What do you think?
Rate this book
Save the Day
Jay Carson loves his boyfriend Ted Rodriguez. They’ve been together through the difficult times and the great times, and they’ve grown closer together through it all. They finally have a home together. So why does it seem that Ted is keeping secrets from him? Why does the house always feel so empty?
In a world of superheroes and supervillains, where the incredible can happen every day, the triumphs and tragedies of life can be epic. For Jay and Ted, friendship, love, and home are the most important things in the world, but they must find a way to balance them against the truth of Ted’s life. In the end, will they be able to Save the Day?
In a world of superheroes and supervillains, where the incredible can happen every day, the triumphs and tragedies of life can be epic. For Jay and Ted, friendship, love, and home are the most important things in the world, but they must find a way to balance them against the truth of Ted’s life. In the end, will they be able to Save the Day?
354 pages, Paperback
First published March 2, 2010
43 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
October 16, 2011
I bought this book at a Furry Convention after the author convinced me to buy it. I had been told not to get it by a friend who owned his own copy and had offered to lend it to me instead of spending money on it. He had already mentioned a bit of the issues with the book, but despite that, Mr. Faul is a nice person in real life, and convinced me to get the book. He even signed it to me which was pretty nice.
Let me say this right out, this book deserves four stars, maybe even more. It didn't get them because of a few things. But let me talk about the good stuff first before I get to that, because the good things about this book are why I have recommended it to my best friend, something I wouldn't have done if I didn't enjoy it.
As a side note, this is a coming out story, not a superhero story. The plot resolves around coming out to friends/coworker/etc, and less about the superheroes themselves. Just to warn you. That doesn't make it any less of a story, but if you go into it expecting it to be something other than a coming out story, you're going to be a bit disappointed.
Save the Day is a moving story. I admit, there were points where I cheered the main characters on and even once where I teared up. It takes a lot to move me when it comes to fiction, and this story touched those parts enough for me to react. I enjoyed the characters, I enjoyed the plot and the story of Ted and Jay. The characters were well done and each had their own personalities that grew on me as I read. As another reviewer stated, if this book was judged on the story alone, it would score a four easily.
But there in lies the problem. This story is plagued with editing problems. As to if this is the editors, or the author, or both of their faults, I don't know. But there are punctuation issues such as (using made up examples) "What do you mean he likes me?." or "He said that it;s his fault." This distracts from the story and completely halts any and all suspension of disbelief. Not to mention that most word processing programs would have marked it with a large red squiggle. These could have been easily caught.
Something else this book suffers from is useless paragraphs. (again, more editing could have fixed this) It feels as if the story was padded just to make it longer to meet a word count. You'd be given a super being's name, and then a paragraph or two of their powers and then what they have done in the world. Then you would never hear about them again. Though I am all for world building, the character that is telling the story (as it is in first person) already knows the character's powers/what they have done, so explaining it seems redundant. That being said, characters like Power Puma have their powers mentioned four times in the book, along with their ability to gather others to his cause, etc. Again, this gets tedious as you have already been told this once before. In the end, this book could have been half its size and still been as good as it is now, and would have a more streamline feel to it.
Lastly, there are some awkward words that pop out and halt all forward motion. Take the word "Akimbo". Yes, I can figure that it means hands on hips, but no one uses this in the world as far as I know and as this was the first time I have ever come across it in anything I have read, it threw me as I had to pause and figure out what it meant. Yes, you taught me a new word, but unfortunately you also stopped me from being involved in your story by using 'fancy language'. It's a minor thing, as akimbo only comes up three times, but it's still enough to jar one out of the story.
The plot is good, the story is enjoyable, and it brought about an emotional response. I DO recommend this book. I enjoyed it, and despite the things mentioned above I found myself looking for time to finish it to see where it went. The final battle was a bit of a let down, I still enjoyed how things panned out. BTW, I LOVE Cinnamon and Spice and almost wished there was something of them on their own.
Pick this book up. Don't let my critique stop you from doing so. If you don't want to fork over the $20 for it, borrow it from a friend. It's a good read despite the above. I enjoyed it, and I went into it having a feeling I might not, especially after all I had heard about it. But it still came through, it still entertained, and I still fell in love with the characters. Just be prepared to slog through extra paragraphs and descriptions you can probably forget right after you read them because they are unimportant to the story.
Get the book. Support this author. He's a good guy and I liked this story.
That's all I can say at this point.
Let me say this right out, this book deserves four stars, maybe even more. It didn't get them because of a few things. But let me talk about the good stuff first before I get to that, because the good things about this book are why I have recommended it to my best friend, something I wouldn't have done if I didn't enjoy it.
As a side note, this is a coming out story, not a superhero story. The plot resolves around coming out to friends/coworker/etc, and less about the superheroes themselves. Just to warn you. That doesn't make it any less of a story, but if you go into it expecting it to be something other than a coming out story, you're going to be a bit disappointed.
Save the Day is a moving story. I admit, there were points where I cheered the main characters on and even once where I teared up. It takes a lot to move me when it comes to fiction, and this story touched those parts enough for me to react. I enjoyed the characters, I enjoyed the plot and the story of Ted and Jay. The characters were well done and each had their own personalities that grew on me as I read. As another reviewer stated, if this book was judged on the story alone, it would score a four easily.
But there in lies the problem. This story is plagued with editing problems. As to if this is the editors, or the author, or both of their faults, I don't know. But there are punctuation issues such as (using made up examples) "What do you mean he likes me?." or "He said that it;s his fault." This distracts from the story and completely halts any and all suspension of disbelief. Not to mention that most word processing programs would have marked it with a large red squiggle. These could have been easily caught.
Something else this book suffers from is useless paragraphs. (again, more editing could have fixed this) It feels as if the story was padded just to make it longer to meet a word count. You'd be given a super being's name, and then a paragraph or two of their powers and then what they have done in the world. Then you would never hear about them again. Though I am all for world building, the character that is telling the story (as it is in first person) already knows the character's powers/what they have done, so explaining it seems redundant. That being said, characters like Power Puma have their powers mentioned four times in the book, along with their ability to gather others to his cause, etc. Again, this gets tedious as you have already been told this once before. In the end, this book could have been half its size and still been as good as it is now, and would have a more streamline feel to it.
Lastly, there are some awkward words that pop out and halt all forward motion. Take the word "Akimbo". Yes, I can figure that it means hands on hips, but no one uses this in the world as far as I know and as this was the first time I have ever come across it in anything I have read, it threw me as I had to pause and figure out what it meant. Yes, you taught me a new word, but unfortunately you also stopped me from being involved in your story by using 'fancy language'. It's a minor thing, as akimbo only comes up three times, but it's still enough to jar one out of the story.
The plot is good, the story is enjoyable, and it brought about an emotional response. I DO recommend this book. I enjoyed it, and despite the things mentioned above I found myself looking for time to finish it to see where it went. The final battle was a bit of a let down, I still enjoyed how things panned out. BTW, I LOVE Cinnamon and Spice and almost wished there was something of them on their own.
Pick this book up. Don't let my critique stop you from doing so. If you don't want to fork over the $20 for it, borrow it from a friend. It's a good read despite the above. I enjoyed it, and I went into it having a feeling I might not, especially after all I had heard about it. But it still came through, it still entertained, and I still fell in love with the characters. Just be prepared to slog through extra paragraphs and descriptions you can probably forget right after you read them because they are unimportant to the story.
Get the book. Support this author. He's a good guy and I liked this story.
That's all I can say at this point.
April 19, 2012
So, how can I describe Save the Day? In five words, "Out of Position with Superheroes".
That's not fair. It doesn't copy anything, the characters are quite different, and characters are quite settled with being gay - the main characters have been in a relationship for five years. But the issues of trust and honesty, of coming out, are the central issues of both books. Save the Day is a little more angsty, but also quite clean compared to Out of Position.
The author put a lot of work into his world. It shows a consideration and education of the genre, and clearly thought hard things, right down to supers choosing jobs that have flexible schedules because they can't compete with other things. The supers aspect is enjoyable start to finish, and often very absurd in a good way.
The book is professional. The editing, the writing - I have a few issues, but the writing, the plotting, everything is so solid. Even more impressive, there is foreshadowing and hints about what's coming later. If you read it and then read it again, you'll see almost all the hints. I point this out because it shows a serious strength of plotting.
A few weeks ago I made a post encouraging writers to frustrating your readers by drawing out your conflict. In terms of plotting and pacing, Save the Day does this. Things do not get immediately resolved to character limitations. It does get a little annoying at times because of the aforementioned angst, but you know what? I think it's worth it, because the resolution more than pays for it. At several points the book made me care, really strongly, about the resolution; I wanted the characters to "just say this" or "just do that", and when it finally happened, it was immensely rewarding.
As a bonus, I've been talking to the author. He is a nice, exuberant and enthusiastic guy about his world and story. He wants to open the setting to others writing in his world, and he reminds me of me when I talk about my writing.
If you enjoy supers, if you enjoy coming out stuff, or if you just enjoy reading good books, I cannot recommend this book enough.
That's not fair. It doesn't copy anything, the characters are quite different, and characters are quite settled with being gay - the main characters have been in a relationship for five years. But the issues of trust and honesty, of coming out, are the central issues of both books. Save the Day is a little more angsty, but also quite clean compared to Out of Position.
The author put a lot of work into his world. It shows a consideration and education of the genre, and clearly thought hard things, right down to supers choosing jobs that have flexible schedules because they can't compete with other things. The supers aspect is enjoyable start to finish, and often very absurd in a good way.
The book is professional. The editing, the writing - I have a few issues, but the writing, the plotting, everything is so solid. Even more impressive, there is foreshadowing and hints about what's coming later. If you read it and then read it again, you'll see almost all the hints. I point this out because it shows a serious strength of plotting.
A few weeks ago I made a post encouraging writers to frustrating your readers by drawing out your conflict. In terms of plotting and pacing, Save the Day does this. Things do not get immediately resolved to character limitations. It does get a little annoying at times because of the aforementioned angst, but you know what? I think it's worth it, because the resolution more than pays for it. At several points the book made me care, really strongly, about the resolution; I wanted the characters to "just say this" or "just do that", and when it finally happened, it was immensely rewarding.
As a bonus, I've been talking to the author. He is a nice, exuberant and enthusiastic guy about his world and story. He wants to open the setting to others writing in his world, and he reminds me of me when I talk about my writing.
If you enjoy supers, if you enjoy coming out stuff, or if you just enjoy reading good books, I cannot recommend this book enough.
September 15, 2021
This book does have issues. There are typographical, grammatical and punctuation errors throughout, blank pages between random chapters with no rhyme or reason to them, some phrasing is awkward, there's some slightly stiff exposition, and it does repeat information a few times. However, none of this really matters.
This book has an infectious spirit about it, a bouyant energy that's impossible to resist. There's a large cast of highly engaging, larger-than-life characters. There's kinetic, inventive action that plays with and often subverts superhero tropes. There's a vivid, sparky, self-aware humour that embraces the inherent silliness of the genre, sometimes to hilarious extremes. There's a genuinely engaging, believeable core relationship, and unashamed emotion. This is a book that commits to its ideas, complete with strong world-building, and reaps the rewards. A joyful delight.
This book has an infectious spirit about it, a bouyant energy that's impossible to resist. There's a large cast of highly engaging, larger-than-life characters. There's kinetic, inventive action that plays with and often subverts superhero tropes. There's a vivid, sparky, self-aware humour that embraces the inherent silliness of the genre, sometimes to hilarious extremes. There's a genuinely engaging, believeable core relationship, and unashamed emotion. This is a book that commits to its ideas, complete with strong world-building, and reaps the rewards. A joyful delight.
May 21, 2011
How I came upon this book is a pretty good story...but, in short, the author himself talked me into reading it! Being a superhero fan, as well as a furry fan...it was probably pretty likely I'd read it without much persuasion, but I was actually impressed with how much I wound up ENJOYING it when I'd finished. It's nice to see "superhero life" behind the scenes...in their daily lives...and how being a superhero affects those they love. I really recommend this one to any superhero (or furry) fan, who can accept all tolerances and situations...because it's a good read.
October 22, 2011
This is a fun and furry superhero story with likeable characters, epic world-building, and a satisfying arc. I did find the choice of present tense troubling and awkward at times. However, I'd be more than happy to read more by this author, and I'd love to see another book set in this world.
July 17, 2011
Fantastic novel - One I will treasure and read again and again. Very well written, with characters you fall in love with and cheer on through their trials.
March 13, 2015
One of my all time favorite books, it's one I think everyone should read. It's a beautiful world, with wonderful characters.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews