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Selfdestructible
Every young person thinks they’re indestructible. Ree knows it. Her parents were superheroes. They passed on invulnerability and the power of flight to their daughter, but when she was 14, they were both killed trying to save New York. Now it’s ten years later. Ree’s unemployed, drinks too much, and tries to blot out the feeling that she should be doing more with her life. Flying around punching people can only do so much to help Buffalo’s entrenched poverty and segregation. But when she flies into a burning building and sees a person made of fire, and rescues a teenage girl who can blow things up in her sleep, she’s drawn into a mystery against her better judgement. Charles is a typical teenage boy. He just wants a girl to notice him. And for everyone else to not notice him. Which is tough to manage when flames shoot out of his hands and almost burn down his school. Usually powers like his aren’t a surprise; you inherit them from your parents. But Charles’ parents are just regular people. So why isn’t he? When he meets a cute older girl who can freeze anything she touches, will opposites attract? And will she help him solve the mystery of his powers? Selfdestructible is a fun, fast-paced adventure, but like The Magicians or Jessica Jones, it uses the characters’ extraordinary abilities as a framework to tell a story about damaged people trying to deal with loss and find their place in the world. How can you live up to your potential, when your potential is superhuman?
272 pages, Paperback
Published June 26, 2018
2 people are currently reading
14 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
July 8, 2018
Moving book for all ages
Excellent addition to the superhero genre, and a wonderful coming of age story. I fell in love with these characters. They were completely relatable, and I rooted hard for them to find their ways. The story and mythology were a lot of fun. I couldn't put this down until I finished it!
Excellent addition to the superhero genre, and a wonderful coming of age story. I fell in love with these characters. They were completely relatable, and I rooted hard for them to find their ways. The story and mythology were a lot of fun. I couldn't put this down until I finished it!
September 14, 2018
In talking about Mike Vago’s “Selfdestructible,” I have to start with the characters. Usually a story like this would start with a fairly ordinary teenager discovering his or her powers in some embarrassing way, being welcomed into the world of heroes and trying to learn how to use these new powers.
That does happen here, but it’s only half the story. The most compelling character is the 24-year-old Marie, whose hero name (bestowed by the tabloids) is “Rehab.” Her indestructibility means that she can’t be infected, poisoned, or starved of oxygen, but she can get drunk, and very often does so.
When young Charlie starts summoning flames, the police ask Marie to mentor him and teach him how to control his power. Not only is Marie the biggest hot mess since Krakatoa, she has no idea how to teach him anything—and according to everything everyone thinks they know, he shouldn’t have powers in the first place, since neither of his parents did. And he’s not the only one in the greater Buffalo area manifesting unexpected powers. So begins his and Marie’s quest to figure out what’s going on and how much peril the world’s in this time.
Speaking of the world, this one makes a lot more sense than most worlds with superheroes. In this one, supers have cool nicknames, but their identities aren’t really secret—once everybody in health class has seen you set your desk on fire with your bare hands, the secret’s pretty much out. The important detail is that in this world, instead of being a feared and distrusted minority, supers are celebrities. And, as with real celebrities, they’re often disappointing once you meet them in person.
And being a super-celebrity turns out to have its own set of problems. Marie is the daughter of two noble superheroes who died defending New York City. That’s a lot to live up to, and more than half Marie’s problems come from her shame at failing to be the larger-than-life hero others may have expected her to be.
In short, “Selfdestructible” is not a book to miss. All the characters are memorable, and engaging even when they’re exasperating. Vago’s prose is lean and efficient, and can pack a lot of meaning into a few sentences. There’ve been plenty of deconstructions of the superhero genre—everything from “Watchmen” to “Worm”—but this one is up there with the best of them.
That does happen here, but it’s only half the story. The most compelling character is the 24-year-old Marie, whose hero name (bestowed by the tabloids) is “Rehab.” Her indestructibility means that she can’t be infected, poisoned, or starved of oxygen, but she can get drunk, and very often does so.
When young Charlie starts summoning flames, the police ask Marie to mentor him and teach him how to control his power. Not only is Marie the biggest hot mess since Krakatoa, she has no idea how to teach him anything—and according to everything everyone thinks they know, he shouldn’t have powers in the first place, since neither of his parents did. And he’s not the only one in the greater Buffalo area manifesting unexpected powers. So begins his and Marie’s quest to figure out what’s going on and how much peril the world’s in this time.
Speaking of the world, this one makes a lot more sense than most worlds with superheroes. In this one, supers have cool nicknames, but their identities aren’t really secret—once everybody in health class has seen you set your desk on fire with your bare hands, the secret’s pretty much out. The important detail is that in this world, instead of being a feared and distrusted minority, supers are celebrities. And, as with real celebrities, they’re often disappointing once you meet them in person.
And being a super-celebrity turns out to have its own set of problems. Marie is the daughter of two noble superheroes who died defending New York City. That’s a lot to live up to, and more than half Marie’s problems come from her shame at failing to be the larger-than-life hero others may have expected her to be.
In short, “Selfdestructible” is not a book to miss. All the characters are memorable, and engaging even when they’re exasperating. Vago’s prose is lean and efficient, and can pack a lot of meaning into a few sentences. There’ve been plenty of deconstructions of the superhero genre—everything from “Watchmen” to “Worm”—but this one is up there with the best of them.
September 19, 2018
Fun Superhero Read
Complex without getting complicated. I love that characters are more interested in responsibility (or lack of) than great power. It manages to focus on the characters' problems without being dark or depressing, then switches seamlessly to exciting action sequences to keep readers turning pages.
Complex without getting complicated. I love that characters are more interested in responsibility (or lack of) than great power. It manages to focus on the characters' problems without being dark or depressing, then switches seamlessly to exciting action sequences to keep readers turning pages.
May 18, 2020
An excellent story.
Like the Incredibles except Mr Incredible is an irresponsible alcoholic and the kids are all teenagers.
One of my complaints about Amazon is that the actually interesting stories get shoved to the bottom of the pile beneath the 20 book formulaic mega series. This book is a testament to that. It explores some really interesting ideas in a neat way.
It starts out as about what you'd expect from the description and immediately grabs you. The writing style is in my opinion superb. And reading it I felt the story captured the mundanity of normal life combined with the whole, being a superhero thing really well. The story felt very real (In a good, fast paced way) which personally is something I value very highly, stories that don't strain credulity to even read.
My only real complaint was it felt like sometimes the author could have added more description especially within the dialogue. But the premises was very cool and once I got to chapter 3, I finished the book in a single sitting. My only other gripe is the cover didn't convey the story at all. The story was great but the cover felt generic.
Overall though, solid 5 of 5 for a fascinating idea well executed with believable and engaging characters.
Like the Incredibles except Mr Incredible is an irresponsible alcoholic and the kids are all teenagers.
One of my complaints about Amazon is that the actually interesting stories get shoved to the bottom of the pile beneath the 20 book formulaic mega series. This book is a testament to that. It explores some really interesting ideas in a neat way.
It starts out as about what you'd expect from the description and immediately grabs you. The writing style is in my opinion superb. And reading it I felt the story captured the mundanity of normal life combined with the whole, being a superhero thing really well. The story felt very real (In a good, fast paced way) which personally is something I value very highly, stories that don't strain credulity to even read.
My only real complaint was it felt like sometimes the author could have added more description especially within the dialogue. But the premises was very cool and once I got to chapter 3, I finished the book in a single sitting. My only other gripe is the cover didn't convey the story at all. The story was great but the cover felt generic.
Overall though, solid 5 of 5 for a fascinating idea well executed with believable and engaging characters.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews