More than a year after she helped save the world from the Sparnaxian invasion, Andrea Vernon is in a good place. Her boss is giving her greater responsibility and she’s getting to travel a lot (although her fill-in is hopeless at making coffee); things could be getting even more serious with her 8’ 4” superhero boyfriend, The Big Axe; and she has a really fun new BFF, Never More.
Small issue, though, with that last item - Never More is a supervillain bent on world domination, and it looks as if nothing can stop her. Especially since Congress is determined to bring the Corporation for UltraHuman Protection and all of “Big Supe” under government control.
Even with mankind’s greatest heroes fighting back, will it fall on Andrea to save the day - again?
Andrea Vernon and the Superhero-Industrial Complex (Andrea Vernon #2) is another rousing success from Alexander C. Kane. In fact, I enjoyed it even more than Andrea Vernon #1, which I reviewed here. Not only did Kane assuage my political critique of his first book, but it was just as funny if not even more so.
To level set, the premise of the story is that super-powered beings have existed for a long time and in recent years various corporations have been bringing them together as teams for hire. These superhero corps sign contracts with cities and states to protect them from supervillain attacks. The style of the story is that of the Avengers…meets The Office, and it’s quite hilarious. Andrea Vernon is our non-powered central character—the Executive Assistant to the head of CUP (the Corporation for Ultrahuman Protection). She’s dating the doting superhero known as The Big Axe who often likes to cry out, “I. Am. The Big Axe!” She’s a great character—very charming and believable. Her brother is a liberal Senator, and the first Haitian-American senator, who believes that superhero corporations shouldn’t be allowed to extort states for protection money and act as mercenaries. They should fall under government control.
In Andrea Vernon and the Superhero-Industrial Complex there is a corporate takeover…by evil! A supervillain goes legal by purchasing one of the competitors of CUP. And then through blackmail, bribery and intimidation, she manages to get Congress to pass a bill that deregulates the “Superhero Industrial Complex” and thus pave the way for her to conquer the world. Technically…legally.
In Book 1, I was rubbed the wrong way by Kane making government deregulation seem like “overreach” that would slow down these heroes from taking action when they needed to. In Book 2—although Andrea’s brother still comes across as a pompous arrogant jerk—he’s also the only principled member of the Senate who refuses to vote on behalf of deregulation. And the subsequent result of deregulation is sudden victory by evil. Sounds about right.
Andrea Vernon and the Superhero-Industrial Complex is a light but highly entertaining read that leaves us with a major cliffhanger…looking forward to book three in the series.
I absolutely loved 'Andrea Vernon and The Corporation for Ultrahuman Protection,' so when I learned there would be a sequel, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it. In this superhero workplace comedy performed by Bahni Turpin, the juxtaposition of the fantastical and the mundane never fails to delight–like the time Andrea and her supervillain frenemy go out drinking and get into a heated argument about the correct way to get dressed (it’s obviously sock sock, shoe shoe, NOT sock shoe, sock shoe!). There are pop culture references galore (Jessica Alba’s Honest Company, the TV show Arrested Development, and a well-timed Third Eye Blind joke that had me laughing out loud on my morning commute) and you almost forget you’re listening to a story about bureaucratic red tape. There are punny superhero names (Great Gory Samsa), real-life locations (shout-out to Hoboken Terminal!), and tiny throwaway jokes that come satisfyingly full circle in the penultimate scenes. If you love ‘The Princess Bride’ and ‘The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy,’ don’t miss ‘Andrea Vernon and the Superhero Industrial Complex.’ Listening to it is like the audiobook version of being in a hilarious group chat with your nerdy pub trivia team.
This book was even better than the first, in my opinion 😃. I loved the outrageous humor of the first book, but I found that with this one, he got a bit smarter and subtler with it, not so much slapstick, but still plenty of laughs.
The most obvious difference was in what I believe was the author's main point - He juxtaposed the first books premise that the security of the nation should be taken away from government control, it should be deregulated and should be privatized, while in this volume he explored the opposite, that the superheroes who protect us and the companies who manage them should be responsible Infront of the government and it should regulate them much more stringently, making them ruled by legislation. He did all this in the funniest way possible, showing the way each of these practices could be twisted, exaggerated and perverted, doing more harm than good...
We also have some great characterization, and I am completely in love with most all of the main actors, leading with Mrs. Oh. The greatest boss-lady ever! Andrea Vernon is a close second, and her romantic and friendly relationships are priceless!
The book felt more intimate than the first one, where we had an alien invasion, while here a villainous winged superhuman lady tries to unite a bunch of supervillains in taking over the US. It doesn't help the matter that while trying to stop her, Andrea Vernon strikes up a friendship with her and the two have some bonding time 😎😎😎. Tough to know that one day one of you might have to kill the other...
On a side note, the author nailed the weird, never ending power-struggles between St. Louis City and St. Louis County's governments and their constant bickering over who should pay for what and is the county getting away with not paying for all that the public amenities and entertainment the city provides and is flipping the bill for 😃😃😃. Having lived in this City most of my life, I couldn't stop laughing at the accurate portrayal of the situation 👍
I can't wait to get my grubby hands on the next book! Go The Big Axe 🪓🪓🪓
The second book in what is now a series, Andrea Vernon continues to work at CUP and gets a raise to executive assistance. Her relationship with the Big Axe is going well and she’s made a friend. Well, a sort of friend. Nevermore is a super villain trying to take over the United States and yet she and Andrea really like hanging out together. She’s a frenemy who is really fun but evil. It makes things very challenging. This story is fun. It started out slow, but it made me laugh out loud several times and I started getting additional weird looks at work. Okay, more than usual because I was just sitting there laughing and my hair hides my earbuds sometimes. The story leaves you with a cliff hanger so you know there’s going to be a third in the series, but now I’ve got to be patient and I’m so not good at that.
I didn’t love the first installment of this series, but I took a risk and pursued this one anyway.
This book, like the other, was solid in the beginning and middle, with clever ideas and a solid concept - a parody on superheroes. In fact, I thought this was BETTER and more cohesive. I liked this plot line: a super villain becoming a “hero” to take over America. And, while DESTRON AMERICA was cringe-worthy for a name...I get it, it had to be.
The book was good throughout as the protagonist began to become friends with the villain while simultaneously trying to stop her.
The ending was equally enjoyable until, you guessed it, THE ARMY OF JERKS. What the heck do I have to do to get away from these most annoying creatures?! This author needs to MOVE ON, but...it was a good ending, a cliffhanger to be sure.
Here’s my prediction. A 3rd book will come out and I will ultimately read it. It’ll be good and will resolve many loose ends but the army of jerks will reappear and ruin my experience and we’ll be right back here again. 🤦🏻♂️
This book is even better than the first. Alexander Kane has a positive genius for combining superheroes with the mundane activities of business and life. Corporate takeovers, inappropriate best friends, and adapting to new business techniques are melded hilariously with some of the most inventive superheroes yet. As always, I love Andrea's personality, Ms. O, and Inspector Well Actually. Now I can add Nevermore to the list.
Andrea Vernon and the Superhero Industrial Complex gives lie to the idea that politics have no place in escapist entertainment. It manages to tell an engaging story with a stunningly effective points that is absolutely hilarious from start to finish. The supervillain Never More has gotten into the superhero defense business and makes use of all the deregulation the good people at CUP did to start assembling a massive army to take over America. Our heroes do their best but the same corrupt patronage system they've used is turned against them at every opportunity. Also, Andrea and the Big Axe are getting much closer but Andrea's commitment phobia is starting to rear its ugly head. What will happen? What to do?
Can Washington D.C. be saved from dark superhero military contract money? Does it want to be? (Answer: No).
I recommend the audiobook version over the Kindle despite both being good.
Great follow-up to AV and the Corporation for Ultrahuman Protection. Wall-to-wall silliness that never gets tiresome--even the names of the superheroes and supervillains had me laughing out loud. This audiobook and AV and CUP need to be preserved in the Smithsonian. Bahni Turpin's narration again is jaw-dropping--how she manages to give 30 to 40 characters their own unique voice is in itself a superhuman achievement.
Well, actually... it's ok for 54 year old women to go around doing spontanious voice impersonations of Jerks, and the occasional "I am the big axe!" . That way, you can tell who your friends really are.
There is something utterly delightful about the juxtaposition of totally off-the-wall "super" heroes set amidst the mundane demands a corporate bureaucracy.
That, or maybe I just have a crush on The Big Axe.
The first one was fun — maybe even better than my rating. This one is even better! I think I laughed during each and every paragraph. Do yourself a favor and read this series.
You have to REALLY enjoy the singular humor in this book. I did to a point, but it rubbed me raw after a while, so I cannot give it a very high rating.
That said, if you listen to the audiobook, I have to call out Bahni Turpin as a 5-star reader. She KILLS the characters in this book - and there are many strange ones to bring to life. Top-notch grade for Ms. Turpin. As good as James Marsters doing the Harry Dresden series.
The quirky superhero universe of Andrea Vernon is back for another round of the ugly side of superheroing—that is the lobbying side of the game. This time the Corporation for Ultrahuman Protection (CUP) is up against Nevermore, a supervillain who has decided to take over the country from the inside by becoming a superhero organization and lobbying (read that as bribing and blackmailing) Congress into changing the regulations in a way that will allow her to effectively become the dictator of the country. The only things standing between Nevermore and dominating the U.S. is CUP and its Executive Assistant Andrea Vernon who also happens to be Nevermore’s best friend. But if Andrea is going to stop Nevermore, she’ll have to make peace with her own brother, the Senator who has made taking down the superhero industrial complex his life’s work.
This novel is fun from start to finish even if the major twist of the book was completely foreseeable. Heck, maybe we were supposed to foresee it. Kane certainly foreshadowed it quite strongly. The heart of this novel, like the first one, is the incredibly quirky cast of superheroes, and now supervillains. These are not the heroes you grew up reading in the comics—and yet, at times they feel like they could be.
So if you like your super heroics with a healthy dose of satire, pull up a chair and start reading this novel.
The 2nd in one of the funniest audiobooks ever. The narrator is terrific, and all our favorite characters are back. This satire on today's politics hits ever chord for me. US senators blackmailed by a super villain to get everything she wants to take over our democracy is chilling. Executive assistant Vernon finally agrees with her brother, US senator Vernon (a Haitian family calls everyone by their titles, quite endearing) on something as they fight evil along with the CUP organization. The good superheroes against the bad superheroes, and we are left with a cliffhanger. Will be watching for the next one to find out what happens to Andrea, THE BIG AXE (my favorite character, and all the other superheroes. I highly recommend this audio series if you want to walk around laughing out loud.
Filled with the level of nerdy-ness, puns, and satirical tone that drew me in with the first book, this sequel did not disappoint! With a mix of quirky characters new and old, the story continues through a set of fresh challenges and super villains bent on world- and national-domination. Naturally, Andrea is faced with even greater interpersonal challenges and ethical quandaries.
This series, and this new installment are well worth the read! I can't wait for more!
This is an awesome and hilarious follow up to Andrea Vernon and the Corporation for Ultrahuman Protection with more mockery of literally everything. Given that I found it by accident - I didn't realize there was a sequel until I found it while browsing - I am very happy that it was written/recorded and that I could spend the time listening to it. Just like Andrea Vernon and CUP, this is something that I would cheerfully recommend.
An allegory about the fall of the Weimar Republic? A warning about the political situation in many Western Democracies today? A wild super hero comedy? All of the above? You be the judge. Just read it.
I was very excited to be back in the world of Andrea Vernon, assistant to Mrs Oh, president of Corporation for UltraHuman Protection, aka CUP. She is now traveling around the world to help with issues in other parts of the world, including Europe, which is where we find her at the beginning of the book. She is tasked with trying to follow Never More, a supervillain with several similarities to ravens. She isn’t very good at hiding, but it could also be that ravens always pay attention to the world around them.
Never More and Andrea hit it off, even if they are on opposite sides. Never More has an ingenious way to take over the world. Do it legal through corporate takeover. She buys the second largest hero corporation. She works with lawmakers to deregulate superhero corporations. Once she gets the contract to control prisons for supervillains and lets them all free. Now Andrea and her US Senator brother are the only ones working to take Never More and her corporation of supervillains masquerading as superheroes. Funny thing is, Andrea and Never More continue to be friends because they are able to be open and honest with each other and share things that many other people wouldn’t understand.
In this book, CUP has a new superhero in the ranks. GLARE! This superhero (I honestly can’t remember the gender, but it really doesn’t make much of a difference with this particular character), shines as bright as the sun. GLARE is also not able to speak in a normal voice, everything is loud (think Oprah when she was giving away prizes on her show, “you get a car, and you get a car”). GLARE! also burns up any fabric that comes in contact with his skin, so he walks around naked, though truthfully, you can’t see anything through the brightness. But then there is also the bare ass on the chairs, which is denied until Inspector Well Actually shows his ability to be a great lie detector. This entire scene where we first meet GLARE! had me laughing hysterically.
I really loved this sequel. It has all the humor as the first book, maybe a bit less silly humor, but plenty to make you laugh. I also think this one had a bit of a better plot. Not that the first one had a bad plot, this one is just a bit better, in my opinion. And we really get to see several real heroes in action, and that have nothing to do with superpowers, but the ability to put others over themselves, no matter the consequences. I really look forward to the third, and the most recent, audiobook published. I’m really hoping the series continues. I might be able to tell better when I listen to book 3, Andrea Vernon and the Big Axe Acquisition, which was released in 2021 and these have been released every other year. 🤞
Narration: In the review for book one, I told you one of the big reasons I picked up this series is because Bahni Turpin was the narrator. She is one of my absolute favorites. I’ve grabbed several books narrated by her by authors I didn’t know. She does such a great job with her narrations. She puts so much passion into each character. I don’t know what else to say about her. If you haven’t listened to something she’s performed, you’re really missing out.