Soon I Will Be Invincible: A Novel (edit title)

• Rated 4 stars

“I have to admit, I enjoyed this book by Austin Grossman. Yes, it's about superheroes, mostly about two of them in particular (one of whom is actually a supervillain) who take turns narrating intertwining stories. One is the self-proclaimed Dr. Impossible, who is your basic super magalomaniacal genius bent on world domination. The second is Fatale, a cyborg who's a rookie at the whole superhero business. The book basically follows the stories of these two characters, which run parallel to each other as the newly escaped Dr. Impossible enacts another bid for conquest and Fatale joins a legendary group of superheroes in the wake of its own personal tragedy.

To be honest, based on the cover and word of mouth, I expected more outright satire of the superhero genre than I got out of this book. There IS satire, don't get me wrong, but it's mixed in with an actual attempt to tell a story and flesh out characters while adhering to the tenants of the whole superhero thing --with a satirical edge. I particularly loved it when Dr. Impossible mentioned how one the charges that sent him to jail after his first attempt at world domination was for breaking zoning violations when he built his sinister underground lair. Actually most of the Dr. Impossible chapters are rife with subtle parody as the mad super genius carries on the kind of inner monologue that you always thought must be there when he's not bellowing "WHO DARES OPPOSE ME?" or "INSOLENT FOOLS!" at every caped crusader that walks in on him. It's pretty funny in a "what would a supervillain's life really be like?" kind of way and I was kind of rooting for the guy all along. He had a much harder time of it than you might think.

Fatale and the New Champion chapters, on the other hand, are written with more of a straight face and a lot less of the tongue-in-cheek, wink-wink kind of tone. Instead we get to see her wrestle with what it's like to be a newcomer to an established family of legendary heroes as they try to recapture Dr. Impossible (for the 12th time). Amusingly, Fatale seems to be taking the whole confrontation with our resident supervillain a lot more personally than he is taking her, since she broods and agonizes over their supposed animus while Dr. Impossible barely acknowledges her existence. This is most evident at the climax of the book when he pauses in his narrative to merely say "Then that cyborg chick punched me for some reason."

All in all, the story isn't that fantastic, even for a novel born of the superhero comic books scene. It's just standard take over the world kind of stuff. Neither are the supporting cast of characters particularly engaging, especially if you're halfway familiar with the comic culture touchstones upon which most of them are based. You've got your Batman-esque character, your Superman-like character, your Wolverine type, your Dr. Strange knockoff, and a few others. But still, I enjoyed it for the ride and the gentle mocking of the genre.

And perhaps best of all, at just under 300 pages Austin has the sense not to let it outstay its welcome and get bloated into something it has no business being. It's fun and easy to read, and it often offers amusing insights and parody of the whole scene that the author obviously loves.”

• Rated 4 stars

“Can you honestly say this title with a straight face? Doesn't it just make you want to do the stereotypical evil villain pose/laugh and shout "SOON I WILL BE INVINCIBLE!" It did me (and my hubby); I really liked this book, even though it wasn't entirely what I thought it would be.

Doctor Impossible escapes from prison and begins putting together another nefarious plot to take over the world. He's done this several times over but has never succeeded, mostly thanks to the efforts of the Super Squadron. Think the SuperFriends of our youth. The Squadron was led by Stormcloud and included various heroes and heroines such as Regina and the Pharaoh. Forward several years later and it's now the Champions who defeat Dr. Impossible on a regular basis, led by Damsel, the daughter of Stormcloud and step-daughter of Regina. This new super-hero group also has amongst its members Blackwolf, CoreFire ("created" by Dr. Impossible), Damsel (ex-wife of Blackwolf), Elphin "Warrior Princess", Fatale (one of our narrators), Feral (man-cat), Galatea (robot who sacrificed herself during the last big fight on Titan), Lily (played both sides of the fence), Mister Mystic, and Rainbow Triumph.

Alas, the Champions aren't what they used to be. After disbanding for almost a decade, they reform to track down and defeat Dr. Impossible after CoreFire disappears, then is found dead. Everyone is sure that Dr. Impossible is the responsible party; he and CoreFire are arch-nemeses, after all. It's a race to the end of the book to find out which side will win. Will evil triumph? Will the Champions save the day?

It would be very comic-book character territory if not for the duel narration provided in every other chapter. Our narrators are Dr. Impossible, who starts the story, then is continued by Fatale in the next chapter. They switch off chapters and provide not only the back story of each character, but also examine the psychological aspects of each side. As Dr. Impossible muses, why did he chose to become an evil genius? That he was a genius was obvious from early on; there was never any doubt about it. But why go over to the dark side? He could've just as easily played for the winning team, fought for the side of right and justice for all. Fatale is no different. Having become a cyborg after a horrific auto accident in Brazil, she wonders almost constantly why she was offered the job of a Champion. After all, she's worked for the NSA and as a free-lance mercenary, not exactly shiny, happy positions. And then there's the question of who made her; the company disappeared overnight and there are no records. She has her suspicions, though...

It's Dr. Impossible's chapters that make the book. He's very introspective for a bad guy, and there are small bits of humor in his chapters (not nearly as much as you would expect from the title, cover art, and jacket description). For instance, some of the good doctor's aliases are Baron Benzen, Count Smackula, Doctor Fiasco and my favorite, Smartacus. The doctor also provides the pathos for the book as well; he's obviously a very lonely man who never really grew out of being a lonely, highly intelligent teen. If you really could become a hero or a villain, which would you be? According to Doctor Impossible, it seems to matter what sort of childhood you had. Hmm, not so different from the real world of today, I suppose.

Check out this book today and soon, you'll find yourself running around yelling "Soon I will be...INVINCIBLE!" (insert evil laugh here)
”

• Rated 5 stars

“This is an awesome book for superhero book fans. It nicely blends superhero cliches with a great sense of humor that makes it a very worthy read.”

• Rated 4 stars

“This was a fun read. I highly enjoyed it although I agree with others that the chapters written from the prespective of the villan Doctor Impossible are much more interesting than the hero chapters. Unlike anything I have ever read in the sci-fi or any other genre. Great fun!”

• Rated 5 stars

“So I'm not at the comics shop every Tuesday for new releases (or ever, for that matter), but I wouldn't miss any of the movies from the comics I read when I was a kid. If that sounds like you, give this a shot - this is a book you can easily read if you have a full day at the beach. Don't look for the deeper meaning, just enjoy it. ”

• Rated 3 stars

“Funny, but not for everyone. I liked the villian far better than the heroes, but I suppose that was the point. ”

• Rated 3 stars

“I loved the idea of modern day superhero teams dealing with reality. I wanted a little more to sink my teeth into though. ”