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spikeanderson1's review against another edition
5.0
one of the best books i've ever read- comic book comes to life- smart
ohnopatrick's review against another edition
4.0
Very cool, witty book. Laugh out loud moments, action moments, romantic (comic book style) moment. It has it all for a comic book fan.
The ending is pretty weak, though. It was almost like Grossman just got tired and stopped writing. All in all, though a very good book.
The ending is pretty weak, though. It was almost like Grossman just got tired and stopped writing. All in all, though a very good book.
spitzig's review against another edition
2.0
There is no "stopped reading" option. I don't stop reading books often enough to make one.
I rarely stop reading a book, but halfway through this book seemed to have nothing redeeming. I'm a big fan of comics and novels, so I looked for some that are both. This seemed to get good reviews. So, I tried it.
The characters were not interesting. They had the usual types of superheroes. The talked about them in an iconic way.
The plot was really slow-strange for a superhero novel. Halfway through, not much had happened.
I rarely stop reading a book, but halfway through this book seemed to have nothing redeeming. I'm a big fan of comics and novels, so I looked for some that are both. This seemed to get good reviews. So, I tried it.
The characters were not interesting. They had the usual types of superheroes. The talked about them in an iconic way.
The plot was really slow-strange for a superhero novel. Halfway through, not much had happened.
soawesomeness's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.75
Entertaining story, though extremely similar to the Vengeful series by VE Schwab except way more G rated and confusingly written. Sometimes it's hard to understand what's going on with the way it was written.
northcsknits's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
venti's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
needed to be 200 pages longer
pmali's review against another edition
4.0
I loved the campiness of this story. Dr Impossible is a great narrator because there are moments where you can’t tell if he is living the best delusion or if he actually could win. The way everything is written takes it either way, at least to me. I don’t always enjoy a dual perspective story because there’s times when you’d rather it just be one, but in this case, I think the addition of Fatale’s chapters showed such an opposite to Dr Impossible, but also gave each of them layers to build off.
The end is sort of predictable and I wish the author would have turned the trope on its head, but either way it’s still good. This was technically a reread cause I read it first when it came out like 12 years ago, but it was nice to revisit a story I remembered nothing of.
Overall a 4.25/5
The end is sort of predictable and I wish the author would have turned the trope on its head, but either way it’s still good. This was technically a reread cause I read it first when it came out like 12 years ago, but it was nice to revisit a story I remembered nothing of.
Overall a 4.25/5
thewallflower00's review against another edition
2.0
I feel like I just didn't get this book. I should -- it's about superheroes, and their inner lives, like Watchmen in prose. But something about it didn't work for me.
I guess the problem is that the entire thing is back story. It's almost entirely written in past perfect. Everything already happened and we're just seeing the aftereffects. There are few actual events that happen until halfway through the novel. There's a lot of "thinking/observing" where we're in the character's mind, and the characterization is glossed over -- characters have bulimia, divorces, and none of this is explored. I feel like if you separated the narrative from the dialogue, you'd have two totally different stories.
And yet despite these flaws, I still felt compelled to read it. Maybe because it's a "behind-the-scenes" of Silver Age comic books (the ones that were super ridiculous like creating a race of tiny lizard-men or alien boys cause a ruckus). When Lex Luthor escapes prison, where does he go? What does he do while he rebuilds? What do superhero teams do when they're not fighting crime? How do they recruit? How do newbies get accepted? How do they react when one of their own "dies"?
It's the background brought to the foreground, and maybe that's where I find it falling flat. It's a novel in inverse, and that's atypical -- it's not action-oriented. But like I said, maybe I'm looking at it in the wrong way. And someone else will enjoy it more than me.
I guess the problem is that the entire thing is back story. It's almost entirely written in past perfect. Everything already happened and we're just seeing the aftereffects. There are few actual events that happen until halfway through the novel. There's a lot of "thinking/observing" where we're in the character's mind, and the characterization is glossed over -- characters have bulimia, divorces, and none of this is explored. I feel like if you separated the narrative from the dialogue, you'd have two totally different stories.
And yet despite these flaws, I still felt compelled to read it. Maybe because it's a "behind-the-scenes" of Silver Age comic books (the ones that were super ridiculous like creating a race of tiny lizard-men or alien boys cause a ruckus). When Lex Luthor escapes prison, where does he go? What does he do while he rebuilds? What do superhero teams do when they're not fighting crime? How do they recruit? How do newbies get accepted? How do they react when one of their own "dies"?
It's the background brought to the foreground, and maybe that's where I find it falling flat. It's a novel in inverse, and that's atypical -- it's not action-oriented. But like I said, maybe I'm looking at it in the wrong way. And someone else will enjoy it more than me.
nightchough's review against another edition
5.0
I was reminded of this book today in a casual conversation and it made me smile to remember it.
Half of this book has the supervillain as the protagonist and it is delightful! It's a pastiche of DC and Marvel superheroes, and the supervillain was the dweeby college friend of the superheroes, and is motivated by romantic jealousy as much as professional.
Very entertaining and a quick read.
Half of this book has the supervillain as the protagonist and it is delightful! It's a pastiche of DC and Marvel superheroes, and the supervillain was the dweeby college friend of the superheroes, and is motivated by romantic jealousy as much as professional.
Very entertaining and a quick read.
pthhh's review against another edition
5.0
Fantastic take on superheroes and villains that's good enough to escape the "guilty pleasure" label.