taliaissmart's review against another edition
1.0
DNF probably 75% in but I just can’t do it anymore…y’all know I looove superheroes but this is incomprehensible and boring and poorly written and BLAND where it’s like…..huh???? And it’s supposed to be satirical? Leave this one alone and read HENCH.
missprint_'s review against another edition
4.0
Doctor Impossible wasn't always an evil genius, diabolical scientist, and supervillain extraordinaire. He just doesn't talk about it because it's really only the heroes who spend time worrying about their origin stories. Doctor Impossible would rather focus on taking over the world. As soon as he breaks out of prison. Again.
Over his long and villainous career Doctor Impossible has tried to take over the world in all of the usual ways with nuclear, thermonuclear, and nanotechnological doomsday devices. He's tried mind control. He's traveled backwards and forward in time. He's used a robot army, insect army, dinosaur army. Even a fungus army, fish and rodents too.
All failures. Even the alien invasion was a failure.
But that's okay. Because this time Doctor Impossible has a new plan. One that will work.
Fatale doesn't remember much about her life before she become a cyborg. She's been told she was on vacation in Brazil. Then she wasn't. And now she's Fatale: part skin, part chrome--a technological marvel meant to be the next generation of warfare until the NSA left her out in the cold.
It's not easy making it as a superhero cyborg on your own, so Fatale is thrilled when she's invited to join the Champions even if it is to replace their slain robot. The Champions used to be a rock solid team but now cracks are starting to show between the heroes--cracks that might be just the break Doctor Impossible needs in Soon I Will Be Invincible (2007) by Austin Grossman.
Soon I Will Be Invincible is a charming pastiche of classic superhero plots with chapters alternating between Doctor Impossible and Fatale. (If you read audiobooks, try the audio which as two actors and is a lot of fun.)
Doctor Impossible is a classic supervillain so don't go into this one expecting a lot of depth and morally grey areas. He is definitely a villain and he definitely doesn't feel bad about it at all. Sure, he's learned some things from his rivalry with CoreFire over the years and his failed attempts at world domination. But mostly that was about what didn't work.
Fatale, in contrast, feels like she's been thrown into the deep end here and is worried her previous experience working solo has done little to prepare her to join the Champions--especially alongside Doctor Impossible's old ally Lily. If Fatale feels a little superficial compared to Doctor Impossible's big personality, blame it on the strict moral code.
Hints of clever world building and a surprise reveal about Lily's origin story at the end save this one from being too predictable. Soon I Will Be Invincible is entertaining if sometimes expected superhero fare. Recommended for comics fans looking to branch out into prose and, of course, anyone who can't help but root for the villain.
Possible Pairings: The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde, Magisterium by Jeff Hirsch, The Brokenhearted by Amelia Kahaney, Proxy by Alex London, Watchmen by Alan Moore, The Superhero Handbook by Michael Powell, Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson, Hold Me Like a Breath by Tiffany Schmidt, Vicious by Victoria Schwab
Over his long and villainous career Doctor Impossible has tried to take over the world in all of the usual ways with nuclear, thermonuclear, and nanotechnological doomsday devices. He's tried mind control. He's traveled backwards and forward in time. He's used a robot army, insect army, dinosaur army. Even a fungus army, fish and rodents too.
All failures. Even the alien invasion was a failure.
But that's okay. Because this time Doctor Impossible has a new plan. One that will work.
Fatale doesn't remember much about her life before she become a cyborg. She's been told she was on vacation in Brazil. Then she wasn't. And now she's Fatale: part skin, part chrome--a technological marvel meant to be the next generation of warfare until the NSA left her out in the cold.
It's not easy making it as a superhero cyborg on your own, so Fatale is thrilled when she's invited to join the Champions even if it is to replace their slain robot. The Champions used to be a rock solid team but now cracks are starting to show between the heroes--cracks that might be just the break Doctor Impossible needs in Soon I Will Be Invincible (2007) by Austin Grossman.
Soon I Will Be Invincible is a charming pastiche of classic superhero plots with chapters alternating between Doctor Impossible and Fatale. (If you read audiobooks, try the audio which as two actors and is a lot of fun.)
Doctor Impossible is a classic supervillain so don't go into this one expecting a lot of depth and morally grey areas. He is definitely a villain and he definitely doesn't feel bad about it at all. Sure, he's learned some things from his rivalry with CoreFire over the years and his failed attempts at world domination. But mostly that was about what didn't work.
Fatale, in contrast, feels like she's been thrown into the deep end here and is worried her previous experience working solo has done little to prepare her to join the Champions--especially alongside Doctor Impossible's old ally Lily. If Fatale feels a little superficial compared to Doctor Impossible's big personality, blame it on the strict moral code.
Hints of clever world building and a surprise reveal about Lily's origin story at the end save this one from being too predictable. Soon I Will Be Invincible is entertaining if sometimes expected superhero fare. Recommended for comics fans looking to branch out into prose and, of course, anyone who can't help but root for the villain.
Possible Pairings: The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde, Magisterium by Jeff Hirsch, The Brokenhearted by Amelia Kahaney, Proxy by Alex London, Watchmen by Alan Moore, The Superhero Handbook by Michael Powell, Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson, Hold Me Like a Breath by Tiffany Schmidt, Vicious by Victoria Schwab
sisteray's review against another edition
4.0
Cute take on the super-hero genre. Nothing outstanding, but a fun read. Sufficiently cynical, without pissing on the genre. Clearly there is a love of the medium, and this kind of character. This is for fans of super-hero stories. It isn't especially deep, but it is consistently amusing throughout. It does suffer a bit as the villain story-line is much more intriguing that what it going on with the heroes. I'd rather he just spend the novel from the villain's perspective (Fatale was a "good enough" character). Regardless, the hero stuff is just fine (outside of the awkward prison testimonial/exposition near the end). Good fluff.
algorowara's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
reasie's review against another edition
4.0
I very much liked the second-to-last chapter, though I felt the story should have gone deeper. I wanted both hero and villain to realize the futility of their struggle. Though having them both get smacked by their ex-girlfriend is nice.
It reads for the most part like classic superhero comic fanfic. There are nods to popular franchises and arcs... of course all new heroes and villains, but y'know... there are parallels.
Deep in the heart of this is an unhealed "jocks vs. nerds" wound that I want to poke and prod because the third path Lily represents isn't developed, it's there, but the ending chapter shows the boys haven't learned, and I'm not entirely sure where Fatale fits in this.
My favorite parts are the moments of vulnerability in all the characters. My least favorite are when they play to type, and also the habit of skipping ahead of action which left me confused once or twice.
It reads for the most part like classic superhero comic fanfic. There are nods to popular franchises and arcs... of course all new heroes and villains, but y'know... there are parallels.
Deep in the heart of this is an unhealed "jocks vs. nerds" wound that I want to poke and prod because the third path Lily represents isn't developed, it's there, but the ending chapter shows the boys haven't learned, and I'm not entirely sure where Fatale fits in this.
My favorite parts are the moments of vulnerability in all the characters. My least favorite are when they play to type, and also the habit of skipping ahead of action which left me confused once or twice.
cpikas's review against another edition
4.0
I like how we get to know lilly and Fatale and get in the ordinary head of the extraordinary villain. Many parts are sort of sketches out but it's a fun read.
camillex's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
medium-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
katherinecg's review against another edition
2.0
Unoriginal and chaotic. This book was too overwhelming and the entire time, I couldn’t help but imagine Dr. Impossible as Dr. Doofenshmirtz. Yes, it was that cringy.
elysareadsitall's review against another edition
3.0
I liked the plot, but it could have been more clearly developed. I also have the same sentiment for the characters. They're likeable enough and interesting enough, but there were a lot of them to learn about and hear backstories for in a standalone story. At times, I was confused by the writing, and I actually checked to see if I had fast-forwarded my audiobook on accident because it seemed like I jumped forward a couple of paragraphs. That's just how it was written though. I really enjoyed the concept, and I couldn't wait to see what happened next. I just wish the ride had been less bumpy.
alexisparade's review against another edition
4.0
This was my favorite book through basically all of high school.