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Shazzie

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The Beheading Game

by Rebecca Lehmann

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Jan 02, 2026 02:29AM

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Bhagawan Koutilya

by Goruru Ramaswamy Iyengar

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Dec 17, 2025 06:53AM

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Hench (Hench, #1)

by Natalie Zina Walschots (Goodreads Author)

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read in July 2023

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Shazzie said: " The only sales pitch I needed to pick up this book is that it features “a protagonist whose superpower is spreadsheets.“

Anna Tromedlov works temporary jobs for supervillains. The economy is harsh, and she’s constantly on her toes trying to make ends The only sales pitch I needed to pick up this book is that it features “a protagonist whose superpower is spreadsheets.“

Anna Tromedlov works temporary jobs for supervillains. The economy is harsh, and she’s constantly on her toes trying to make ends meet, and not succumb to scurvy in the meantime. Her newest job puts her in the crossfire as a superhero tries to save an abducted child, and she ends up with a broken leg, and loses her livelihood.

HENCH might not offer something that’s already been said about superheroes, but offers a refreshing take, and has a competent protagonist. Anna has a talent for data, and after her accident leaves her jobless living with her friend, she utilises her gifts and her free time to examine the collateral damage caused by superheroes. After some work on this, she gets hired by the supervillain Leviathan, and she uses his resources to change public perception of heroes, as well as make every moment of their life as miserable as she can. She is logical, analytical, takes initiative, and crafts thorough plans to mess with their lives.

This book has a strong concept, and a memorable execution. Anna is clearly a conflicted character, who bears heroes or baddies no personal ill will, but is determined to influence how they are viewed. She understands how to play the long game, and it is fun to simply see a competent bisexual heroine capable of calling the shots when necessary. The story is told in a non-linear fashion, and details all her jobs and influential points in her life.

Just keep in mind that this book doesn’t do a deep dive into the setting, and only about 80% in did I feel like I had some grasp of the alternative present it is set in. It examines the cost of justice, especially on an individual level, and asks, in a twisted way, if superheroes are necessarily better than villains in many aspects. Both of them are shown to work with large corporations and teams, and the villains aren’t necessarily bad employers.

The story can get dark and depressing, but thankfully, the snark involved ensured it wasn’t much for me, and there is some graphic body horror toward the end. The author’s depiction of the toll Anna’s chosen path takes on her existing relationships, as well as her detachment is pretty remarkable. The ending felt true to the characters, though a bit rushed, and leaves enough open for a sequel. Which, if we can trust what Goodreads shows us, we can expect one sometime next year, something I will try to acquire as soon as I can.

HENCH offers a fresh perspective, an engaging narrative, and is a worthwhile read for fans of the superhero genre. It showcases good craft, and serves as a great deconstruction of superhero tropes. Highly recommended.

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Shazzie’s Quotes

“Grave robbing was still viewed as socially inappropriate, and doing it when the sun was up was generally viewed as unwise.”
― Seanan McGuire, Beneath the Sugar Sky

27 likes

“You keep asking why your work is not enough, and I don’t know how to answer that, because it is enough to exist in the world and marvel at it. You don’t need to justify that, or earn it. You are allowed to just live.”
― Becky Chambers, A Psalm for the Wild-Built

757 likes

“A woman's best protection is a little money of her own.”
― Clare Boothe Luce

tags: equal-rights-for-women

12 likes

“New things are the best kind of magic there is.”
― Seanan McGuire, Come Tumbling Down

tags: adventure, magic, new

21 likes

“People always mean something. Sometimes what they mean is 'you can't be trusted to remember to be kind', and then I want to bury them up to their necks in marshmallow fluff, so they'll remember how I choose kindness every single day”
― Seanad McGuire

tags: kindness, subjective

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