Subject 12

by S.W. Douglas

A dark, graphic, oftentimes violent look at a world where super powers are rare but real, told from the point of view of a man who was given powers that he didn't really want, and who now simply wants to be left alone. Unfortunately his ex-boss has other plans and, drives him from hiding in a violent confrontation. In an attempt to get his bearings again, he seeks out his ex-girlfriend and finds himself getting drawn deeper and deeper into conflict with himself, his former employer, and the very 'heroes' he'd disdained for so long.

Genres: Superheroes, Fiction, Science Fiction, Fantasy

328 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 27, 2010

Reviews

[Raven · Rating 5 out of 5]

A different take on the old view of Super Heroes and Super Villains. The meaning of hero and villain become very much a point of where you are standing and who is friends with who--or perhaps whom. Political intrigue and time and place become a major portion of the answer as to which person is decided to be a hero ad a villain.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It' a gritty, rather violent take on the superhero genre. The story is narrated by a man who was an unexpected success in a private military super soldier experiment. He only wants to be left alone but they'll do anything to get him back and get his powers under their control.

It's a bit of a strange read in the sense that you don't even get the main characters name till half way during the book but I found this a compelling read. It's part action movie with super powers, part violent odyssey to self redemption. For all that it's source is the comic book genre this feels rather gritty and real. I'm not sure I'd describe the main character as "likeable" but I'll quickly pick up book two in the series when its published and I'm a bit surprised this didn't get snapped up as a paperback novel as I have a feel it would especially appeal to a lot of male readers.

[Aaron · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book! It was a great superhero book and very well written. I look forward to this story continuing. This is how superhero books should be done.

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

Draws you right in, keeps you there and you don't even care about losing a night of two of sleep...then...when is the sequel? No pressure but...is it ready yet? How about now? Great version of the superhero story - gritty, makes it real, poses some excellent questions, gives a few answers but certainly not all, and absolutely positively entertains you. What more can you ask? Make into a movie? Guarded yes, not because it wouldn't make a great one but because Hollywood generally corrodes most novels into pathetic scripts when they put them on the big screen.

[Juho Salo · Rating 1 out of 5]

The short of it: the main character didn't seem to have any motivation for his actions. Supporting characters were introduced just to be dropped few pages later. Questions were raised but not answered.

All the above could be forgiven if the plot at least were good, but I didn't find one. Worst of all, the book didn't even have a story arc. The last fight was just as meaningless as the previous ones and the last page didn't feel like a hook for a sequel as much as maximum word count being reached.

[Camilla · Rating 1 out of 5]

Boring, overwritten, uncreative, indulgently violent, and unashamedly sexist, I couldn't force myself to make it through the second chapter.

The gritty superhero story has been done a million times before, to much greater success in comics like Astro City, The Boys, or the obvious Watchmen. Please ignore this book and pick up one of those.

[Bekah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a genuinely interesting book. While it did take me quite a while to read, it did keep me thinking during those times that I could not read. I grew to really like the main character,and while it was not a funny book, there were definite laugh out loud moments. I'm definitely looking forward to checking out the other books Mr. Douglas has written.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting ideas, but the story was a little meandering. I like long novels, but I think this book could have benefited from some editing to cut out some parts to make the overall story stronger. Despite the length, the novel still ends on a cliffhanger.

[Nick Wesselmann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Other than a few minor editing/proofing errors, its a surprisingly good read.