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algae429's review
4.0
Pretty good. As with all short story anthologies, some were better than others, but there were a lot I really liked in this set.
bookswithbets's review
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
sdscattergood's review
3.0
Enjoyable compilation, with a few exceptions. The Diana Gabaldon story does not fit into this anthology for multiple reasons: too long, requires you to have read her previous work, and includes a mad scientist in only very broad terms. There are some excellent stories in here, including a wonderful take on Lex Luthor.
bernt's review
adventurous
dark
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Picked this up on a whim and enjoyed every moment of it. Runs the gamut of small time to world ending mad scientists, from their origins and their grisly ends, and to even their loved ones that they've left behind. Would recommend for lovers of sci-fi and have even the faintest interest in villains.
childofmongreldogs's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
2.0
My hatred of past me for buying short story anthologies years ago continues.
There's nothing really particularly wrong with this anthology. Unlike some others that I've read, I didn't consider any of these to actually fall outside the scope of its conceptual idea. That said, I think that I just am fundamentally uninterested in the general vibe of this. I'm not too interested in campy. I'm not too interested in super hero nonsense, to be quite honest, and I'd say I'm even less interested in their evil counterparts.
There were a few stand out stories for me, though the rest were campy, over the top, and comedic. Nothing wrong with any of those things. They come with the territory. I'm not disappointed really because it's what you should expect from an anthology like this but here I am.
Letter to the Editor by David D. Levine was a great twist that was already semi-used in the Watchmen. I hate the Watchmen though and I can't stand the blue bastard in it so this was a lot more interesting for me to read.
The concept of Rocks Fall by Naomi Novik was novel and really enjoyable to me. I would say that it's probably the best out of all of these. It's kind of heartbreaking and develops a really interesting character. I wouldn't say the supervillain here borders on being an anti-hero, but the tropes seem to fit the anti-hero vibe and I can't get down with that.
There's nothing really particularly wrong with this anthology. Unlike some others that I've read, I didn't consider any of these to actually fall outside the scope of its conceptual idea. That said, I think that I just am fundamentally uninterested in the general vibe of this. I'm not too interested in campy. I'm not too interested in super hero nonsense, to be quite honest, and I'd say I'm even less interested in their evil counterparts.
There were a few stand out stories for me, though the rest were campy, over the top, and comedic. Nothing wrong with any of those things. They come with the territory. I'm not disappointed really because it's what you should expect from an anthology like this but here I am.
Letter to the Editor by David D. Levine was a great twist that was already semi-used in the Watchmen. I hate the Watchmen though and I can't stand the blue bastard in it so this was a lot more interesting for me to read.
The concept of Rocks Fall by Naomi Novik was novel and really enjoyable to me. I would say that it's probably the best out of all of these. It's kind of heartbreaking and develops a really interesting character. I wouldn't say the supervillain here borders on being an anti-hero, but the tropes seem to fit the anti-hero vibe and I can't get down with that.
lbrick363's review
4.0
Of course were some stories I didn't care for, but for the most part it was a pretty good read.
claudiap's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
youaremerlin's review
3.0
It was entertaining enough. Most of the stories were worth the read. There was one story in the middle that kind of ruined it for me. It didn't really fit the category and was extremely confusing. It was too long to be a short story but too short to be a novel and it gave enough information to confuse the hell out of you, but not nearly enough information to make a satisfactory story. That story alone brought the book down a star.
mikefrag's review
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
4.0
A good-sized anthology of breezy SF/F fiction featuring mad scientists, often as the protagonists instead of the antagonists. (This makes a worthy companion to "Soon I Will Be Invincible".) Like all other anthologies of this nature, it's a mixed bag in terms of quality, with a few being truly good and even transcending the inherent silliness of the conceit, and the few "bad" ones being easy to skip through. The definition of a good, light read.