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Soon I Will Be Invincible
Soon I Will Be Invincible
Author: Austin Grossman
Doctor Impossible -- evil genius, diabolical scientist, wannabe world dominator -- languishes in a federal detention facility. He's lost his freedom, his girlfriend, and his hidden island fortress. — Over the years he's tried to take over the world in every way imaginable: doomsday devices of all varieties (nuclear, thermonuclear, nanotec...  more »
ISBN-13: 9780375424861
ISBN-10: 0375424865
Publication Date: 6/5/2007
Pages: 288
Rating:
  • Currently 4.3/5 Stars.
 21

4.3 stars, based on 21 ratings
Publisher: Pantheon
Book Type: Hardcover
Other Versions: Paperback, Audio CD
Members Wishing: 0
Reviews: Member | Amazon | Write a Review

Top Member Book Reviews

reviewed Soon I Will Be Invincible on + 5 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
A funny and entertaining book about the folks behind the masks. The story alternates chapters between the POVs of a supervillain and the newest recruit on the team of heroes dedicated to stopping him. The characters are well thought out and there are some surprisingly poignant moments -- it's clear that Grossman put a lot of effort into imagining the hardships of life as a caped crusader. On the other hand, the ending was very drawn out and felt anti-climactic...there were also some parts in the body of the book (mainly in the heroine Fatale's chapters)that could have been made more concise, or cut altogether. I still enjoyed reading it -- any fan of old-school comic books will find a lot to laugh at here. I just wish the ending had a little more oomph.
reviewed Soon I Will Be Invincible on
Helpful Score: 1
An interesting look at the psychology of superheroes. Very much a character piece and thankfully the characters /are/ interesting, as there is very little plot to speak of.

I actually checked this book out at the library, read it, and utterly forgot about it, which subsequently led to purchasing a copy later. It is not, to say the least, a memorable book. That said, I really enjoyed Dr. Impossible as a character and I'd be curious to see the world established in the book expanded. Had this been an actual comic book, I think it might have been much stronger, as it is there's too much going on and the plot itself relies too much on comic book tropes without subverting or examining them the way it does with the characters.
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SteveTheDM avatar reviewed Soon I Will Be Invincible on + 204 more book reviews
This is a story told from two perspectives: a super-villain, presumably the smartest man in the world (who never seems to get what he wants), and a newly-minted superhero filled with insecurity. Doctor Impossible has escaped from a high-security prison, and threatens, yet again, to take over the world with a new Doomsday Device he dreamt up while in prison. His foes are the recently rejoined New Champions, a collection of superheroes filled with personal problems of their own.

Its fun in a kind of strange throwback-to-old-comics way, and its also kind of thought-provoking and sad when we get inside the heads of these people. Their lives, despite the force fields, lasers, and mystical hammers are kind of unsatisfying. It really feels like despite the power everyone demonstrates, there are no winners here.

The start of the book is fantastic, and drew me in quickly. But the excitement kind of wears thin before too long, and the book doesnt end with a bang at all. So the emotional journey the reader takes is not really what youd expect in a superhero book.

Interesting and enjoyable, but left me wanting something different.

4 of 5 stars.
reviewed Soon I Will Be Invincible on
A fun superhero (and supervillain!) story, told with great intelligence and style.
Leeankh avatar reviewed Soon I Will Be Invincible on + 139 more book reviews
This book just didn't grab me as much as I thought it would. I did enjoy the story from the villain's point of view, at least to some degree. But, I think the author should have used a different hero to tell the story. When I was done, I was very disappointed with Fatale's story and just didn't care for her or her thoughts. I would have enjoyed the story much more from Lily's or Damsel's point of view. I don't know. It just wasn't what I was expecting and I was a bit disappointed. I can see that the author spent a lot of time thinking about characters and what they would be like. But, I think he missed the mark on execution and motivations, just a bit. I believe this was the author's first novel, however, and I would like to revisit him in the future when he's had a little more time to hone his craft. I see a lot of potential in his work and would like to see him develop.
reviewed Soon I Will Be Invincible on
The book was good until the end. I felt it was somewhat anti-climactic.
reviewed Soon I Will Be Invincible on
Imaginative and fun.
reviewed Soon I Will Be Invincible on + 1152 more book reviews
I think this is one that I would have enjoyed more if I had read instead of listened to it. The world was compelling and it was a little more soap opera style than I anticipated. It's fun to think about what superheroes do in their downtime. It took me a little while to adjust when the narrative voice changed; I think that would have been easier to manage via print.


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