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Striker V #2
Striker V: In the Meantime
The world isn’t ending this time. Neil Harris, the fifth Hero to bear the name Striker, can breathe easier for once. There’s no Elemental threatening to wipe out every Hero on the face of the planet. That doesn’t mean the stakes are any less personal for four of Neil’s closest friends and colleagues.
THE ROUTINE : Colonel Ray is having a lighter day, and may actually be able to take the afternoon off. All she has to do is make it through a couple of meetings, and she’s home-free. Easy, right?
MI FAMILIA : Family, friends, and food are the most important things in the life of Erica Ramirez, the vaunted Ventrica. Her main goal for the past few years has been to build a better future for herself and her Hero brethren. Will her search for the past stand in her way?
A CAREFUL BALANCE : Lucian, also known as the Demonhunter and Angelslayer, has seen everything this side of Eternity. Or so he thinks. When a family in need asks for his help to solve a haunting, he finds the solution isn’t black-and-white.
CASEFILE 777 : At seventeen years old, Tykie Georgiou is one of the Luckiest human beings alive. This power means that nearly everything works out for him. But he isn’t the only one with this rare power, and not everyone has such pure intentions.
THE ROUTINE : Colonel Ray is having a lighter day, and may actually be able to take the afternoon off. All she has to do is make it through a couple of meetings, and she’s home-free. Easy, right?
MI FAMILIA : Family, friends, and food are the most important things in the life of Erica Ramirez, the vaunted Ventrica. Her main goal for the past few years has been to build a better future for herself and her Hero brethren. Will her search for the past stand in her way?
A CAREFUL BALANCE : Lucian, also known as the Demonhunter and Angelslayer, has seen everything this side of Eternity. Or so he thinks. When a family in need asks for his help to solve a haunting, he finds the solution isn’t black-and-white.
CASEFILE 777 : At seventeen years old, Tykie Georgiou is one of the Luckiest human beings alive. This power means that nearly everything works out for him. But he isn’t the only one with this rare power, and not everyone has such pure intentions.
450 pages, Paperback
Published September 28, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
September 25, 2026
Striker V: In the Meantime was a little different than the first book, but just as good! Rather than a singular storyline, this book had multiple POVs, each following a different character and their own little adventure. Along with some awesome fight scenes and some insane conflict, there was a lot of heart, found family, and some great messages.
One of the stories that I really enjoyed focused on the importance of taking a break and taking care of yourself. Another focused on becoming complacent and stagnant. “Change is uncomfortable and terrifying. … Keeping things as they are for as long as possible can feel so good, and so safe. At some point, though, we’re forced to outgrow that lifestyle, whether we like it or not.” Another story focused on the realities of coming out as gay. Each of these stories, along with the ones I didn’t mention, were written exceptionally well and really added to the character development of the series.
Like the first book, In the Meantime was a great mix of fantasy and reality. I liked the superheroes, but I loved all the little details that made them human, a lot of which were too relatable. It added some personality and humor to the story. Like getting annoyed when Siri searches the web when you asked her to send a text. Or criticizing the Hobbit films because the book is way different. And as a fan of Peter Pan, I especially enjoyed the reference that started in the prologue and finished in the epilogue.
This series continues to be really good and I’m glad I decided to buy all five books at once!
One of the stories that I really enjoyed focused on the importance of taking a break and taking care of yourself. Another focused on becoming complacent and stagnant. “Change is uncomfortable and terrifying. … Keeping things as they are for as long as possible can feel so good, and so safe. At some point, though, we’re forced to outgrow that lifestyle, whether we like it or not.” Another story focused on the realities of coming out as gay. Each of these stories, along with the ones I didn’t mention, were written exceptionally well and really added to the character development of the series.
Like the first book, In the Meantime was a great mix of fantasy and reality. I liked the superheroes, but I loved all the little details that made them human, a lot of which were too relatable. It added some personality and humor to the story. Like getting annoyed when Siri searches the web when you asked her to send a text. Or criticizing the Hobbit films because the book is way different. And as a fan of Peter Pan, I especially enjoyed the reference that started in the prologue and finished in the epilogue.
This series continues to be really good and I’m glad I decided to buy all five books at once!
August 20, 2026
This book weaves together the stories of characters we were introduced to in Striker V: Elements of Change and fleshes them out more, while also building the wider world that they inhabit. We get to fall in love with Striker's big dysfunctional superhero found family, and I look forward to reading what happens on their next outing!
September 7, 2026
This is a sequel to Striker V: Elements of Change, which I enjoyed as a a great innovation on an enjoyable but played-out superhero formula. This book stays that course, and I think most people will have a similar reaction to both. Technically, this collection could probably be read as a standalone, but Vidmar doesn't give a ton of backstory/context that would help ground readers. I also thought Elements of Change was the stronger book overall, despite this entry having more consistent high points throughout the book.
The Premise: This collection of stories and novellas follows various characters from the first Striker V book. They range from mundane conversations full of found family to stories with a more traditional superhero action focus.
Read if You Like: the humanity of superhumans, slice-of-life elements, bittersweet resolutions
Avoid if You Dislike: superhero stories, combat to be the primary driver of plot, mediocre combat scenes
What Worked For Me:
In general, this book was very much what I expected it to be, and I don't know that my thoughts around Vidmar's strengths and weaknesses have changed that much. Generally speaking, I think he's great at bringing some humanity and dimensionality to a genre that usually either plays heroics as something epic and glorious, or it deconstructs the genre into something dark and psychologically tortured. Vidmar doesn't take either approach.
Instead, his characters feel remarkably chill and realistic. Most are going through it, because anyone who has to enter life or death scenarios on the regular will have some element of trauma. However, the characters are making it work, finding ways to seek out the bright spots in life, and showing up for each other in important ways. Found Family isn't an uncommon trope in Queer stories, but Vidmar has a way of making it feel unremarkable and normal, especially since many characters don't know their birth families.
Of the stories, my favorites all focused on this more empathetic portrait of superheroics that Vidmar adopts. We get to see the antagonist of book 1 in counseling as he tries to ... well not go crazy and destroy the world again. A super gets some help time-travelling to reconnect with her birth mother, which isn't at all what she had expected or hoped for. A group of supers lobby for the government to provide enrichment activities, resulting in professional cooking lessons. Striker's husband (who has no powers) considers a career change. A man destined to balance Heaven and Hell investigates strange occurrences. Striker gives advice to a dad in rural Wisconsin whose kid just came out, and then proceeds to help the kid ask out his crush.
This little peeks behind the curtain into their everyday lives aren't something I've seen much outside the fanfiction scene. Candidly, I think its an approach to superhero's that's been long overlooked, and I definitely want to keep reading for this alone. Looking forward, it seems like Vidmar has no plans to change how he uses Superheroics as a set of clothing for intimate and personal stories. I am absolutely here for it.
What Didn't Work for Me:
Because Vidmar isn't fully deconstructing the superhero genre, that means we get more than a few fight scenes. This isn't a bad thing. I'm actually on a bit of a mindless action kick right now (great for the stress of the school year starting). However ... I just don't think Vidmar is very good at them. I often found myself tuning out of combat and waiting for things to get good again, which is the opposite of how fights should feel!
He's at his best when linking combat up with some of his more serious topics. The opening of Striker V (the first book in the series; the roman numeral is used because Striker is the fifth in his 'lineage' of the superhero line Striker) follows him lamenting that regeneration is intensely painful, and hating how there are promotional coupons that give away free sandwiches after he's been thrown off a building enough in fights. Or when Striker observes his new apprentice uses a new way of breaching into doors and we learn about how super heroic harm-prevention training has evolved over time. When combat is a vessel for exploring the world or characters, Striker V shines.
When Vidmar writes a straightforward fight though? I hate to be cruel, but they put me to sleep. And this book's combat had far less innovation and thematic commentary than his original book. Thankfully, there was also not a ton of it.
Conclusion: continues to be unique in how it focuses on the humanity and mental health of superheroes. The fights are subpar though.
Want More Reviews Like This? try my blog Marked For Plot
The Premise: This collection of stories and novellas follows various characters from the first Striker V book. They range from mundane conversations full of found family to stories with a more traditional superhero action focus.
Read if You Like: the humanity of superhumans, slice-of-life elements, bittersweet resolutions
Avoid if You Dislike: superhero stories, combat to be the primary driver of plot, mediocre combat scenes
What Worked For Me:
In general, this book was very much what I expected it to be, and I don't know that my thoughts around Vidmar's strengths and weaknesses have changed that much. Generally speaking, I think he's great at bringing some humanity and dimensionality to a genre that usually either plays heroics as something epic and glorious, or it deconstructs the genre into something dark and psychologically tortured. Vidmar doesn't take either approach.
Instead, his characters feel remarkably chill and realistic. Most are going through it, because anyone who has to enter life or death scenarios on the regular will have some element of trauma. However, the characters are making it work, finding ways to seek out the bright spots in life, and showing up for each other in important ways. Found Family isn't an uncommon trope in Queer stories, but Vidmar has a way of making it feel unremarkable and normal, especially since many characters don't know their birth families.
Of the stories, my favorites all focused on this more empathetic portrait of superheroics that Vidmar adopts. We get to see the antagonist of book 1 in counseling as he tries to ... well not go crazy and destroy the world again. A super gets some help time-travelling to reconnect with her birth mother, which isn't at all what she had expected or hoped for. A group of supers lobby for the government to provide enrichment activities, resulting in professional cooking lessons. Striker's husband (who has no powers) considers a career change. A man destined to balance Heaven and Hell investigates strange occurrences. Striker gives advice to a dad in rural Wisconsin whose kid just came out, and then proceeds to help the kid ask out his crush.
This little peeks behind the curtain into their everyday lives aren't something I've seen much outside the fanfiction scene. Candidly, I think its an approach to superhero's that's been long overlooked, and I definitely want to keep reading for this alone. Looking forward, it seems like Vidmar has no plans to change how he uses Superheroics as a set of clothing for intimate and personal stories. I am absolutely here for it.
What Didn't Work for Me:
Because Vidmar isn't fully deconstructing the superhero genre, that means we get more than a few fight scenes. This isn't a bad thing. I'm actually on a bit of a mindless action kick right now (great for the stress of the school year starting). However ... I just don't think Vidmar is very good at them. I often found myself tuning out of combat and waiting for things to get good again, which is the opposite of how fights should feel!
He's at his best when linking combat up with some of his more serious topics. The opening of Striker V (the first book in the series; the roman numeral is used because Striker is the fifth in his 'lineage' of the superhero line Striker) follows him lamenting that regeneration is intensely painful, and hating how there are promotional coupons that give away free sandwiches after he's been thrown off a building enough in fights. Or when Striker observes his new apprentice uses a new way of breaching into doors and we learn about how super heroic harm-prevention training has evolved over time. When combat is a vessel for exploring the world or characters, Striker V shines.
When Vidmar writes a straightforward fight though? I hate to be cruel, but they put me to sleep. And this book's combat had far less innovation and thematic commentary than his original book. Thankfully, there was also not a ton of it.
Conclusion: continues to be unique in how it focuses on the humanity and mental health of superheroes. The fights are subpar though.
Want More Reviews Like This? try my blog Marked For Plot
March 29, 2022
Adds A Lot To The Series
4.5 out of 5 stars
I read the first book in this series, Striker V: Elements of Change, a while back and I really enjoyed it. It was a book that caught me off guard and I enjoyed it from beginning to end. Now, going into this I saw that it was a collection of stories and not one story – and I still knew I was going to enjoy it. Vidmar has a way of writing stories that I can just close my eyes and enjoy.
Each story brought a nice little bit to the overarching storyline of the Striker series. There were multiple times when I was reminded of the “V (aka 5)” and what that meant for each superhero. The different storylines and different character points of view really added to the story. I was worried that it not being about Neil/Striker only it was going to be a bit flat but it was anything but.
Vidmar is able to write stories that jump off of the page. In the Meantime was no different. Each character was given their time to shine and shine they did. Combine that with the great narration by Patrick Boylan and Adrianna Gentile and it’s a story that not only flew by, but one that had me enjoying every bit and piece of it.
4.5 out of 5 stars
I read the first book in this series, Striker V: Elements of Change, a while back and I really enjoyed it. It was a book that caught me off guard and I enjoyed it from beginning to end. Now, going into this I saw that it was a collection of stories and not one story – and I still knew I was going to enjoy it. Vidmar has a way of writing stories that I can just close my eyes and enjoy.
Each story brought a nice little bit to the overarching storyline of the Striker series. There were multiple times when I was reminded of the “V (aka 5)” and what that meant for each superhero. The different storylines and different character points of view really added to the story. I was worried that it not being about Neil/Striker only it was going to be a bit flat but it was anything but.
Vidmar is able to write stories that jump off of the page. In the Meantime was no different. Each character was given their time to shine and shine they did. Combine that with the great narration by Patrick Boylan and Adrianna Gentile and it’s a story that not only flew by, but one that had me enjoying every bit and piece of it.
July 31, 2024
I loved how this was split into novellas each featuring a different character’s point of view as they do sort of a “day in the life” of a superhero. It did an excellent job world building yet in an entertaining and easy to follow way.
My favorite was the novella featuring Lucian. I enjoyed learning the concept of The Fates, and as a tarot reader myself felt a connection with this “superpower”. Also, the way Lucifer, Gabriel and the explanation of Hades vs. Heaven was very satisfying.
My second favorite was the Tykie novella - a little true crime/ mystery with The Fates one again thrown in.
Can’t wait to read the next one!
My favorite was the novella featuring Lucian. I enjoyed learning the concept of The Fates, and as a tarot reader myself felt a connection with this “superpower”. Also, the way Lucifer, Gabriel and the explanation of Hades vs. Heaven was very satisfying.
My second favorite was the Tykie novella - a little true crime/ mystery with The Fates one again thrown in.
Can’t wait to read the next one!
August 20, 2020
Wonderful expansion of the Striker V universe! Not an in-depth sequel, but a great look into the everyday life of non-everyday people trying to lead everyday lives.
Digs into the lives of many of the main side characters that were introduced in Elements of Change. Really allows you to get to know and understand the characters better. See their drivers and motivations and reasons behind all of their decisions.
Digs into the lives of many of the main side characters that were introduced in Elements of Change. Really allows you to get to know and understand the characters better. See their drivers and motivations and reasons behind all of their decisions.
January 12, 2025
This was a great set of novellas that gave more depth to characters that I didn’t get enough time with in the first book. I had liked them all in the first book, but I love them all now, and I can’t wait to see what they get up to in the next installment. I particularly enjoyed Lucian’s world building and hope we get to spend more time with him. There seems like there’s so much potential for him.
June 27, 2026
Loved this book. It was separated into four novellas, each a different character’s story/“day in the life”. It added a lot of depth to the characters and helped to really build that attachment and connection.
August 18, 2026
This is the second book in the Striker V series by Josh Vidmar and picks up a year after The Elements of Change left off. The book is a series of short novellas that are told from the viewpoints of several important people in Striker V’s / Neil Harris’s life, including his sidekick, his boss, his best friend, and another one of his associates. It is bookended and interspersed with details of what was going on with Neil and his husband during the time period being covered in the other novellas.
Obviously, everyone who reads it will have their own opinion of the strengths and weaknesses of the particular novellas. I personally found the one revolving around Neil’s best friend and the one revolving around his sidekick to be particularly strong.
The novella from the viewpoint of Neil’s best friend is strong because it shows exactly how the superheroes came into the custody of the United States government and why, in most cases, they barely remember their parents. The installment from Neil’s sidekick’s point of view is particularly strong because the character is a lot of fun, and it shows that an ability that is somewhat played for laughs in the first book is actually extremely terrifying. There is a boss battle at the end of the book that is actually quite epic.
The other parts of the book also have their strengths. There are also werewolves, a battle in heaven, a thunderbird, and Neil completely failing to drive a truck.
Like the previous installment in the series, there is also a not entirely subtle emphasis on the importance of trying to have some level of work-life balance, so you don’t wake up like one character does and realize that you’ve done absolutely nothing to make your house a home because you lived to work instead of working to live.
Overall, the book is a worthy follow-up to the first installment and arguably surpasses it in terms of writing style and quality.
Obviously, everyone who reads it will have their own opinion of the strengths and weaknesses of the particular novellas. I personally found the one revolving around Neil’s best friend and the one revolving around his sidekick to be particularly strong.
The novella from the viewpoint of Neil’s best friend is strong because it shows exactly how the superheroes came into the custody of the United States government and why, in most cases, they barely remember their parents. The installment from Neil’s sidekick’s point of view is particularly strong because the character is a lot of fun, and it shows that an ability that is somewhat played for laughs in the first book is actually extremely terrifying. There is a boss battle at the end of the book that is actually quite epic.
The other parts of the book also have their strengths. There are also werewolves, a battle in heaven, a thunderbird, and Neil completely failing to drive a truck.
Like the previous installment in the series, there is also a not entirely subtle emphasis on the importance of trying to have some level of work-life balance, so you don’t wake up like one character does and realize that you’ve done absolutely nothing to make your house a home because you lived to work instead of working to live.
Overall, the book is a worthy follow-up to the first installment and arguably surpasses it in terms of writing style and quality.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews