What do you think?
Rate this book
Verbosity's Vengeance: A Grammarian Adventure Novel
Alex Graham’s genius designing video games brought him happiness and made him a fortune, but he never expected to see his work misused by military scientists. The collapse of the mysterious Project Unicorn left Alex with scars, nightmares, and strange powers unlike any other superhero. Years later, as the Grammarian, he uses the strength of supple syntax and the power of perfect punctuation to fight for justice on the mean streets of Lexicon City.
When his arch-enemy Professor Verbosity threatens with a mysterious new superweapon, only the Grammarian can stop him… just as soon as he hires a decent sidekick. Mix in the interference of the Avant Guardian (a goofy superhero wanna-be), a vicious stranger who strikes from the shadows, and a beautiful, brainy college professor with an obsession for superhero technology, and the Grammarian has his work cut out for him.
A mix of techno-fantasy, superhero science fiction, and humorous wordplay, "Verbosity's Vengeance" will thrill and delight.
When his arch-enemy Professor Verbosity threatens with a mysterious new superweapon, only the Grammarian can stop him… just as soon as he hires a decent sidekick. Mix in the interference of the Avant Guardian (a goofy superhero wanna-be), a vicious stranger who strikes from the shadows, and a beautiful, brainy college professor with an obsession for superhero technology, and the Grammarian has his work cut out for him.
A mix of techno-fantasy, superhero science fiction, and humorous wordplay, "Verbosity's Vengeance" will thrill and delight.
289 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 16, 2013
3 people are currently reading
12 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 6 of 7 reviews
September 15, 2013
A superhero story in the great tradition of superhero stories. Mild-ish mannered Alex Graham lives a quiet existence by day as a dealer in rare books.
By night he is the Grammarian, foe to the criminal element in Lexicon City. He can bring the arch-villain, Professor Verbosity, to a halt with a well delivered...full stop. Yes. The Grammarian wields parts of speech and punctuation the way lesser heroes might use a batarang.
The story opens in medias res with Professor Verbosity battling the Grammarian. The action doesn't let up, rather heightens, as the Avant Guardian, a second tier hero, joins the fray and injures the Professor, causing him to flee.
In addition to spoiling the Grammarian's well-laid plans.
This story hits all of the key notes for this style of story. Our hero not only is a dealer on rare books, but is a genius-level programmer, attaining near-god status in the gaming world--known as A.I. Graham to the dwellers therein.
His technical side smoothly allows for the introduction of the love interest, Professor Kate Hunter.
There's the loss in his past that coincided with the acquisition of his superpowers. This is the driving force for the character, and a complicating factor in his interaction with Kate.
The action moves forward cleanly with the tension ramping without a false step. The introduction of a new "Big Bad", Slugger, midway through, someone seemingly immune to the Grammarian's powers, serves to stack the odds against our hero.
The arrival of a newly-minted superhero complicates more than simplifies matters.
The finale brings everything together. Verbosity's plan is revealed in all its horror. The Grammarian discovers that Verbosity and the Slugger are working together.
The battle is epic, taking everything the Grammarian is and has, in addition to the best the Avant Guardian and the new superhero have to give.
The entire story is leavened with humor, wordplay, and heart. (Note the use of the Oxford comma. It wouldn't do to review such a book and omit it.)
This was a delicious read. I am fond of superhero stories. This story is a worthy addition to the genre.
I await another Grammarian adventure--impatiently.
By night he is the Grammarian, foe to the criminal element in Lexicon City. He can bring the arch-villain, Professor Verbosity, to a halt with a well delivered...full stop. Yes. The Grammarian wields parts of speech and punctuation the way lesser heroes might use a batarang.
The story opens in medias res with Professor Verbosity battling the Grammarian. The action doesn't let up, rather heightens, as the Avant Guardian, a second tier hero, joins the fray and injures the Professor, causing him to flee.
In addition to spoiling the Grammarian's well-laid plans.
This story hits all of the key notes for this style of story. Our hero not only is a dealer on rare books, but is a genius-level programmer, attaining near-god status in the gaming world--known as A.I. Graham to the dwellers therein.
His technical side smoothly allows for the introduction of the love interest, Professor Kate Hunter.
There's the loss in his past that coincided with the acquisition of his superpowers. This is the driving force for the character, and a complicating factor in his interaction with Kate.
The action moves forward cleanly with the tension ramping without a false step. The introduction of a new "Big Bad", Slugger, midway through, someone seemingly immune to the Grammarian's powers, serves to stack the odds against our hero.
The arrival of a newly-minted superhero complicates more than simplifies matters.
The finale brings everything together. Verbosity's plan is revealed in all its horror. The Grammarian discovers that Verbosity and the Slugger are working together.
The battle is epic, taking everything the Grammarian is and has, in addition to the best the Avant Guardian and the new superhero have to give.
The entire story is leavened with humor, wordplay, and heart. (Note the use of the Oxford comma. It wouldn't do to review such a book and omit it.)
This was a delicious read. I am fond of superhero stories. This story is a worthy addition to the genre.
I await another Grammarian adventure--impatiently.
December 9, 2013
At the 92% completion mark, Verbosity's Vengeance by Tony Noland just became one of my top five favorite books of all time. And it has everything to do with this one paragraph:
“For himself and every other being within his compass, the Grammarian responded with the most fundamental language meme possible. He bent his mind to express, not a single word or phrase, not mark of punctuation or grammatical construct. The Grammarian fought back against death by invoking the only power greater than death: human language itself. Only language allowed thoughts, desires, and ambitions to survive beyond death. It was the source of life that continued beyond the endurance of any single individual or society. Human bodies falter and die, but words live forever.”
I've always been a fan of the superhero genre, but it's not everyday that a story in that category would move me in such a profound way. Given the nature of my favorite paragraph in Verbosity's Vengeance, I cannot help but feel moved. It's likely because I agree with the sentiment of just how powerful language really is. This story reinforces it in spades, and I encourage other fans of language to pick up a copy of this story.
“For himself and every other being within his compass, the Grammarian responded with the most fundamental language meme possible. He bent his mind to express, not a single word or phrase, not mark of punctuation or grammatical construct. The Grammarian fought back against death by invoking the only power greater than death: human language itself. Only language allowed thoughts, desires, and ambitions to survive beyond death. It was the source of life that continued beyond the endurance of any single individual or society. Human bodies falter and die, but words live forever.”
I've always been a fan of the superhero genre, but it's not everyday that a story in that category would move me in such a profound way. Given the nature of my favorite paragraph in Verbosity's Vengeance, I cannot help but feel moved. It's likely because I agree with the sentiment of just how powerful language really is. This story reinforces it in spades, and I encourage other fans of language to pick up a copy of this story.
October 12, 2013
A fun, if hurty brained, read. Full review at my blog, as ever.
June 3, 2014
What ages would I recommend it too? Twelve and up.
Length? A couple of days to read.
Characters? Memorable, several characters.
Setting? Real world, semi alternate dimension.
Written approximately? 2013.
Does the story leave questions in the readers mind? Ready to read more. Also, interested in learning a bit more about superheros.
Any issues the author (or a more recent publisher) should cover? Yes. My recommendation: This novel will appeal to two potentially very different audiences. A page on the blog, or website that has a few basics about superheros (for those who like grammar, and know nothing of superheros), and few grammar and science facts that make help the reader better understand a few confusing scenes would be a great addition. A mention that this exists at the beginning of the novel would be great. I had questions I needed to ask of my college friends to comprehend a few of the superhero aspects.
Short storyline: This starts in the middle of the action between the superhero and the villain. Which can lead to confusion as to who is who and what is going on since it is so different from even an average superhero story. As typical, I was more grounded in who the good guy as after reading the last chapter, and then beginning the story again. Too much action too fast for those who enjoy the classics.
Notes for the reader: This is a great story. A lot of the action is very active, and confusing at points, especially for those like me who prefer thought novels. However, I can see it as a great novel for couples who one person likes action, and the other likes grammar. Part of that problem may stem from my lack of knowledge of superhero culture, my low vision, and attention issues.
October 26, 2013
Bottom line: I got this before the price dropped to 99c, and I have no regrets. At 99c, it's a steal.
Tony Noland is a fixture in Twitter's #FridayFlash meme, writing punchy and often violent short stories of 1000 words or less. Verbosity's Vengeance (VV) is his first novel-length outing, and it's a heck of a ride! If you're tired of the endless Marvel/DC reboots, rehashes, and retreads, the Grammarian is both new, and a new kind of superhero. The idea of grammar, syntax, and punctuation as superpowers sounds a little strained, but Noland has the technical chops and the writing chops to make it work. I really enjoyed the details of the Grammarian's life as Alex Graham, a wealthy entrepreneur turned bookseller, as it really spotlights the difficulties a "real" superhero would have in maintaining two identities.
Some of the plot twists were telegraphed, but that may well have been unavoidable given the genre. There were a couple short passages where the story seemed to drag a little, but that was over quickly and the story got going again. Overall, the pacing was excellent.
Maybe this will be a graphic novel one day--but if you like superhero stories, why wait? Get it. You'll enjoy it.
Tony Noland is a fixture in Twitter's #FridayFlash meme, writing punchy and often violent short stories of 1000 words or less. Verbosity's Vengeance (VV) is his first novel-length outing, and it's a heck of a ride! If you're tired of the endless Marvel/DC reboots, rehashes, and retreads, the Grammarian is both new, and a new kind of superhero. The idea of grammar, syntax, and punctuation as superpowers sounds a little strained, but Noland has the technical chops and the writing chops to make it work. I really enjoyed the details of the Grammarian's life as Alex Graham, a wealthy entrepreneur turned bookseller, as it really spotlights the difficulties a "real" superhero would have in maintaining two identities.
Some of the plot twists were telegraphed, but that may well have been unavoidable given the genre. There were a couple short passages where the story seemed to drag a little, but that was over quickly and the story got going again. Overall, the pacing was excellent.
Maybe this will be a graphic novel one day--but if you like superhero stories, why wait? Get it. You'll enjoy it.
September 15, 2013
Mild mannered, rare book seller's alter ego is the Grammarian, a meme wielding superhero. His super powers are unique, I'm going to imagine flying memes for a long time. What fun I could have with that power for a few hours.
The story starts with action and humor, I laughed out loud right on the first page, and it continues at a wonderfully escalating pace. The side characters help to set up a comfortable, familiar Lexicon City but with some fun twists. I liked that the beautiful professor Kate played a stronger role than the usual super hero girlfriend. The villain, Professor Verbosity, doesn't start off as a typical evil-kill-them-all bad guy. He enjoys the interplay between himself and the Grammarian and the story shows what pushes Verbosity over the edge. In the midst of the exciting adventure we learn how the Grammarian obtained his powers and about his real world business dealings.
The Grammarian himself is a clever underdog. He's effective and powerful and has an amusing way of describing his predicaments and his fellow superheroes.This is a fast paced, funny and thoughtful story. I enjoyed it very much.
The story starts with action and humor, I laughed out loud right on the first page, and it continues at a wonderfully escalating pace. The side characters help to set up a comfortable, familiar Lexicon City but with some fun twists. I liked that the beautiful professor Kate played a stronger role than the usual super hero girlfriend. The villain, Professor Verbosity, doesn't start off as a typical evil-kill-them-all bad guy. He enjoys the interplay between himself and the Grammarian and the story shows what pushes Verbosity over the edge. In the midst of the exciting adventure we learn how the Grammarian obtained his powers and about his real world business dealings.
The Grammarian himself is a clever underdog. He's effective and powerful and has an amusing way of describing his predicaments and his fellow superheroes.This is a fast paced, funny and thoughtful story. I enjoyed it very much.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 7 reviews