Ironside & Aegis: Origins

by David E. Bruno

When a shadowy organization called the Agency gets hold of a meteoric alloy that can induce superpowers, it falls to two young American patriots to stop them and save the world. Benny Brown never wanted to be a superhero. Vanessa Hastings was betrayed by the person she trusted most. They both wanted the American grow up free, get a job, fall in love. They’ve faced tragedy from birth, lost family and friends, been shunned for their superpowers. Still, they’ve soldiered on. But unbeknownst to them, their lives have been manipulated by a murderous doctor with one create a legion of superhumans to take over the world. And when that doctor decides they’re ready to help him, he’ll stop at nothing to get them. Vanessa will become Aegis, capable of projecting nearly impenetrable shields of force. Benny will become Ironside, channeling blows into armored skin and super strength. Among the shattered remains of their childhood dreams, they’ll either defeat an organization that’s been creating and killing superhumans since before they were born, or they’ll die trying. David E. Bruno writes patriotic superhero fiction based on time-honored conflicts between good and evil. In his debut novel, World War II never truly ended. The world’s newest heroes were created as a result of genetic experiments conducted by an evil government agency with links to the Third Reich. Comic book fans will enjoy the writing style of Ironside & Origins. Readers (especially those who grew up in the ‘80’s) will also appreciate the accompanying tracklist of classic tunes that follows the story.

307 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 6, 2020

About the author

Hello. I'm David E Bruno and I write fantasy stories. My first book "Ironside and Aegis: Origins" is a story about a pair of unlikely superheroes. I am currently working on the second book in what I hope to be a 3-book series.

Recently, I wrote a stand-alone novella called "The Demon's Axe". It is a rock and roll crossroads story.

I never thought I would be a writer and wrote my book as a personal challenge. But I like to write and plan to continue.

Reviews

[Mckiavelli Miga · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ironside & Aegis Origins by Bruno David is an interesting, captivating, superhero fiction set in the early 90s U.S.A immediately after the cold war with the then USSR.

Apprehensive that the cold war could lead to a third world war, the US President sets out to personally fund a secret Agency that will make it possible for the creation of advanced soldiers with super human powers, ready for whatever war that could come in future.

Unknown to the US government directly funding them, the head of this new agency charged with the responsibility of creating superhuman soldiers that will later lose their powers as they age is a fascist and mad scientist with personal schemes of his own. The Director of German descents belongs to a secret group with members in different parts of the world whose ideology is the emergence of a utopian world via genetically modified humans with super human abilities and powers controlled by the agency and it's cronies.

One of the recruits, Max, a former CIA agent, who at first thought the plans of the agency were noble soon realised that their true plans were skewed and dangerous. At this point, Max backing out will mean certain death by the agencies cohorts since he knew too much. Plagued with this reality, he instead sets in motion plans for his own redemption while seemingly playing along, using any means possible to lead to the destruction of the agency including using his own daughter.

The author's clarity of thoughts is so so good, if this ever gets adapted to the big screens, the Directors will find it easy to screenplay. The dialogue and how the story unfolds is that good. Highly recommended for those interested in the super hero sci fi genre and oh, there is a bit of romance in there.

[Falak Azeem · Rating 3 out of 5]

Welcome to the time when we have found a way to create superheroes. Well… I don’t know why I got scared while reading this book. It was a very good read with a good plot. The author really managed the story and its flow. But…. the possibility of our governments, scientiests experimenting on such dangerous things made my blood run cold, I mean really. I am glad ironside and aegis made it out alive and yes, they ruined it on their way out. The experiments and the results are equally dangerous and superhumans living among us especially when one of those superhuman can have his body torn to pieces but still live.. After reading this I really want our governments to sign a deal to not to experiment and deal with radioactive materials. Lol. I loved aegis. She was so strong and did not lose her hope till the very end. It is one of those books in which the epilogue makes you more excited. I wonder how the author got such a new, different and amazing idea in his mind.

[Kayla Hicks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Author David E Bruno spins a great story full of depth as he explored a world where the military harnesses the power of super powered soldiers.

It was nice to see the timeline of this story as it spawned from the cold war to in their world present day as the story unfolded.

I appreciated how the author added in real life character flaws in the people involved in the process at the beginning in terms of grappling with the horrible acts they were committing to going along with it because there was no other way.

It was interesting to see super powered people this way and how it affected the characters and the world itself in terms of how society viewed them and they viewed themselves.

I also appreciated his writing style as to how he shared multiple perspectives in each portion of the story.

Benny and Veronicas story truly had me swept away and I wanted to know how things continued for them.

If you are looking for a different kind of story adjacent to superheroes, this is as excellent choice. It provides readers with superheroes in a different perspective but not quite what audiences are used to with mainstream superheroes like marvel which is unique.

[Bailey Grimm · Rating 3 out of 5]

*3.5 stars
Thank you Booktasters for connecting me with the author and David Bruno for sending me a copy.
This book was not exactly what I expected. It was a good origin story but it was definitely a little different. The writing wasn’t my favorite but it was fine. I just wish it was a little smoother if that makes sense. I needed more connection to the characters. We got some of their internal thoughts and feelings but I didn’t feel like I connected with them and got invested as much as I would like. That was probably more of a personal thing though. I really loved the way the first half or more of the plot developed. We really got to know the characters and what was going on with them. The end felt pretty rushed to me.
I really liked Benny and Vanessa. They definitely had their struggles but they figured it out and pushed through them to help people. They knew what was right and what they were fighting for. Their relationship did not feel authentic to me. It was way too rushed.
The ending was so unexpected and makes you want to continue the series

[Nisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

In short it is a story of how Max went through his life after he's gotten himself into a secret experiment by some mad scientists which it was too late for him to step back. It was all pressure for Max to defend humanity or to save his own daughter for his own sake until Max decided to unite Ironside and Aegis together to finally take down the lab madness and ended it all. But well... let's just say the author has better ending for us all ; )

I expected the story to be pretty much complicated to read tho but i was wrong. It was simple but also intriguing from the start. From psycho lab scenes, fighting scenes and even Benny's ordinary life were blended nicely. I gotta say reading this got me feel so tense but enjoying it at the same time. D-day scenes got my anxiety went up and down like crazy and the ending was beyond my expectations. Seriously recommended for those who maybe tryna find a good sci-fi book to start. This one is absolutely the best.

[Savera · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a free copy of the book from the author (via Booktasters) in exchange for an honest review.

A scifi story with action, suspense, and a surprising amount of heart, Ironside & Aegis: Origins wasn't what I was expecting. The writing style was easy to read, the dialogue feeling very much like speech bubbles in a comic book.
Though there were times the character's speech came across as cliche, I felt their motivations justified their actions - particularly the dual protagonists.
The first third of the book was a bit slow, but once the action really got going, things flowed better.
I enjoyed the inclusion of the tracklist - very Supernatural meets Doom.
While the historical link didn't feel meaty enough, this was a nice introduction to a turbulent world and fascinating characters, who I hope progress on to more books and maybe even a comic book adaptation.

[Elizabeth Hillebrand · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a free copy of the book for an honest review via Booktasters and the author. Thank you for the chance to read this amazing book.

Ironside & Aegis is a sci-fi/superhero story that takes you through the lives of our two main hero's, but before them we get to know the parent's and how our heros came to be. I really enjoyed most of the book but I do have some issues. The last few chapters felt rushed to finish and our hero's seemed to act like teenages when they are least 24 years old. Characters come from nowhere when our hero's are on a mission which haven't been talked about before. Our hero's character development went off to the side as soon as they meet each other and again it felt like they were teenages and not Young adults that have been through collage and was working.
I still enjoyed and I would recommend the book to other sci-fi/superhero fans to read.

[Julia Colbourn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yes, pretty much nailed it - the right balance between relatable human failings and awesome unbelievable super powers. I liked the two main characters and and thought they were well developed, and the minor characters had good back stories. A smooth read and a nicely paced plot which kept me reading, and looking forward to getting back to the book. Lighter moments - I loved Ironside's choice of transport - lifted the inevitable personal tragedies I wasn't sure about the Nazi connection but it gave the book historical roots. Overall, a well-written, very readable superhero book that I could easily visualise as a cult film.

[Samuel · Rating 3 out of 5]

IronSides and Aegis is a Sci Fi book that describes an alternate world where people have supernatural abilities and tells the story of the US government's efforts to create an army of powered humans to defend against the threat of the Soviets which were later hijacked by Nazis embedded in the organisation. These efforts were evidently evil so had to be brought to a halt by a team of Superheroes called Ironsides and Aegis
I didn't really enjoy this book and I struggled to finish it, it felt a little too cliche and took so long to get to the main characters of the book. It would make for a great movie series though, but as a book series not so much

[Terrytracy Watts · Rating 5 out of 5]

As I said before, I liked the book, it reminded me of a Mitch Rapp book. It was packed with action and fast paced.
This tell the story of two people who have to revenge the death of relatives who were produced by a secret organization, out to create super soldiers.
Aegis and Ironsides must deal with the on going relationship as well as learning to control their talents.
I hope that the book leads to a movie and series of more books,with the main characters being more developed. I wanted to hear more about the Direct and The good doctor.

[Judy Ferrell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Superheroes are born.

David Bruno has bright us the birth of superheroes in this book. You get to see the mad scientist at his creative best. This book is a little slow to start but picks up the pace.

[Heather Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyable superhero origin story. There was a couple places where I felt it lagged a little bit, but it did not take away from the overall story. Well-written, with some great fight scenes and just enough tenderness.

[Amit Kumar · Rating 4 out of 5]

First of all, I want to thank you Goodreads and the writer for providing the free pdf to me so that I read and enjoyed thrilling stories which are very interesting and exciting for me. One of the best things about the book is the characters introduced from the starting chapter. They mixed human emotions with super power very interestingly. The characters and stories around you will always surround you. That's why I enjoyed the reading moment every time.
When a murderous neo-Nazi organization called the Agency gets hold of a meteoric alloy that can induce superpowers, it falls to two young American patriots to stop them and save the world. Benny Brown never wanted to be a superhero. Vanessa Hastings was betrayed by the person she trusted most. They both wanted the American dream: grow up free, get a job, and fall in love. They’ve faced tragedy from birth, lost family and friends, and been shunned for their superpowers. Still, they’ve soldiered on. but as we see, we know that time can do anything for us. So time turn around them and they both became superheroes unwillingly.
A mad scientist is an unbelievable character in this book.
At last, I wish to tell you that I really love the book and the writing is phenomenal. Everything is good. Thanks once to the writer David E. Bruno for writing an amazing book and providing us an opportunity to read the book.

[Fatima Zahra · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was recommended by the marvelous Book Tasters is the first superhero/ action-packed book I have read. Thank you BOOKTASTERS. The writer in the simplest way conveys the most complicated massages. The author is very co-operating and amazing the story wonderful. The process of the creation is written beautifully, I could almost feel like I was in the same lab as them. This book has everything, there is drama, action, CIA, the talks of WWIII USSR, and there is animal testing too. I mean Aegis is the best and aah, the scenes of helicopters crashing, and all the action, it's written in a very realistic way. it doesn't seem flat, but robust and versatile. A very few can write this much realistically. I am glad I chose this one, because reading Action, is almost as pleasurable as watching one.