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Memoirs of a Supervillain #1
Memoirs of a Supervillain
In a world where 'human' is only the beginning, and people can become something more, some will rise above, and become superheroes. But for every hero, there must be a villain. What drives someone to become a supervillain, and take on the heroes of the world? What would the life of someone who has accepted that they are no longer part of 'normal' society and devotes themselves to their own dreams and goals be like? What if a supervillain decided to write his memoirs, and speak about all these things?This is the memoir of the Supervillain known to the world as Iceblade. It chronicles his achievements and his failures, his loves and his losses. Learn about the theft of the Mona Lisa, the subjugation of Lady Victory, and the slaughter of the Holy Order of the Word. Hear for the first time about the death of Bytegeist. All from the point of view of the man himself.-----------------------------------------------------The setting is a world of superheroes and sci-fi, and our main character who may not be the most powerful out there, but is willing to do whatever it takes to win. No matter the cost. He is not a hero. He is not an anti-hero. He is not a vigilante. He is a villain, and knows what he is. He is amoral but ethical.Rated Definite language, violence, gore, sex, and all the horrible things that can happen in the world. If you have triggers, consider this your warning.
- GenresSuperheroes
267 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 27, 2019
189 people are currently reading
70 people want to read
About the author
Stuart Grosse
229 books209 followersI'm a rookie author, looking to write stories that I enjoy writing. Not gonna get awards, but honestly, I'm happy with each and every person that reads my work.
Stuart is a sci-fi and anime geek, who dabbles in tabletop and video gaming. He enjoys cosplaying and has gone to DragonCon annually since 2009. Frozen Soul is his first book.
It is a sad, sad day when you finally break down and realize that you will never have the life you wanted, never do the things you wished to do, and never see the things you wanted to see. All because of a stupid lack of lightsabers.
I was a 26 y/o college student at Armstrong Atlantic State University, as a theater major. Went to school for a while before, dropped out, tried to go back, dropped out.. Not much to say other than the fact that I'm a laid back guy, and the only drama I like is the kind that's on the stage.
If I act like an idiot, or do anything to offend you, chances are it is not intentional, and I'm being oblivious. In that case, hit me upside the head, and tell me, because I don't catch subtle hints.
Lives in Athens, Georgia, USA
https://www.facebook.com/Mirikon
mirikon@gmail.com
Stuart is a sci-fi and anime geek, who dabbles in tabletop and video gaming. He enjoys cosplaying and has gone to DragonCon annually since 2009. Frozen Soul is his first book.
It is a sad, sad day when you finally break down and realize that you will never have the life you wanted, never do the things you wished to do, and never see the things you wanted to see. All because of a stupid lack of lightsabers.
I was a 26 y/o college student at Armstrong Atlantic State University, as a theater major. Went to school for a while before, dropped out, tried to go back, dropped out.. Not much to say other than the fact that I'm a laid back guy, and the only drama I like is the kind that's on the stage.
If I act like an idiot, or do anything to offend you, chances are it is not intentional, and I'm being oblivious. In that case, hit me upside the head, and tell me, because I don't catch subtle hints.
Lives in Athens, Georgia, USA
https://www.facebook.com/Mirikon
mirikon@gmail.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
February 10, 2020
This is another one of those Supervillain tales told from the POV of the supervillain via his writings in a memoir. This seems to have become the standard storytelling format for books featuring a supervillain as the lead character for some weird reason. Maybe everyone else just loved Soon I Will be Invincible as much as I did! It could also just be because first person POV narrative can really work in stories like this.
This is the story of Iceblade, told in his own words, and chronicles his rise from teenage runaway to outright supervillain. It was an OK tale. We followed Iceblade as he learned to control his newly awakened powers and then as he began to put them to use as a petty thief before he moved onto more adventurous stuff like proper heists and assassination.
The best thing this book had going for it was the fact that Stuart Grosse had an engaging writing style and that Iceblade himself was a fairly engaging narrator. The worldbuilding was nothing special but that was not really an issue as even a fairly standard superhero setting can be a ton of fun when the story is engaging.
The fatal flaw for this book was the fact that Iceblade was a true supervillain. Most supervillains in these types of story still tend to be guys the reader can still root for despite some of their villainous actions along the way but Iceblade is a full out evil supervillain rather than some sort of rouge anti-hero. He was not shy when it came to full on evil and indulged in a fair bit of murder, torture, and even rape. The more powerful he got the worse and worse he seemed to get. It would have been nice if Grosse was offering a bit of social commentary on how power can corrupt but I never really got that vibe from the tale. It was more a case of this being a flat out neckbeard wish-fulfilment fantasy type of story. I felt like that hurt the story. Eliminating the rape and a few of the more horrific killings would have left Iceblade a bit more tolerable and that in turn would have made the book a lot more fun. The pure neckbeardness of it costs it badly compare to similar stories in the genre.
I'm not sure I'll bother with the sequel. Which is a pity as this had the potential to be a lot better than what it ended up being!
Rating: 3 stars. I'll rate this an average 3 stars. That is likely a kindly rating due to the severity of the flaws but this was very readable and most of the more horrific aspects of the tale were mitigated by the ridiculous nature of the book which left it impossible to take any of the happenings too seriously even the really dark stuff.
Audio Note: David Quimby was great with the audio. Really got the tone and his voice seemed a perfect fit for the character. If he had a flaw it was the fact that he struggled a bit with the female characters.
This is the story of Iceblade, told in his own words, and chronicles his rise from teenage runaway to outright supervillain. It was an OK tale. We followed Iceblade as he learned to control his newly awakened powers and then as he began to put them to use as a petty thief before he moved onto more adventurous stuff like proper heists and assassination.
The best thing this book had going for it was the fact that Stuart Grosse had an engaging writing style and that Iceblade himself was a fairly engaging narrator. The worldbuilding was nothing special but that was not really an issue as even a fairly standard superhero setting can be a ton of fun when the story is engaging.
The fatal flaw for this book was the fact that Iceblade was a true supervillain. Most supervillains in these types of story still tend to be guys the reader can still root for despite some of their villainous actions along the way but Iceblade is a full out evil supervillain rather than some sort of rouge anti-hero. He was not shy when it came to full on evil and indulged in a fair bit of murder, torture, and even rape. The more powerful he got the worse and worse he seemed to get. It would have been nice if Grosse was offering a bit of social commentary on how power can corrupt but I never really got that vibe from the tale. It was more a case of this being a flat out neckbeard wish-fulfilment fantasy type of story. I felt like that hurt the story. Eliminating the rape and a few of the more horrific killings would have left Iceblade a bit more tolerable and that in turn would have made the book a lot more fun. The pure neckbeardness of it costs it badly compare to similar stories in the genre.
I'm not sure I'll bother with the sequel. Which is a pity as this had the potential to be a lot better than what it ended up being!
Rating: 3 stars. I'll rate this an average 3 stars. That is likely a kindly rating due to the severity of the flaws but this was very readable and most of the more horrific aspects of the tale were mitigated by the ridiculous nature of the book which left it impossible to take any of the happenings too seriously even the really dark stuff.
Audio Note: David Quimby was great with the audio. Really got the tone and his voice seemed a perfect fit for the character. If he had a flaw it was the fact that he struggled a bit with the female characters.
May 23, 2019
Rape fantasy Mary Sue.
At all times this character is basically unbeatable and invincible for no reason, and smugly aware of it. Writer seems overly focused on tearing down strong female characters and it is hard to like a MC that is a serial rapist. Most strong female characters in the is book get raped by the MC to show how strong and invincible he is. Some get raped then murdered, or raped and then the MC talks about how they would have an enjoyable memory of it.
At all times this character is basically unbeatable and invincible for no reason, and smugly aware of it. Writer seems overly focused on tearing down strong female characters and it is hard to like a MC that is a serial rapist. Most strong female characters in the is book get raped by the MC to show how strong and invincible he is. Some get raped then murdered, or raped and then the MC talks about how they would have an enjoyable memory of it.
August 25, 2019
The word "SEWAGE" is not strong enough for this book. If there were a subterranean society of troglodytes that survived by exclusively eating raw sewage, this book is the blockage that trog plumbers would fish out of their pipes. This is the worst book I've ever read, and probably the worst thing I ever WILL read; it was so bad that I logged into GR for the first time in YEARS just to do my part in helping others avoid this book.
I don't want to spend any more time here than I've already wasted on the 80%-ish of the book I forced myself through, so I can't go into everything that was bad (everything). Here are the parts that managed to stick out as shockingly terrible, even compared to the rest:
THE MAIN CHARACTER is the worst and most egregious Mary Sue that has ever been brought to film or page. Every single conflict is instantaneously solved, usually with him revealing some hitherto-unmentioned power or gadget that is the perfect counter for the exact situation in which he finds himself. He's also unbelievably lame: the author's attempts to make him edgy and menacing and badass DO NOT LAND and end up coming across as eye-rollingly pathetic. Think about the guy you knew in high school who possessed zero survival skills but constantly talked about how much he wished there would be a zombie apocalypse (while somehow oblivious to the fact that he was Day One Dead the moment society wasn't around to protect him), and you're already there.
THE NARRATIVE is written on a See Spot Run level of terrible. It's "First draft of my new fanfiction" bad. The story contradicts itself over and over and over again, and not in remotely small or insubstantial ways. I actually feel bad for the author here, because this was quite clearly not proofread by ANYONE, not even once, which means every single person he sent a draft to either lied to his face about having read it, or lied to his face about having liked it.
THE PACING and TENSION are completely nonexistent. As mentioned briefly already, the protagonist instantly solves all problems with "oh I also had this gadget/superpower all along," which means there isn't a single threat or challenge that lasts to the end of the 4-minute chapter in which said conflict is introduced. Nothing is set up. Nothing is paid off. Nothing is ever at stake. And because of those three facts, nothing ever feels earned, and the story is boring beyond my capacity to articulate.
THE TONE fluctuates insanely for no reason, in the way only seen in bad fanfiction and the worst B-movies. Imagine trying to watch a movie where every single line of dialog is delivered in a completely different way from the one before it, even though there's no reason whatsoever for the change. It's hard to explain how jarring this is without a specific example from the story (and I don't want to have to put up a Spoiler tag) so picture it this way: Halfway through his speech about The Power of the Force, Darth Vader starts giggling and then a slide whistle plays. Think that might undercut everything happening in that scene? That's EVERY SCENE IN THIS BOOK. Ironically, this is the only thing that kept me reading past the first 3 times I wanted to quit: it was incomprehensible garbage that was weirdly compelling in that I wanted to know how much worse the book could get, because every time I thought it couldn't get worse I was proven wrong.
For the curious few who want to know what finally did me in: "the scene after the funeral." I was so close to the end, but I just couldn't take it anymore because the tone shift there is handled so badly that it stopped being schlocky-bad-funny and was just plain stupid.
I would recommend that everyone avoid this sub-turd, and instead ask that Amazon PULL IT DOWN from the Kindle Unlimited list. I read (most of) it for free and feel like I over-payed by at least a hundred bucks.
I don't want to spend any more time here than I've already wasted on the 80%-ish of the book I forced myself through, so I can't go into everything that was bad (everything). Here are the parts that managed to stick out as shockingly terrible, even compared to the rest:
THE MAIN CHARACTER is the worst and most egregious Mary Sue that has ever been brought to film or page. Every single conflict is instantaneously solved, usually with him revealing some hitherto-unmentioned power or gadget that is the perfect counter for the exact situation in which he finds himself. He's also unbelievably lame: the author's attempts to make him edgy and menacing and badass DO NOT LAND and end up coming across as eye-rollingly pathetic. Think about the guy you knew in high school who possessed zero survival skills but constantly talked about how much he wished there would be a zombie apocalypse (while somehow oblivious to the fact that he was Day One Dead the moment society wasn't around to protect him), and you're already there.
THE NARRATIVE is written on a See Spot Run level of terrible. It's "First draft of my new fanfiction" bad. The story contradicts itself over and over and over again, and not in remotely small or insubstantial ways. I actually feel bad for the author here, because this was quite clearly not proofread by ANYONE, not even once, which means every single person he sent a draft to either lied to his face about having read it, or lied to his face about having liked it.
THE PACING and TENSION are completely nonexistent. As mentioned briefly already, the protagonist instantly solves all problems with "oh I also had this gadget/superpower all along," which means there isn't a single threat or challenge that lasts to the end of the 4-minute chapter in which said conflict is introduced. Nothing is set up. Nothing is paid off. Nothing is ever at stake. And because of those three facts, nothing ever feels earned, and the story is boring beyond my capacity to articulate.
THE TONE fluctuates insanely for no reason, in the way only seen in bad fanfiction and the worst B-movies. Imagine trying to watch a movie where every single line of dialog is delivered in a completely different way from the one before it, even though there's no reason whatsoever for the change. It's hard to explain how jarring this is without a specific example from the story (and I don't want to have to put up a Spoiler tag) so picture it this way: Halfway through his speech about The Power of the Force, Darth Vader starts giggling and then a slide whistle plays. Think that might undercut everything happening in that scene? That's EVERY SCENE IN THIS BOOK. Ironically, this is the only thing that kept me reading past the first 3 times I wanted to quit: it was incomprehensible garbage that was weirdly compelling in that I wanted to know how much worse the book could get, because every time I thought it couldn't get worse I was proven wrong.
For the curious few who want to know what finally did me in: "the scene after the funeral." I was so close to the end, but I just couldn't take it anymore because the tone shift there is handled so badly that it stopped being schlocky-bad-funny and was just plain stupid.
I would recommend that everyone avoid this sub-turd, and instead ask that Amazon PULL IT DOWN from the Kindle Unlimited list. I read (most of) it for free and feel like I over-payed by at least a hundred bucks.
October 12, 2019
Typical male power fantasy. Be the bad guy, but have all the women (especially superheroes) fall at your feet for the chance to be your sex slaves. Which of course isn't rape, because the magical incubus ring made them 'want' it (coercion at best, mental manipulation more accurate). After all, even as the bad guy, the protagonist hates 'real' rapists.
His only true mistake or challenge leads to two years of captivity and torture, but these barely have an effect except to make him more powerful than ever and give him an excuse to rape a man's wife and daughter just for being related to the man he blames for it, a course of action he claims to regret, but only mentions in passing and never again, with no impact on the story or his personality whatsoever. Not to mention all the women he sells into the sex trade without remorse for the same 'crime' of being connected to his enemy.
Your story is gross, Grosse.
His only true mistake or challenge leads to two years of captivity and torture, but these barely have an effect except to make him more powerful than ever and give him an excuse to rape a man's wife and daughter just for being related to the man he blames for it, a course of action he claims to regret, but only mentions in passing and never again, with no impact on the story or his personality whatsoever. Not to mention all the women he sells into the sex trade without remorse for the same 'crime' of being connected to his enemy.
Your story is gross, Grosse.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 14, 2020
Basically how to be a supervillain. There were a lot of lists and explanations at the start so it took too long to get into the story, but there wasn't much plot anyway. Mostly quite dull but also graphic in a few places.
The main character has no redeeming qualities, he says not all villains are evil but he actually is pretty awful.
Narrator is ok but I had to listen on a much higher speed.
The main character has no redeeming qualities, he says not all villains are evil but he actually is pretty awful.
Narrator is ok but I had to listen on a much higher speed.
July 10, 2019
I was hoping for a fun schlocky/underdog story with maybe a redemption arc like Confessions of a D-List Supervillain.
Instead this Mary Sue protagonist walks into a series of free power ups and becomes the most feared villain in the world because of how he murders the families of those who wrong him.
He also gets a ring of sexual mind control and spends the rest of the book raping and mind controlling his way to victory.
Maybe this does something for the trench coat and fedora set but for me this rapey white-guy-with-a-katana author avatar masturbation story is a pile of hot garbage.
Instead this Mary Sue protagonist walks into a series of free power ups and becomes the most feared villain in the world because of how he murders the families of those who wrong him.
He also gets a ring of sexual mind control and spends the rest of the book raping and mind controlling his way to victory.
Maybe this does something for the trench coat and fedora set but for me this rapey white-guy-with-a-katana author avatar masturbation story is a pile of hot garbage.
August 17, 2019
Ok, so I stopped reading this early on because I found it a bit boring, but after reading other reviews I'm horrified that this book was even suggested to me on audible. And why does it have so many good reviews displayed on their site! Fortunately, they have that open return policy, but I hate that I'm giving this book the same one star rating as all the books I just didn't like...
August 19, 2019
Really enjoyed a villain's viewpoint. The entertainment industry is just flooded with the same crap right now. Superhero stories that are all basically the same. This one is different. It's also a gritty man's take on it. The teenage girl (with the betacuck romantic interest) who magically saves the day story is also getting stale.
January 16, 2020
Great story
What a great story! The character is built well. Filled out and given depth. As far as the gory bad things he does? Well read and see for yourself, if you like this kind of story:)
What a great story! The character is built well. Filled out and given depth. As far as the gory bad things he does? Well read and see for yourself, if you like this kind of story:)
November 3, 2019
It was "okay", it read like the other "super villain as a protagonist" I read over the years. Where having popular comic book characters in their stories that you recognize through their personality and traits or attributes (e.g we had an off reality batman that liked to use guns, and a few others) was the modus operandi.
The author also seems to have a thing (read fetish) for being multilingual. Two different stories I read by him, both had the Mc becoming an universal polygot. He also seems to have an
While this book was entertaining enough, I don't think I will continue with the series. I liked the book with the villain protagonist that made a lot of tech(Confessions of a D-List Supervillain), someone with ice powers just wasn't my thing. The book was well written, and I don't see any blatant self insert by the author, other than his two aforementioned "fetishes", which might be what the author wants to be in real life. Other than that, the book was okay. I'm just no interested in ice powers and all that might entail.
2.5/5 Stars
The author also seems to have a thing (read fetish) for being multilingual. Two different stories I read by him, both had the Mc becoming an universal polygot. He also seems to have an
While this book was entertaining enough, I don't think I will continue with the series. I liked the book with the villain protagonist that made a lot of tech(Confessions of a D-List Supervillain), someone with ice powers just wasn't my thing. The book was well written, and I don't see any blatant self insert by the author, other than his two aforementioned "fetishes", which might be what the author wants to be in real life. Other than that, the book was okay. I'm just no interested in ice powers and all that might entail.
2.5/5 Stars
May 18, 2019
A supervillain tells all
Very different than other Stuart Grosse books. A series of stories told by the supervillain Iceblade. I really liked them. They reminded me a lot of Harry Harrison's Stainless steel rat stories. Great reading about a bad man that doesn't put up with people that mess with him or those he cares about.
Very different than other Stuart Grosse books. A series of stories told by the supervillain Iceblade. I really liked them. They reminded me a lot of Harry Harrison's Stainless steel rat stories. Great reading about a bad man that doesn't put up with people that mess with him or those he cares about.
May 31, 2019
Superb!
I liked this alot , this is well written and flows well, ghe idea of it being a memoir works well. Iceblade is likeable as a villian but could also be seen as a good guy with a high moral standard that can slip if provoked the wrong way, dort of reminds me of Mel Gibson in Payback!
I liked this alot , this is well written and flows well, ghe idea of it being a memoir works well. Iceblade is likeable as a villian but could also be seen as a good guy with a high moral standard that can slip if provoked the wrong way, dort of reminds me of Mel Gibson in Payback!
May 2, 2019
Another impressive beginning to a series
Two thumbs up for a great read that was hard to put down. Nice progression from runaway to supervillian. I am looking forward to the next installment.
Two thumbs up for a great read that was hard to put down. Nice progression from runaway to supervillian. I am looking forward to the next installment.
June 4, 2019
Mediocre
This story sucks compared to others other stories I was let down, while this is an.interesting read, maybe. It's not even.1/10th as interesting as the author's other works.
This story sucks compared to others other stories I was let down, while this is an.interesting read, maybe. It's not even.1/10th as interesting as the author's other works.
October 10, 2019
Not funny plus it has a lot of questionable content
The book has a fair amount of rape and sexual domination in it, which really doesn’t bring anything to the already non-humorous story.
I’m sorry I wasted my time on this book, hoping that it would improve, but it didn’t.
The book has a fair amount of rape and sexual domination in it, which really doesn’t bring anything to the already non-humorous story.
I’m sorry I wasted my time on this book, hoping that it would improve, but it didn’t.
February 4, 2020
More than I expected
At first I was surprised when the main character was actually doing some foul stuff. But then I began to appreciate and enjoy it. I look forward to the next book.
At first I was surprised when the main character was actually doing some foul stuff. But then I began to appreciate and enjoy it. I look forward to the next book.
March 11, 2020
Great with a but
This is a really good book not his best I prefer rules free vrmmo or the lewd dungeon this book has a few inconsistences that I think should have been addressed but annoying those this book is solid looking to read book two next
This is a really good book not his best I prefer rules free vrmmo or the lewd dungeon this book has a few inconsistences that I think should have been addressed but annoying those this book is solid looking to read book two next
August 15, 2020
Loved it
Hahaha honestly it tickled my fancy the entire read. I mostly hate heros and antiheroes. A bunch of whiney asshats mostly. But someone who lives their lives and kicks the ass of anyone who crosses them with extreme prejudice is always the best
Hahaha honestly it tickled my fancy the entire read. I mostly hate heros and antiheroes. A bunch of whiney asshats mostly. But someone who lives their lives and kicks the ass of anyone who crosses them with extreme prejudice is always the best
January 24, 2021
This is everything it says it is.
Very well written keeping wonderful pace. Does not big down in too many details not does it skip widely about. The tone is spot on, the content just right.
Very well written keeping wonderful pace. Does not big down in too many details not does it skip widely about. The tone is spot on, the content just right.
April 8, 2021
I like the premise. Tell us the back story of a supervillain. But a really, truly, evil supervillain. Not one of those he's bad but deep down good guys.
But it fell flat. It tries to be too realistic but it comes off instead a a bit boring and one dimensional.
A forgettable read.
But it fell flat. It tries to be too realistic but it comes off instead a a bit boring and one dimensional.
A forgettable read.
May 28, 2019
Very fun read
Pretty novel story. Not often something different and this goes comes along. Good mix of the monomyth and the anti hero.
Pretty novel story. Not often something different and this goes comes along. Good mix of the monomyth and the anti hero.
June 22, 2019
Not a fan.
July 14, 2019
Super
Super villain, super hero sometimes it's a matter of perspective. Honor the deal you'll be good. Welch and prepare to say
Super villain, super hero sometimes it's a matter of perspective. Honor the deal you'll be good. Welch and prepare to say
July 22, 2019
Excellent book
I look forward to the next story. Very good read. You know that its a good book when you are mad when you finish. Hopefully, the next is as good!
I look forward to the next story. Very good read. You know that its a good book when you are mad when you finish. Hopefully, the next is as good!
July 24, 2019
Great book
It is on of the few books I ha e never read love 💘 it it is so grotesc that a lot will not enjoy but more will have something new and take about enjoy i did
It is on of the few books I ha e never read love 💘 it it is so grotesc that a lot will not enjoy but more will have something new and take about enjoy i did
February 21, 2020
Fun take on a "Supervillain" who is really a businessman with issues who doesn't care about collateral damage. Not a fan of the DOM sections... but skim past them to get back to the main story.
September 26, 2020
Amazing
Was fantastic start to finish . Draws you and doesn’t let ya go. Can’t wait for to read the sequel
Was fantastic start to finish . Draws you and doesn’t let ya go. Can’t wait for to read the sequel
December 16, 2021
Neckbeard Fantasy
This novel is not good. The writing is sloppy. The story is shallow. The MC is an unlikeable Mary Sue. I regret the time I spent reading this.
This novel is not good. The writing is sloppy. The story is shallow. The MC is an unlikeable Mary Sue. I regret the time I spent reading this.
January 15, 2022
Way too pretentious writing for my taste.
January 25, 2022
I enjoyed this book; I am glad I stuck with Stuart Groose after the atrocious "Rules Free VRMMO Life"
Defiantly going to look into the other books in the series.
Defiantly going to look into the other books in the series.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews