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Title Soon I Will Be Invincible
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Author Austin Grossman
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Genre Fantasy Fiction
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Pages 280
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Publisher Pantheon Books
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Copyright 2007
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Synopsis (from web-site)
Doctor Impossible—evil genius, diabolical scientist, wannabe world dominator—languishes in a federal detention facility. He's lost his freedom, his girlfriend, and his hidden island fortress. Over the years he's tried to take over the world in every way imaginable: doomsday devices of all varieties (nuclear, thermonuclear, nanotechnological) and mass mind control. He's traveled backwards in time to change history, forward in time to escape it. He's commanded robot armies, insect armies, and dinosaur armies. Fungus army. Army of fish. Of rodents. Alien invasions. All failures. But not this time. This time it’s going to be different... Fatale is a rookie superhero on her first day with the Champions, the world's most famous superteam. She's a patchwork woman of skin and chrome, a gleaming technological marvel built to be the next generation of warfare. Filling the void left by a slain former member, we watch as Fatale joins a team struggling with a damaged past, having to come together in the face of unthinkable evil. Soon I Will Be Invincible is a thrilling first novel; a fantastical adventure that gives new meaning to the notions of power, glory, responsibility, and (of course) good and evil.
Why I read It
Another book on Lisa’s list of first person stories. The synopsis sounded interesting enough to pick it up.
The Good
A look at the relationship between superheroes and their nemeses, and a challenge to what it means to be good or evil. It is a comic book story told from the human perspective.
The Bad
The plot was kind of jumpy and not threshed out enough in parts. Think of the difference between Harry Potter book one and book seven. This story was begging for a book 7 treatment but instead we are left short.
The Ugly (my opinion)
It reminds me a lot of the fabulous Dr. Horrible’s sing-a-long blog. You get the back story of the super villain in a sympathetic manner; inasmuch you feel for them. Remember, just because someone is the hero doesn’t mean they aren’t a jerk. Not great literature, but a fun story. Even though it is an adult book, it’s age appropriate for anyone 12 and up.
The Truth? (other reviews)
Comic Mix
New York Times
The AV Club
Mormon Mentions
None
Author Biography
Austin Grossman is a writer and game designer who has contributed to the New York Times and a number of video games. Grossman started his career in the game industry replying to a classified ad in the The Boston Globe in May 1992 that led him to Looking Glass Studios. Since then, Grossman has worked with the following companies: Dreamworks Interactive, Ion Storm of Austin, and Crystal Dynamics. Grossman attended Harvard University and is currently a graduate student in English literature at the University of California, Berkeley. He is the twin brother of writer Lev Grossman and brother of sculptor Bathsheba Grossman, and the son of the poet Allen Grossman and the novelist Judith Grossman.
Title Soon I Will Be Invincible
-------------+----------------------------------------
Author Austin Grossman
-------------+----------------------------------------
Genre Fantasy Fiction
-------------+----------------------------------------
Pages 280
-------------+----------------------------------------
Publisher Pantheon Books
-------------+----------------------------------------
Copyright 2007
-------------+----------------------------------------
Synopsis (from web-site)
Doctor Impossible—evil genius, diabolical scientist, wannabe world dominator—languishes in a federal detention facility. He's lost his freedom, his girlfriend, and his hidden island fortress. Over the years he's tried to take over the world in every way imaginable: doomsday devices of all varieties (nuclear, thermonuclear, nanotechnological) and mass mind control. He's traveled backwards in time to change history, forward in time to escape it. He's commanded robot armies, insect armies, and dinosaur armies. Fungus army. Army of fish. Of rodents. Alien invasions. All failures. But not this time. This time it’s going to be different... Fatale is a rookie superhero on her first day with the Champions, the world's most famous superteam. She's a patchwork woman of skin and chrome, a gleaming technological marvel built to be the next generation of warfare. Filling the void left by a slain former member, we watch as Fatale joins a team struggling with a damaged past, having to come together in the face of unthinkable evil. Soon I Will Be Invincible is a thrilling first novel; a fantastical adventure that gives new meaning to the notions of power, glory, responsibility, and (of course) good and evil.
Why I read It
Another book on Lisa’s list of first person stories. The synopsis sounded interesting enough to pick it up.
The Good
A look at the relationship between superheroes and their nemeses, and a challenge to what it means to be good or evil. It is a comic book story told from the human perspective.
The Bad
The plot was kind of jumpy and not threshed out enough in parts. Think of the difference between Harry Potter book one and book seven. This story was begging for a book 7 treatment but instead we are left short.
The Ugly (my opinion)
It reminds me a lot of the fabulous Dr. Horrible’s sing-a-long blog. You get the back story of the super villain in a sympathetic manner; inasmuch you feel for them. Remember, just because someone is the hero doesn’t mean they aren’t a jerk. Not great literature, but a fun story. Even though it is an adult book, it’s age appropriate for anyone 12 and up.
The Truth? (other reviews)
Comic Mix
New York Times
The AV Club
Mormon Mentions
None
Author Biography
Austin Grossman is a writer and game designer who has contributed to the New York Times and a number of video games. Grossman started his career in the game industry replying to a classified ad in the The Boston Globe in May 1992 that led him to Looking Glass Studios. Since then, Grossman has worked with the following companies: Dreamworks Interactive, Ion Storm of Austin, and Crystal Dynamics. Grossman attended Harvard University and is currently a graduate student in English literature at the University of California, Berkeley. He is the twin brother of writer Lev Grossman and brother of sculptor Bathsheba Grossman, and the son of the poet Allen Grossman and the novelist Judith Grossman.
1 comment:
This book is right up my alley. It is on my To-Read list now.
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