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The Horrible Plan of Horace Pickle
Horace Pickle hates mashed potatoes, but now he has a plan.
Windsmith City is home to Baron, one of the world’s greatest heroes, who has decided to take his first vacation after decades of heroic service. But while Baron is enjoying himself in sunny Argentina, a new villain has come onto the scene with plans that reach far beyond the borders of their fair city. The people will have to rely on August, Baron’s sidekick and son of the late hero Neil Munch, to save them from this new threat.
Windsmith City is home to Baron, one of the world’s greatest heroes, who has decided to take his first vacation after decades of heroic service. But while Baron is enjoying himself in sunny Argentina, a new villain has come onto the scene with plans that reach far beyond the borders of their fair city. The people will have to rely on August, Baron’s sidekick and son of the late hero Neil Munch, to save them from this new threat.
160 pages, Paperback
First published July 29, 2014
1 person is currently reading
24 people want to read
About the author
Brian Hagan
15 books17 followersBrian’s background is varied and curious, starting with an interest in science and language, before moving into animation and game design. Most recently he’s been working with gemstones, and experimenting with bonsai and carnivorous plants. But of all his many hobbies and vocations, he loves telling stories above all else. His first novel, this one, was completed for NaNoWriMo in 2008. Brian currently lives in a notoriously haunted house in Pittsburgh with his wife, daughter, two talking cats and an adorable pair of guard rabbits.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
May 6, 2015
Horace Pickle is a a mad genius with a simple goal in life ... to rid the world of all its mashed potatoes! He has the determination, know how, means, and the assistance of the up and coming Hench-woman Lane, to accomplish this odd if not intriguing deed. However he does have one small obstacle, and his name is August Munch AKA. the Non- Newtonian Man, whom is a well respected super being in Windsmith City. It's up to August to prevent Pickle's dastardly deed from taking fruition, but as the twists and turns begin to amp up August begins to doubt himself and his ability to stop the the demented Horace Pickle.
Let me state this first and foremost. I know the author, in fact he is a friend of mind, however that doesn't deter my opinion on his work. Like everything I read, watch, etc, I don't care who made it. All that matters is whether I like it or not, and I enjoyed this short, but very fun, novel. Brian Hagan (the author) has some very creative ideas on the superhero sub genre, and presents them in both fun and thought provoking ways. You can really tell that his imagination was on full tilt when he was typing away at his computer. All of his characters are well drawn out and unique. The same can be said about the author's love of nerd, and super hero culture. Many references will have readers smirking if not laughing out loud at the timely references. Though, that isn't to say that the novel doesn't go into some complex and quite dark areas.
The book isn't perfect however, and there were a few little things that bugged me. The first is the prologue. There isn't anything particularly wrong with it, instead it just feels lacking (for a lack of a better word) in its style, it feels a bit underrated written in style compared to the rest of the novel. Almost as if it were written long before the rest of the novel, and may push away some readers. I am here to tell you that if this happens to you then just ignore it and keep reading it's worth it! Another slight problem I had was that Pickle's character was a little underwritten in back story and motivation for why he wanted to commit his odd crime. This is especially evident when other characters like August and Lane are given more time to develop.
None the less, you shouldn't let these small instances deter you from picking up this very unique and entertaining novel. It has laughs, suspense, well written characters and plot that keeps you interested long after the novel is over. All I can say is I really want to read the next novel in the series.
Let me state this first and foremost. I know the author, in fact he is a friend of mind, however that doesn't deter my opinion on his work. Like everything I read, watch, etc, I don't care who made it. All that matters is whether I like it or not, and I enjoyed this short, but very fun, novel. Brian Hagan (the author) has some very creative ideas on the superhero sub genre, and presents them in both fun and thought provoking ways. You can really tell that his imagination was on full tilt when he was typing away at his computer. All of his characters are well drawn out and unique. The same can be said about the author's love of nerd, and super hero culture. Many references will have readers smirking if not laughing out loud at the timely references. Though, that isn't to say that the novel doesn't go into some complex and quite dark areas.
The book isn't perfect however, and there were a few little things that bugged me. The first is the prologue. There isn't anything particularly wrong with it, instead it just feels lacking (for a lack of a better word) in its style, it feels a bit underrated written in style compared to the rest of the novel. Almost as if it were written long before the rest of the novel, and may push away some readers. I am here to tell you that if this happens to you then just ignore it and keep reading it's worth it! Another slight problem I had was that Pickle's character was a little underwritten in back story and motivation for why he wanted to commit his odd crime. This is especially evident when other characters like August and Lane are given more time to develop.
None the less, you shouldn't let these small instances deter you from picking up this very unique and entertaining novel. It has laughs, suspense, well written characters and plot that keeps you interested long after the novel is over. All I can say is I really want to read the next novel in the series.
October 13, 2015
Interesting. Very quirky. Somewhat reminiscent of Terry Pratchett. The character-building and multiple points of view were done extremely well. My husband also really enjoyed this book.
Bought book at NE Geek Expo (Geneva, Ohio; October 2014). The author's wife was there with a table selling them (kind of sad he wasn't there to sign my copy).
Bought book at NE Geek Expo (Geneva, Ohio; October 2014). The author's wife was there with a table selling them (kind of sad he wasn't there to sign my copy).
November 14, 2017
Very entertaining! This was almost on the side of, bizarro fiction/comic book story/adult version of Despicable Me. I had a lot of fun with it, and liked the teaser for the next book at the end.
January 20, 2015
The premise is intentionally a bit silly, but that doesn't stop it from being a well-paced action/detective/superhero story. I've seen a few other folks compare it to the works of Terry Pratchett in overall tone, and I can certainly see where that comparison is apt.
It was a fun and relatively quick read. Definitely recommended.
It was a fun and relatively quick read. Definitely recommended.
February 19, 2018
Great Book about a Horrible plan!
This was a relatively easy read for me, and fell into my favorite genre of superheroes. The characters felt realistic enough and the action was well-placed. I almost didn't give this a five-star rating only for the fact that points of view sometimes shifted on me randomly. Other than tgat, I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
This was a relatively easy read for me, and fell into my favorite genre of superheroes. The characters felt realistic enough and the action was well-placed. I almost didn't give this a five-star rating only for the fact that points of view sometimes shifted on me randomly. Other than tgat, I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
April 21, 2018
This was okay but would have been better if it was written for middle-grade (which I thought it was when I bought it) due to the main premise of the book (a villain trying to eliminate mashed potatoes from the world). However, it is clearly written for adults which, as an adult, I found to be a bit too immature for my taste. That said, interesting concept for a book and well executed.
February 19, 2015
So, full disclosure - I'm friends with the author. So I may not be the most unbiased person to be reviewing his book. But I'm certainly going to try.
I'm not a big fan of superhero stories, generally. I'm worn out on the cliches and invincible larger-than-life personas of most superheroes in comics, although I do enjoy Deadpool from time to time. The Horrible Plan of Horace Pickle's main character, August, is a superhero, so I would generally consider that a point against the book. But he is an INTERESTING superhero. Rather than flying around zapping baddies with eyebeams or something, he acts more like a private investigator, who just happens to have a unique ability that helps him in his investigations. His primary adversary, the eponymous Horace Pickle, starts off as a seemingly-relatively sane person who just happens to loathe mashed potatoes for some reason I never really get, probably because I am not a mad scientist-type. Throughout the book, we see him descend into madness, clinging to his disturbing fixation on getting rid of mashed potatoes once and for all.
The setting seems pretty closely tied to reality. Windsmith City, the area where the majority of Horace Pickle takes place, is a close stand-in for Pittsburgh, the author's home town, but with a few changes - including an investment in windpower instead of the coal and steel that Pittsburgh rode both to and from economic relevance. Heroes seem to be mostly-normal people, with little separating them from non-powered investigators. Villains, likewise, seem to be mostly-normal people in terms of their abilities, motivated by money, or power, or madness.
Over all, Horace Pickle is a very well-written book. It is written for a young adult reading level but has an engaging story that older readers can enjoy as well. It left me wanting more upon finishing it, and thankfully Mr. Hagan is working on a sequel, The Single Deed of Emeril Battles, which promises to be just as enjoyable as the first book.
I'm not a big fan of superhero stories, generally. I'm worn out on the cliches and invincible larger-than-life personas of most superheroes in comics, although I do enjoy Deadpool from time to time. The Horrible Plan of Horace Pickle's main character, August, is a superhero, so I would generally consider that a point against the book. But he is an INTERESTING superhero. Rather than flying around zapping baddies with eyebeams or something, he acts more like a private investigator, who just happens to have a unique ability that helps him in his investigations. His primary adversary, the eponymous Horace Pickle, starts off as a seemingly-relatively sane person who just happens to loathe mashed potatoes for some reason I never really get, probably because I am not a mad scientist-type. Throughout the book, we see him descend into madness, clinging to his disturbing fixation on getting rid of mashed potatoes once and for all.
The setting seems pretty closely tied to reality. Windsmith City, the area where the majority of Horace Pickle takes place, is a close stand-in for Pittsburgh, the author's home town, but with a few changes - including an investment in windpower instead of the coal and steel that Pittsburgh rode both to and from economic relevance. Heroes seem to be mostly-normal people, with little separating them from non-powered investigators. Villains, likewise, seem to be mostly-normal people in terms of their abilities, motivated by money, or power, or madness.
Over all, Horace Pickle is a very well-written book. It is written for a young adult reading level but has an engaging story that older readers can enjoy as well. It left me wanting more upon finishing it, and thankfully Mr. Hagan is working on a sequel, The Single Deed of Emeril Battles, which promises to be just as enjoyable as the first book.
May 17, 2015
Fun read. A bit silly . Perfect for a relaxing weekend afternoon.
January 26, 2015
In short: Get this book. It's awesome.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews