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4.25 AVERAGE
4.25 AVERAGE
A delightful, fun romp in Tansy's wonderful superhero universe. Friday is a delightful protagonist, and there was some cute twists in this one. A lovely homage to a massive genre (even if it's one I'm a little tired of).
I've been following Tansy Rayner Roberts' blog for several years, ever since she did an interesting series of posts about the female characters in the Discworld books, and she's also one of the regulars on the Verity! podcast, which is one of my favourites. Recently, she's been posting about the influences for her new novella, Girl Reporter, and given that they include several of my own favourite characters (Hildy Johnson in His Girl Friday, Sarah Jane Smith and the magnificent Lynda Day in Press Gang) I couldn't resist buying the book, thinking that it looked like a fun read.
And it was indeed a fun read. Perfect for a dismal time of year when I'm up to the eyeballs at work and don't have the brainspace for anything too complicated or serious. It's narrated by Friday Valentina, wisecracking bisexual Millenial Youtube host, devoted fan of Australia's team of superheroes, and daughter of acclaimed journalist Tina Valentina, best known for her reports on the superhero team in the 1980s. When Tina goes missing, believed kidnapped by supervillains from another dimension, Friday has to team up with the superheroes to rescue her. Despite only being novella-length, Girl Reporter manages to take in the changing face of media, the role of women in standard superhero narratives, queer identities, disability representation and racial diversity, while also being a sweet and funny action-adventure. I'm really not into superhero stories, so I felt a bit adrift to begin with as I wasn't familiar with the tropes that were being referenced by the plot, but in the end it didn't matter; once I got into it I just enjoyed it for what it was.
And it was indeed a fun read. Perfect for a dismal time of year when I'm up to the eyeballs at work and don't have the brainspace for anything too complicated or serious. It's narrated by Friday Valentina, wisecracking bisexual Millenial Youtube host, devoted fan of Australia's team of superheroes, and daughter of acclaimed journalist Tina Valentina, best known for her reports on the superhero team in the 1980s. When Tina goes missing, believed kidnapped by supervillains from another dimension, Friday has to team up with the superheroes to rescue her. Despite only being novella-length, Girl Reporter manages to take in the changing face of media, the role of women in standard superhero narratives, queer identities, disability representation and racial diversity, while also being a sweet and funny action-adventure. I'm really not into superhero stories, so I felt a bit adrift to begin with as I wasn't familiar with the tropes that were being referenced by the plot, but in the end it didn't matter; once I got into it I just enjoyed it for what it was.
loved the way it was overtly Australian - name-dropping 90s Craig McLachlan led to a very unladylike cackle.
I loved it. A wonderful mix of a meta-fictional about the reporters in superhero fiction, new media and a good story with great characters.
I adore this ‘verse so much. Particularly connected With Friday as I’m a baby blogger myself.
Girl Reporter by Tansy Rayner Roberts is a novella set in the same universe as her short story "Cookie Cutter Superhero", published in Kaleidoscope, and the novella Kid Dark Against the Machine. You don't have to have read the earlier stories to enjoy or understand Girl Reporter, but the characters from the earlier stories show up and provide minor spoilers for their backstories.
This novella was a positively delightful read. It blends Roberts' humour with social commentary on the state of superhero fiction and various contemporary issues, especially those surrounding representation. Additionally the novella is so Australian it hurts (in a good way). Despite the alternate universe setting, Roberts finds plenty of opportunity to engage with modern Australian culture and hark back to the Australian culture of the 80s and 90s. I expect there will be some references that non-Australians will miss, but the novella won't be the worse for it. And everything really important is explained anyway.
The other delightful thing about this novel is the upbeat and clever voice of Tina Valentina. I will always have a soft spot for snark, but it's also nice to have a protagonist who is pretty upbeat and excited about things, despite some cynicism. Also, Tina drops backstory into the narrative very naturally, whether it's superhero history or about her mother. Roberts has nailed alternate-dimension young Millennial, and I say this as a non-super-dimension older Millennial.
This was my favourite of all three stories in the "Cookie Cutter Superhero-Verse" so far. I hope there will be more. I love the setting and all the characters so far have been great. There hasn't been very much superhero fiction (that I'm aware of) set in Australia and the strong Aussie-ness of the setting really boosts the book into an even more exciting take on superheroes, rather than yet another superhero story set in New York.
I highly recommend Girl Reporter to all fans of superhero stories. It's fun and fresh and full of diversity. Being a novella, it's also a pretty quick read. I can't wait to read more books set in this world.
5 / 5 stars
You can read more of my reviews on my blog.
This novella was a positively delightful read. It blends Roberts' humour with social commentary on the state of superhero fiction and various contemporary issues, especially those surrounding representation. Additionally the novella is so Australian it hurts (in a good way). Despite the alternate universe setting, Roberts finds plenty of opportunity to engage with modern Australian culture and hark back to the Australian culture of the 80s and 90s. I expect there will be some references that non-Australians will miss, but the novella won't be the worse for it. And everything really important is explained anyway.
The other delightful thing about this novel is the upbeat and clever voice of Tina Valentina. I will always have a soft spot for snark, but it's also nice to have a protagonist who is pretty upbeat and excited about things, despite some cynicism. Also, Tina drops backstory into the narrative very naturally, whether it's superhero history or about her mother. Roberts has nailed alternate-dimension young Millennial, and I say this as a non-super-dimension older Millennial.
This was my favourite of all three stories in the "Cookie Cutter Superhero-Verse" so far. I hope there will be more. I love the setting and all the characters so far have been great. There hasn't been very much superhero fiction (that I'm aware of) set in Australia and the strong Aussie-ness of the setting really boosts the book into an even more exciting take on superheroes, rather than yet another superhero story set in New York.
I highly recommend Girl Reporter to all fans of superhero stories. It's fun and fresh and full of diversity. Being a novella, it's also a pretty quick read. I can't wait to read more books set in this world.
5 / 5 stars
You can read more of my reviews on my blog.
Completely adorable and fun. Is it weird that I enjoyed the Australian-ness almost as much as the superhero parts?
This was a thoughtful look at the pressure and power of legacies and expectations, a story about what makes a family, and an incredibly funny and entertaining superhero adventure. I loved how much time this story spent exploring the world of superhero journalism – who gets to tell the stories and how, what gets hidden or left out, and what ripple effects that has. There was tons to think about, but also tons to laugh at and squee over. Super smart and fun, highly recommended.
Read the full review at Starship Library.
Read the full review at Starship Library.