 / 5 stars
You can read more of my reviews on my blog.
The stories in this collection are set in a world with superheroes and, more importantly, organisations managing the licensing and public appearances of superheroes. It's also set in the US, which gives it a pretty different vibe to Girl Reporter and the preceding stories by Tansy Rayner Roberts, even while it deals with some of the same themes. (For the record, I like the Roberts series more, mainly for its Australian-ness and humour, but that's not to say I'm disliking the McGuire which, as I said, is a very different take.)
The Velveteen stories deal with Vel's life as an adult after having been a child hero and after quitting the life before turning eighteen and hence avoiding some legal troubles. However, as an adult, she's not allowed to be a superhero without going back to the organisation she's escaped and wants nothing to do with. Her only hope in escaping them is to make it to Oregon, which has different state laws and where she can be safe. Meanwhile, she's been working minimum-wage jobs and living pay-check to pay-check, so life hasn't been super fun. The stories in this collection follow her journey and eventual arrival in Oregon with a few detours for world-saving and flashbacks.
Overall these stories had a bit of bleakness to them, especially when the Junior Super Patriots were juxtaposed with Vel's adult life. Some of the stories felt more like chapters or instalments in a bigger story, which was fine since I was reading them in order (although not all in a row). For others looking to dip into the series, many of the stories work fine out of order, but some don't quite stand alone, in my opinion (as noted below). In general, I recommend these stories and this collection to fans of superheroes, especially more cynical takes on the superhero genre.
And now the stories:
Velveteen vs the Isley Crayfish Festival — A quick, fun introduction to a retired (for now?) superheroine, who features in several more stories. Recommended for fans of Tansy Rayner Roberts superhero stories and vice versa.
Velveteen vs. The Coffee Freaks — A fun superhero story about a retired child hero that just wants to get to her job interview in Portland.
Velveteen vs the Flashback Sequence — More of a chapter establishing character than a properly stand-alone story in its own right. Nevertheless, an enjoyable read.
Velveteen vs the Old Flame — A less fun read that dredges up some unfortunate back story from Velma’s time as a junior superhero. As with the previous story in this sequence, it feels a bit more like a chapter than a self-contained short story.
Velveteen vs the Junior Super Patriots West Coast Division — The plot thickens as Velma, our retired superheroine, faces off against the new generation of her former child hero team. New characters with interesting back stories are introduced and Velma’s road trip comes to an end.
Velveteen vs the Eternal Halloween — A story set entirely during Velveteen’s teenage years and featuring a Groundhog Day-like Halloween and the world of Halloween. A solid story. It inadvertently had me wondering how the world of Halloween would fit in with the Wayward Children, but this story was, of course, written much earlier. It was also kind of more fun (less cynical) than adult Velveteen.
Velveteen vs the Ordinary Day — Another chapter in adult Velveteen’s life. Having made it to Oregon, Velma reunites with some friends. An entertaining read.
Velveteen vs Patrol — A first look at Velma’s new life superheroing for Oregon. Mostly a pleasant read about her working out her new life, with and additional dollop of foreshadowing doom thrown in.
Velveteen vs the Blind Date — Velveteen is set up on a blind date with another freelance superhero. It seems like a terrible idea at first, but they have complementary powers and hit it off. Another entertaining read.
4 / 5 stars
You can read more of my reviews on my blog.
jen1110's review
4.0
Wonderful in LJ. More wonderful in print. Even more wonderful in audio. Yes. Wonderful.
jaironside's review
5.0
I'm not sure how this one passed me by before since it's completely my brand. It seems to have flown under the radar somewhat, together with its sequel (which I've just bought).
This is the story of Velma Martinez, gifted as a child with an animism superpower, and rebranded as the junior superhero 'Velveteen'. Already cynical and not especially inclined to bow to authority at twelve-years-old due to her poverty stricken and abusive home life, Velma is not keen on saving the world for the entertainment of millions as part of a lycra clad gang of teenagers. Managed by the shadowy and increasingly sinister Marketing company, Velma is going to have to fight tooth and claw to win the right to lead her own life. But that's ok. She has an army. Stuffed toys and action figures of the world to arms!
Like the best superhero stories, this is not about the powers, it's about the people and what having powers does to those people. It's the human part of 'superhuman' that matters. Velma (Velveteen) is touchingly human and very relatable, despite being able to bring teddy bears to life. What I think McGuire captured especially beautifully, was the way a system grew up around superhumans to first enclose and codify them (bringing in licensing and legal restrictions) and then to exploit them, especially those under 18. McGuire certainly has her fingers on the pulse of human nature! No spoilers but this is an excellent book. The only downside is how hard it is to get hold of here in UK. (I went with audio version in the end and it's excellent). Highly recommend.
This is the story of Velma Martinez, gifted as a child with an animism superpower, and rebranded as the junior superhero 'Velveteen'. Already cynical and not especially inclined to bow to authority at twelve-years-old due to her poverty stricken and abusive home life, Velma is not keen on saving the world for the entertainment of millions as part of a lycra clad gang of teenagers. Managed by the shadowy and increasingly sinister Marketing company, Velma is going to have to fight tooth and claw to win the right to lead her own life. But that's ok. She has an army. Stuffed toys and action figures of the world to arms!
Like the best superhero stories, this is not about the powers, it's about the people and what having powers does to those people. It's the human part of 'superhuman' that matters. Velma (Velveteen) is touchingly human and very relatable, despite being able to bring teddy bears to life. What I think McGuire captured especially beautifully, was the way a system grew up around superhumans to first enclose and codify them (bringing in licensing and legal restrictions) and then to exploit them, especially those under 18. McGuire certainly has her fingers on the pulse of human nature! No spoilers but this is an excellent book. The only downside is how hard it is to get hold of here in UK. (I went with audio version in the end and it's excellent). Highly recommend.
hteph's review
2.0
This was really not my cup of tea, the book is more of a satire and fells written for shiggles rather than as a serious attempt to write a supers book.
So I leave this for now, and is pretty sure I won't pick it up again. It is a bit sad as the authors skill shines through and it would be a real treat to reada supers book by her.
So I leave this for now, and is pretty sure I won't pick it up again. It is a bit sad as the authors skill shines through and it would be a real treat to reada supers book by her.
hisham's review
5.0
Heroes, Villains and the inevitable consequences when big corporations take control of their destinies in the name of the corporate “Bottom Line”.
Velveteen vs. The Junior Super Patriots is a collection of short stories. Carefully compiled in roughly chronologic order (except where flashbacks are required) and forming a larger novel, each chapter is a self contained little story which makes it an excellent read for those who prefer bite sized chunks of words. It tells the story of a retired child super hero just trying to get on with her life, now that she’s old enough to control her own decisions. The problem is that Velveteen may be done with her former life, but her past may not be done with her!
Did I say super hero? Why yes I did. In the world of this book, Super heroes are not just real, they’re seemingly everywhere. With beautiful descriptions of the ongoing action and humorous turns of phrase throughout, Velveteen is accessible to readers of all reading ability.
If you read this, and you definitely should – You will find yourself rooting for Velveteen, with your bum on the edge of your seat all the way through from finish to end. I started reading this on a Saturday afternoon, I did not put it down again until I had finished it.
It's now one of my all time favourites!
Velveteen vs. The Junior Super Patriots is a collection of short stories. Carefully compiled in roughly chronologic order (except where flashbacks are required) and forming a larger novel, each chapter is a self contained little story which makes it an excellent read for those who prefer bite sized chunks of words. It tells the story of a retired child super hero just trying to get on with her life, now that she’s old enough to control her own decisions. The problem is that Velveteen may be done with her former life, but her past may not be done with her!
Did I say super hero? Why yes I did. In the world of this book, Super heroes are not just real, they’re seemingly everywhere. With beautiful descriptions of the ongoing action and humorous turns of phrase throughout, Velveteen is accessible to readers of all reading ability.
If you read this, and you definitely should – You will find yourself rooting for Velveteen, with your bum on the edge of your seat all the way through from finish to end. I started reading this on a Saturday afternoon, I did not put it down again until I had finished it.
It's now one of my all time favourites!
catevari's review
4.0
The short review for this is that I loved this book a lot and it deeply satisfied a craving for a good superhero story in a way that other books I've read have not. I think this is probably my favorite thing that Seanan McGuire has written under her own name.
The longer review would observe that the book is not without some flaws, though. Velveteen Vs. The Junior Super Patriots is a progressive collection of short stories about a former teen superhero, Velma Martinez. That is, each story is a reasonably stand-alone adventure, but each story moves Velma/Velveteen along her journey to try and escape from her former team (or, really, Marketing, who runs the giant national superhero franchise) into the relatively safe state of Oregon.
Though published as a single novel, it has the feel of serial fiction and, I think, actually does a better and smoother storytelling job than McGuire's actual serial fiction experiment, Indexing (currently ongoing at the time of this review). But in both the case of Indexing and Velveteen, the stories feel slightly too short, in need of just a bit of embellishing flesh to go over such entrancing bone. To be clear, the story—at micro "episode" level and in the larger "arc" level—is perfectly complete. But they're so sparingly told that I found myself longing for a little more detail, a little more texture, a little more character and character interaction. A little more, period.
This was especially noticeable to me because there are several 'scenes' that are nothing but expository info-dumps about the world and the superhero business and Velma/Velvetine and her fellows that I kept wondering if McGuire could have inserted into the narrative less intrusively. Don't get me wrong: I love world building and McGuire is someone who builds incredible, imaginative worlds and so, in that sense, I eat that stuff up with a spoon…but I wish that she'd been able to incorporate that stuff into the actual story, instead of sticking it in like a "now loading" screen between set/scene changes.
But I really love Velma. Like a lot of my favorite authors, McGuire writes about characters who are damaged without wallowing in that damage or to satisfy some voyeuristic/atavistic thrill from the audience. Her characters got damaged because they went down swinging and, even in their broken state, they're still fighting tooth and nail. That's my kind of damage.
And despite my complaints, I found the story completely engrossing. I started out intending just to read a sample to see if I wanted to buy it. I raced through the sample and bought it. Then I ended up reading almost 40% of it before I was too tired to go on, in the wee hours of the morning. I finished it later that day. And I'm nearly heartbroken that the second volume isn't going to be out this week, as originally anticipated.
The longer review would observe that the book is not without some flaws, though. Velveteen Vs. The Junior Super Patriots is a progressive collection of short stories about a former teen superhero, Velma Martinez. That is, each story is a reasonably stand-alone adventure, but each story moves Velma/Velveteen along her journey to try and escape from her former team (or, really, Marketing, who runs the giant national superhero franchise) into the relatively safe state of Oregon.
Though published as a single novel, it has the feel of serial fiction and, I think, actually does a better and smoother storytelling job than McGuire's actual serial fiction experiment, Indexing (currently ongoing at the time of this review). But in both the case of Indexing and Velveteen, the stories feel slightly too short, in need of just a bit of embellishing flesh to go over such entrancing bone. To be clear, the story—at micro "episode" level and in the larger "arc" level—is perfectly complete. But they're so sparingly told that I found myself longing for a little more detail, a little more texture, a little more character and character interaction. A little more, period.
This was especially noticeable to me because there are several 'scenes' that are nothing but expository info-dumps about the world and the superhero business and Velma/Velvetine and her fellows that I kept wondering if McGuire could have inserted into the narrative less intrusively. Don't get me wrong: I love world building and McGuire is someone who builds incredible, imaginative worlds and so, in that sense, I eat that stuff up with a spoon…but I wish that she'd been able to incorporate that stuff into the actual story, instead of sticking it in like a "now loading" screen between set/scene changes.
But I really love Velma. Like a lot of my favorite authors, McGuire writes about characters who are damaged without wallowing in that damage or to satisfy some voyeuristic/atavistic thrill from the audience. Her characters got damaged because they went down swinging and, even in their broken state, they're still fighting tooth and nail. That's my kind of damage.
And despite my complaints, I found the story completely engrossing. I started out intending just to read a sample to see if I wanted to buy it. I raced through the sample and bought it. Then I ended up reading almost 40% of it before I was too tired to go on, in the wee hours of the morning. I finished it later that day. And I'm nearly heartbroken that the second volume isn't going to be out this week, as originally anticipated.
bookwyrmknits's review against another edition
5.0
I really enjoyed this audiobook. The narration was perfect, and the pacing was good. I also really liked the story, and the way it manages to be fantastical and realistic all at the same time. (That is something I feel McGuire excels at, and this book is no exception.) I greatly look forward to reading more of Velveteen's adventures.
As to the story... the fantastical part mostly comes from the superheroes. There are all sorts of superheroes, and power types. It seemed Seanan let her imagination run wild on this front, and the result was a ton of fun. The realistic part comes from how the young heroes are handled. Think about it. What would a corporation in charge of training up superpowered kids do? Actually tell the truth? No way. They would take charge, and not really give anyone any choice in how their life went. I really enjoyed watching how the inevitable clash played out, and I'm sure it will develop even further in the next book.
As to the story... the fantastical part mostly comes from the superheroes. There are all sorts of superheroes, and power types. It seemed Seanan let her imagination run wild on this front, and the result was a ton of fun. The realistic part comes from how the young heroes are handled. Think about it. What would a corporation in charge of training up superpowered kids do? Actually tell the truth? No way. They would take charge, and not really give anyone any choice in how their life went. I really enjoyed watching how the inevitable clash played out, and I'm sure it will develop even further in the next book.
More...