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D-List Supervillain #1
Confessions of a D-List Supervillain
5 hrs 46 mins
“Being a supervillain means never having to say you’re sorry … Unless it’s to the judge or the parole board. Even then, you don’t really have to. It’s not like it’s going to change the outcome or anything.”
Those are the words of Calvin Matthew Stringel, better known as Mechani-Cal. He’s a sarcastic, down on his luck armored villain. Follow his exploits as he gets swept up in a world domination scheme gone wrong and ends up working for this weak willed, mercy loving heroes. Immerse yourself in his epic battles and see what it’s like to be an outsider looking in at a world that few have ever experienced.
Climb into Cal’s battlesuit and join him on his journey. Will he avoid selling out his principles for a paycheck and a pardon? Can he resist the camaraderie of being on a super team? Does he fall prey to the ample charms of the beautiful Olympian Aphrodite? How will he survive the jealous schemes of Ultraweapon, who wears armor so powerful it makes Cal’s look like a museum piece?
See the world of “righteous do-gooders" through the eyes of someone who doesn’t particularly care for them.
And remember - Losing an argument with a group of rioters isn’t a good excuse to start lobbing tear gas indiscriminately at them. You’ve only got so many rounds and it’s going to be a long day, so make sure you get as many as possible with each one.
“Being a supervillain means never having to say you’re sorry … Unless it’s to the judge or the parole board. Even then, you don’t really have to. It’s not like it’s going to change the outcome or anything.”
Those are the words of Calvin Matthew Stringel, better known as Mechani-Cal. He’s a sarcastic, down on his luck armored villain. Follow his exploits as he gets swept up in a world domination scheme gone wrong and ends up working for this weak willed, mercy loving heroes. Immerse yourself in his epic battles and see what it’s like to be an outsider looking in at a world that few have ever experienced.
Climb into Cal’s battlesuit and join him on his journey. Will he avoid selling out his principles for a paycheck and a pardon? Can he resist the camaraderie of being on a super team? Does he fall prey to the ample charms of the beautiful Olympian Aphrodite? How will he survive the jealous schemes of Ultraweapon, who wears armor so powerful it makes Cal’s look like a museum piece?
See the world of “righteous do-gooders" through the eyes of someone who doesn’t particularly care for them.
And remember - Losing an argument with a group of rioters isn’t a good excuse to start lobbing tear gas indiscriminately at them. You’ve only got so many rounds and it’s going to be a long day, so make sure you get as many as possible with each one.
5 pages, Audiobook
First published April 1, 2011
111 people are currently reading
2957 people want to read
About the author
Jim Bernheimer
33 books439 followersJim lives in Chesapeake, Virginia with his wife Kim, and daughters Laura and Marissa. By day, he works as a Systems Administrator on a government contract and runs his own side Information Technology consulting firm, EJB Networking, which can be found at www.ejbnetworking.com
Blessed (or cursed depending on your point of view) with an overactive imagination, Jim has long been a fan of Science Fiction and Fantasy. Seeking to put that imagination to use, he has started to write his own orginal works in hopes of making his mark on the literary world.
Jim's literary influences include well known writers such as Robert Heinlein, Edgar Allen Poe, J.R.R Tolkien, and the not so well-known C.T. Westcott.
Blessed (or cursed depending on your point of view) with an overactive imagination, Jim has long been a fan of Science Fiction and Fantasy. Seeking to put that imagination to use, he has started to write his own orginal works in hopes of making his mark on the literary world.
Jim's literary influences include well known writers such as Robert Heinlein, Edgar Allen Poe, J.R.R Tolkien, and the not so well-known C.T. Westcott.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 359 reviews
January 28, 2012
So….Superhero fiction. This offering was fun and some time was pleasantly diverted but I still can’t help but feel a somber lack of fulfillment in the end product. I keep hoping some smooth writing word-smither will come along and write a costumed hero story that really “gets it.” To date, this is a small but growing sub-genre of speculative fiction (thanks to the successful movie franchises) that has not yet translated well into the ungraphic novel form, at least the several examples that I have read.
Andrew Vachss'Batman: The Ultimate Evil was a very good Batman novel, but that was less superhero than straight crime fiction. Also, the recent Bitter Seeds did an excellent job with its “supermen” but that was a supporting piece in a larger story and so I don’t consider that as squarely belonging within this sub-genre.
Okay, before I continue whining about what I’d like to see this genre become (I end with a fanboy plea below), here is quick recap and some thoughts on Confessions:
PLOT SUMMARY & THOUGHTS:
Calvin Stringel (aka Mechani-Cal) is a lower level, not so bad, villain who finds himself (because of his fully enclosed battle armor) the only hope of a world being quickly taken over by an insidious alien invasion that has made slaves of the bulk of the world’s supers. After a POW, ZAP, BOOM opening sequence, Cal rescues/kidnaps Aphrodite, a member of the good guy Olympians who are an Avengers-like squad whose group share the name and powers of Greek gods. Cal holds the beautiful Aphrodite prisoner as he works to break the aliens’ control over her, a process not looked on with favor by his prisoner because the alien “bugs” use a powerfully addictive narcotic to placate their drones, causing painful withdrawals when the “drug” is withheld.
Eventually a plan is hatched to try and break the aliens control and free the supes so they can defeat the invasion and Cal struggles with the familiar “which side do I belong on” angsty doubt-fest while working to save the world. At the same time, we learn about Cal’s history, about his run in with some of the super supes and how he isn’t nearly as evil, and the good guys not nearly as virtuous, as they may first appear.
Overall I thought this was a lot of fun once I got beyond the first third of the novel. Early on I was fairly annoyed with the tone of the story and Cal’s snarky sarcasm and not quite wit which, rather than making me chuckle, was steering me directly towards rantville on this one. However, like Divergent, this novel came back strong in the tail end of the tale and turned out to be the best of this kind of story that I have read so far.
Cal’s character grew on my like ivy and began to display significant more depth in his contemplations and decision making. Once this happens and the real meat of the story was served, I started to enjoy myself.
A FANBOY'S PLEA:
Still, would somebody out there please write a serious, epic treatment of an established set of heroes that will become the standard bearer for others to follow. There is so much wonderful material to mine in the pages of Marvel and DC that could be so effectively translated in a series of novels similar to the Star Wars and Star Trek extended universes. Places where canon can be both honored and challenged and where we can see these heroes in ways that the graphic medium, for all its virtues, can’t properly explore.
Now, my vote would be the X-men because (a) their awesome and (b) there is so much built in dramatic tension and character issues that I think it cries out for more expansive treatment. For example, it would allow for:
** An in depth, more adult treatment of the characters’ inner conflicts with the world (e.g., Wolverine and his colorful history, past deeds and anger issues);
** The chance to explore the science behind the “powers” and how they are generated within the body and allowing for a more detailed explanation of their effects (e.g., I would love to hear a description of the effect of Bobby Drake’s (aka Iceman’s) power on the human body from freezing to shattering on impact…and maybe even a paragraph or two later on when the shattered body has melted…because, hey, I like me some icky too.
** Allow for strategic planning and more in depth tactics when confronting bad guys (using powers in concert and preparing for assaults while trying to neutralize the baddies’ powers...can you sense the fanboy in me growing excited at the prospect.
** Most importantly, being able to tap into the emotional elements that the graphic medium can give us in snapshots of but can’t explore as fully as a well worked pen. These are people that fight for a world that is constantly showering them with hatred, fear and discrimination. There is drama here…there are stories here…there is much untapped greatness.
…end fanboy plea.
Until then, this was fun and entertaining and I think the author ended up with characters that we could care about and a world that, while not without logical inconsistencies, allowed enough disbelief suspension to keep the story afloat and moving forward.
3.0 Stars. Recommended.
Andrew Vachss'Batman: The Ultimate Evil was a very good Batman novel, but that was less superhero than straight crime fiction. Also, the recent Bitter Seeds did an excellent job with its “supermen” but that was a supporting piece in a larger story and so I don’t consider that as squarely belonging within this sub-genre.
Okay, before I continue whining about what I’d like to see this genre become (I end with a fanboy plea below), here is quick recap and some thoughts on Confessions:
PLOT SUMMARY & THOUGHTS:
Calvin Stringel (aka Mechani-Cal) is a lower level, not so bad, villain who finds himself (because of his fully enclosed battle armor) the only hope of a world being quickly taken over by an insidious alien invasion that has made slaves of the bulk of the world’s supers. After a POW, ZAP, BOOM opening sequence, Cal rescues/kidnaps Aphrodite, a member of the good guy Olympians who are an Avengers-like squad whose group share the name and powers of Greek gods. Cal holds the beautiful Aphrodite prisoner as he works to break the aliens’ control over her, a process not looked on with favor by his prisoner because the alien “bugs” use a powerfully addictive narcotic to placate their drones, causing painful withdrawals when the “drug” is withheld.
Eventually a plan is hatched to try and break the aliens control and free the supes so they can defeat the invasion and Cal struggles with the familiar “which side do I belong on” angsty doubt-fest while working to save the world. At the same time, we learn about Cal’s history, about his run in with some of the super supes and how he isn’t nearly as evil, and the good guys not nearly as virtuous, as they may first appear.
Overall I thought this was a lot of fun once I got beyond the first third of the novel. Early on I was fairly annoyed with the tone of the story and Cal’s snarky sarcasm and not quite wit which, rather than making me chuckle, was steering me directly towards rantville on this one. However, like Divergent, this novel came back strong in the tail end of the tale and turned out to be the best of this kind of story that I have read so far.
Cal’s character grew on my like ivy and began to display significant more depth in his contemplations and decision making. Once this happens and the real meat of the story was served, I started to enjoy myself.
A FANBOY'S PLEA:
Still, would somebody out there please write a serious, epic treatment of an established set of heroes that will become the standard bearer for others to follow. There is so much wonderful material to mine in the pages of Marvel and DC that could be so effectively translated in a series of novels similar to the Star Wars and Star Trek extended universes. Places where canon can be both honored and challenged and where we can see these heroes in ways that the graphic medium, for all its virtues, can’t properly explore.
Now, my vote would be the X-men because (a) their awesome and (b) there is so much built in dramatic tension and character issues that I think it cries out for more expansive treatment. For example, it would allow for:
** An in depth, more adult treatment of the characters’ inner conflicts with the world (e.g., Wolverine and his colorful history, past deeds and anger issues);
** The chance to explore the science behind the “powers” and how they are generated within the body and allowing for a more detailed explanation of their effects (e.g., I would love to hear a description of the effect of Bobby Drake’s (aka Iceman’s) power on the human body from freezing to shattering on impact…and maybe even a paragraph or two later on when the shattered body has melted…because, hey, I like me some icky too.
** Allow for strategic planning and more in depth tactics when confronting bad guys (using powers in concert and preparing for assaults while trying to neutralize the baddies’ powers...can you sense the fanboy in me growing excited at the prospect.
** Most importantly, being able to tap into the emotional elements that the graphic medium can give us in snapshots of but can’t explore as fully as a well worked pen. These are people that fight for a world that is constantly showering them with hatred, fear and discrimination. There is drama here…there are stories here…there is much untapped greatness.
…end fanboy plea.
Until then, this was fun and entertaining and I think the author ended up with characters that we could care about and a world that, while not without logical inconsistencies, allowed enough disbelief suspension to keep the story afloat and moving forward.
3.0 Stars. Recommended.
October 15, 2018
This was a fun superhero story. It was packed with action, humor, and interesting characters. It also had plenty of cool superpowers and sci-fi technology. The world was a fun one and the story itself was engaging.
We followed the story of Cal Stringel, a D-list supervillain going by the name Mani-Cals, as he finally catches a break. The world is about to fall to the hive mind after the Evil Overlord's latest attempt at world domination hit a snag. He released a bunch of bugs that mind control people but they got out of control and turned on their own master! With most of the world and its premier superheroes already fallen to the hive mind it is left to Cal to save the day...or join the hive mind!
The story was quite fun. Cal avoided the mind control bugs due to being encased in his super suit of armour. He is basically a poor imitation of the worlds premier superhero Ultraweapon (Both are Iron Man style heroes/villains). Cal was a reluctant hero who, due to his past, had a dim view of superheroes and the way they do things. He also had a few villainous tendencies that made them wary of him in return. After saving one of the famous Olympians he joins with them and attempts to help save the day. Afterwards he tried to make a go of being a superhero.
Cal was always easy to root for despite the fact that he was not your typical hero. The world was a fairly cynical one, which was great, as Bernheimer was not shy of showing the fact that the superheroes were far from perfect in the way they got things done. It made for an engaging story.
If this story had a flaw it was the slight taint of misogyny and the fact that the only really fleshed out secondary characters were the two love interests.
Despite the fact that this was the first book in the D-List Supervillain series it was not my introduction to the series. I read the prequel novel Origins of a D-List Supervillain as Audible listed that as first in the series! Weirdly I felt like both books worked well as an intro to the series. The only problem with starting with Origins is that it was a slightly better book. The story in the prequel is just a bit stronger and more emotionally engaging than what we got here and the secondary characters were a lot more fleshed out. The difference was not massive as this was still a good read but I do think Origins was the slightly better intro to the series. Bernheimer used a lot of the stuff mentioned in this one for the prequel and it is amazing to see how he managed to carve out such a great story from the stuff that inspired them in this one!
After reading the prequel the biggest shock in this book was the fact that Cal was working with the superheroes. It worked and felt like Cal had definitely grown a bit as a character without completely changing who he was.
All in all I felt like this was a fun read and one of the better superhero books on the market. It is not without its flaws but still manages to be engaging and enjoyable despite them. I'll be reading more from this world for sure.
Rating: 3.5 stars. I'm rounding up as I nearly rated this the full 4 stars anyway.
Audio Note: Most of this was narrated by Jeffrey Kafer. He did a great job and this is exactly the sort of story that plays to his strengths as a narrator. Talmadge Ragan had a lesser role as she voiced a couple of small POV from one of the main female characters and I felt she did OK without ever being as good as Kaffer with the humor.
We followed the story of Cal Stringel, a D-list supervillain going by the name Mani-Cals, as he finally catches a break. The world is about to fall to the hive mind after the Evil Overlord's latest attempt at world domination hit a snag. He released a bunch of bugs that mind control people but they got out of control and turned on their own master! With most of the world and its premier superheroes already fallen to the hive mind it is left to Cal to save the day...or join the hive mind!
The story was quite fun. Cal avoided the mind control bugs due to being encased in his super suit of armour. He is basically a poor imitation of the worlds premier superhero Ultraweapon (Both are Iron Man style heroes/villains). Cal was a reluctant hero who, due to his past, had a dim view of superheroes and the way they do things. He also had a few villainous tendencies that made them wary of him in return. After saving one of the famous Olympians he joins with them and attempts to help save the day. Afterwards he tried to make a go of being a superhero.
Cal was always easy to root for despite the fact that he was not your typical hero. The world was a fairly cynical one, which was great, as Bernheimer was not shy of showing the fact that the superheroes were far from perfect in the way they got things done. It made for an engaging story.
If this story had a flaw it was the slight taint of misogyny and the fact that the only really fleshed out secondary characters were the two love interests.
Despite the fact that this was the first book in the D-List Supervillain series it was not my introduction to the series. I read the prequel novel Origins of a D-List Supervillain as Audible listed that as first in the series! Weirdly I felt like both books worked well as an intro to the series. The only problem with starting with Origins is that it was a slightly better book. The story in the prequel is just a bit stronger and more emotionally engaging than what we got here and the secondary characters were a lot more fleshed out. The difference was not massive as this was still a good read but I do think Origins was the slightly better intro to the series. Bernheimer used a lot of the stuff mentioned in this one for the prequel and it is amazing to see how he managed to carve out such a great story from the stuff that inspired them in this one!
After reading the prequel the biggest shock in this book was the fact that Cal was working with the superheroes. It worked and felt like Cal had definitely grown a bit as a character without completely changing who he was.
All in all I felt like this was a fun read and one of the better superhero books on the market. It is not without its flaws but still manages to be engaging and enjoyable despite them. I'll be reading more from this world for sure.
Rating: 3.5 stars. I'm rounding up as I nearly rated this the full 4 stars anyway.
Audio Note: Most of this was narrated by Jeffrey Kafer. He did a great job and this is exactly the sort of story that plays to his strengths as a narrator. Talmadge Ragan had a lesser role as she voiced a couple of small POV from one of the main female characters and I felt she did OK without ever being as good as Kaffer with the humor.
November 12, 2011
A book I want to talk about. I have been neglectful of this site and downright lazy when it comes to writing reviews but in all honesty, most everything I have read lately has not aroused my need to record how I felt. I read alot of books, a great deal more than I remember to list here, which sucks, as at times I forget if I have read something, something by a particular author, or how I felt about a book which might be continuing as a series. In those cases, I pop on here and glance at one of my old reviews. Goodreads has become my memory keeper. I feel comfortable writing reviews again, and since I'm being honest, I'll just mention that I'm once again writing reviews for myself. I am afraid I was previously writing more for other people or out of concern with what people would walk away with after reading, and I was never very comfortable with that. I have never cared much for summing up a plotline but I am comfortable with throwing everything out and rambling. Most of my favorite books have ended with poorly written reviews, as I am a horrible critic and analyst, but I am passionate when it comes to books I enjoy and when I read one of my reviews about a book I loved, then a smidgen of that passion I originally felt returns. Which is what I want to feel if I ever return to this review.
I loved this book and I'm more than slightly surprised to admit so. Fans of underdogs will be satisfied. I am a superhero fan but have not extensively explored much of the fiction out there outside of gns. There seems to be a wonderful new trend (at least new to me) involving stories from the antihero/villain point of view, which more than peaks my interest, and this happened to be the first book I gambled on. I read it in one sitting and wished for the damn thing to be longer. I loved the main character and overall disliked each of the others. Mostly, I think this was intentional, yet my feelings were the same at the end, which was likely unintended. There is a whole lot that takes place and the book contains some of my favorite action scenes ever read.
This is not grand literature. It is total escapist fiction but it was just what I needed. I've been moaning all week about my Misfits withdrawals and I badly wanted to read a superhero book about someone who was rather bad at the job but loveable in a desperate and defeatist manner. Did I already say how much I loved the main character? The book was rather tame compared to most of what I read. It was not violently graphic and there were no sex scenes. My attention was held simply because I loved the main character so much. And the end was wonderful, even if I think Cal . The entire thing was rousing and gave me that wonderful feeling like in Iron Man II, when Tony's suitcase opens into his suit and his kicks some villain ass at the race track. And I couldn't help but think of Ironman most of the time I was reading but not in any way that annoyed me or forced me to be overly critical. The action moved so fast that I was swept away in rooting for Cal and immediately bought a second by this author, which I'm starting tomorrow.
I loved this book and I'm more than slightly surprised to admit so. Fans of underdogs will be satisfied. I am a superhero fan but have not extensively explored much of the fiction out there outside of gns. There seems to be a wonderful new trend (at least new to me) involving stories from the antihero/villain point of view, which more than peaks my interest, and this happened to be the first book I gambled on. I read it in one sitting and wished for the damn thing to be longer. I loved the main character and overall disliked each of the others. Mostly, I think this was intentional, yet my feelings were the same at the end, which was likely unintended. There is a whole lot that takes place and the book contains some of my favorite action scenes ever read.
This is not grand literature. It is total escapist fiction but it was just what I needed. I've been moaning all week about my Misfits withdrawals and I badly wanted to read a superhero book about someone who was rather bad at the job but loveable in a desperate and defeatist manner. Did I already say how much I loved the main character? The book was rather tame compared to most of what I read. It was not violently graphic and there were no sex scenes. My attention was held simply because I loved the main character so much. And the end was wonderful, even if I think Cal . The entire thing was rousing and gave me that wonderful feeling like in Iron Man II, when Tony's suitcase opens into his suit and his kicks some villain ass at the race track. And I couldn't help but think of Ironman most of the time I was reading but not in any way that annoyed me or forced me to be overly critical. The action moved so fast that I was swept away in rooting for Cal and immediately bought a second by this author, which I'm starting tomorrow.
January 6, 2024
Some serious weird s**t 😂 but I appreciate the intent: are *all* villains really villains? Or are others those who attribute them the label?
October 17, 2011
I am so glad my husband suggested I read this one. Once upon a time Calvin Stringel was a promising young mechanical engineer. After getting burned by employer, and several bad decisions and years later he is now known as the modest supervillian MechaniCAL. Only now the world finds itself being taken over by parasitic mind-controlling bugs and because of his metal suit, Cal seems to be one of the few people unaffected. After managing to save an A-list superheroine and enough of her friends to save the world, life is turned upside down for Cal. Suddenly he's one of the good guys and when it comes to everyday choices between good and evil, it's harder for Cal to come down on the right side of the line. Add in another super who's carrying a major grudge and a complicated relationship with a super-hottie and this entertaining little gem will keep you engaged through to the fake-out ending.
My husband was offended when I compared this to Dr. Horrible, but if you've got a soft spot for villians who aren't so much evil as a little bruised, you'll like this book.
My husband was offended when I compared this to Dr. Horrible, but if you've got a soft spot for villians who aren't so much evil as a little bruised, you'll like this book.
June 7, 2012
It's books like this that made me get back into writing.
A day later and my mind is still running through the story. I'm still riding the emotional high off this book and can't stop talking and thinking about it. Bernheimer has created something amazing here with this book.
The characters are believeable, frustratingly so in some cases. Each character behaves as you expect them too and no one ever goes outside their character. They all evolve over the story, and their interactions drive the story as much, if not more, than the action itself. Most of what I will remember from this book, and the reason I will read it again, are the character interactions. They are gripping, engaging, and everything you'd expect from a good book.
Then there's the action, which is fast paced with just the right amount of description. The only time that I found it lacking was in the final battle where it felt like it got glazed over. But at that point, the final battle wasn't the point of the story I found, but rather the character interactions and thought patterns instead, so the story didn't lag from it. The action is also spread out over the novel well and keeps the pace of the story up.
But the thing I want to talk about that gripped me the most about this story is Cal. If you were ever an outsider in school, ever a nerd, ever felt that you didnt' have a chance in the world due to 'the popular kids', you'll relate to Cal. There were parts of this book that had me pacing my living room talking to my girlfriend about the storyline as I found it touching parts of my childhood that I hadn't thought about in years. The frustration, waiting for the other shoe to drop when I had thought it was all going to go great, and losing something I had wished I had had more than anything. There is a little of Cal's story in all of us, not to mention a fundimental storyline that anyone can relate to. He doesn't have super powers, he just has talent and skill. And yet, he still makes it work. Bernheimer hits on many things that a lot of fans of Superheros have likely delt with in their past, and it helps to engage the reader and the story is better because of it.
Again, it's books like this that brought me back into writing again.
I honestly can't recommend this book enough. I think every one of my friends has heard me recommend it to them, superhero fans or not. There is something in this for everyone, and it truely is a wonderful story and one I will definatly be reading again and again.
A day later and my mind is still running through the story. I'm still riding the emotional high off this book and can't stop talking and thinking about it. Bernheimer has created something amazing here with this book.
The characters are believeable, frustratingly so in some cases. Each character behaves as you expect them too and no one ever goes outside their character. They all evolve over the story, and their interactions drive the story as much, if not more, than the action itself. Most of what I will remember from this book, and the reason I will read it again, are the character interactions. They are gripping, engaging, and everything you'd expect from a good book.
Then there's the action, which is fast paced with just the right amount of description. The only time that I found it lacking was in the final battle where it felt like it got glazed over. But at that point, the final battle wasn't the point of the story I found, but rather the character interactions and thought patterns instead, so the story didn't lag from it. The action is also spread out over the novel well and keeps the pace of the story up.
But the thing I want to talk about that gripped me the most about this story is Cal. If you were ever an outsider in school, ever a nerd, ever felt that you didnt' have a chance in the world due to 'the popular kids', you'll relate to Cal. There were parts of this book that had me pacing my living room talking to my girlfriend about the storyline as I found it touching parts of my childhood that I hadn't thought about in years. The frustration, waiting for the other shoe to drop when I had thought it was all going to go great, and losing something I had wished I had had more than anything. There is a little of Cal's story in all of us, not to mention a fundimental storyline that anyone can relate to. He doesn't have super powers, he just has talent and skill. And yet, he still makes it work. Bernheimer hits on many things that a lot of fans of Superheros have likely delt with in their past, and it helps to engage the reader and the story is better because of it.
Again, it's books like this that brought me back into writing again.
I honestly can't recommend this book enough. I think every one of my friends has heard me recommend it to them, superhero fans or not. There is something in this for everyone, and it truely is a wonderful story and one I will definatly be reading again and again.
April 16, 2016
So even though this book is listed as #2--it's actually the first book (published in 2011), so I read it first based on that, and then I read the 2nd book, really the first after that--the "prequel." I know it's confusing and for a moment I thought I read them out of order, which I didn't but sort of did as well.
Annnnyways, this one shows it's "first" book colors in the sense that it feels like a rough draft in parts and is not as polished as what came after. Besides being the weaker of the two books, I knew I was in for it only a few pages in, when the main character, Cal Stringer, bitterly reflects on how come all the women he changed tires for or tutored didn't sleep with him, and what a "nice guy" he was. So I just rolled my eyes to myself and continued on.
Described as slightly pudgy, smelly, with bad acne and stringy hair, somehow Cal manages to land two of the most beautiful women in the world in the course of this book, because they see that underneath the armor or role as evil villain, he's a nice guy. So I vomited to myself through all these parts (and there are many) -- the author cannot write women worth a damn, and the tendency to tell us how funny Cal is falls flat when you never see him say anything really funny beyond bad puns and puerile comebacks.
I think this book falls under teenage boy wish fulfillment fantasy than anything else, with a strange serial feel. I especially thought it gross the rape scene that turned into a sex tape joke that the main character still never took serious. The idea behind it all (point of view from a second string villain in a world populated by heroes) is great but fell definitely flat in execution.
Annnnyways, this one shows it's "first" book colors in the sense that it feels like a rough draft in parts and is not as polished as what came after. Besides being the weaker of the two books, I knew I was in for it only a few pages in, when the main character, Cal Stringer, bitterly reflects on how come all the women he changed tires for or tutored didn't sleep with him, and what a "nice guy" he was. So I just rolled my eyes to myself and continued on.
Described as slightly pudgy, smelly, with bad acne and stringy hair, somehow Cal manages to land two of the most beautiful women in the world in the course of this book, because they see that underneath the armor or role as evil villain, he's a nice guy. So I vomited to myself through all these parts (and there are many) -- the author cannot write women worth a damn, and the tendency to tell us how funny Cal is falls flat when you never see him say anything really funny beyond bad puns and puerile comebacks.
I think this book falls under teenage boy wish fulfillment fantasy than anything else, with a strange serial feel. I especially thought it gross the rape scene that turned into a sex tape joke that the main character still never took serious. The idea behind it all (point of view from a second string villain in a world populated by heroes) is great but fell definitely flat in execution.
September 21, 2011
I'll be honest, my expectations were not high with this title. It seemed like it would be funny and different.
I'm glad I gave it a shot because I was pleasantly surprised by this book. The book tracks a second-rate super-villain named Mechani-Cal navigating his way through an accidental apocalypse where some Super Villain's mind-control bugs escape and enslave the human population. Cal winds up saving the world.
Cal goes through a nice story-arc, from the hapless second rate villain, to hero, to ambiguous awesome guy. The nice thing is, Cal never loses that Villain edge, always gassing rioters, applying a bit too much force, and forcing prisoners to listen to Biz Markie's "Just a friend" for hours and hours on a loop.
Ultimately this book is very funny, and very fun. You really come to care for Cal, even if he is a little evil, and doesn't take shit from anyone.
One thing I really liked was the saving the world did not constitute the ending, Cal then has to deal with the aftermath of politics, fallout and general BS that is involved with an event this huge. This really made the story feel more real and human (super human?) to me.
If you are looking for something fun, not too serious and want to laugh while reading some pulpy fun, I highly suggest this book. It definitely does not reach Piers Anthony or Terry Pratchett levels of campy goofiness, but it has its funny moments, and tells a great story along the way.
I look forward to more from this author in the future.
I'm glad I gave it a shot because I was pleasantly surprised by this book. The book tracks a second-rate super-villain named Mechani-Cal navigating his way through an accidental apocalypse where some Super Villain's mind-control bugs escape and enslave the human population. Cal winds up saving the world.
Cal goes through a nice story-arc, from the hapless second rate villain, to hero, to ambiguous awesome guy. The nice thing is, Cal never loses that Villain edge, always gassing rioters, applying a bit too much force, and forcing prisoners to listen to Biz Markie's "Just a friend" for hours and hours on a loop.
Ultimately this book is very funny, and very fun. You really come to care for Cal, even if he is a little evil, and doesn't take shit from anyone.
One thing I really liked was the saving the world did not constitute the ending, Cal then has to deal with the aftermath of politics, fallout and general BS that is involved with an event this huge. This really made the story feel more real and human (super human?) to me.
If you are looking for something fun, not too serious and want to laugh while reading some pulpy fun, I highly suggest this book. It definitely does not reach Piers Anthony or Terry Pratchett levels of campy goofiness, but it has its funny moments, and tells a great story along the way.
I look forward to more from this author in the future.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 7, 2011
When Jim Bernheimer, the author, approached me for a review of this book, I wasn’t all that interested. I was more interested in his short story book Horror, Heroes and Humor (cause it had zombie stories!). So, I read the Horror, Heroes and Humor book first, which incidentally, had a novella titled “Confessions of a D-Class Supervillain”. That novella was great great great. After finishing the novella, I hurried to the “Confessions” book. Bernheimer made a few changes to the end of the novella so that the story would continue.
The story is about Calvin Stringel, or rather, Mechani-Cal, a down in his luck low-rate super villain. The world has been taken over by genetically enhanced bugs that makes everyone slaves of their bug juice, and what does our clever and ‘valiant’ super villain do? He runs. You bet he does! That is until he is force to fight or become a salve. There starts Cal’s adventures.
As a character, Cal is very well developed. We see character growth (or really the rediscovering of his character) even if its such a short book. The supporting characters are also well described and introduced. The dialogue and banter are rather witty and I found myself laughing out loud more than once.
This is quite an entertaining book and I highly recommend it.
The story is about Calvin Stringel, or rather, Mechani-Cal, a down in his luck low-rate super villain. The world has been taken over by genetically enhanced bugs that makes everyone slaves of their bug juice, and what does our clever and ‘valiant’ super villain do? He runs. You bet he does! That is until he is force to fight or become a salve. There starts Cal’s adventures.
As a character, Cal is very well developed. We see character growth (or really the rediscovering of his character) even if its such a short book. The supporting characters are also well described and introduced. The dialogue and banter are rather witty and I found myself laughing out loud more than once.
This is quite an entertaining book and I highly recommend it.
December 20, 2017
Best Superhero Book Available Right Now
I bought the hardback book direct from the author at the CarolinaCon a couple years back for the boyfriend. Read it before handing it over just to make certain it was good. Story has stuck with me and I borrowed it back last year to reread.
And I just bought the Kindle version and reread it this year.
I have been reading through a lot of the superhero stories on the market recently. Jim's story is by far the best, and I believe was the story which reactivated this genre (superhero novel).
Could the book use a little editing (it is self-published)? A content editor would have smoothed out a few of the bumps, but that would have also make the book less snarky. The book is snarky awesome.
Best part of the book: The character development of the main character and his love interest. Confessions of a D-List Supervillian isn't just moving from one battle to the next, but having the characters grow, change and become better people.
I bought the hardback book direct from the author at the CarolinaCon a couple years back for the boyfriend. Read it before handing it over just to make certain it was good. Story has stuck with me and I borrowed it back last year to reread.
And I just bought the Kindle version and reread it this year.
I have been reading through a lot of the superhero stories on the market recently. Jim's story is by far the best, and I believe was the story which reactivated this genre (superhero novel).
Could the book use a little editing (it is self-published)? A content editor would have smoothed out a few of the bumps, but that would have also make the book less snarky. The book is snarky awesome.
Best part of the book: The character development of the main character and his love interest. Confessions of a D-List Supervillian isn't just moving from one battle to the next, but having the characters grow, change and become better people.
October 15, 2011
Jim Bernheimer has constructed a marvelously demented reality in Confessions of a D-List Supervillian. This is a world where Bugs have taken over human will, the Olympian Gods are superheroes, and one snarky, somewhat geeky villain is the only person left to save the world. Calvin Stringer, a.k.a “Mechani-Cal” is a villain on the level of Joss Whedon’s Dr. Horrible. Everything he does seems to work…almost. At odds with a super hero named Ultraweapon, Cal takes on the Olympians, the bugs, a dinosaur or two, and the love of his life in the person of Greek Goddess Aphrodite.
This story is tightly written and a fun read that is hard to put down once started. There are parts that are laugh out loud funny. I highly recommend it.
http://hampton-networks.com/book-revi...
This story is tightly written and a fun read that is hard to put down once started. There are parts that are laugh out loud funny. I highly recommend it.
http://hampton-networks.com/book-revi...
January 18, 2016
Damn, we need more independent fiction like this.
That's my summary of this work. I put it up there with Soon I will be Invincible for 'best superhero fiction I've read.' I even put it above Brian Clevinger's The Atomic Age, which was funnier just left a sour taste in my mouth towards the end. Confessions of a D-List Supervillain is, by contrast, remarkably upbeat for a story about a career criminal.
There's some flaws in the book, don't get me wrong. I'm not a big fan of the cover and there's some story issues which annoyed me. Still, it's about as good as a comic book I'd enjoy reading. Really, it reminds me a lot of the age-old maxim that comics should leave the reader feeling happy at the end. Given the glut of "darker and edgier" storytelling, it's nice to have something which lets you feel good about the protagonist.
The title is a bit misleading. The protagonist, Mechani-Cal, is only a supervillain for the first fifteen or so pages of the book. Really, his criminal inclinations are barely existent and he didn't fall into evil as so much slid vaguely downward (thank you, Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett). It is, however, an excellent story about how one man gets wrapped up in events far larger than himself and ends up making stupid mistakes.
Cal is likable enough. He's a bit like an evil Peter Parker or a criminal version of the second Blue Beetle. He certainly has the Spiderman and the Blue Beetle's "hard luck" going for him but he also has basically the same background as the Beetle/Mach V (attention whore scientist turns against the company that employed him as a means of getting revenge/money).
The book sympathizes with him a bit too much. It's as if we're expected to agree embarking on a life of crime is an acceptable response to getting laid off. Still, the fact Mechani-Cal is BAD at being a supervillain is a big source of the book's humor.
Really, one of the funnier jokes in the book is how Cal is so completely lost in himself that he accents the "Cal" in several of his inventions like "Mani-Cals." Likewise, everyone assumes his name is the very superhero-esque "Mechanical" but Cal hates the name despite it being objectively less embarrassing. Amusingly, no one points this out to Cal over the course of the story. Cal, thankfully, goes by his real name for the bulk of the narrative.
The bulk of the narrative focuses on Mechani-Cal's involuntary quest for redemption. Not to spoil, since this happens in the first few pages of the book, but another supervillain has conquered the world. Given the alternative is becoming a slave, our anti-hero protagonist becomes one of those people who wants to see the world freed. The rest of the book focuses on Cal's on-again off-again relationship with Aphrodite, one of the world's few remaining superheroes.
I confess, the romances didn't exactly wow me in the story. Calling it plural romances is also stretching it a bit since the main part of the story focuses on Cal's romance with a superheroine while I was rooting for another character he has sexual tension.
As with all "shipping", the story runs the risk of having readers like one character over another and I confess, I liked the "secondary love interest" astonishingly more than the main girl. I suspect I will not be alone, which may come to bite Jim Bernheimer in the butt if he ever wants to do any sequels.
Maybe they can hook up in the sequel? What can I say, dare to dream.
An area where the author succeeds is that he manages to make a fully populated and original superhero universe. Original is somewhat relative since he takes some obvious shortcuts like making the "Olympians" the main superheroes of the setting. You don't really need to know much about Greek mythology to have a vague idea what Athena's personality and powers are.
This shorthand works well in giving us a dozen (or more) superheroes without having to waste much time describing them. More attention is paid to Ultraweapon, who seems to be this universe's Tony Stark with all of his darker qualities turned up to the 11. I'm a fan of the minor characters, especially, like Wendy and the Bugler.
One thing I liked about the book is that the author isn't afraid to let things go horribly wrong. When the book opens, the heroes have really screwed up and the consequences are devastating for the entire world. For a time, it reads like Permuted Press fiction with the setting approaching post-apocalyptic. Thankfully, it never progresses from Mad Max to The Road Warrior. Yes, a book with serious consequences to the world being taken over is lighter and softer than most comics out there. What can I say? We live in a time of very dark comics.
I confess, though, Jim Bernheimer really should have thought of a different name for the setting's archvillain. The Evil Overlord? Yeah, it's cute and funny due to the Evil Overlord List but it kind of undercuts the menace fellow is supposed to possess. He also has subplot that's introduced which never really goes anywhere. I'm hoping we'll see the consequences to Cal's Faustian bargain with the man in the sequel.
If I do have one major complaint there's a gimmick that the book is essentially the real-time first person perspective of Cal. This is distracting and while it does eventually have a payoff that makes perfect sense, I think the set-up could have been done differently. A few people may claim the ending also has a "cheat" regarding one of the character's fates but I'm a sucker for happy endings.
Which brings me to the price. Honestly, this is an oddball complaint but the price on this book's Kindle is abnormally low. At three dollars, I felt the book should have been 5.99 since that seems more equivalent to the value of the content.
As a result, I'm going to save up the pennies from my very tightly wrapped book budget to purchase the physical copy of the book as well, which is only $8.99. I don't usually do this with independent fiction but I think the author earned his fee with this work.
8/10
That's my summary of this work. I put it up there with Soon I will be Invincible for 'best superhero fiction I've read.' I even put it above Brian Clevinger's The Atomic Age, which was funnier just left a sour taste in my mouth towards the end. Confessions of a D-List Supervillain is, by contrast, remarkably upbeat for a story about a career criminal.
There's some flaws in the book, don't get me wrong. I'm not a big fan of the cover and there's some story issues which annoyed me. Still, it's about as good as a comic book I'd enjoy reading. Really, it reminds me a lot of the age-old maxim that comics should leave the reader feeling happy at the end. Given the glut of "darker and edgier" storytelling, it's nice to have something which lets you feel good about the protagonist.
The title is a bit misleading. The protagonist, Mechani-Cal, is only a supervillain for the first fifteen or so pages of the book. Really, his criminal inclinations are barely existent and he didn't fall into evil as so much slid vaguely downward (thank you, Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett). It is, however, an excellent story about how one man gets wrapped up in events far larger than himself and ends up making stupid mistakes.
Cal is likable enough. He's a bit like an evil Peter Parker or a criminal version of the second Blue Beetle. He certainly has the Spiderman and the Blue Beetle's "hard luck" going for him but he also has basically the same background as the Beetle/Mach V (attention whore scientist turns against the company that employed him as a means of getting revenge/money).
The book sympathizes with him a bit too much. It's as if we're expected to agree embarking on a life of crime is an acceptable response to getting laid off. Still, the fact Mechani-Cal is BAD at being a supervillain is a big source of the book's humor.
Really, one of the funnier jokes in the book is how Cal is so completely lost in himself that he accents the "Cal" in several of his inventions like "Mani-Cals." Likewise, everyone assumes his name is the very superhero-esque "Mechanical" but Cal hates the name despite it being objectively less embarrassing. Amusingly, no one points this out to Cal over the course of the story. Cal, thankfully, goes by his real name for the bulk of the narrative.
The bulk of the narrative focuses on Mechani-Cal's involuntary quest for redemption. Not to spoil, since this happens in the first few pages of the book, but another supervillain has conquered the world. Given the alternative is becoming a slave, our anti-hero protagonist becomes one of those people who wants to see the world freed. The rest of the book focuses on Cal's on-again off-again relationship with Aphrodite, one of the world's few remaining superheroes.
I confess, the romances didn't exactly wow me in the story. Calling it plural romances is also stretching it a bit since the main part of the story focuses on Cal's romance with a superheroine while I was rooting for another character he has sexual tension.
As with all "shipping", the story runs the risk of having readers like one character over another and I confess, I liked the "secondary love interest" astonishingly more than the main girl. I suspect I will not be alone, which may come to bite Jim Bernheimer in the butt if he ever wants to do any sequels.
Maybe they can hook up in the sequel? What can I say, dare to dream.
An area where the author succeeds is that he manages to make a fully populated and original superhero universe. Original is somewhat relative since he takes some obvious shortcuts like making the "Olympians" the main superheroes of the setting. You don't really need to know much about Greek mythology to have a vague idea what Athena's personality and powers are.
This shorthand works well in giving us a dozen (or more) superheroes without having to waste much time describing them. More attention is paid to Ultraweapon, who seems to be this universe's Tony Stark with all of his darker qualities turned up to the 11. I'm a fan of the minor characters, especially, like Wendy and the Bugler.
One thing I liked about the book is that the author isn't afraid to let things go horribly wrong. When the book opens, the heroes have really screwed up and the consequences are devastating for the entire world. For a time, it reads like Permuted Press fiction with the setting approaching post-apocalyptic. Thankfully, it never progresses from Mad Max to The Road Warrior. Yes, a book with serious consequences to the world being taken over is lighter and softer than most comics out there. What can I say? We live in a time of very dark comics.
I confess, though, Jim Bernheimer really should have thought of a different name for the setting's archvillain. The Evil Overlord? Yeah, it's cute and funny due to the Evil Overlord List but it kind of undercuts the menace fellow is supposed to possess. He also has subplot that's introduced which never really goes anywhere. I'm hoping we'll see the consequences to Cal's Faustian bargain with the man in the sequel.
If I do have one major complaint there's a gimmick that the book is essentially the real-time first person perspective of Cal. This is distracting and while it does eventually have a payoff that makes perfect sense, I think the set-up could have been done differently. A few people may claim the ending also has a "cheat" regarding one of the character's fates but I'm a sucker for happy endings.
Which brings me to the price. Honestly, this is an oddball complaint but the price on this book's Kindle is abnormally low. At three dollars, I felt the book should have been 5.99 since that seems more equivalent to the value of the content.
As a result, I'm going to save up the pennies from my very tightly wrapped book budget to purchase the physical copy of the book as well, which is only $8.99. I don't usually do this with independent fiction but I think the author earned his fee with this work.
8/10
October 25, 2024
When the world is overrun with brain slugs, one man is left to stand against them: a two-bit supervillain with a criminal record and a grudge. He thwarts the mind-control bugs by never removing his power armor, and boy is it getting ripe in there.
First the bad. You can tell this book never got near an editor, as errors abound. Several times the author tried tries (sic) to switch tenses and accidentally left both verbs in. There are your/you're problems. Ther arre typos.
And the dialogue is written inconsistently. Usually the protagonist sounds like a snarky hardened criminal, but sometimes he comes off like a whiny teenager. Exclamation points are overused! If Bernheimer is mimicking old comics there, he's capturing the worst parts! And the hero/villain names are cringeworthy: MechaniCAL, WhirlWendy, Imaginary Larry, Mind Over Mather, Tyrannosorcerer Rex.
But the good stuff is really good. The plotting and character-building are strong: CAL has a legit grievance; he uses sneaky, underhanded methods to succeed even when doing good things like saving the world; he's scrappy, smart, and resourceful in pronounced contrast to the noble, powerful, unnaturally attractive establishment heroes.
Best of all, the world Bernheimer has built is morally and practically complex. CAL's grudge was come by honestly and his descent into mild villainy kinda-sorta understandable. There are heroes who engage in murder and rape-via-mind-control, and other heroes tolerate that behavior to "protect the public", which "needs order and stability"...stability that coincidentally preserves the system that benefits the sycophantic heroes.
If a trying-to-reform villain must be sacrificed in order to accomplish all this protecting and preserving, well..."the greater good".
First the bad. You can tell this book never got near an editor, as errors abound. Several times the author tried tries (sic) to switch tenses and accidentally left both verbs in. There are your/you're problems. Ther arre typos.
And the dialogue is written inconsistently. Usually the protagonist sounds like a snarky hardened criminal, but sometimes he comes off like a whiny teenager. Exclamation points are overused! If Bernheimer is mimicking old comics there, he's capturing the worst parts! And the hero/villain names are cringeworthy: MechaniCAL, WhirlWendy, Imaginary Larry, Mind Over Mather, Tyrannosorcerer Rex.
But the good stuff is really good. The plotting and character-building are strong: CAL has a legit grievance; he uses sneaky, underhanded methods to succeed even when doing good things like saving the world; he's scrappy, smart, and resourceful in pronounced contrast to the noble, powerful, unnaturally attractive establishment heroes.
Best of all, the world Bernheimer has built is morally and practically complex. CAL's grudge was come by honestly and his descent into mild villainy kinda-sorta understandable. There are heroes who engage in murder and rape-via-mind-control, and other heroes tolerate that behavior to "protect the public", which "needs order and stability"...stability that coincidentally preserves the system that benefits the sycophantic heroes.
If a trying-to-reform villain must be sacrificed in order to accomplish all this protecting and preserving, well..."the greater good".
Read
June 10, 2013Well, he's not Batman...
Then again, Cal isn't a good guy either. Not that Batman is a totally good guy... Hey, I'm not dissing one of DC's favorite sons, but Batman has his issues, doesn't he? Sorry. This isn't about Batman.
The fact that I am comparing the anti-hero of this book to Batman should say something, though.
Cal is a bad guy. He isn't very good at it, though. Sadly, he's worse at being a good guy. Yet when the chips are down and you're the guy in the metal suit that has to save the world, what do you do?
Well, duh, you go find the most beautiful girl on the planet, take her captive and convince her you're the good guy... Then you try to be a good guy. Cal almost fails at that too, but...
Hey, that wasn't really meant as a plot summary. If you like superheroes, you'll like this book. If you think superheroes are over-rated, you'll love this book. And if you like a humorous and twisted look at the world from a failed super-villain's point of view, this is the book for you...
C'mon, now you KNOW you want to read it! After all, didn't you once want to be a super-villain? I mean hero! Hero! I meant super-hero... Really.
Then again, Cal isn't a good guy either. Not that Batman is a totally good guy... Hey, I'm not dissing one of DC's favorite sons, but Batman has his issues, doesn't he? Sorry. This isn't about Batman.
The fact that I am comparing the anti-hero of this book to Batman should say something, though.
Cal is a bad guy. He isn't very good at it, though. Sadly, he's worse at being a good guy. Yet when the chips are down and you're the guy in the metal suit that has to save the world, what do you do?
Well, duh, you go find the most beautiful girl on the planet, take her captive and convince her you're the good guy... Then you try to be a good guy. Cal almost fails at that too, but...
Hey, that wasn't really meant as a plot summary. If you like superheroes, you'll like this book. If you think superheroes are over-rated, you'll love this book. And if you like a humorous and twisted look at the world from a failed super-villain's point of view, this is the book for you...
C'mon, now you KNOW you want to read it! After all, didn't you once want to be a super-villain? I mean hero! Hero! I meant super-hero... Really.
March 17, 2013
Funny, fast paced, had a plot that kept up the surprises and was both true to the superhero genre yet totally unpredictable. The plot twists that the story throw at you come silently and slowly upon the reader. The final one was the best, and it makes the end of the book REALLY good, even on later reads, because you can then see the little hints that are thrown out.
The pacing for the book was incredible. It was written so that you just jump right into the story and find out about their world as you go along, but none of it feels forced. It just feels natural that your filling in the edges of the super powered world full of heroes and villains
The pacing for the book was incredible. It was written so that you just jump right into the story and find out about their world as you go along, but none of it feels forced. It just feels natural that your filling in the edges of the super powered world full of heroes and villains
November 6, 2016
It's the end of the world, and the only person left to save it is cut-rate supervillain Calvin Stringel, a.k.a. Mechani-Cal, a bad guy so inept that his list of failures include a botched bank job that landed him in prison and a failed invasion of Branson, Missouri.
Fortunately, he's much better at being a savior than a bad guy, perhaps because he's a survivor. More likely, it's because the Rube Goldberg machine that begins with his low self-esteem -- keeping him in his suit and thus unwittingly protected from the bugs carrying the Apocalypse-- weaves its way through infected heroes captured and locked up in his dungeons (for their own good, of course), a few less-than-epic battles, a love story, and a final battle. The deflating aftermath in which our villain learns that heroes aren't all they're cracked up to be proves to be just as interesting as the actual fight to save the world.
I loved this book almost as much as the prequel, Origins of a D-List Supervillian. While Origins gave us a meandering but thoroughly entertaining origin story, Confessions delivers a much more focused throughline. Stringel in this book is a hardened, world-weary loser whose passion and positivity were long since beaten out of him in Origins, and his quest to save himself and inadvertently the world is a fun redemption arc enhanced by its strong supporting cast.
Bernheimer does better with the supporting cast here than in Origins, which is understandable given the two storylines. Stringel's views of the various heroes and their shortcomings make not only for excellent comedy but also some solid social commentary.
I also loved that the effect of the bugs is not immediately remedied by removing the bugs -- it's treated as an addiction, and Stringel has to detox each victim. A lesser book would've handled this more cleanly, and Bernheimer deserves credit for stringing out the pain and making Stringel actually fight against heroes who don't want to be saved -- even after the bugs are removed -- rather than giving him a quick win.
Now, I didn't like this quite as much as Origins, because it got almost implausibly dark about halfway through. Surprising, considering this is more of a redemption story compared to Origins, which was about Stringel's fall but was a much lighter story. Still, this was an incredibly fun, fast-paced novel with interesting characters told from the point of view a sympathetic but unscrupulous protagonist. I'm definitely looking forward to the next book in the series.
Fortunately, he's much better at being a savior than a bad guy, perhaps because he's a survivor. More likely, it's because the Rube Goldberg machine that begins with his low self-esteem -- keeping him in his suit and thus unwittingly protected from the bugs carrying the Apocalypse-- weaves its way through infected heroes captured and locked up in his dungeons (for their own good, of course), a few less-than-epic battles, a love story, and a final battle. The deflating aftermath in which our villain learns that heroes aren't all they're cracked up to be proves to be just as interesting as the actual fight to save the world.
I loved this book almost as much as the prequel, Origins of a D-List Supervillian. While Origins gave us a meandering but thoroughly entertaining origin story, Confessions delivers a much more focused throughline. Stringel in this book is a hardened, world-weary loser whose passion and positivity were long since beaten out of him in Origins, and his quest to save himself and inadvertently the world is a fun redemption arc enhanced by its strong supporting cast.
Bernheimer does better with the supporting cast here than in Origins, which is understandable given the two storylines. Stringel's views of the various heroes and their shortcomings make not only for excellent comedy but also some solid social commentary.
I also loved that the effect of the bugs is not immediately remedied by removing the bugs -- it's treated as an addiction, and Stringel has to detox each victim. A lesser book would've handled this more cleanly, and Bernheimer deserves credit for stringing out the pain and making Stringel actually fight against heroes who don't want to be saved -- even after the bugs are removed -- rather than giving him a quick win.
Now, I didn't like this quite as much as Origins, because it got almost implausibly dark about halfway through. Surprising, considering this is more of a redemption story compared to Origins, which was about Stringel's fall but was a much lighter story. Still, this was an incredibly fun, fast-paced novel with interesting characters told from the point of view a sympathetic but unscrupulous protagonist. I'm definitely looking forward to the next book in the series.
May 17, 2011
I got an e-copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. This book is an expansion of a novella included in Horror, Humor, and Heroes by Jim Bernheimer. The first part of the book is that same story, but it is expanded to look at events that take place after the end of the original novella.
MechaniCAL was a bottom of the barrel supervillain until evil mind-controlling bugs took over the world. Now he seems to be one of the only people with uncontrolled thoughts and is stuck living in his supersuit to stop the evil bugs from attaching to his neck and controlling his thoughts. A group of superheroes called The Olympians have also been taken over by the bugs. MechaniCAL is going to do his best to try and win over the Olympians so he has some sort of help in turning back the buggy invasion.
This story is a lot of fun to read, very tongue in cheek, and well-written. If you liked the novella you will enjoy this version; finally we get to read about the aftermath of the bug invasion. There is a lot of action in this book and the scenes are very well-done. The characters are very human, they all have their flaws. They are also a bit over-characterized at point; but that only serves to add to the humor of the story. The book manages to be very funny and light, yet still touches on some deep issues.
You can't help but love the main hero/villain MechaniCAL. He is intriguing and finds himself in an incredibly unique situation. The superheroes are also interesting; although the majority of them are not as filled out as characters as Cal is. The book is very creative and Bernheimer thinks of scenarios and superpowers that are both creative and laugh-out-loud funny.
Overall this was a fun and engaging read. If you like reading about superheroes, supervillains turned superheroes, and enjoy humor in your story then you will definitely enjoy this book. It was a fun and easy read and was very entertaining.
MechaniCAL was a bottom of the barrel supervillain until evil mind-controlling bugs took over the world. Now he seems to be one of the only people with uncontrolled thoughts and is stuck living in his supersuit to stop the evil bugs from attaching to his neck and controlling his thoughts. A group of superheroes called The Olympians have also been taken over by the bugs. MechaniCAL is going to do his best to try and win over the Olympians so he has some sort of help in turning back the buggy invasion.
This story is a lot of fun to read, very tongue in cheek, and well-written. If you liked the novella you will enjoy this version; finally we get to read about the aftermath of the bug invasion. There is a lot of action in this book and the scenes are very well-done. The characters are very human, they all have their flaws. They are also a bit over-characterized at point; but that only serves to add to the humor of the story. The book manages to be very funny and light, yet still touches on some deep issues.
You can't help but love the main hero/villain MechaniCAL. He is intriguing and finds himself in an incredibly unique situation. The superheroes are also interesting; although the majority of them are not as filled out as characters as Cal is. The book is very creative and Bernheimer thinks of scenarios and superpowers that are both creative and laugh-out-loud funny.
Overall this was a fun and engaging read. If you like reading about superheroes, supervillains turned superheroes, and enjoy humor in your story then you will definitely enjoy this book. It was a fun and easy read and was very entertaining.
September 16, 2014
This book was not what I expected. I was thinking I would find something funny and probably a little dumb. What I got was a hilarious story with non-stop action and great characters.
Calvin Stengel had high hopes for his life. He is a brilliant mechanical engineer, had a great job with a superhero's company and things were looking until. Until they fired him, stole his designs and blackballed him from the industry. His only option then was to turn to a life of crime. Calvin becomes Mechani-CAL, a bad guy in an armored suit. But he wasn't good at it.
Lucky for Cal he is in his suit when an experiment gone wrong puts the world under the control of genetic, mutant bugs. He saves the world and finds himself on the other side. Cal never loses that villain mentality and his idea of how to deal with problems differs somewhat from his new teammates'. And some of them can be downright ugly about it.
Excellent characters and fun times. No graphic violence, no steamy sex scenes. Good times.
Calvin Stengel had high hopes for his life. He is a brilliant mechanical engineer, had a great job with a superhero's company and things were looking until. Until they fired him, stole his designs and blackballed him from the industry. His only option then was to turn to a life of crime. Calvin becomes Mechani-CAL, a bad guy in an armored suit. But he wasn't good at it.
Lucky for Cal he is in his suit when an experiment gone wrong puts the world under the control of genetic, mutant bugs. He saves the world and finds himself on the other side. Cal never loses that villain mentality and his idea of how to deal with problems differs somewhat from his new teammates'. And some of them can be downright ugly about it.
Excellent characters and fun times. No graphic violence, no steamy sex scenes. Good times.
May 22, 2012
I'm stepped out of my usual romance genre and decided to read something different. Maybe I'm on a high after seeing "The Avengers" this weekend, but I really enjoyed delving into a world of superheroes and villains. What I liked most about this book: the hero was an ass. He knew this, didn't apologize for it, nor did he let anyone really change him from who he was. While other characters hem-hawed around him, he kept true to himself. He is like other genius artist I've met--don't bother me unless you have something really big to deal with. I also liked how the "good guys" were portrayed with tarnishes on their haloes. They weren't the best, and ultimately had the same failings as the rest of us humans do. What I didn't like was how the story line jumped around. The stops and starts felt somehow disconnected. In places, it was hard to keep up with the characters and how they related to the story. Overall, this was a very entertaining and quick read. Leave reality out the door and escape into some good action.
September 30, 2011
I found this book to be hilarious!
The "let's see things from the bad guy's point of view" has been done before, as well as the "POV of a low-level mook." But this combination of the two is unexpectedly humorous, and the casting of "UltraWeapon" (to my eyes, a parody of Tony Stark/Iron Man) as a back-stabbing, womanizing, jealous glory-hound of a billionaire really made me smile.
There's a very entertaining "film noir" sound to this book, and it's one of the books I'll be happy to keep on my shelf and my e-reader to read over and over again.
I gave it five stars, and I meant every star.
The "let's see things from the bad guy's point of view" has been done before, as well as the "POV of a low-level mook." But this combination of the two is unexpectedly humorous, and the casting of "UltraWeapon" (to my eyes, a parody of Tony Stark/Iron Man) as a back-stabbing, womanizing, jealous glory-hound of a billionaire really made me smile.
There's a very entertaining "film noir" sound to this book, and it's one of the books I'll be happy to keep on my shelf and my e-reader to read over and over again.
I gave it five stars, and I meant every star.
July 26, 2018
I really went outside of my comfort zone here, and I felt like a fish out of water.
This is told from the male protagonist's POV, had almost zero romance and, other than the superhero fights, read like a telenovela.
The hero is mind controlled into sleeping with one of his hero teammates (who is also mind controlled), she ends up pregnant and he later fakes his own death, but then his ex-girlfriend Aphrodite figures out he's still alive and gets her memories back after being mind-wiped and she finds him and they're in love again!
I enjoyed reading something I normally wouldn't, but I think I'll return to my regularly scheduled program now.
This is told from the male protagonist's POV, had almost zero romance and, other than the superhero fights, read like a telenovela.
The hero is mind controlled into sleeping with one of his hero teammates (who is also mind controlled), she ends up pregnant and he later fakes his own death, but then his ex-girlfriend Aphrodite figures out he's still alive and gets her memories back after being mind-wiped and she finds him and they're in love again!
I enjoyed reading something I normally wouldn't, but I think I'll return to my regularly scheduled program now.
October 1, 2011
The best part about the book was the quips which Mechani-CAL gave throughout. The action sequences and the fighting style reminded me of Bartimaeus.
Highly recommended for fans of superhero genre esp. Iron Man. Can't wait for more books from Jim.
Highly recommended for fans of superhero genre esp. Iron Man. Can't wait for more books from Jim.
August 24, 2018
If the sound of someone desperately jerking himself off in their mother's basement could be translated into a book, I'm pretty sure it'd look like this.
March 6, 2013
This book was really fun, the author must have had a blast writing it.
April 11, 2019
If you're a fan of superheroes, comic books, and Comic-Con you’ll like this book.
The book is a pulp novel-length comic book grounded in the Marvel/DC universes trope(s) of superhero teams: Avengers, Justice League, etc.. It’s a little more ironic than the pictorial stories, shading more toward Marvel in how dysfunctional these teams and superheroes ought to be. The author likely put his tongue through his cheek while writing this. It’s a superhero meets super girl during Apocalypse, super boy loses super girl, super boy gets super girl back type story. Plotting was a little choppy, but was well within the several tropes-in-flight.
This story is about as deep as a carpark puddle, but being without any pretensions, it was a quick, fun read. However, it can only be appreciated by a superhero comic book nerd.
I’ll likely add another book from the series (Origins of a D-List Supervillain) to the pile of TBRs in my Fortress of Solitude. If you liked this, you may also be interested in Ex-Heroes (Ex-Heroes, #1) (my review).
The book is a pulp novel-length comic book grounded in the Marvel/DC universes trope(s) of superhero teams: Avengers, Justice League, etc.. It’s a little more ironic than the pictorial stories, shading more toward Marvel in how dysfunctional these teams and superheroes ought to be. The author likely put his tongue through his cheek while writing this. It’s a superhero meets super girl during Apocalypse, super boy loses super girl, super boy gets super girl back type story. Plotting was a little choppy, but was well within the several tropes-in-flight.
This story is about as deep as a carpark puddle, but being without any pretensions, it was a quick, fun read. However, it can only be appreciated by a superhero comic book nerd.
I’ll likely add another book from the series (Origins of a D-List Supervillain) to the pile of TBRs in my Fortress of Solitude. If you liked this, you may also be interested in Ex-Heroes (Ex-Heroes, #1) (my review).
October 12, 2021
I’m continuing to think about how I’m rating books and figured I’d try to hammer out what my system means. I’ll give what I think below, as well as a final sentence that describes how I fell about something I’ve placed in that tier that I borrowed from a Neal Stephenson book I read way back in the olden days where he compared IT professionals to Dwarves and computer scientists to Elves and so on and so forth. Whatever. It’s dumb and I’m at least somewhat aware that it’s a barely cogent thought, but I’m not quite energetic enough to go and clarify what I really mean. So read along and try to figure it out. If it doesn’t make sense, well, all you’ve lost is the time it took to read my review.
* One star books are things that I hate with such a firey hot passion that they make me believe there is a hell, and reading a one star book is what it’s like to be there. It deserves mockery, scorn, vomit and whatever else horrible you can think of to describe. This is the work of Trolls.
** Two star books also suck, but in a way that shows I found some enjoyment in it, even if it was through irony, or in a MST3K sort of way. I found I enjoyed mocking it, or how stupid it was, or how low-effort and lazy the final product ended up being. It’s bad, but you know, so is a lot of stuff, and it can sometimes be fun to revel in it. It may have love poured into it, but it’s an uncontrolled and wild kind. This is the work of Men.
*** Three star books are usually where most things I read probably fit into. It can be stuff I liked sincerely, but is severely flawed, like being beautifully written but boring, or horribly written but well plotted. I mean, mix and match all you want. Good characters, but plot hinges on people doing dumb things, or great premise, great plot, but paced badly…. Seriously, I lump most of what I read into this because that’s how most things are. I read because I enjoy reading, I enjoy reading about things. Most things people write are flawed, but I like them anyway. This the work of Dwarves.
**** Four star books are things I really, really like. Again, a lot of what I read goes here. This isn’t perfect things, but things that are well-thought out, well written, well plotted… basically, it’s like watching a modern day marvel movie. It’s going to be great, but something I may or may not feel much about a few months after it’s over. There are books I read years ago that are burned in my memory like it was seared with a cattle brand. At the time I didn’t think they were that much to think about, but I couldn’t shake them. Those aren’t four star books. I can read and read and read these, usually over and over, because I love them. But they aren’t the exemplar of human achievement. They’re simply great at what they are. This is the work of Elves.
***** Five star books are, or should be rare jewels that shine brighter than the world around them. Stuff that sticks with you. Stuff that shakes your worldview, or of your understanding of what’s possible. This is art. This is the work of Gods.
Look, I used to be a slush reader for one of those SF mags that won Hugo and Nebulas every single year. Or the stories they published did, or they both did, I don’t know. But trust me, even if you were nominally aware of the genre, you know who they are (and they were secretive about who their slush readers were, so, you know, I was sworn to secrecy, and even though I haven’t done any reading for them in a couple of years, I still won’t tell). Anyway, we were inundated with stories, month after month, they would come in, hundreds in a day sometimes. From authors with very big names, with tons of credits, and from people like me, who submitted stories there all the time (I found internal notes from one of my stories there, btw, the term “incomprehensible mess” was used to describe it. I wanted to frame that review).
What I learned, working there, is that something like 80% of what is submitted is actually good. Stuff I liked, stuff that I thought in another context could be a really good story. About 15% of stuff sucked, hard. It was political screeds or religious propaganda or murder fantasies about ex-wives. Trust me, there was messed up stuff in there. But some of it was just enthusiastic beginners with a lot of love and little craft.
But then there was this sliver of submissions that were something different altogether. Some 5% (if I’ve been keeping track of what I’ve written well enough) were things of beauty. I’d forward on to the editors and write notes like, “this is the best thing I’ve ever read” or “I’ve never seen anything like this, I can’t stand how amazing this is.”
Nothing I ever forwarded on was ever printed in the mag, by the way, but that does make me mention one other thing. Sometimes I’d get a note that said something like, “anyone that was previously attended this class, or knows this person, or mentions this topic can be forwarded on to the editors.”
That made me furious, often those were stories that fit into the 80% category I mentioned above, but they were getting shoved to the front of the line. Well, that happens with me sometimes too. I know people, and sometimes I owe them and I give them ratings I probably wouldn’t if they were strangers. What can I say. I have a flexible value system, based more of pragmatism than principal.
I do what I can so I can sleep at night, but just so you know. I also will tell a friend their ugly baby is beautiful because I know they love it, and want me to love it. I have no guilt about doing it. Sometimes I give a book praise it doesn’t deserve and I have no qualms about doing that whatsoever. So there’s that.
Oh, I don’t know the author of this book.
So, it’s, uh, good, a bit of wish fulfillment fantasy going on, if you can get past that (shlubby underachieving misunderstood bad-guy incel type gets goddess type to fall madly in love with him through his give-no-shits attitude and badass video game skills (I made that last part up) while he also saves the world), then you might genuinely love this.
Seriously, it’s got some good stuff in there. Just mixed in there with a lot of things I didn’t enjoy, or made me feel a little uneasy.
* One star books are things that I hate with such a firey hot passion that they make me believe there is a hell, and reading a one star book is what it’s like to be there. It deserves mockery, scorn, vomit and whatever else horrible you can think of to describe. This is the work of Trolls.
** Two star books also suck, but in a way that shows I found some enjoyment in it, even if it was through irony, or in a MST3K sort of way. I found I enjoyed mocking it, or how stupid it was, or how low-effort and lazy the final product ended up being. It’s bad, but you know, so is a lot of stuff, and it can sometimes be fun to revel in it. It may have love poured into it, but it’s an uncontrolled and wild kind. This is the work of Men.
*** Three star books are usually where most things I read probably fit into. It can be stuff I liked sincerely, but is severely flawed, like being beautifully written but boring, or horribly written but well plotted. I mean, mix and match all you want. Good characters, but plot hinges on people doing dumb things, or great premise, great plot, but paced badly…. Seriously, I lump most of what I read into this because that’s how most things are. I read because I enjoy reading, I enjoy reading about things. Most things people write are flawed, but I like them anyway. This the work of Dwarves.
**** Four star books are things I really, really like. Again, a lot of what I read goes here. This isn’t perfect things, but things that are well-thought out, well written, well plotted… basically, it’s like watching a modern day marvel movie. It’s going to be great, but something I may or may not feel much about a few months after it’s over. There are books I read years ago that are burned in my memory like it was seared with a cattle brand. At the time I didn’t think they were that much to think about, but I couldn’t shake them. Those aren’t four star books. I can read and read and read these, usually over and over, because I love them. But they aren’t the exemplar of human achievement. They’re simply great at what they are. This is the work of Elves.
***** Five star books are, or should be rare jewels that shine brighter than the world around them. Stuff that sticks with you. Stuff that shakes your worldview, or of your understanding of what’s possible. This is art. This is the work of Gods.
Look, I used to be a slush reader for one of those SF mags that won Hugo and Nebulas every single year. Or the stories they published did, or they both did, I don’t know. But trust me, even if you were nominally aware of the genre, you know who they are (and they were secretive about who their slush readers were, so, you know, I was sworn to secrecy, and even though I haven’t done any reading for them in a couple of years, I still won’t tell). Anyway, we were inundated with stories, month after month, they would come in, hundreds in a day sometimes. From authors with very big names, with tons of credits, and from people like me, who submitted stories there all the time (I found internal notes from one of my stories there, btw, the term “incomprehensible mess” was used to describe it. I wanted to frame that review).
What I learned, working there, is that something like 80% of what is submitted is actually good. Stuff I liked, stuff that I thought in another context could be a really good story. About 15% of stuff sucked, hard. It was political screeds or religious propaganda or murder fantasies about ex-wives. Trust me, there was messed up stuff in there. But some of it was just enthusiastic beginners with a lot of love and little craft.
But then there was this sliver of submissions that were something different altogether. Some 5% (if I’ve been keeping track of what I’ve written well enough) were things of beauty. I’d forward on to the editors and write notes like, “this is the best thing I’ve ever read” or “I’ve never seen anything like this, I can’t stand how amazing this is.”
Nothing I ever forwarded on was ever printed in the mag, by the way, but that does make me mention one other thing. Sometimes I’d get a note that said something like, “anyone that was previously attended this class, or knows this person, or mentions this topic can be forwarded on to the editors.”
That made me furious, often those were stories that fit into the 80% category I mentioned above, but they were getting shoved to the front of the line. Well, that happens with me sometimes too. I know people, and sometimes I owe them and I give them ratings I probably wouldn’t if they were strangers. What can I say. I have a flexible value system, based more of pragmatism than principal.
I do what I can so I can sleep at night, but just so you know. I also will tell a friend their ugly baby is beautiful because I know they love it, and want me to love it. I have no guilt about doing it. Sometimes I give a book praise it doesn’t deserve and I have no qualms about doing that whatsoever. So there’s that.
Oh, I don’t know the author of this book.
So, it’s, uh, good, a bit of wish fulfillment fantasy going on, if you can get past that (shlubby underachieving misunderstood bad-guy incel type gets goddess type to fall madly in love with him through his give-no-shits attitude and badass video game skills (I made that last part up) while he also saves the world), then you might genuinely love this.
Seriously, it’s got some good stuff in there. Just mixed in there with a lot of things I didn’t enjoy, or made me feel a little uneasy.
June 15, 2011
Technically 4.5, but rounding up for this one.
Calvin Matthew Stringel, or Mechani-CAL, is a villain who is down on his luck. He was on the bottom rung of the supervillain ladder and didn't seem to be heading upward anytime soon. That is until evil mind controlling bugs began to take over the world. Now this armored supervillain just might be the world's only hope against these superbugs set on world domination. But the question remains, will CAL remain the villain he longs to become or will the companionship of the do-gooders and the lovely Aphrodite cause him to switch sides and fight along with the rest of the world's heroes?
I love the premise of Confessions of a D-List Supervillain! Most superhero tales come from the point of view of the hero. Having the story come to the reader from the villain's viewpoint was very refreshing and fun. CAL seems to not have really had a choice in his decision to become a supervillain...the world keep tossing him crap, so he took matters into his own hands. Jim Bernheimer created entertaining and witty dialogue that was full of sarcasm and very tongue in cheek.
Bernheimer came up with some very creative situations for his characters to find themselves, which, of course, means they have to figure out a way out of the predicament. Confessions of a D-List Supervillain's characters, also, had some very interesting superpowers which made me giggle. There was definitely some creativity and thought put into these skills.
Overall, Confessions of a D-List Supervillain is a lot of fun to read and one I would definitely suggest, especially to someone who is a fan of superheroes. It is in the 1st person, which is not a problem for me, but I will say that the action scenes might have been a bit more "grab you by the seat of your pants and throw you through the wall" if there had been more narrative. However, that's really my only complaint.
Calvin Matthew Stringel, or Mechani-CAL, is a villain who is down on his luck. He was on the bottom rung of the supervillain ladder and didn't seem to be heading upward anytime soon. That is until evil mind controlling bugs began to take over the world. Now this armored supervillain just might be the world's only hope against these superbugs set on world domination. But the question remains, will CAL remain the villain he longs to become or will the companionship of the do-gooders and the lovely Aphrodite cause him to switch sides and fight along with the rest of the world's heroes?
I love the premise of Confessions of a D-List Supervillain! Most superhero tales come from the point of view of the hero. Having the story come to the reader from the villain's viewpoint was very refreshing and fun. CAL seems to not have really had a choice in his decision to become a supervillain...the world keep tossing him crap, so he took matters into his own hands. Jim Bernheimer created entertaining and witty dialogue that was full of sarcasm and very tongue in cheek.
Bernheimer came up with some very creative situations for his characters to find themselves, which, of course, means they have to figure out a way out of the predicament. Confessions of a D-List Supervillain's characters, also, had some very interesting superpowers which made me giggle. There was definitely some creativity and thought put into these skills.
Overall, Confessions of a D-List Supervillain is a lot of fun to read and one I would definitely suggest, especially to someone who is a fan of superheroes. It is in the 1st person, which is not a problem for me, but I will say that the action scenes might have been a bit more "grab you by the seat of your pants and throw you through the wall" if there had been more narrative. However, that's really my only complaint.
January 8, 2013
In Confessions of a D-List Supervillain, Mr. Bernheimer tells the story of Calvin Stringel, an electrical engineer who makes bad choices. After a employment dispute with one of the heavyweight superheroes, he decides to turn to crime, but he’s not very good at it. The world, as it’s wont to do, becomes endangered, and all the do-gooders have been converted to the dark side. It’s up to Mechani-Cal to save the day.
Why to buy this book: This novel is entertaining from start to finish, a true joy to read and hard to put down. The author makes fantastic plot choices. He could have focused on a plot-driven story about saving the world. Instead, it’s character driven, and the characters, even the minor ones, are fantastic.
Why not to buy the book: It’s written in present tense. Normally, I hate present tense with a passion. I’ve literally put down otherwise promising books because of it. This one drew me in so quickly that I didn’t mind it. Other than that, I only had minor quibbles such as the use of subjunctive mood. The protagonist is portrayed as smart and educated; you’d think he’d know to say “if I were” instead of “if I was.”
Bottom Line: I finished Confessions on New Year’s Day, and, already, I feel that it will be a strong contender for my favorite book of the year even considering that A Memory of Light is coming out soon. I don’t gush about books often, but it’s not often that I read a book I enjoyed this much. I paid the author the highest possible compliment — the day after finishing this book, I bought another of his novels, and this despite the fact that the new one features unicorns. There’s no question but that I give this book 5 stars.
Why to buy this book: This novel is entertaining from start to finish, a true joy to read and hard to put down. The author makes fantastic plot choices. He could have focused on a plot-driven story about saving the world. Instead, it’s character driven, and the characters, even the minor ones, are fantastic.
Why not to buy the book: It’s written in present tense. Normally, I hate present tense with a passion. I’ve literally put down otherwise promising books because of it. This one drew me in so quickly that I didn’t mind it. Other than that, I only had minor quibbles such as the use of subjunctive mood. The protagonist is portrayed as smart and educated; you’d think he’d know to say “if I were” instead of “if I was.”
Bottom Line: I finished Confessions on New Year’s Day, and, already, I feel that it will be a strong contender for my favorite book of the year even considering that A Memory of Light is coming out soon. I don’t gush about books often, but it’s not often that I read a book I enjoyed this much. I paid the author the highest possible compliment — the day after finishing this book, I bought another of his novels, and this despite the fact that the new one features unicorns. There’s no question but that I give this book 5 stars.
October 24, 2014
This book was much shorter than my typical books, but was a compact book of excitement, world building and fun. The premise is the world has been accidently been taken over by a Supervillain's brain control worms (explosion at the supervillain's base causes the uncontrolled release of the worms). All that is left is a few folks who haven't been turned. One of which is Mechani-Cal, a self-proclaimed D-List supervillain in a power suit (think Lex Luthor) who ends up teaming with the most beautiful Superhero in the world and reclaiming humanity from the latches of the worms all to receive a pardon, money and the love of the hero Aphrodite.
Thus begins his journey to becoming a hero. We are taken backstage into rivalries between heroes and villains, resources between the two, epic fights between creative characters (and robots) with interesting powers (some were pretty nifty like Imaginary Larry) and the aftermath required to rebuild power suits for the next day's work.
I bought this on Kindle and got a deal to buy the Audible version. Very cheap and must recommend.
Thus begins his journey to becoming a hero. We are taken backstage into rivalries between heroes and villains, resources between the two, epic fights between creative characters (and robots) with interesting powers (some were pretty nifty like Imaginary Larry) and the aftermath required to rebuild power suits for the next day's work.
I bought this on Kindle and got a deal to buy the Audible version. Very cheap and must recommend.
September 12, 2011
Again with the Superhero novel? This was a late pickup for my pile of Superhero novels, one I only approached after reading another blog's review. The novel takes place in a world with lots of Superheros and Supervillians. However in this novel, the world finally decides to go to hell. An accident by either a Supervillian, or other unleashes an small apocalypse on the world, one were all the Superheroes get taken over, leaving one lone minor level Supervillian, trying to decide whether to save the world, or just toss in the towel. The good news? He decides to save it. In the process he becomes a Superhero and learns that there is a fine line between the two and sometimes being a Villian, means being a better Hero. The only problems I had with the book, was that the writing seemed just a little rough. Otherwise the battles were quite fun, and the characters a little more then 2D. Strong recommend for anyone searching for a good Superhero novel. Cost 3.00; Rating 4.50
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