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Wearing the Cape #6
Team-Ups and Crossovers
Astra was done traveling, or so she thought. Benched for physical rehab and retraining, she’s in LA dating movie stars (not as fun as you might think) when the Department of Superhuman Affairs asks for help catching a superhuman serial killer. When what should be a simple job develops…complications, she finds herself catapulted into another reality—one with its own history and superheroes! As her teammates scramble to find out where she’s gone and what’s become of her, Astra embarks on a cross-world journey in search of a way home. It’s going to be a long trip.
Team-Ups and Crossovers follows Astra and her teammates through multiple stories on multiple worlds, and includes a story co-written with David Barrack (writer/artist of Grrl Power), an original story by K.F. Lim, and the graciously permitted use of Velveteen and friends by Seanan McGuire.
Team-Ups and Crossovers follows Astra and her teammates through multiple stories on multiple worlds, and includes a story co-written with David Barrack (writer/artist of Grrl Power), an original story by K.F. Lim, and the graciously permitted use of Velveteen and friends by Seanan McGuire.
15 pages, Audible Audio
First published October 27, 2016
50 people are currently reading
218 people want to read
About the author
Marion G. Harmon
24 books290 followersMarion G. Harmon picked up a Masters of History degree because he likes stories. He resides in Las Vegas, where he dabbles in various aspects of financial planning while trying to get the people in his head onto the page so they’ll stop pestering him.
Addendum: M.G.Harmon still lives in Las Vegas, but has ceased telling other people how to invest their money to become a "professional author," whatever that is. He has written nine books, all about Astra and Company. They still won't leave him alone.
Addendum: M.G.Harmon still lives in Las Vegas, but has ceased telling other people how to invest their money to become a "professional author," whatever that is. He has written nine books, all about Astra and Company. They still won't leave him alone.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews
January 16, 2024
Nice book teaming up the main character with characters from other series. Fun read. Recommended
December 11, 2016
I am a huge fan of Marion G. Harmon's Wearing the Cape series and it was actually a major influence on my Supervillainy Saga books. Before Supergirl was on television, I was a huge fan of the character and felt she was overlooked. So fiction starring a Supergirl-alike ala Hope Corrigan was something I eagerly devoured. I've been a bit back and forth about the past couple of volumes because the forward momentum seemed a bit stalled.
I was really hoping we'd get some insight into the idea of the Teatime Anarchist's "hellish future" and why events are accelerating toward bringing it about but the past few volumes have mostly been about slice of life characterizations. This doesn't get rectified in the book but there is a pretty entertaining storyline which covers one of my favorite types of comic book story: the parallel universe.
Back before DC Comics drove the concept to the ground, some of the more interesting stories were about the Flash traveling to alternate universes to deal with the heroes of other worlds while also seeing how reality played out differently there. The Flash series is doing the same thing with the Supergirl series and we've also seen the concept examined in-depth by sci-fi series like Sliders.
The concept is a difficult one to pull off because while interesting, you have to develop the whole world as well as make sure things feel like they actually have stakes. Other realities aren't usually going to impact the main universe and can be shrugged off as, essentially, just a dream. So, you can tell I was leery of this particular story and whether or not it would be any good.
So, what did I think? It was actually pretty good. Hope Corrigan takes awhile to get trapped in another dimension, it's a series of very entertaining short stories set in other superhero universes. This includes the Velveteen universe, which I'm going to check out because of this and a number of others which have intrigued me. As advertising for other superhero fiction, I have to say I'm impressed and kind of annoyed she didn't visit my world.
Really, I'm not sure what to say about this book other than it's just consistently entertaining throughout. There's a section in Oz, a section in a post-apocalypse Iron Age world, and places where Hope meets Santa Clause. I even liked the parts which weren't from Hope's part, which includes a really good section with Artemis. I think my favorite part was set in a comic book convention where Hope and the superheroine Astra are fictional characters on a popular TV series.
I admit, there's one element of the book which bothers me and that's the fact I absolutely hate the Kitsune and Hope romance. I'm not a big fan of really pushy characters to begin with but Kitsune, which I can best describe as a shape-shifting Japanese Gambit, really annoys me. I was more interested in the Astra/Seven romance and it seems that's not going to go anywhere.
In conclusion, this is an enjoyable story and I recommend it to fans of the Wearing the Cape series or even as a stand-alone to check out. However, nothing really of consequence happens in this book and I wish there would be more of a metaplot in Hope's life. Right now, it seems like the series is mostly just putting out enjoyable filler.
8/10
I was really hoping we'd get some insight into the idea of the Teatime Anarchist's "hellish future" and why events are accelerating toward bringing it about but the past few volumes have mostly been about slice of life characterizations. This doesn't get rectified in the book but there is a pretty entertaining storyline which covers one of my favorite types of comic book story: the parallel universe.
Back before DC Comics drove the concept to the ground, some of the more interesting stories were about the Flash traveling to alternate universes to deal with the heroes of other worlds while also seeing how reality played out differently there. The Flash series is doing the same thing with the Supergirl series and we've also seen the concept examined in-depth by sci-fi series like Sliders.
The concept is a difficult one to pull off because while interesting, you have to develop the whole world as well as make sure things feel like they actually have stakes. Other realities aren't usually going to impact the main universe and can be shrugged off as, essentially, just a dream. So, you can tell I was leery of this particular story and whether or not it would be any good.
So, what did I think? It was actually pretty good. Hope Corrigan takes awhile to get trapped in another dimension, it's a series of very entertaining short stories set in other superhero universes. This includes the Velveteen universe, which I'm going to check out because of this and a number of others which have intrigued me. As advertising for other superhero fiction, I have to say I'm impressed and kind of annoyed she didn't visit my world.
Really, I'm not sure what to say about this book other than it's just consistently entertaining throughout. There's a section in Oz, a section in a post-apocalypse Iron Age world, and places where Hope meets Santa Clause. I even liked the parts which weren't from Hope's part, which includes a really good section with Artemis. I think my favorite part was set in a comic book convention where Hope and the superheroine Astra are fictional characters on a popular TV series.
I admit, there's one element of the book which bothers me and that's the fact I absolutely hate the Kitsune and Hope romance. I'm not a big fan of really pushy characters to begin with but Kitsune, which I can best describe as a shape-shifting Japanese Gambit, really annoys me. I was more interested in the Astra/Seven romance and it seems that's not going to go anywhere.
In conclusion, this is an enjoyable story and I recommend it to fans of the Wearing the Cape series or even as a stand-alone to check out. However, nothing really of consequence happens in this book and I wish there would be more of a metaplot in Hope's life. Right now, it seems like the series is mostly just putting out enjoyable filler.
8/10
June 6, 2023
One of the hallmarks of the great super hero series is the team up with other heroes and another is the cross over either into other superhero universes or into alternate versions of the hero’s reality. In Team Ups and Cross Overs, Harmon gives us a lot of each. These are quick short stories that not only give Astra the chance to rub shoulders with heroes from other authors’ imaginations but to learn just how important her efforts have been by showing her what would have happened if she’d died back in the beginning of the series.
I wasn’t familiar with any of the other authors’ superhero worlds, but they were self-explanatory enough that I had no problem jumping into the action. Probably the best short story in the collection was Grimworld in which Astra discovers a reality in which she died at the Whittier Base Attack and so wasn’t around to stop the EMP attack that was the focus of the Omega Night short story. That future is bleak and it was fascinating to watch Astra deal with the tragedy that had become the planet.
While I encourage every fan of the series to read this book, I also note that it is the weakest of the series. In my second reading of the collection, I found that many of the short stories no longer interested me at all. Obviously, that’s not good. And it’s not something I’ve found with the other novels. Yet, I am still glad Harmon experimented with this multiple realities event and I think you will be too.
I have been working my way through the audio book versions of this series and found that a good narrator improved my enjoyment of this volume immensely. If you’re going to read it, think about trying the audiobook version.
If you liked this review, you can find more at www.gilbertstack.com/reviews.
I wasn’t familiar with any of the other authors’ superhero worlds, but they were self-explanatory enough that I had no problem jumping into the action. Probably the best short story in the collection was Grimworld in which Astra discovers a reality in which she died at the Whittier Base Attack and so wasn’t around to stop the EMP attack that was the focus of the Omega Night short story. That future is bleak and it was fascinating to watch Astra deal with the tragedy that had become the planet.
While I encourage every fan of the series to read this book, I also note that it is the weakest of the series. In my second reading of the collection, I found that many of the short stories no longer interested me at all. Obviously, that’s not good. And it’s not something I’ve found with the other novels. Yet, I am still glad Harmon experimented with this multiple realities event and I think you will be too.
I have been working my way through the audio book versions of this series and found that a good narrator improved my enjoyment of this volume immensely. If you’re going to read it, think about trying the audiobook version.
If you liked this review, you can find more at www.gilbertstack.com/reviews.
November 25, 2016
Praise from an unabashed fan.
I bought this book, and happy I did, instead of getting it on Kindle Unlimited.
I'm a huge fan of Mr. Harmon and the "Wearing the Cape" series, so please, though I will tell you to buy this, know I am far from unbiased.
Buy this book. Buy all of the books.
The series is refreshingly... Honest. It is pretty and hopeful and so painfully, emotionally honest. Hope Corrigan is a shining white knight to the people of her world, but no Pollyanna. There are no simple answers, and the author deftly looks at all the facets of the problems. His characters think as hard as they hit. Astra carries the weight of her powers with aplomb, but acknowledges what she is carrying.
Also, as a fan, this very readable work is not, in my opinion, his best. Mr. Harmon is great at the long form, and these novellas are great, but could be better.
That being said, as a reader of two to three books a week, Mr. Harmon is one of the top 1% of authors you probably never heard of but should have that you will find in the Kindle store.
Start out at Wearing the Cape, the book one of the series. Buy it, love it and work your way back here, and find a little Hope in your life.
Now, a question for the author, should he read this:
Living within 30 miles of Braidwood, Dresden and LaSalle nuclear generating stations, and working for a different division of the company that owns and operates all of those stations; what happened to the other reactor at Braidwood?
I bought this book, and happy I did, instead of getting it on Kindle Unlimited.
I'm a huge fan of Mr. Harmon and the "Wearing the Cape" series, so please, though I will tell you to buy this, know I am far from unbiased.
Buy this book. Buy all of the books.
The series is refreshingly... Honest. It is pretty and hopeful and so painfully, emotionally honest. Hope Corrigan is a shining white knight to the people of her world, but no Pollyanna. There are no simple answers, and the author deftly looks at all the facets of the problems. His characters think as hard as they hit. Astra carries the weight of her powers with aplomb, but acknowledges what she is carrying.
Also, as a fan, this very readable work is not, in my opinion, his best. Mr. Harmon is great at the long form, and these novellas are great, but could be better.
That being said, as a reader of two to three books a week, Mr. Harmon is one of the top 1% of authors you probably never heard of but should have that you will find in the Kindle store.
Start out at Wearing the Cape, the book one of the series. Buy it, love it and work your way back here, and find a little Hope in your life.
Now, a question for the author, should he read this:
Living within 30 miles of Braidwood, Dresden and LaSalle nuclear generating stations, and working for a different division of the company that owns and operates all of those stations; what happened to the other reactor at Braidwood?
January 1, 2022
Enjoyable Superhero fluff. 4.5
Team-ups and Crossovers is a collection of short stories that weave into a single narrative at the end. Astra our heroine goes about her daily superhero life when things go sideways and she ends up accidently jumping to another dimensions. Now she has to continue dimension hopping to hopefully eventually end up back home and in the right dimension.
In all a wholly fun novel to read. Seeing Astra in various settings interacting with widely varying people is a treat. Especially if those people include superheroes created by other authors.
In short the sixth novel is a winner.
This novel includes contributions of Seanan McGuire (Velveteen vs. The Junior Super Patriots, David Barracks's Grrl Power webcomic and new autor K.F. Lim
Team-ups and Crossovers is a collection of short stories that weave into a single narrative at the end. Astra our heroine goes about her daily superhero life when things go sideways and she ends up accidently jumping to another dimensions. Now she has to continue dimension hopping to hopefully eventually end up back home and in the right dimension.
In all a wholly fun novel to read. Seeing Astra in various settings interacting with widely varying people is a treat. Especially if those people include superheroes created by other authors.
In short the sixth novel is a winner.
This novel includes contributions of Seanan McGuire (Velveteen vs. The Junior Super Patriots, David Barracks's Grrl Power webcomic and new autor K.F. Lim
March 24, 2021
Awesome read!! Really loved the way all these different characters interacted. I had no idea about any of them until this book really fun read that was given
Astra is still a great character to read about and see how other people react to her. Funny new worlds and a massive reality that was travelled through awesome
Peace out
Astra is still a great character to read about and see how other people react to her. Funny new worlds and a massive reality that was travelled through awesome
Peace out
November 15, 2016
So it's a little weird reviewing a book that I actually contributed to...but I'll try
So first of all I'm going to say that the four-star rating I give this book excludes my own short story (Historical Accuracy), although it was really, REALLY hard to come up with one rating for all the stories.
1) Dating Games: I was a little disappointed in what was emphasized here, since it was 100% about the fact that Kitsune WOULD be creepy, only he's hot and Hope not-so-secretly enjoys his weird mind games and attention, which is probably the only reason why Kitsune acts the way he does. I get the feeling that if he was actually creeping Hope out, he'd stop and apologize. Which is fun...but also gets old. What I WANTED to hear about was the frickin' mirror-walking killer clown. COME ON. Maybe I am biased and old, though.
2) Killing Sleeping Beauty: To be honest, a bit unremarkable, and I kept thinking "OMG I NEED TO REREAD BITE ME SO BAD TO GET THIS." I love Jacky, I love New Orleans, but....nothing really stood out beyond the usual solid writing. A good set up for a future Jacky novel, though? Please?
3) Velveteen vs. the Crossover: THIS is where the book really started to get into a good story arc swing. I've been putting off reading Velveteen, mainly because I prefer cohesive novels vs. separate short stories, but this made me really want to dive into the world! I didn't feel alienated for not reading Velveteen earlier, which is a rarity in cross overs. Plus, hey, I love diversity in sci fi since it's such a rarity and just...yes. I'm a Seanan McGuire fan girl, basically, and I didn't need yet another unfinished series of hers to whine after (Incryptid 4eva, yo!)
4) The Oz Job: every time MGH writes some more backstory for Ozma and Grendel, I think "Oh man, I should really read all the Oz books!" And then I'm torn because I know they're basically political metaphor and also were written in the early 20th century so the....different standards re: racism, sexism, etc would probably be pretty jolting. But damn, I love the dynamic between Ozma and Grendel and....god. Heartbreaking. Ozma being like a little lost girl after the Wizard says no to her is just so delicately done. Lovely!
5) Through a Bright Mirror: Screw you, MGH. The feels. I'm done. I'm so done. Probably the hardest short story to get through (it certainly felt the longest) for the sheer emotional drainage and the textual explanations of universe hopping. But seriously critical I think not just to the plot of this collection but for Hope's character development in general. She's been getting consistently more self-aware in ways that are eroding her innocence and general Joie-de-vivre, and this really seals that in and sets her up for some real maturing and evolution.
6) The Travelers Tale: OK confession time: I am total, TOTAL Shakespeare English major trash and this was the BEST. I literally found myself going "oh, no. Oh NO! Oh NONO!" Which is basically the most praise-worthy reaction I can think of when reading something based off of Midsummer's Night Dream. Mad props for the blank verse, bro. I expected to hate this, I really did, but honestly it's the standout story of the entire lot.
7) Grimworld: definitely tied with Through a Bright Mirror for emotional drainage and length. Also pivotal, and I'm sort of excited to see if cyber-Hope pops up in future books but god...so exhausting. Probably the only story in the entire book that made me take a short break to read something else (BTW: the "something else" was a novella about a badass stuffed teddy bear who fights evil monsters so...yeah. Oddly similar really, and not really a break). The awkward make out scene was soooooo cringe-worthy but it was cringe-worthy because it was accurate.
8) Wargames: definitely disorienting at first, but fun once I realized what was going on. I'm sure there are references I missed, but then again, I'm not a gamer (or at least, not a FPS/alien shoot-em-up gamer. I'm a gamer girlfriend, meaning I play couch co-opts with my boyfriend that are generally about really cute things like arctic foxes and laser ships powered by love).
9) Astra Gets Grrl Power: OK so I'm not familiar with Grrl Power as a web comic, but as a piece co-written with a web comic creator, I felt really....lost without the visuals. I think it would have been easier for me to slip into this world with some cool art panels added in and I really just felt disoriented to the point of thinking about skipping through it, before I thought "no! I don't want to miss out the plot!" But it was definitely fun in parts and my inner geek girl was squee-ing quite a bit. Definitely a little deus ex machina-ish at the end, but what super hero story isn't?
10) everybody vs. the team up: cute and satisfying and terrifying, and a good ending to the entire arc. Makes me want to read Velveteen more.
....As for Historical Accuracy, I don't think that it's fair for me to review my own work but I did want to address some of the questions I've been seeing about it in other reviews....
A) first of all, this story was really never meant as a "true" epilogue, per se. I wrote this around the same time when MGH was first starting and he made the decision to stick at the end of the book, less of a way of wrapping up the story but more like "bonus material," in the same way you get extras when you read a trade paperback version of a comic book story arc. It's 100% pure fluff.
B) as for some of the questions about the "authenticity"/"stereotypes" of certain characters, I would just like to say, on the record, that I am Chinese/Pinoy/Filipino and most of the dialogue is 100% lifted verbatim from several Titas I know.
C) Re: The relative youth of the Nauticals. MGH and I did actually discuss youthful breakthroughs and what that would be like in a big major city as opposed to a less urbanized environment. I wanted to write about a CAI team that was around Astra's age and was maybe more mature in certain aspects but less mature in others. I also was basing my age-related decisions on the fact that you can become a certified lifeguard at 15 and join the ROTC at 17, so having a 25 year old CAI member who had been practicing for ten years already seemed feasible. But also too before I really delve too deep into this whole thing I should just go on the record and admit that my main impetus for writing this story was "How do you get Hope Corrigan to drop the F-Bomb?" And this story was born.
So first of all I'm going to say that the four-star rating I give this book excludes my own short story (Historical Accuracy), although it was really, REALLY hard to come up with one rating for all the stories.
1) Dating Games: I was a little disappointed in what was emphasized here, since it was 100% about the fact that Kitsune WOULD be creepy, only he's hot and Hope not-so-secretly enjoys his weird mind games and attention, which is probably the only reason why Kitsune acts the way he does. I get the feeling that if he was actually creeping Hope out, he'd stop and apologize. Which is fun...but also gets old. What I WANTED to hear about was the frickin' mirror-walking killer clown. COME ON. Maybe I am biased and old, though.
2) Killing Sleeping Beauty: To be honest, a bit unremarkable, and I kept thinking "OMG I NEED TO REREAD BITE ME SO BAD TO GET THIS." I love Jacky, I love New Orleans, but....nothing really stood out beyond the usual solid writing. A good set up for a future Jacky novel, though? Please?
3) Velveteen vs. the Crossover: THIS is where the book really started to get into a good story arc swing. I've been putting off reading Velveteen, mainly because I prefer cohesive novels vs. separate short stories, but this made me really want to dive into the world! I didn't feel alienated for not reading Velveteen earlier, which is a rarity in cross overs. Plus, hey, I love diversity in sci fi since it's such a rarity and just...yes. I'm a Seanan McGuire fan girl, basically, and I didn't need yet another unfinished series of hers to whine after (Incryptid 4eva, yo!)
4) The Oz Job: every time MGH writes some more backstory for Ozma and Grendel, I think "Oh man, I should really read all the Oz books!" And then I'm torn because I know they're basically political metaphor and also were written in the early 20th century so the....different standards re: racism, sexism, etc would probably be pretty jolting. But damn, I love the dynamic between Ozma and Grendel and....god. Heartbreaking. Ozma being like a little lost girl after the Wizard says no to her is just so delicately done. Lovely!
5) Through a Bright Mirror: Screw you, MGH. The feels. I'm done. I'm so done. Probably the hardest short story to get through (it certainly felt the longest) for the sheer emotional drainage and the textual explanations of universe hopping. But seriously critical I think not just to the plot of this collection but for Hope's character development in general. She's been getting consistently more self-aware in ways that are eroding her innocence and general Joie-de-vivre, and this really seals that in and sets her up for some real maturing and evolution.
6) The Travelers Tale: OK confession time: I am total, TOTAL Shakespeare English major trash and this was the BEST. I literally found myself going "oh, no. Oh NO! Oh NONO!" Which is basically the most praise-worthy reaction I can think of when reading something based off of Midsummer's Night Dream. Mad props for the blank verse, bro. I expected to hate this, I really did, but honestly it's the standout story of the entire lot.
7) Grimworld: definitely tied with Through a Bright Mirror for emotional drainage and length. Also pivotal, and I'm sort of excited to see if cyber-Hope pops up in future books but god...so exhausting. Probably the only story in the entire book that made me take a short break to read something else (BTW: the "something else" was a novella about a badass stuffed teddy bear who fights evil monsters so...yeah. Oddly similar really, and not really a break). The awkward make out scene was soooooo cringe-worthy but it was cringe-worthy because it was accurate.
8) Wargames: definitely disorienting at first, but fun once I realized what was going on. I'm sure there are references I missed, but then again, I'm not a gamer (or at least, not a FPS/alien shoot-em-up gamer. I'm a gamer girlfriend, meaning I play couch co-opts with my boyfriend that are generally about really cute things like arctic foxes and laser ships powered by love).
9) Astra Gets Grrl Power: OK so I'm not familiar with Grrl Power as a web comic, but as a piece co-written with a web comic creator, I felt really....lost without the visuals. I think it would have been easier for me to slip into this world with some cool art panels added in and I really just felt disoriented to the point of thinking about skipping through it, before I thought "no! I don't want to miss out the plot!" But it was definitely fun in parts and my inner geek girl was squee-ing quite a bit. Definitely a little deus ex machina-ish at the end, but what super hero story isn't?
10) everybody vs. the team up: cute and satisfying and terrifying, and a good ending to the entire arc. Makes me want to read Velveteen more.
....As for Historical Accuracy, I don't think that it's fair for me to review my own work but I did want to address some of the questions I've been seeing about it in other reviews....
A) first of all, this story was really never meant as a "true" epilogue, per se. I wrote this around the same time when MGH was first starting and he made the decision to stick at the end of the book, less of a way of wrapping up the story but more like "bonus material," in the same way you get extras when you read a trade paperback version of a comic book story arc. It's 100% pure fluff.
B) as for some of the questions about the "authenticity"/"stereotypes" of certain characters, I would just like to say, on the record, that I am Chinese/Pinoy/Filipino and most of the dialogue is 100% lifted verbatim from several Titas I know.
C) Re: The relative youth of the Nauticals. MGH and I did actually discuss youthful breakthroughs and what that would be like in a big major city as opposed to a less urbanized environment. I wanted to write about a CAI team that was around Astra's age and was maybe more mature in certain aspects but less mature in others. I also was basing my age-related decisions on the fact that you can become a certified lifeguard at 15 and join the ROTC at 17, so having a 25 year old CAI member who had been practicing for ten years already seemed feasible. But also too before I really delve too deep into this whole thing I should just go on the record and admit that my main impetus for writing this story was "How do you get Hope Corrigan to drop the F-Bomb?" And this story was born.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 3, 2018
Although I've learned to mostly enjoy this series, despite it's very rough start, Team-Ups and Crossovers just didn't work for me. The author admits in the forward that it's experimental and an homage to the decades-old tradition of superheroes either teaming up to work together, or crossing over into other superhero settings. Unfortunately, for me, the execution didn't live up to the premise.
First off, the overall plot thread just... didn't come together for me. It jumped around a lot, and felt like a very forced excuse for all of this universe jumping the protagonist is doing. Secondly, I'm not at all familiar with some of the settings that the protagonist jumps to; perhaps fans of those other authors' settings will get a kick out of it, but unfortunately for me it was entirely lost on me.
Fortunately, the next book in this series (which as of this writing has just come out) is a vast improvement, perhaps my favorite in the series so far. So although book 6 didn't work for me, my enjoyment of the overall setting has been restored with its sequel.
First off, the overall plot thread just... didn't come together for me. It jumped around a lot, and felt like a very forced excuse for all of this universe jumping the protagonist is doing. Secondly, I'm not at all familiar with some of the settings that the protagonist jumps to; perhaps fans of those other authors' settings will get a kick out of it, but unfortunately for me it was entirely lost on me.
Fortunately, the next book in this series (which as of this writing has just come out) is a vast improvement, perhaps my favorite in the series so far. So although book 6 didn't work for me, my enjoyment of the overall setting has been restored with its sequel.
July 8, 2023
What a bizarre book.
I did like the first crossover, but not the last. I didn’t think there could be a more annoying character than Shel, but there you go. And the variety of perspectives and styles really did keep it fresh.
But it once again demonstrates the “Hope is uninteresting, but interesting things happen TO her all the time”. If she stopped giggling and crying all the time I would like her more.
Back to the bizarre thing, I really thought the book was building to something towards the end of Hope’s travels, but it never did. It sort of advanced the Ascendancy plot, but it didn’t wrap it up. Instead the book ended with another side story with some randos.
So, this book was kind of like a collection of loosely connected short stories that really went nowhere. Thinking back on it, it just make me frustrated.
I did like the first crossover, but not the last. I didn’t think there could be a more annoying character than Shel, but there you go. And the variety of perspectives and styles really did keep it fresh.
But it once again demonstrates the “Hope is uninteresting, but interesting things happen TO her all the time”. If she stopped giggling and crying all the time I would like her more.
Back to the bizarre thing, I really thought the book was building to something towards the end of Hope’s travels, but it never did. It sort of advanced the Ascendancy plot, but it didn’t wrap it up. Instead the book ended with another side story with some randos.
So, this book was kind of like a collection of loosely connected short stories that really went nowhere. Thinking back on it, it just make me frustrated.
July 6, 2021
This is an interesting idea. Our heroine goes on a journey through a lot of alternate realities. This let's us see a lot of "what if" scenarios with how the series could have gone if things had played out differently. It also lets us look at a lot of different takes on super heroes. The book basically consists of a collection of short stories, some even written or co-written by other authors. Some are good, some are just ok. The last few got a bit confusing to me. Honestly, the alternate reality stick in superhero stories has never been something that appealed to me. It usually ends up overly convoluted, same with time travel. Here, it seems to work a bit better mainly because of the short story way it is told.
A fun novel, good addition to the series.
A fun novel, good addition to the series.
February 5, 2019
Disjointed
I've been a fan of the Wearing the Cape series for years now and this book just didn't work for me. The initial premise was interesting but the storytelling was disjointed, interesting ideas were ignored and dull ones seemed to drag on and on. This book would have been much better as a series of short stories, released separately and possibly with a little more care and attention given to each, rather than jammed together into a single book. Even if you're a fan of the series, you can probably skip this one.
I've been a fan of the Wearing the Cape series for years now and this book just didn't work for me. The initial premise was interesting but the storytelling was disjointed, interesting ideas were ignored and dull ones seemed to drag on and on. This book would have been much better as a series of short stories, released separately and possibly with a little more care and attention given to each, rather than jammed together into a single book. Even if you're a fan of the series, you can probably skip this one.
April 7, 2019
Creative deviation
This wasn’t a normal addition to the series. The author uses a multiple dimensional adventure to include a bunch of fun characters and styles. That part was awesome—even the tied Shakespearean section. But I dinged a star for the anti-climactic ending. The overarching story lacked a through-line, or even a lesson learned at the end. Fun, but pointless interlude. Everyone was the same at the end, unlike the other books which had real change. Oh well. Fun anyway.
This wasn’t a normal addition to the series. The author uses a multiple dimensional adventure to include a bunch of fun characters and styles. That part was awesome—even the tied Shakespearean section. But I dinged a star for the anti-climactic ending. The overarching story lacked a through-line, or even a lesson learned at the end. Fun, but pointless interlude. Everyone was the same at the end, unlike the other books which had real change. Oh well. Fun anyway.
November 1, 2016
Another win.
Yet another fun and action packed superhero story in the Wearing the Cape universe. Or should I say stories, as this collection of Novellas and Shorts follow Astra through yet another adventure across a number of universes, including other established indie-superhero worlds. As a result I'm now set to read a few new series as well.
If you haven't already gotten into this series then do yourself a favour and buy them all at once. You won't be disappointed.
Yet another fun and action packed superhero story in the Wearing the Cape universe. Or should I say stories, as this collection of Novellas and Shorts follow Astra through yet another adventure across a number of universes, including other established indie-superhero worlds. As a result I'm now set to read a few new series as well.
If you haven't already gotten into this series then do yourself a favour and buy them all at once. You won't be disappointed.
August 18, 2017
An interesting anthology
Well, it's less an anthology and more a novel where the style is allowed to change from chapter to chapter. This series of short stories and novellas follows Astra on an adventure across several extrarealities, and each new story flows pretty seamlessly into the next. Her sojourn in Oberon's Wood had me busting a gut.
Well, it's less an anthology and more a novel where the style is allowed to change from chapter to chapter. This series of short stories and novellas follows Astra on an adventure across several extrarealities, and each new story flows pretty seamlessly into the next. Her sojourn in Oberon's Wood had me busting a gut.
April 27, 2018
Though each piece of this book is delightful, and several plot strands like Ozma's quest for Oz are considerably advanced, the episodic, multiversal nature of this tale makes it a tad bit less satisfying as an overall narrative. However, it was delightful seeing Astra interact with several superhero worlds I've been reading for the past several years.
May 21, 2018
I really liked this book. I wished that other super hero universes were used like Wild Cards or Peter Clines Ex-Series but I understand how difficult it would have been to achieve that. Was a little disappointed that Grendel and Astra have a platonic relationship since I was shipping them since Young Sentinels.
August 23, 2023
Team-Ups
Once again Marion G. Harmon has.turned out.a.good read . I will admit that this book was not as engaging as the.others, partly from the jumping Hope form one point to another point. I would still recommend this as a good read in the series. I am looking forward to the next book and the further adventures of Astra, aka Hope.
Once again Marion G. Harmon has.turned out.a.good read . I will admit that this book was not as engaging as the.others, partly from the jumping Hope form one point to another point. I would still recommend this as a good read in the series. I am looking forward to the next book and the further adventures of Astra, aka Hope.
October 20, 2025
team cups and Crossovers (wearing the Cape Book 6)
Alright! Fun story, we meet new heroes, new Villain(s), new experiences. New friends.
This was a lot of fun, and told from a totally different point of view.
The author kept it fun, and interesting at the same time.
Thank you!
Alright! Fun story, we meet new heroes, new Villain(s), new experiences. New friends.
This was a lot of fun, and told from a totally different point of view.
The author kept it fun, and interesting at the same time.
Thank you!
July 15, 2018
Different from usual compilations
Most of the stories are written by Harmon, and should be read in order. There is an overarching theme and they build on it throughout. I enjoyed them all. And the stories containing Ozma makes me want to read the OZ books.
Most of the stories are written by Harmon, and should be read in order. There is an overarching theme and they build on it throughout. I enjoyed them all. And the stories containing Ozma makes me want to read the OZ books.
January 19, 2020
A wild ride and definitely makes me want to take a look at the other worlds that were featured in this book. I am looking forward to going back to our world and seeing what is next for Astra. This remains one of the best superhero worlds ever created in my view.
Read
January 21, 2020Choosing not to rate because it's been so long since I read this that my memory may be faulty. I remember mostly liking it but found the universe hopping a bit hard to keep track of. I still plan on reading every book in this series until it Gibsons as a series.
May 30, 2017
Hanging out with Marion Harmon and her superheroine squad is always a good time.
January 15, 2018
Varied stand-alone stories in an overall arch, most of them were entertaining even if I had no experience with the worlds that were referenced. We also got to see some "might-have-beens"
March 6, 2018
Really, really good
Each book Marion Harmon finds ways to take the story in the most entertaining directions. I can’t wait to see what he comes up with next!
Each book Marion Harmon finds ways to take the story in the most entertaining directions. I can’t wait to see what he comes up with next!
July 27, 2020
Fun read
Enjoyable read but really needs a better editor. This is obviously in indie published book because it is filled with typos.
Enjoyable read but really needs a better editor. This is obviously in indie published book because it is filled with typos.
March 20, 2017
Astra with a side order of Velveteen! An an awesome, amazing and astonishing adventure!
January 22, 2017
Pretty good. This was at once the continuation of the adventures of Astra in the traditional sence and a short story chain. For the first part, I think the series needs to be started with book 1. It would be confusing to start with this one, though perhaps possible. While I've enjoyed Mr. Harmon's novels as well, I think due to the sheer number of characters he now has to deal with, this is really the way to go. Obviously Astra will probably and should continue to be center stage for his fictional wearing the cape universe, however, more massive releases of short stories would allow him to touch base on the other characters populating his universe...and...at least in this particular book, other universes. So, to simplify and to get to my main take away: great format. The introduction to other fictional universes was fun and at time disorientating. Despite my interest in the genre I have not read any of the other fictional universes that was involved in this cross over work. So, for the most part, it took me a few pages to get into each cross over story. Which could be a pro and a con at once. A pro because it helps make a neat parallelism between Astra's disorientation and the readers. However, a con, because you risk loosing the reader when they get confused. There's a happy medium. For me, I was able to figure out what was going on and enjoy the stories as I figured it out, but none-the-less. In regards to the individual stories, they were all interesting in their own way. The dating game was interesting as it showed the continual evolution of Astra's path and the end set the stage for what was to come next. Killing Sleeping Beauty reintroduced Artemis which was wonderful. Great to read from Hope's eyes, but honestly there are so many wonderful characters now, its nice to see the universe through their eyes too. Velvetteen vs the cross overs--as said, I was disorientated to begin with. It got more and more interesting as it went. I kind of wish they had posted advertisements for the starting books for the other universes somewhere in there as they'd probably be fun to read. I suppose potential fans can figure it out by searching out the author of that other vers. Obviously the chartacters in this other universe were very interesting, especially Jackie Frost. The Oz Job was wonderful...the narrative flow when it was through Ozma's perspective was mostly well done, though I don't think Ozma would say Freekin' even to impress Grendal. Maybe something more poetic? Oncemore, no idea other than the previous wearing the cape and the wizard of oz as to which novel series Ozma really comes from. I feel like it was probably mentioned once long ago when she was first introduced, though to far back and would take some searching to find that novel series. Through a Bright Mirror *spoilers* was nice as we got to meet Faith, which added more back story for our heroin. The traveler's tale was interesting and adds new challenges for Hope. Grimworld was probably one of my favorite story pieces in this set. It was a bit its a wonderful lifey and it was fun with the whole super villain adventure stuff going on. Wargames was also interesting in that it dropped Hope into a very different universe. Astra gets Grrl Power was just fun. As someone who has attended a good number of conventions it was fun to have the adventure take place there and to see some of the tropes of convention life on display such as why on earth do we always end up stuck in front of artists row without trying? its seriously an inevitable fate. etc. Very fun piece. Everybody vs the team ups was a nice wrap up piece. Historical Accuracy was also very fun, though a bit out of place in this particular collection. With all due respect, it was probably the least polished piece with a few errors here and there, though I guess that kind of worked with the make up of that particular team. So overall a fun read, looking forward to the next and the kickstarter.
February 20, 2017
Still a good series. Er, don't start reading the series here, of course.
April 25, 2020
This was the first "Wearing the Cape" book I read (because I'm a big "Grrl Power" fan), and got me started on my Astra fandom. "But, Raykun," you may ask, "if this book made you such a big fan, why did you only give it three stars?"
Fair question, dear reader. This book, unfortunately, suffers from its format. It's not one continuous story, it's a series of short stories with an overarching story line. The stories that were told in the traditional Astra fashion were good. I really enjoyed the "Velveteen vs." stories (which made me a fan of that series as well), I loved "Astra Gets Grrl Power" (the reason I bought the book in the first place), and even the"Historical Accuracy," the debut short story from K.F. Lim, was really good.
I didn't much care for "The Traveler's Tale" (Astra winds up in a "Midsummer Night's Dream" pocket dimension), "Wargames" was a shade better than okay.
All the ingredients were there, almost all the stories were either three or four stars, with more of the latter than the former. But I'm rating the book as a whole, and I just can't talk myself into giving it that fourth star.
Still definitely worth the read (and the re-reads), though.
Fair question, dear reader. This book, unfortunately, suffers from its format. It's not one continuous story, it's a series of short stories with an overarching story line. The stories that were told in the traditional Astra fashion were good. I really enjoyed the "Velveteen vs." stories (which made me a fan of that series as well), I loved "Astra Gets Grrl Power" (the reason I bought the book in the first place), and even the"Historical Accuracy," the debut short story from K.F. Lim, was really good.
I didn't much care for "The Traveler's Tale" (Astra winds up in a "Midsummer Night's Dream" pocket dimension), "Wargames" was a shade better than okay.
All the ingredients were there, almost all the stories were either three or four stars, with more of the latter than the former. But I'm rating the book as a whole, and I just can't talk myself into giving it that fourth star.
Still definitely worth the read (and the re-reads), though.
October 31, 2016
Another big winner
I was initially skeptical of the premise here, both cross overs and short episodic books have a history of being forgetable, but Harmon more than pulls it off. In fact Hope's travels take her to some interesting places and let her bury some demons. More importantly the story doesn't feel like a one off but actually advances the larger arc of the series in meaningful ways.
The crossovers were fun. I love Velveteen so any chance to see more of her is a pleasure. I wasn't familiar with Grrl Power but will definitely be reading more of it.
Only - very slight - criticism is that I would have liked to see a little bit more of a traditional epilogue. Felt like some threads were left dangling. But the epilogue we did get was great and introduced some characters I'd love to see more of.
If you like super heros or just decent people trying to do their best in tough situatuons, start at the beginning and read all of these books! You won't be disappointed.
I was initially skeptical of the premise here, both cross overs and short episodic books have a history of being forgetable, but Harmon more than pulls it off. In fact Hope's travels take her to some interesting places and let her bury some demons. More importantly the story doesn't feel like a one off but actually advances the larger arc of the series in meaningful ways.
The crossovers were fun. I love Velveteen so any chance to see more of her is a pleasure. I wasn't familiar with Grrl Power but will definitely be reading more of it.
Only - very slight - criticism is that I would have liked to see a little bit more of a traditional epilogue. Felt like some threads were left dangling. But the epilogue we did get was great and introduced some characters I'd love to see more of.
If you like super heros or just decent people trying to do their best in tough situatuons, start at the beginning and read all of these books! You won't be disappointed.
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