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Villains' Code #1
Forging Hephaestus
Gifted with metahuman powers in a world full of capes and villains, Tori Rivas kept away from the limelight, preferring to work as a thief in the shadows. But when she's captured trying to rob a vault that belongs to a secret guild of villains, she's offered a hard choice: prove she has what it takes to join them or be eliminated. Apprenticed to one of the world's most powerful (and supposedly dead) villains, she is thrust into a strange world where the lines that divide superheroes and criminals are more complex than they seem. The education of a villain is not an easy one, and Tori will have to learn quickly if she wants to survive. On top of the peril she faces from her own teacher, there are also the capes and fellow apprentices to worry about, to say nothing of having to keep up a civilian cover. Most dangerous of all, though, are those who loathe the guild's very existence. Old grudges mean some are willing to go to any length to see the guild turned to ash, along with each one of its members. Even the lowly apprentices.
1 pages, Audio CD
First published February 24, 2017
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November 9, 2024
Villains like you've never seen them before. Villains of the Code. 4.5 stars
Tori Rivas, is stubborn, intelligent and a truly independent minded. Imbued with the power to control fire and a technical mind to rival any genius. Even soo she knows, she's but smallfry, in a world where Legendary Heroes and Infamous Villains could destroy whole cities in their fights. Now living and working as a smalltime thief to fund her own tech-projects, things go wrong in the most horribly interesting way. During her last heist she's caught while breaking into a vault of the Guild of Villains. There she receives her last and only offer: Prove you're worthy of becoming one of us....or die!
Forging Hephaestus is a quiet an unique take on heroes and villains. In this novel Mr. Hayes creates a world full of incredible powerful characters, while still showing their humanity. All their flats, flaws, and quirks show true and make for a slew of interesting characters. Told in a Multi-POV style, the story is complex and multifaceted. Be prepared to be entertained for quite a way though. With a page-count of 700+ pages (at least on my Ereader) the story takes it's time to build, slowly building up steam for the grand finale. Characters get their time to grow and expand, all the while showing you more of this world where rival guilds train, live and work on opposite sides of the law.
In all this novel left me well satisfied. With Hayes usual humour and good spirit, this novel felt lively and packed with plenty of good action scenes. I would recommend to any fan of Hero-fiction and interests in unique worlds. A novel well worth reading.
** I received an Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for a fair review**
Tori Rivas, is stubborn, intelligent and a truly independent minded. Imbued with the power to control fire and a technical mind to rival any genius. Even soo she knows, she's but smallfry, in a world where Legendary Heroes and Infamous Villains could destroy whole cities in their fights. Now living and working as a smalltime thief to fund her own tech-projects, things go wrong in the most horribly interesting way. During her last heist she's caught while breaking into a vault of the Guild of Villains. There she receives her last and only offer: Prove you're worthy of becoming one of us....or die!
Forging Hephaestus is a quiet an unique take on heroes and villains. In this novel Mr. Hayes creates a world full of incredible powerful characters, while still showing their humanity. All their flats, flaws, and quirks show true and make for a slew of interesting characters. Told in a Multi-POV style, the story is complex and multifaceted. Be prepared to be entertained for quite a way though. With a page-count of 700+ pages (at least on my Ereader) the story takes it's time to build, slowly building up steam for the grand finale. Characters get their time to grow and expand, all the while showing you more of this world where rival guilds train, live and work on opposite sides of the law.
In all this novel left me well satisfied. With Hayes usual humour and good spirit, this novel felt lively and packed with plenty of good action scenes. I would recommend to any fan of Hero-fiction and interests in unique worlds. A novel well worth reading.
** I received an Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for a fair review**
September 1, 2025
So we get a villain story in a world of supers!
Tori is meant to be a too difficult apprentice in the big baddies guild. In the villains guild the ever important code is more important than doing crimes. This is one aspect that makes you question how bad these baddies are as they have to get their crimes approved to ensure no loved ones on either side of the good or bad field are hurt. Anyways Tori has been bucking against her teachers and it comes down to either death or taken under the wing of a single mentor. This was really less dramatic than I was hoping as she and Ivan(mentor) go through some guild training. It isn't like the hero training in the Superpowereds series. Tori has it hanging over her head the whole time that one bad move equals death.
You also get some fun...
With surprisingly less evil undertones!
One of my favorite aspects about this female lead, very little focus on romance and she is far from sexualized. Tori isn't just gifted with powers of fire but a natural brilliance. I can't find the exact line but I will update when I do... She acknowledges she may not be the most brilliant like whoever came up with the wheel. But she can certainly improve on it's function by creating the first axle. Love it!
My favorite aspect of Mr. Hayes writing is the depth glimpsed in minor characters. For example there is a baddie who is a dimensional hopper, Nexus. That dude is not just bonkers but brings about plot details that make you insanely curious. But he isn't at any point really a part of the plot, well mostly. Then you get like maybe 3 brief glimpses at one character, Kristoff and it is obvious you would certainly read a separate story on him. And to say anything about Kristoff ruins the surprise! Or Xelas the robot who freed herself from a hero's sex slavery. No, that point of slavery is not explained just covered that she won her freedom so no worries if that freaks you out.
I did get an advance copy of this book in return for a review. I was going to buy it no matter what though. I will probably still get the audiobook because why not?! <3
Tori is meant to be a too difficult apprentice in the big baddies guild. In the villains guild the ever important code is more important than doing crimes. This is one aspect that makes you question how bad these baddies are as they have to get their crimes approved to ensure no loved ones on either side of the good or bad field are hurt. Anyways Tori has been bucking against her teachers and it comes down to either death or taken under the wing of a single mentor. This was really less dramatic than I was hoping as she and Ivan(mentor) go through some guild training. It isn't like the hero training in the Superpowereds series. Tori has it hanging over her head the whole time that one bad move equals death.
You also get some fun...
With surprisingly less evil undertones!
One of my favorite aspects about this female lead, very little focus on romance and she is far from sexualized. Tori isn't just gifted with powers of fire but a natural brilliance. I can't find the exact line but I will update when I do... She acknowledges she may not be the most brilliant like whoever came up with the wheel. But she can certainly improve on it's function by creating the first axle. Love it!
My favorite aspect of Mr. Hayes writing is the depth glimpsed in minor characters. For example there is a baddie who is a dimensional hopper, Nexus. That dude is not just bonkers but brings about plot details that make you insanely curious. But he isn't at any point really a part of the plot, well mostly. Then you get like maybe 3 brief glimpses at one character, Kristoff and it is obvious you would certainly read a separate story on him. And to say anything about Kristoff ruins the surprise! Or Xelas the robot who freed herself from a hero's sex slavery. No, that point of slavery is not explained just covered that she won her freedom so no worries if that freaks you out.
I did get an advance copy of this book in return for a review. I was going to buy it no matter what though. I will probably still get the audiobook because why not?! <3
June 9, 2024
This review deserves an “executive summary” because, while Drew Hayes is an excellent author, this is not his best work and my full review is a lot of complaining about that. This is a better than average book that makes some mistakes Mr. Hayes doesn’t make in his other books. Those mistakes are (1) using stupidity to move the story forward and (2) a ridiculously convenient ending that just so happens to set every thing up for a second book.
As for the stupidity, the main character, Tori, fails to believe the criminals she’s working with when they tell her that they will kill her. She is clearly smarter than that so all of this text undermines the story. Also, one of the secondary characters who is a hero stupidly trusts a villain for no real reason other than he wants to. So, basically the villain organizing the destruction of the heroes (and, by extension, the villain’s “guild”) is not smart. He just found a hero stupid enough to believe him for no reason. Still, Hayes is one of the better authors working and I don’t regret taking the time to listen to this book. However, Mr. Hayes' performance in “NPCs” and “Superpowereds” is significantly better than here and anyone who hasn’t read those should do so first.
What follows is my original review which is essentially a poorly written rant but which I am retaining for the specifics contained therein. Read on if you wish but nothing below should be taken as contradicting the opinion that the book, while flawed, was still worth the read.
I’m a Drew Hayes fan since he writes two of the best series it has been my pleasure to read (NPCs and Superpowereds). Therefore I was tempted to run out and immediately buy “Forging Hephaestus”. What stopped me was the story line. “Join me or die” is just stupid. Saying such a thing just insures there can never be trust between the parties and removes any element of surprise when the “or die” aspect comes into play. I was so skeptical I didn’t even immediately check out “Forging Hephaestus” when my library got it. But then I read “Superpowereds Year 4” (in beta on Mr. Hayes’ website, as I’m writing this review you’ll have to wait for publication to read it now). Year 4 was so fantastic I could not imagine Mr. Hayes doing anything sub-par ever. Unfortunately “Forging Hephaestus” has brought me back down to earth.
Oddly enough, Mr. Hayes deals with my concern about the “join me or die” scenario. The blurb I read made it sound like a group of super villains recruited that way. It is a secret group of super villains but this group (the “Guild”) has government and super hero approval. In return the Guild controls the really bad villains who would destroy the world (the world being where Guild members keep their stuff). (Reminds me of how, in Terry Pratchett’s early Discworld books Lord Vetinari relied on the Thieves’ Guild to regulate crime which they did because robbing the same guy twice means the second robber gets nothing and some other guy goes un-robbed.)
My problem with this book is, I was 6.93% in (I did the math) and the rationale for villains not killing the main character, Tori, was exhausted. Tori is told repeatedly she has to perform or die and she repeatedly fails to perform. So much so that a special apprenticeship is arranged for her. Why not kill her? Because the Guild is getting too many violent types in the younger generation and so it needs to put extra effort into recruits like Tori who are just rebellious. Fine, as far as that goes, although it fails to explain why the Guild isn’t just killing the unwanted overly violent recruits- they are villains with a retirement to protect after all.
Tori’s initial efforts in the book, which gets her into the guild, make it clear she is extremely intelligent and competent but once in the guild she is pretty much being nothing but stupid and whiny. I got fed up (6.93% in) when she’s being pissy about having to work as a corporate intern. Like the idea of a cover identity is completely new to her???? So much for her being smart. Worse, she can’t seem to grasp the fact that her life is in danger. When she can’t even be bothered to do the simplest thing, like buckle her seat belt, without being made to do it, I honestly could not understand why the Guild would continue to waste time on her. Then she has to be made to attend an important meeting, which she whines about, then she has to have it explained to her that the Guild has other apprentices because she couldn’t figure that out??? Then she has the big revelation that The Guild of Super Villains has bad people in it who really would kill her??????????
Finally Mr. Hayes’ abilities reassert themselves and the book becomes quite good, with the notable exception of Tori realizing FOR THE SECOND TIME THAT THE GUILD OF SUPER VILLAINS REALLY WOULD KILL HER. (It comes after a very well written group test of all the guild’s apprentices.)
Then an insanely convenient scene occurs where robbers force their way into the corporate office where Tori and her mentor, Ivan, work. As if that isn’t convenient enough, one of their co-workers recently became a “meta” but has kept to himself. And if that isn’t convenient enough, a coffee shop employee from across the street also recently became a meta. And, if that isn’t convenient enough, coffee shop girl is actually in the corporate office to cater an event.
Then the book gets good again for a long while until the conclusion. If you do not wish to risk SPOILERS skip to the last paragraph.
Given Ivan's children are the absolute focus of his life it is bizarre Ivan didn’t have them better protected. How did the "real" bad guys find them? And why hadn’t Ivan, whose best friend is the genius leader of the Guild, figure it out first and guard against it? It was also stupid how Ivan decided his kids were dead- he just assumes the bad guy attempting to kill them wouldn’t screw up. What was that based on? We see little of that bad guy’s powers except in the finale, where he pretty much screws everything up. Apparently Ivan’s kids don’t have cell phones so he couldn’t even attempt to call them?? But, wait, they did because we are told a silly story of how his daughter is constantly losing her cell phone charger. For all Ivan knows his kids weren't even at school that day since he isn't close to his ex and things like dental appointments and getting sick happen. In short, Ivan, who has been an intelligent character otherwise, acts like a complete moron throughout the climax, really just to allow Tori to shine.
Back to the super-geniuses (literally) behind both the Guild and heroes, neither of whom were very smart. They both saw problems coming, had wealth, armies and tech at their disposal and the best plan they could come up with was to let it happen? From the story as told they never even attempted to bug or infiltrate the "real" bad guys. Plus, how stupid is it that when the crap hits the fan the super-geniuses big plan relies on their heavy-hitter, Lodestar, answering her cell phone? (Which Lodestar doesn't.)
Apollo, the superhero protagonist, is beyond belief stupid for trusting this world’s mash up of Joker and Dr. Strange. Basically his reasoning is “I don’t like criminals so I’m going to put my trust in the worst criminal I know so I can arrest a bunch of people I think of as criminals but really aren’t since they haven’t been caught committing any crime”.
If it were possible to be worse than Apollo, then Lodestar would win. After all, she’s known for years that something would eventually come up that would require her return to crime fighting, and yet she had no plans in place in case of emergency. As a result Lodestar's arrival is delayed by a crucial ½ hour WHILE SHE GETS A BABYSITTER??????
The heroes' genius even knew who was going to betray the heroes but FAILED TO PREPARE FOR THE BETRAYAL IN ANY WAY. This is especially exasperating given the betrayer proposed a city-wide test of the heroes' defense systems, a set up that SHOULD HAVE BEEN OBVIOUS TO THE HEROES’ GENIUS WHO SHOULD HAVE, AT THE VERY LEAST, ARRANGED FOR BABYSITTING FOR LODESTAR IN ADVANCE.
The ending was too convenient and is clearly contrived to pave the way for a sequel. Also, it seemed bizarre to me that the heroes, after having a lot of their bacon saved by the villains, decide that now is the time to stop tolerating the Guild??? This is particularly bizarre since they weren't really tolerating it in the first place since the HEROES HAD NO EVIDENCE OF CRIMINAL ACTIVITY BY THE GUILD.
BOTTOM LINE: While far from Mr. Hayes’ best work this book is still an okay read.
As for the stupidity, the main character, Tori, fails to believe the criminals she’s working with when they tell her that they will kill her. She is clearly smarter than that so all of this text undermines the story. Also, one of the secondary characters who is a hero stupidly trusts a villain for no real reason other than he wants to. So, basically the villain organizing the destruction of the heroes (and, by extension, the villain’s “guild”) is not smart. He just found a hero stupid enough to believe him for no reason. Still, Hayes is one of the better authors working and I don’t regret taking the time to listen to this book. However, Mr. Hayes' performance in “NPCs” and “Superpowereds” is significantly better than here and anyone who hasn’t read those should do so first.
What follows is my original review which is essentially a poorly written rant but which I am retaining for the specifics contained therein. Read on if you wish but nothing below should be taken as contradicting the opinion that the book, while flawed, was still worth the read.
I’m a Drew Hayes fan since he writes two of the best series it has been my pleasure to read (NPCs and Superpowereds). Therefore I was tempted to run out and immediately buy “Forging Hephaestus”. What stopped me was the story line. “Join me or die” is just stupid. Saying such a thing just insures there can never be trust between the parties and removes any element of surprise when the “or die” aspect comes into play. I was so skeptical I didn’t even immediately check out “Forging Hephaestus” when my library got it. But then I read “Superpowereds Year 4” (in beta on Mr. Hayes’ website, as I’m writing this review you’ll have to wait for publication to read it now). Year 4 was so fantastic I could not imagine Mr. Hayes doing anything sub-par ever. Unfortunately “Forging Hephaestus” has brought me back down to earth.
Oddly enough, Mr. Hayes deals with my concern about the “join me or die” scenario. The blurb I read made it sound like a group of super villains recruited that way. It is a secret group of super villains but this group (the “Guild”) has government and super hero approval. In return the Guild controls the really bad villains who would destroy the world (the world being where Guild members keep their stuff). (Reminds me of how, in Terry Pratchett’s early Discworld books Lord Vetinari relied on the Thieves’ Guild to regulate crime which they did because robbing the same guy twice means the second robber gets nothing and some other guy goes un-robbed.)
My problem with this book is, I was 6.93% in (I did the math) and the rationale for villains not killing the main character, Tori, was exhausted. Tori is told repeatedly she has to perform or die and she repeatedly fails to perform. So much so that a special apprenticeship is arranged for her. Why not kill her? Because the Guild is getting too many violent types in the younger generation and so it needs to put extra effort into recruits like Tori who are just rebellious. Fine, as far as that goes, although it fails to explain why the Guild isn’t just killing the unwanted overly violent recruits- they are villains with a retirement to protect after all.
Tori’s initial efforts in the book, which gets her into the guild, make it clear she is extremely intelligent and competent but once in the guild she is pretty much being nothing but stupid and whiny. I got fed up (6.93% in) when she’s being pissy about having to work as a corporate intern. Like the idea of a cover identity is completely new to her???? So much for her being smart. Worse, she can’t seem to grasp the fact that her life is in danger. When she can’t even be bothered to do the simplest thing, like buckle her seat belt, without being made to do it, I honestly could not understand why the Guild would continue to waste time on her. Then she has to be made to attend an important meeting, which she whines about, then she has to have it explained to her that the Guild has other apprentices because she couldn’t figure that out??? Then she has the big revelation that The Guild of Super Villains has bad people in it who really would kill her??????????
Finally Mr. Hayes’ abilities reassert themselves and the book becomes quite good, with the notable exception of Tori realizing FOR THE SECOND TIME THAT THE GUILD OF SUPER VILLAINS REALLY WOULD KILL HER. (It comes after a very well written group test of all the guild’s apprentices.)
Then an insanely convenient scene occurs where robbers force their way into the corporate office where Tori and her mentor, Ivan, work. As if that isn’t convenient enough, one of their co-workers recently became a “meta” but has kept to himself. And if that isn’t convenient enough, a coffee shop employee from across the street also recently became a meta. And, if that isn’t convenient enough, coffee shop girl is actually in the corporate office to cater an event.
Then the book gets good again for a long while until the conclusion. If you do not wish to risk SPOILERS skip to the last paragraph.
Given Ivan's children are the absolute focus of his life it is bizarre Ivan didn’t have them better protected. How did the "real" bad guys find them? And why hadn’t Ivan, whose best friend is the genius leader of the Guild, figure it out first and guard against it? It was also stupid how Ivan decided his kids were dead- he just assumes the bad guy attempting to kill them wouldn’t screw up. What was that based on? We see little of that bad guy’s powers except in the finale, where he pretty much screws everything up. Apparently Ivan’s kids don’t have cell phones so he couldn’t even attempt to call them?? But, wait, they did because we are told a silly story of how his daughter is constantly losing her cell phone charger. For all Ivan knows his kids weren't even at school that day since he isn't close to his ex and things like dental appointments and getting sick happen. In short, Ivan, who has been an intelligent character otherwise, acts like a complete moron throughout the climax, really just to allow Tori to shine.
Back to the super-geniuses (literally) behind both the Guild and heroes, neither of whom were very smart. They both saw problems coming, had wealth, armies and tech at their disposal and the best plan they could come up with was to let it happen? From the story as told they never even attempted to bug or infiltrate the "real" bad guys. Plus, how stupid is it that when the crap hits the fan the super-geniuses big plan relies on their heavy-hitter, Lodestar, answering her cell phone? (Which Lodestar doesn't.)
Apollo, the superhero protagonist, is beyond belief stupid for trusting this world’s mash up of Joker and Dr. Strange. Basically his reasoning is “I don’t like criminals so I’m going to put my trust in the worst criminal I know so I can arrest a bunch of people I think of as criminals but really aren’t since they haven’t been caught committing any crime”.
If it were possible to be worse than Apollo, then Lodestar would win. After all, she’s known for years that something would eventually come up that would require her return to crime fighting, and yet she had no plans in place in case of emergency. As a result Lodestar's arrival is delayed by a crucial ½ hour WHILE SHE GETS A BABYSITTER??????
The heroes' genius even knew who was going to betray the heroes but FAILED TO PREPARE FOR THE BETRAYAL IN ANY WAY. This is especially exasperating given the betrayer proposed a city-wide test of the heroes' defense systems, a set up that SHOULD HAVE BEEN OBVIOUS TO THE HEROES’ GENIUS WHO SHOULD HAVE, AT THE VERY LEAST, ARRANGED FOR BABYSITTING FOR LODESTAR IN ADVANCE.
The ending was too convenient and is clearly contrived to pave the way for a sequel. Also, it seemed bizarre to me that the heroes, after having a lot of their bacon saved by the villains, decide that now is the time to stop tolerating the Guild??? This is particularly bizarre since they weren't really tolerating it in the first place since the HEROES HAD NO EVIDENCE OF CRIMINAL ACTIVITY BY THE GUILD.
BOTTOM LINE: While far from Mr. Hayes’ best work this book is still an okay read.
May 27, 2018
I loved this book. So, so very much.
When I found out Drew Hayes was writing a novel about villains, I'm not going to lie; I was a bit concerned.
My primary concern was that it was going to take away some of the magic that is Super Powereds, and that a lot of villain novels tend to follow a similar formula.
Forging Hephaestus not only proved me wrong on both accounts but also seriously exceeded any expectations that I had for a new Drew Hayes novel.
In a world where "meta-humans" are created from accidents, it's easy to see the appeal of becoming a hero. That is until you look at "The Alliance of Heroic Champions" a little closer. Heroes that are more focused on politics than saving people make you start to question the way "evil" is fought.
Enter "The Guild of Villainous Reformation". A group of villains who have their code of conduct they adhere to, to not mess up villainy for everyone.
Now the by far the most significant difference between this and other villain books is that code of conduct. They get away with a bunch of evil stuff, but hey, these guys have standards.
Then you get into that actual story, past the basic concept.
The characters are funny, unique and are all completely flawed correctly and realistically.
The comic relief scattered through the pages makes a book that could be super dense considering the size of the thing, into a book that is super easy to read and so freaking enjoyable. Hell, it's why I read it in less than two days.
The scenarios that are on the books are weird and fantastic, and it's tough to figure out where the book is going to end up.
Then, there are the fight scenes. Holy hell, the fight scenes. Whenever I read these scenes, I get this crazy feeling of excitement in the pit of my stomach. They are fun and witty, and I feel like yelling out and egging on the characters.
All of those things combined with the fact that the book is long enough for extensive character development in it makes it one of my all-time favourite books.
By far the most exciting part, if the trajectory of the Super Powered series is anything to go by, is that the series is only going to get better as you become more attached to the characters. I'm very, very excited to see what's to come.
When I found out Drew Hayes was writing a novel about villains, I'm not going to lie; I was a bit concerned.
My primary concern was that it was going to take away some of the magic that is Super Powereds, and that a lot of villain novels tend to follow a similar formula.
Forging Hephaestus not only proved me wrong on both accounts but also seriously exceeded any expectations that I had for a new Drew Hayes novel.
In a world where "meta-humans" are created from accidents, it's easy to see the appeal of becoming a hero. That is until you look at "The Alliance of Heroic Champions" a little closer. Heroes that are more focused on politics than saving people make you start to question the way "evil" is fought.
Enter "The Guild of Villainous Reformation". A group of villains who have their code of conduct they adhere to, to not mess up villainy for everyone.
Now the by far the most significant difference between this and other villain books is that code of conduct. They get away with a bunch of evil stuff, but hey, these guys have standards.
Then you get into that actual story, past the basic concept.
The characters are funny, unique and are all completely flawed correctly and realistically.
The comic relief scattered through the pages makes a book that could be super dense considering the size of the thing, into a book that is super easy to read and so freaking enjoyable. Hell, it's why I read it in less than two days.
The scenarios that are on the books are weird and fantastic, and it's tough to figure out where the book is going to end up.
Then, there are the fight scenes. Holy hell, the fight scenes. Whenever I read these scenes, I get this crazy feeling of excitement in the pit of my stomach. They are fun and witty, and I feel like yelling out and egging on the characters.
All of those things combined with the fact that the book is long enough for extensive character development in it makes it one of my all-time favourite books.
By far the most exciting part, if the trajectory of the Super Powered series is anything to go by, is that the series is only going to get better as you become more attached to the characters. I'm very, very excited to see what's to come.
March 17, 2021
Notes:
Normally, I like Amy Landon's work as a narrator, but I don't think she was the best fit for this story. The narration made it easy for me to tune the story out because of the even tone.
The story was a lot of fun. Pacing is uneven between setup, active sequences and character development. Story stance is a bit wishy-washy for most of the book, but everything settled into place towards the end. Looking forward to the next book.
Normally, I like Amy Landon's work as a narrator, but I don't think she was the best fit for this story. The narration made it easy for me to tune the story out because of the even tone.
The story was a lot of fun. Pacing is uneven between setup, active sequences and character development. Story stance is a bit wishy-washy for most of the book, but everything settled into place towards the end. Looking forward to the next book.
June 28, 2018
Very good superhero novel. Drew Hayes always gives you an interesting and fun read. I was interesting comparing this story to his magnum opus superhero series Super Powered. Very enjoyable. Recommended
March 28, 2021
Holy shit. This guy needs to learn how to cut out words. Most of the book was a skim for me because there were so many scenes that did absolute nothing for the story. Not only that, but I didn’t connect to any characters besides Hephaestus herself (but even then the connection was loose), so there was no one I was really rooting for. The flip flopping of perspectives only made this worse--why read a whole book about 10+ different characters I don’t like? I get that some of it is to build tension--to take away attention from a big reveal and draw it out, but honestly it got annoying and tiresome. The only part I did somewhat enjoy was the training with the robots--it was a little like the Hunger Games, and who doesn’t love that? Also what the fuck are these stupid ass hero/villain names? Rust Tooth, Hat Trick, Cold Shoulder, Pod Person, Dapper Doll, Pest Control, Johnny Three Dicks…? You’ve got to be kidding me. I don’t know what I just read, but I didn’t really like it. A shame, since the author’s writing was decent enough. Just not a book for me.
January 6, 2021
Drew Hayes is sort of my version of an airport novel. Villain's Code isn't the most innovative book out there, but it's solid and fun and keeps my attention. If you like superheroes, definitely worth a read, though I suspect the plot would be a bit lost on someone who doesn't know the superhero/villain tropes very well.
October 29, 2022
This. This is the kind of book I enjoy the most in my downtime.
A rich world setting, a compelling story about super powered humans and entertaining to the boot!
Inhaled this book and can’t wait to read the next one!
Thank you Mr. Hayes for writing such a captivating story for us readers 🥹
A rich world setting, a compelling story about super powered humans and entertaining to the boot!
Inhaled this book and can’t wait to read the next one!
Thank you Mr. Hayes for writing such a captivating story for us readers 🥹
January 22, 2017
Drew Hayes does it again! Forging Hephaestus is emphatically a Drew Hayes novel. It is long -- it took me three days to read. The tone is light-hearted, the language is fairly colloquial, the plotting is complex, and the cast of characters is large. The over-all plot, discounting the details, is bordering on the formulaic, so, if you want formal, poetic language, read Patrick Rothfuss. If you want to have no idea where the plot is heading, also read Rothfuss. But for all it was clear where the plot had to go, getting there was a lot of fun. Hayes draws characters that are believable and loveable, creates situations that are all the more fun for the fact that you see them coming, and peppers the whole with highly entertaining snarky observations. For instance, in the middle of what can only be described as a 'boss battle' involving fireballs, this observation occurs: “His undergarments survived, thanks solely to the fact that a life in villainy had taught him the importance of extra-durable boxers, ”
And of course, brilliantly entertaining action sequences.
So, this is a classic Hayes set up: a world with superheroes and villains, here organised into two rival guilds, each with a training program and a set of expectations. Tori, the main character, is a petty thief with tech and fire abilities (one might say she is over powered, but when so many characters are it becomes irrelevant) drawn into the villains' guild; she makes friends with a programmer who acquires an ability of his own and becomes a hero. Conflict between the groups inevitably ensues, with all the attendant chaos.
I recommend this book to anyone who likes superhero stories, and I sincerely hope that it sell well enough to prompt Drew to get the next volume out a quickly as is consistent with quality. In fact, though I received an ARC, I will be buying a copy to share with my son as soon as I can.
And of course, brilliantly entertaining action sequences.
So, this is a classic Hayes set up: a world with superheroes and villains, here organised into two rival guilds, each with a training program and a set of expectations. Tori, the main character, is a petty thief with tech and fire abilities (one might say she is over powered, but when so many characters are it becomes irrelevant) drawn into the villains' guild; she makes friends with a programmer who acquires an ability of his own and becomes a hero. Conflict between the groups inevitably ensues, with all the attendant chaos.
I recommend this book to anyone who likes superhero stories, and I sincerely hope that it sell well enough to prompt Drew to get the next volume out a quickly as is consistent with quality. In fact, though I received an ARC, I will be buying a copy to share with my son as soon as I can.
September 14, 2017
I honestly think Drew Hayes can do no wrong. (If you're reading this, Mr. Hayes, well done!)
I wasn't sure about this one at the beginning. It took time for me to bond with Tori and Ivan and the rest. But, with a book this long, there was plenty of time to get attached. By the end, I was wanting more and was sorry it was over. Now I can't decide which of this author's series I want him to hurry and work on next, because there are so many, and every one of them is golden. (Get to work, Mr. Hayes, get to work!)
I wasn't sure about this one at the beginning. It took time for me to bond with Tori and Ivan and the rest. But, with a book this long, there was plenty of time to get attached. By the end, I was wanting more and was sorry it was over. Now I can't decide which of this author's series I want him to hurry and work on next, because there are so many, and every one of them is golden. (Get to work, Mr. Hayes, get to work!)
May 10, 2023
Villains like you've never seen them before. Villains of the Code. 4.5 stars
Tori Rivas, is stubborn, intelligent and a truly independent minded. Imbued with the power to control fire and a technical mind to rival any genius. Even soo she knows, she's but smallfry, in a world where Legendary Heroes and Infamous Villains could destroy whole cities in their fights. Now living and working as a smalltime thief to fund her own tech-projects, things go wrong in the most horribly interesting way. During her last heist she's caught while breaking into a vault of the Guild of Villains. There she receives her last and only offer: Prove you're worthy of becoming one of us....or die!
Forging Hephaestus is a quiet an unique take on heroes and villains. In this novel Mr. Hayes creates a world full of incredible powerful characters, while still showing their humanity. All their flats, flaws, and quirks show true and make for a slew of interesting characters. Told in a Multi-POV style, the story is complex and multifaceted. Be prepared to be entertained for quite a way though. With a page-count of 700+ pages (at least on my Ereader) the story takes it's time to build, slowly building up steam for the grand finale. Characters get their time to grow and expand, all the while showing you more of this world where rival guilds train, live and work on opposite sides of the law.
In all this novel left me well satisfied. With Hayes usual humour and good spirit, this novel felt lively and packed with plenty of good action scenes. I would recommend to any fan of Hero-fiction and interests in unique worlds. A novel well worth reading.
Re-read 10-1-2020
Tori Rivas, is stubborn, intelligent and a truly independent minded. Imbued with the power to control fire and a technical mind to rival any genius. Even soo she knows, she's but smallfry, in a world where Legendary Heroes and Infamous Villains could destroy whole cities in their fights. Now living and working as a smalltime thief to fund her own tech-projects, things go wrong in the most horribly interesting way. During her last heist she's caught while breaking into a vault of the Guild of Villains. There she receives her last and only offer: Prove you're worthy of becoming one of us....or die!
Forging Hephaestus is a quiet an unique take on heroes and villains. In this novel Mr. Hayes creates a world full of incredible powerful characters, while still showing their humanity. All their flats, flaws, and quirks show true and make for a slew of interesting characters. Told in a Multi-POV style, the story is complex and multifaceted. Be prepared to be entertained for quite a way though. With a page-count of 700+ pages (at least on my Ereader) the story takes it's time to build, slowly building up steam for the grand finale. Characters get their time to grow and expand, all the while showing you more of this world where rival guilds train, live and work on opposite sides of the law.
In all this novel left me well satisfied. With Hayes usual humour and good spirit, this novel felt lively and packed with plenty of good action scenes. I would recommend to any fan of Hero-fiction and interests in unique worlds. A novel well worth reading.
Re-read 10-1-2020
March 21, 2017
Holy crap... I don't even know what to say about this book. Might have to take a few days to make something out of the awesomeness spinning around the brain right now.
If you get the choice between written or read, take the read. It might take longer to get through it, but the narrator was spectacular.
Is there anything Mr. Hayes can't write about? At this point in time, I think I would read technical manuals for routers if he wrote them. I would read scientific papers about the growth scales of mollusks. Hell, I would read fridge magnet poetry.
Well done Mr. Hayes, well done.
If you get the choice between written or read, take the read. It might take longer to get through it, but the narrator was spectacular.
Is there anything Mr. Hayes can't write about? At this point in time, I think I would read technical manuals for routers if he wrote them. I would read scientific papers about the growth scales of mollusks. Hell, I would read fridge magnet poetry.
Well done Mr. Hayes, well done.
September 27, 2018
This was awesome. Well written and not a boring minute! For someone who usually gets bored 15 minutes into an audiobook, believe you me that this one is as exciting and interesting as they come. I listened to all 26 hours and 58 minutes of it. If you're ever interested in reading about superheroes and super villains this is the book for you. I can't wait for book 2!!!
April 15, 2018
5/5, 10/10...this book was great any way you look at it. Surprisingly original /considering how saturated the market is with the superhero themed stuff these days), thoroughly enjoyable, and an absolute pleasure to read through. I'm very much looking forward to the next book in the series.
August 31, 2019
Super villains, super heroes, robots, magic, dragons... what more could you ask for? Fantastic
July 2, 2025
This is a refreshing take on the well played out world superpowered individuals.
Drew takes his time creating an anti-hero (several actually) that the reader can relate to. The main character is fun, but her mentor (no spoilers) has a quiet wisdom coupled with a raging menace not far under the surface. Fascinating! I'm currently reading the sequel, Bones of the Past, and it really holds up. Keep it coming Drew, I'm here for it.
Side note, i really want to understand Nexus better.
Drew takes his time creating an anti-hero (several actually) that the reader can relate to. The main character is fun, but her mentor (no spoilers) has a quiet wisdom coupled with a raging menace not far under the surface. Fascinating! I'm currently reading the sequel, Bones of the Past, and it really holds up. Keep it coming Drew, I'm here for it.
Side note, i really want to understand Nexus better.
October 23, 2023
My review and an extended sample of the audiobook are posted at Hotlistens.com.
Back in 2015, I stumbled across Drew Hayes’s audiobook, The Utterly Uninteresting and Unadventurous Tales of Fred, the Vampire Accountant. That title really caught my eye. After listening to it, and the two books that are also in that series, I found that I really liked Drew Hayes. So, then I see a new audiobook available for review. And score, the is a narrator that I really like in Amy Landon.
I went into this book not knowing a lot about it. I skimmed the blurb and knew it about superheros. What I didn’t realize was the length. I was very surprised at 26 hour book, when all the Fred books were more like 7 hours. I kept putting off starting this book, wanting to get some of my shorter review books tackled. Once I started this book, I had a great time with it.
So this story starts out with Tori, a thief with metahuman powers, breaking into a vault and getting caught by the vault owner, who is none other than the Doctor Mechaniacal. He leads the Guild of Villains. He gives Tori an offer she can’t refuse. Join them or die.
Ivan is now retired and working in corporate America. He was once know that the mighty Fornax. He still serves on the council of villains, representing the other retired villains. He is currently going by Pseudonym. Doctor Mechaniacal convinces Ivan to take an apprentice. Tori not only has to be his apprentice in the villain world, she also goes to work for him in the corporate world as an intern, which is the hardest part for her.
It isn’t long into his new apprenticeship, that a Confluence happens. This is a weird kind of storm that happens and results in the creation of new metahumans. These new metahumans are swiped up by the Guild of Villains and also the Alliance of Heroic Champions (a.k.a. The Capes), these are the good guys.
While this story follows mostly Tori and her path to joining the Guild, there are also stories of some of the other newly turned metahumans. This includes her cubicle neighbor, Donald, who can pull any equipment from a video game he’s played. Donald tries to hide his powers until he’s forced to show the world what he can do. Then Capes quickly grab him to make him a superhero.
We meet some new characters too; Beverly, who can turn into a dragon, Lance, who can summon swarms of bugs and even see through their eyes and Warren, who can do magic through drawing runes. These are all recruits to the Guild.
The Capes get several new recruits too. Ren is a guy that his entire body has transformed into a mix of several different animals, not a shifter, but a chimera of different animals. He is always in this shape, but AHC is able to supply him with a charm to hide what he looks like from the general public.
So this is a great story about how all of these new recruits come into their own as both heroes and villains. I love that this story shows that things are not always black and white, but really many shades of grey. One of the Capes, Apollo, thinks it is horrible that they allow the villains to exist, but the Guild isn’t all bad. They have a code and they live and die by it. There are lines that they won’t cross. If you break the Villain’s Code, the penalty is death. One of the council will find you and kill you (not always in a pleasant way).
There is a ton that goes on in this story. It is really hard to summarize, because so much happens. I was truly immersed in this story. I love all the characters. There are villains that I loved and loved to hate. There are capes that I loved and hated. Truthfully, there was good and bad on both sides and Ivan has a scene where he explains this really well to Tori. I will be eagerly awaiting the next book in this series too.
Narration
Amy Landon really nailed the narration for this book. There is a large cast of characters and she had several distinct voices for each of them. She also did a great job of picking the voices for the different characters. There are characters that are more machine than human and she chose the voices for them perfect. All the voices are the right fit for each character. I loved all the fight scenes. There were some times when things looked desperate and she nailed the tone.
**I like to thank the publisher for providing me with a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.
Back in 2015, I stumbled across Drew Hayes’s audiobook, The Utterly Uninteresting and Unadventurous Tales of Fred, the Vampire Accountant. That title really caught my eye. After listening to it, and the two books that are also in that series, I found that I really liked Drew Hayes. So, then I see a new audiobook available for review. And score, the is a narrator that I really like in Amy Landon.
I went into this book not knowing a lot about it. I skimmed the blurb and knew it about superheros. What I didn’t realize was the length. I was very surprised at 26 hour book, when all the Fred books were more like 7 hours. I kept putting off starting this book, wanting to get some of my shorter review books tackled. Once I started this book, I had a great time with it.
So this story starts out with Tori, a thief with metahuman powers, breaking into a vault and getting caught by the vault owner, who is none other than the Doctor Mechaniacal. He leads the Guild of Villains. He gives Tori an offer she can’t refuse. Join them or die.
Ivan is now retired and working in corporate America. He was once know that the mighty Fornax. He still serves on the council of villains, representing the other retired villains. He is currently going by Pseudonym. Doctor Mechaniacal convinces Ivan to take an apprentice. Tori not only has to be his apprentice in the villain world, she also goes to work for him in the corporate world as an intern, which is the hardest part for her.
It isn’t long into his new apprenticeship, that a Confluence happens. This is a weird kind of storm that happens and results in the creation of new metahumans. These new metahumans are swiped up by the Guild of Villains and also the Alliance of Heroic Champions (a.k.a. The Capes), these are the good guys.
While this story follows mostly Tori and her path to joining the Guild, there are also stories of some of the other newly turned metahumans. This includes her cubicle neighbor, Donald, who can pull any equipment from a video game he’s played. Donald tries to hide his powers until he’s forced to show the world what he can do. Then Capes quickly grab him to make him a superhero.
We meet some new characters too; Beverly, who can turn into a dragon, Lance, who can summon swarms of bugs and even see through their eyes and Warren, who can do magic through drawing runes. These are all recruits to the Guild.
The Capes get several new recruits too. Ren is a guy that his entire body has transformed into a mix of several different animals, not a shifter, but a chimera of different animals. He is always in this shape, but AHC is able to supply him with a charm to hide what he looks like from the general public.
So this is a great story about how all of these new recruits come into their own as both heroes and villains. I love that this story shows that things are not always black and white, but really many shades of grey. One of the Capes, Apollo, thinks it is horrible that they allow the villains to exist, but the Guild isn’t all bad. They have a code and they live and die by it. There are lines that they won’t cross. If you break the Villain’s Code, the penalty is death. One of the council will find you and kill you (not always in a pleasant way).
There is a ton that goes on in this story. It is really hard to summarize, because so much happens. I was truly immersed in this story. I love all the characters. There are villains that I loved and loved to hate. There are capes that I loved and hated. Truthfully, there was good and bad on both sides and Ivan has a scene where he explains this really well to Tori. I will be eagerly awaiting the next book in this series too.
Narration
Amy Landon really nailed the narration for this book. There is a large cast of characters and she had several distinct voices for each of them. She also did a great job of picking the voices for the different characters. There are characters that are more machine than human and she chose the voices for them perfect. All the voices are the right fit for each character. I loved all the fight scenes. There were some times when things looked desperate and she nailed the tone.
**I like to thank the publisher for providing me with a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.
October 30, 2025
Drew writes a Villain? How's that work out? pretty damn well.
I can't decide if this is the first Drew Hayes book with an Anti-hero, or if every book by Drew Hayes is about anti-heroes who also happen to be good people. Tori Rivas is pretty honest and true for a villain, but she might be the most morally challenged of all his protagonists. That's not saying much considering Drew Hayes protagonists. This author has a vampire who would rather be an accountant than a creature of the night (Love those books by the way). I love this guy and everything he writes, so I was curious to see him take on a villains point of view. With no surprise, but great relief this "Villain" is not a bad person.
IF the bulk of Drew's work can be said to have a central theme I think it is this: To stay true to your moral compass in a dark and scary world of forces that strive to turn you into a tool of evil or at least indifferent to oppression and injustice. How he manages to maintain such a lofty theme while staying so light and fun to read is a mystery to me and something near a miracle of artistic genius.
Having said all that, This book is a slight departure from his usual style while staying true to that central theme. This was a mildly murkier world in the Drewiverse, wile still PG-13 and avoids the grimdark no hope that pervades 20teens fantasy. there is swearing and mild profanity.
Over all. This is a likeable, Enjoyable, entertaining, book. but most importantly to me this is a Drew Hayes book, and I can't wait for the next one.
**UPDATE: 3rd reading, 6years later**
-This series is worth starting-
I really believe the quality of a book can be determined by how many time you can read it and it still feels like a treat. If the book gets better each time you read it, you've got a classic.
Yes this book stands up to rereading, and yes I find new things in it each time.
This series is 5 books now, and is my favorite out of a lot of good books by Drew
I can't decide if this is the first Drew Hayes book with an Anti-hero, or if every book by Drew Hayes is about anti-heroes who also happen to be good people. Tori Rivas is pretty honest and true for a villain, but she might be the most morally challenged of all his protagonists. That's not saying much considering Drew Hayes protagonists. This author has a vampire who would rather be an accountant than a creature of the night (Love those books by the way). I love this guy and everything he writes, so I was curious to see him take on a villains point of view. With no surprise, but great relief this "Villain" is not a bad person.
IF the bulk of Drew's work can be said to have a central theme I think it is this: To stay true to your moral compass in a dark and scary world of forces that strive to turn you into a tool of evil or at least indifferent to oppression and injustice. How he manages to maintain such a lofty theme while staying so light and fun to read is a mystery to me and something near a miracle of artistic genius.
Having said all that, This book is a slight departure from his usual style while staying true to that central theme. This was a mildly murkier world in the Drewiverse, wile still PG-13 and avoids the grimdark no hope that pervades 20teens fantasy. there is swearing and mild profanity.
Over all. This is a likeable, Enjoyable, entertaining, book. but most importantly to me this is a Drew Hayes book, and I can't wait for the next one.
**UPDATE: 3rd reading, 6years later**
-This series is worth starting-
I really believe the quality of a book can be determined by how many time you can read it and it still feels like a treat. If the book gets better each time you read it, you've got a classic.
Yes this book stands up to rereading, and yes I find new things in it each time.
This series is 5 books now, and is my favorite out of a lot of good books by Drew
April 3, 2017
A surprisingly deep book about superheros and villains. Drew is great at taking a silly premise and making you really care for the goofballs though, So I shouldn't be surprised by this one. I will try to get a full review up on my blog https://thebloggoblin.com/ soon but for now this is well worth the 5 stars
September 16, 2023
Full video review: https://youtu.be/ojOPYrAk4bo
July 15, 2021
I have owned this book for awhile, in audiobook form, but held off on reading it due to its length. Longer books always intimidate me a little, for whatever reason. After having finally listened to it as part of my July commitment to reading books in my collection that are longer than 600 pages and this one fit the bill.
Make no mistake, this book was long. The audiobook, which was very well narrated by Amy Landon, was just under 27 hours long. The book did feel long, but not in a bad way. The author felt like he was taking his time to allow the world building to take place and to let the characters breathe somewhat. It felt well-paced, with a nice mix of action scenes and slower, slice of life moments that mixed well together. In retrospect, I don’t really know what I would have cut out to shorten it and that’s a good sign.
Overall, it was just a really fun read that took a different tact when it comes to the superhero genre. By focusing on the villain said of things, and on villains trying to play by a set of rules at that, it created a set of characters that could have been unlikable were they just evil, mustache-twirling villains. Instead, they came off as rule benders and adventure seekers more than knockoff Joker villains. The book also featured some strong, smart female protagonists that seemed normal, down to earth people. Who knew that could be a thing?
All in all, I really enjoyed this. Not surprising really considering I have enjoyed other works by Mr. Hayes.
Make no mistake, this book was long. The audiobook, which was very well narrated by Amy Landon, was just under 27 hours long. The book did feel long, but not in a bad way. The author felt like he was taking his time to allow the world building to take place and to let the characters breathe somewhat. It felt well-paced, with a nice mix of action scenes and slower, slice of life moments that mixed well together. In retrospect, I don’t really know what I would have cut out to shorten it and that’s a good sign.
Overall, it was just a really fun read that took a different tact when it comes to the superhero genre. By focusing on the villain said of things, and on villains trying to play by a set of rules at that, it created a set of characters that could have been unlikable were they just evil, mustache-twirling villains. Instead, they came off as rule benders and adventure seekers more than knockoff Joker villains. The book also featured some strong, smart female protagonists that seemed normal, down to earth people. Who knew that could be a thing?
All in all, I really enjoyed this. Not surprising really considering I have enjoyed other works by Mr. Hayes.
August 1, 2024
Overall the book was beautifully crafted.
I do think it missed an opportunity for more magnificence though.
The name "forging Hephaestus" could be interpreted in multiple ways. The meaning I thought would hold more sway was the creation of the main character-Tori meta-suit. It was something she was quite intent and obsessed about creating. Although the suit did play a major role in helping her survive tenuous situations, I felt like it didn't really have that wow factor. At the end of it all, she only managed to save the day through the emotional connections she had formed with other characters, which was also great to read but i personally would have preferred her pulling through by virtue of her abilities and creation.
Either way I still loved the book, the characters were honestly entertaining to read and I had a great time.
I do think it missed an opportunity for more magnificence though.
The name "forging Hephaestus" could be interpreted in multiple ways. The meaning I thought would hold more sway was the creation of the main character-Tori meta-suit. It was something she was quite intent and obsessed about creating. Although the suit did play a major role in helping her survive tenuous situations, I felt like it didn't really have that wow factor. At the end of it all, she only managed to save the day through the emotional connections she had formed with other characters, which was also great to read but i personally would have preferred her pulling through by virtue of her abilities and creation.
Either way I still loved the book, the characters were honestly entertaining to read and I had a great time.
September 12, 2021
I don't know that I have anything in particular to say here.
Everything was... solid.
Beautifully written. Solid, well-rounded protagonists.
Very nice plot twist (I had some doubts towards the middle, and I saw most of it coming but there was a "twist within the twist" that balanced everything quite nicely in the last arc.
The one thing that failed for me was (again!) battle time. There was way too much talking within the fights to my liking. Maybe it's a thing in comics, but when you're building the movie in your head, things just don't drag out that long, especially when the fighters have super powers. Unless we assume they all talk super-fast as well.
All in all, a very pleasant experience.
I'm definitely tracking this one.
Everything was... solid.
Beautifully written. Solid, well-rounded protagonists.
Very nice plot twist (I had some doubts towards the middle, and I saw most of it coming but there was a "twist within the twist" that balanced everything quite nicely in the last arc.
The one thing that failed for me was (again!) battle time. There was way too much talking within the fights to my liking. Maybe it's a thing in comics, but when you're building the movie in your head, things just don't drag out that long, especially when the fighters have super powers. Unless we assume they all talk super-fast as well.
All in all, a very pleasant experience.
I'm definitely tracking this one.
July 25, 2024
Another great one from Drew Hayes. This is the 3rd series that I have started from him and I have loved them all. This one has vibes Super Powereds but more centered on a villain’s perspective.
October 2, 2017
An addictive intricately woven fantasy in a world of villains and heroes!
“Sooner or later, they’ll realize that having one spider in the house kills a lot of the lesser insects.”
Forging Hephaestus by Drew Hayes was an addictive intricately woven fantasy set in a world of villains and heroes. It was a given that I’d pick up this listen as soon as I saw it because I’m a sucker for super hero tales. Also, my appetite for more books by Drew Hayes had been previously whetted by another of Drew Hayes’ fun, witty and fascinating books - The Utterly Uninteresting and Unadventurous Tales of Fred, The Vampire Accountant. Look for my review of it soon!!!!!
Forging Hephaestus was told mostly from the villains’ viewpoint. Readers quickly find that there’s a fine line in defining a villain versus a hero, i.e., there’s heroes within the villains and villains within the heroes. As a bit of history, some villains who prized their freedom realized that they needed to set some bare bone rules so as to ensure that they remained jail-free. Those villains formed The Guild of Villainous Reformation and enacted a code that all metas who joined their Guild had to ascribe to. The same occurred on the other side of the fence, as the heroes formed The Alliance of Heroic Champions commonly referred to as the Capes.
As the story opens, we find Tori Rivas, a meta-human, in the process of breaking into a secure facility when she’s caught by the vault’s owner, Doctor Mechaniacal. Given a choice of being taken out or joining the Guild, she smartly chooses the Guild (duh!) where she becomes an apprentice. Ivan - formerly known as Fornax, a super powerful and supposedly dead villain - becomes her mentor to oversee her schooling in the ins-and-outs of villainy. We then follow assorted supers, Tori and other apprentices as they face perils galore. There’s infighting and outfighting and, of course, those who don’t follow the rules… Oh my!
There’s a diverse array of heroes and villains. Some of their name choices were absolutely hilarious. A case in point: Johnny Three Dicks. I was pulling for Donald, who becomes a Cape. He was a quiet nerdy geek bigly into video games who becomes a meta able to manifest weapons from those same video games. He has a thing for Tori and I hope he gets more attention in a sequel. Another was a caterer who could turn various common sayings such as “liar, liar, pants on fire” into reality. Imagine using that talent in a fight… Another villain was a she-dragon with multiple colorful forms and associated capabilities. Even though all the characters were supers, they were excellently written to be oddly relatable and surprisingly believable. Sounds crazy, but it’s true.
Following please find a few of my favorite quotes from Forging Hephaestus:
“There may come times that you will regret not just dying when you had a chance.”
---
“Try not to let them scare you too much. But, don’t forget, that they are scary people.”
---
Ivan, task handled, lowered his hand, pausing only to pop his knuckles. He turned to face his apprentice. He cleared his throat, and took one quick glance over his shoulder where the angry giant robot stormed across the desert, before addressing Tori.
“That was satisfactory.”
---
“To put it as simply as possible, I ate a god.”
Amy Landon was the narrator for the audio edition of Forging Hephaestus. She did an exemplary job bringing this tale to life. Her voices for each character were distinct, memorable and consistent. She exuded the proper emotions with the appropriate nuances. I would also mention that she did an extraordinary job fitting voices to the characters as some entities are more machine than human-like and the voices she used for each seemed to perfectly fit their physical forms. The performance was polished and professional. Forging Hephaestus was the longest audio I’ve ever listened to at twenty-seven hours, yet I was incredibly disappointed when it ended as I wanted more! I am beyond impressed that for as long as this audio was, I never once lost interest and was never ever bored.
If you require a bit of romance in your reads, then you should look elsewhere as this listen was 99% bereft of romance. The lone exception was Donald’s aforementioned shy crush on Tori. I actually didn’t have time to miss it as the story’s action-packed plot line and dangerous stakes at every turn kept things busy! Forging Hephaestus was fun, humorous and well-written with intriguing, well-developed characters and on-point pacing. I can’t wait to read more stories set in this world. Hopefully, soon!
My full review is posted at Reading Between The Wines Book Club. Please check it out there: http://www.readingbetweenthewinesbook...
“Sooner or later, they’ll realize that having one spider in the house kills a lot of the lesser insects.”
Forging Hephaestus by Drew Hayes was an addictive intricately woven fantasy set in a world of villains and heroes. It was a given that I’d pick up this listen as soon as I saw it because I’m a sucker for super hero tales. Also, my appetite for more books by Drew Hayes had been previously whetted by another of Drew Hayes’ fun, witty and fascinating books - The Utterly Uninteresting and Unadventurous Tales of Fred, The Vampire Accountant. Look for my review of it soon!!!!!
Forging Hephaestus was told mostly from the villains’ viewpoint. Readers quickly find that there’s a fine line in defining a villain versus a hero, i.e., there’s heroes within the villains and villains within the heroes. As a bit of history, some villains who prized their freedom realized that they needed to set some bare bone rules so as to ensure that they remained jail-free. Those villains formed The Guild of Villainous Reformation and enacted a code that all metas who joined their Guild had to ascribe to. The same occurred on the other side of the fence, as the heroes formed The Alliance of Heroic Champions commonly referred to as the Capes.
As the story opens, we find Tori Rivas, a meta-human, in the process of breaking into a secure facility when she’s caught by the vault’s owner, Doctor Mechaniacal. Given a choice of being taken out or joining the Guild, she smartly chooses the Guild (duh!) where she becomes an apprentice. Ivan - formerly known as Fornax, a super powerful and supposedly dead villain - becomes her mentor to oversee her schooling in the ins-and-outs of villainy. We then follow assorted supers, Tori and other apprentices as they face perils galore. There’s infighting and outfighting and, of course, those who don’t follow the rules… Oh my!
There’s a diverse array of heroes and villains. Some of their name choices were absolutely hilarious. A case in point: Johnny Three Dicks. I was pulling for Donald, who becomes a Cape. He was a quiet nerdy geek bigly into video games who becomes a meta able to manifest weapons from those same video games. He has a thing for Tori and I hope he gets more attention in a sequel. Another was a caterer who could turn various common sayings such as “liar, liar, pants on fire” into reality. Imagine using that talent in a fight… Another villain was a she-dragon with multiple colorful forms and associated capabilities. Even though all the characters were supers, they were excellently written to be oddly relatable and surprisingly believable. Sounds crazy, but it’s true.
Following please find a few of my favorite quotes from Forging Hephaestus:
“There may come times that you will regret not just dying when you had a chance.”
---
“Try not to let them scare you too much. But, don’t forget, that they are scary people.”
---
Ivan, task handled, lowered his hand, pausing only to pop his knuckles. He turned to face his apprentice. He cleared his throat, and took one quick glance over his shoulder where the angry giant robot stormed across the desert, before addressing Tori.
“That was satisfactory.”
---
“To put it as simply as possible, I ate a god.”
Amy Landon was the narrator for the audio edition of Forging Hephaestus. She did an exemplary job bringing this tale to life. Her voices for each character were distinct, memorable and consistent. She exuded the proper emotions with the appropriate nuances. I would also mention that she did an extraordinary job fitting voices to the characters as some entities are more machine than human-like and the voices she used for each seemed to perfectly fit their physical forms. The performance was polished and professional. Forging Hephaestus was the longest audio I’ve ever listened to at twenty-seven hours, yet I was incredibly disappointed when it ended as I wanted more! I am beyond impressed that for as long as this audio was, I never once lost interest and was never ever bored.
If you require a bit of romance in your reads, then you should look elsewhere as this listen was 99% bereft of romance. The lone exception was Donald’s aforementioned shy crush on Tori. I actually didn’t have time to miss it as the story’s action-packed plot line and dangerous stakes at every turn kept things busy! Forging Hephaestus was fun, humorous and well-written with intriguing, well-developed characters and on-point pacing. I can’t wait to read more stories set in this world. Hopefully, soon!
My full review is posted at Reading Between The Wines Book Club. Please check it out there: http://www.readingbetweenthewinesbook...
April 1, 2018
FORGING HEPHAESTUS is a lengthy (700+) page novel by Drew Hayes about the Guild of Villainous Reformation. The organization is a semi-public group that exists for the purposes of redeeming villains but, actually, is the mafia that maintains a ruthless grip on the world's supervillains.
The Guild is in a very comfortable, almost chummy, relationship with the heroes and eliminates the worst of their kind while keeping the families of heroes out of their crimes' ways. This doesn't sit well with all of the heroes and villains with some of them wanting to go back to a more Wild West-esque lawlessness.
Toni is unaware of this, though, when she gets captured by the Guild while breaking into one of their vaults. This was all a test to see if she had the makings of being a member of the Guild and they assign her to Pseudonym, formerly the supervillain Fornax, who is presently just going by the name Ivan. Ivan is one of the most feared supervillains to ever live but has retired for the purposes of living a normal life with the caveat of keeping part of the Guild's business in order to maintain the tenuous peace between heroes and villains. He and Toni instantly bond as the former explains the importance of the Code.
The Guild is a bit boring in how much it does in order to make itself presentable to the rest of the world, almost to the point they might not be villains at all. If you like your bad guys as agents of chaos then this is definitely not the book for you. However, that's the set up for the book as we come to understand the rebels who want to go back to the old days and the horrific consequences of what happens when the peace is finally broken.
My favorite part of the book is the fact the heroes haven't always been heroic. They are forced to deal with a long-time member who is openly racist and the fact its predecessor organization stole a magic crown from a black superhero for no other reason than to keep him from helping people. They're still "mostly" good but the law has never been entirely the side of right.
I liked all the main characters from Cyber Geek to Bahamut with all of their individual tales tying into the greater themes of Hero vs. Villain as well as how both is really just a point of view at this time. It's like a more realistic City of Heroes versus an actual conflict between good vs. evil. That's because of the Guild trying to be embrace Pragmatic Evil (see TV tropes.org) versus the more flamboyant evil of the comics.
Overall, this was a decent read but a little slow to reach its climax. The characters are okay but not exceptional either. They rarely move past their archetype of geeky heroes or lovable rogues or unspeakable evils. So I recommend the story to those who want a long but enjoyable story without many surprises.
8/10
The Guild is in a very comfortable, almost chummy, relationship with the heroes and eliminates the worst of their kind while keeping the families of heroes out of their crimes' ways. This doesn't sit well with all of the heroes and villains with some of them wanting to go back to a more Wild West-esque lawlessness.
Toni is unaware of this, though, when she gets captured by the Guild while breaking into one of their vaults. This was all a test to see if she had the makings of being a member of the Guild and they assign her to Pseudonym, formerly the supervillain Fornax, who is presently just going by the name Ivan. Ivan is one of the most feared supervillains to ever live but has retired for the purposes of living a normal life with the caveat of keeping part of the Guild's business in order to maintain the tenuous peace between heroes and villains. He and Toni instantly bond as the former explains the importance of the Code.
The Guild is a bit boring in how much it does in order to make itself presentable to the rest of the world, almost to the point they might not be villains at all. If you like your bad guys as agents of chaos then this is definitely not the book for you. However, that's the set up for the book as we come to understand the rebels who want to go back to the old days and the horrific consequences of what happens when the peace is finally broken.
My favorite part of the book is the fact the heroes haven't always been heroic. They are forced to deal with a long-time member who is openly racist and the fact its predecessor organization stole a magic crown from a black superhero for no other reason than to keep him from helping people. They're still "mostly" good but the law has never been entirely the side of right.
I liked all the main characters from Cyber Geek to Bahamut with all of their individual tales tying into the greater themes of Hero vs. Villain as well as how both is really just a point of view at this time. It's like a more realistic City of Heroes versus an actual conflict between good vs. evil. That's because of the Guild trying to be embrace Pragmatic Evil (see TV tropes.org) versus the more flamboyant evil of the comics.
Overall, this was a decent read but a little slow to reach its climax. The characters are okay but not exceptional either. They rarely move past their archetype of geeky heroes or lovable rogues or unspeakable evils. So I recommend the story to those who want a long but enjoyable story without many surprises.
8/10
April 21, 2023
“Look, we're moderately bad,” said the Villains, “but we're not so bad that we're willing to take the world apart either trying to destroy it or rule it by force. We just want to be bad in regular criminal mastermind sorts of ways. Heck, a lot of our evil schemes aren't even technically illegal if you have a really good team of lawyers and publicists. So how about you let us be, and we'll sort of, um, police ourselves, and when the Really Bad Guys get out of hand, we'll help take care of the problem.”
“Uh... sure, okay,” said Law Enforcement and the Superheroes. “We can't officially sanction it, of course, but we'll look the other way as long as you don't cause major disruptions and help us with the really bad ones.”
It's serendipity to vread this book right after Good Omens, in which an angel and demon made an almost identical pact in an effort to stave off Armageddon because, while they were technically on opposite sides, they both liked the world too much to see it destroyed in an ultimate war between Good and Evil.
I remember once seeing a tongue-in-cheek list of how to be a really effective evil tyrant and avoid all the classic blunders made by the great villains of pop culture. By the end of the list, you're thinking, “This is looking like less like a villain, and more like someone putting in the work to be a half-decent ruler.” That's kind of what the Villain's Guild is like. For villains, they sure follow a lot of rules and protocol.
It's not particularly good writing, and I could die happy if no one ever “headed for” anyplace ever again, but it's a fun ride that made little things like pedestrian writing fairly forgivable. The heroine is hackneyed in a lot of ways – she's a typical wonderwoman character who is artlessly and effortlessly beautiful at all times, also a genius, and also independent AF. But I liked her anyway, so I was more willing to forgive her trite existence. She's also, most relevantly to the story, an incredibly gifted mechanical genius from a young age, which feels like it needs a strong backstory explaining it in a society where young girls aren't encouraged in those directions. But then, believability isn't really a high value in a story full of superheroes and supervillains.
In a story peopled with chaotic supervillains, it's easier to believably insert a walking deus ex machina like Nexus, who pops up in random scenes and stirs shit up for his own entertainment. Nevertheless, it's still recognizable as a cheap way to create drama that doesn't arise organically from the plot.
September 13, 2017
This clever take on super-villains and super-heroes is funny and fast-paced without turning into parody or satire.
The book revolves around Tori Rivas, one of the growing number of metahumans that have been growing in number the past few years. She's a skilled survivor and thief who has preferred to work by herself. In the process of sneaking into a corporate office, by liquefying like molten lava, she discovers that she's has raided the headquarters of a guild of super-villains.
This guild has had a tacit agreement with the similar league of super-heroes. The guild can generally operate unharmed as long as members follow a rigid code of behavior. Breaking the code will get you killed. That gives the super-heroes the freedom to squash independent operators who get too violent, and the guild has also been known to wipe out a rogue group.
Tori takes on training as an apprentice to a nearly-retired villain who was one of the most notorious and powerful villains of all time. He staged his death years ago to focus on raising his children. He's never taken on an apprentice before, but Tori seems especially resourceful and talented and the guild has already dug a basement in his house to serve as her laboratory.
All would be going smoothly but there are those who resent the villain/hero agreement; villains who hate the restrictions of the code and heroes who believe it's less than heroic to let criminals operate without punishment.
The book is filled with a wonderful variety of good and bad guys. There's a hero who can manifest fantastic weapons from video games, a barista who can turn sayings into reality by repeating them three times (you want to be very honest when she says "liar, liar, pants on fire"), a southern belle hero with a bullet proof umbrella, and plenty more.
The book takes us through hero and villain training, including the marketing crew that helps with naming heroes through audience testing and designs their costumes as well as planning marketing campaigns to help new heroes make a perfect debut.
The book carries the story along with creative capers, close calls, and a final battle that makes it hard for everyone to know whose side they should be on. Great book and Hayes' best so far. I'm looking forward to grabbing the next book in the series.
The book revolves around Tori Rivas, one of the growing number of metahumans that have been growing in number the past few years. She's a skilled survivor and thief who has preferred to work by herself. In the process of sneaking into a corporate office, by liquefying like molten lava, she discovers that she's has raided the headquarters of a guild of super-villains.
This guild has had a tacit agreement with the similar league of super-heroes. The guild can generally operate unharmed as long as members follow a rigid code of behavior. Breaking the code will get you killed. That gives the super-heroes the freedom to squash independent operators who get too violent, and the guild has also been known to wipe out a rogue group.
Tori takes on training as an apprentice to a nearly-retired villain who was one of the most notorious and powerful villains of all time. He staged his death years ago to focus on raising his children. He's never taken on an apprentice before, but Tori seems especially resourceful and talented and the guild has already dug a basement in his house to serve as her laboratory.
All would be going smoothly but there are those who resent the villain/hero agreement; villains who hate the restrictions of the code and heroes who believe it's less than heroic to let criminals operate without punishment.
The book is filled with a wonderful variety of good and bad guys. There's a hero who can manifest fantastic weapons from video games, a barista who can turn sayings into reality by repeating them three times (you want to be very honest when she says "liar, liar, pants on fire"), a southern belle hero with a bullet proof umbrella, and plenty more.
The book takes us through hero and villain training, including the marketing crew that helps with naming heroes through audience testing and designs their costumes as well as planning marketing campaigns to help new heroes make a perfect debut.
The book carries the story along with creative capers, close calls, and a final battle that makes it hard for everyone to know whose side they should be on. Great book and Hayes' best so far. I'm looking forward to grabbing the next book in the series.
June 25, 2017
A fun book, but not without its problems. Before I get to the issues I had with it, let me say that they didn't interfere with my enjoyment of the book. The premise is interesting, and the action sequences are entertaining. Read as allegory it is also timely. I just think it could have been better, and even more enjoyable.
Due maybe in part to the genre (superhero YA?), there is excessive explanation to the reader, that blunts the effects of ironic moments and major turning points in character or story. And at 700 pages, there was definitely room to trim.
The length of the book also means that what would have been passable foreshadowing is instead a dead giveaway for the main plot twist of the story. The reader is given too much time before it actually happens, in which to think about the literary relationships between the major characters on the different sides, making the result inevitable. There was a good secondary twist, but its execution felt a little too slapdash--although there was certainly room for in the foundation laid prior, there was very little setup to lead the reader to an "aha!" moment.
If the book had started just before the final test for the new recruits, the pacing were reworked, and the foreshadowing scenes in particular were given a little more subtlety, this could be a five star book. It was good, but it felt more like a draft than a finished product.
Due maybe in part to the genre (superhero YA?), there is excessive explanation to the reader, that blunts the effects of ironic moments and major turning points in character or story. And at 700 pages, there was definitely room to trim.
The length of the book also means that what would have been passable foreshadowing is instead a dead giveaway for the main plot twist of the story. The reader is given too much time before it actually happens, in which to think about the literary relationships between the major characters on the different sides, making the result inevitable. There was a good secondary twist, but its execution felt a little too slapdash--although there was certainly room for in the foundation laid prior, there was very little setup to lead the reader to an "aha!" moment.
If the book had started just before the final test for the new recruits, the pacing were reworked, and the foreshadowing scenes in particular were given a little more subtlety, this could be a five star book. It was good, but it felt more like a draft than a finished product.
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