Sociotard Posted October 7, 2013 Report Share Posted October 7, 2013 I stayed up late to finish the new Brandon Sanderson book "Steelheart" (link goes to a free chapter sampler). It had an interesting premise: A magic thingy appeared in the sky and some people got superpowers. But with great power came great arrogance, lack of empathy, and an overweening desire to rule the merely human. Everyone with superpowers is a supervillain. The novel follows a terrorist cell that finds their weaknesses and kills them. The action flows really well. I could easily follow it and it looked really cool in my head. Lots of good descriptive prose about the city and assorted special effects. The characters were really weak, especially the main character, who just feels like a generic 20something dude. The guy with the Tennessee drawl who uses phrases reserved for Scottish stereotypes (lad) is annoying to read, because I just couldn't get the words and the accent to 'play' right in my head. The Quebecois true believer (still thinks superheroes will come eventually) and the Prof character were both much more interesting, but they don't quite make up for the boring lead or the lack of interesting character relationships. I'd still recommend this as the book equivalent of a summer special effects film. I especially kept thinking it was a really fun idea for a champions game. It has to be worth at least a one-shot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken Winland Posted October 7, 2013 Report Share Posted October 7, 2013 Howdy, The new comic from Mike Cary (GREAT author) is like this in some respects. 'Suicide Risk' follows a police officer who is looking into the origins of meta-humans, most of whom become villains when they get their powers. And then HE gets powers.... Cheers, Ken Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Goodwin Posted October 7, 2013 Report Share Posted October 7, 2013 I've lately been reading Worm, which some have compared favorably to Steelheart. A 15 year old girl named Taylor Hebert gains the power to control bugs... and to say any more would be spoilers. I've been meaning to start a thread on Worm. Edit: Actually I'll quote part of the "About" blurb here: An introverted teenage girl with an unconventional superpower, Taylor goes out in costume to find escape from a deeply unhappy and frustrated civilian life. Her first attempt at taking down a supervillain sees her mistaken for one, thrusting her into the midst of the local ‘cape’ scene’s politics, unwritten rules, and ambiguous morals. As she risks life and limb, Taylor faces the dilemma of having to do the wrong things for the right reasons. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balabanto Posted October 9, 2013 Report Share Posted October 9, 2013 I have only this to say. Why can't anything be bright and shiny any more? Everything is so nasty now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kahuna's bro Posted October 9, 2013 Report Share Posted October 9, 2013 I have only this to say. Why can't anything be bright and shiny any more? Everything is so nasty now. I sometimes wonder the same thing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
st barbara Posted October 11, 2013 Report Share Posted October 11, 2013 There almost seems to be a quiet little sub genre developing of superhero (and villain) novels and books of short stories often by authors that I had never heard of before and published by obscure companies that are also new to me. "Tachyon Publications", "Rising Star Visionary Press", "Prime Publications" are all examples of companies of which I had never heard that have published such books. Authors such as Mur Lafferty, Kenneth C Harmon and Christopher Andrews are also new on my radar. I have only read Lafferty's "Playing For Keeps" but I enjoyed it and will get around to the other writers mentioned sometime. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigbywolfe Posted October 11, 2013 Report Share Posted October 11, 2013 There almost seems to be a quiet little sub genre developing of superhero (and villain) novels and books of short stories often by authors that I had never heard of before and published by obscure companies that are also new to me. "Tachyon Publications", "Rising Star Visionary Press", "Prime Publications" are all examples of companies of which I had never heard that have published such books. Authors such as Mur Lafferty, Kenneth C Harmon and Christopher Andrews are also new on my radar. I have only read Lafferty's "Playing For Keeps" but I enjoyed it and will get around to the other writers mentioned sometime. Speaking of small press Super-Stories, you might want to check out Sinner by Greg Stolze. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vondy Posted October 11, 2013 Report Share Posted October 11, 2013 I have only this to say. Why can't anything be bright and shiny any more? Everything is so nasty now. I don't necessarily need bright and shiny, but heroes who are heroic and serve as a beacon of light in a dark world would be nice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grailknight Posted October 11, 2013 Report Share Posted October 11, 2013 I don't necessarily need bright and shiny, but heroes who are heroic and serve as a beacon of light in a dark world would be nice. "Wearing the Cape" and its sequels are books you want to read then. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christopher Posted October 12, 2013 Report Share Posted October 12, 2013 I have only this to say. Why can't anything be bright and shiny any more? Everything is so nasty now. I think Squirrel Girl hit's the point with this one: "Maybe it's just me, but I'm not crazy about super hero stories where everything's all dark and moody. Personally, I like the ones where good guys fight giant apes on the moon and stuff. Remember those? I do. That was back when comic book worlds were places you wanted to escape to... not from." But I think it is too much watching news. they just keep overfocussing on the negative. This is news how they should be more: http://www.leasticoulddo.com/comic/20130919/ (sometimes NSFW) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kahuna's bro Posted October 12, 2013 Report Share Posted October 12, 2013 I think Squirrel Girl hit's the point with this one: "Maybe it's just me, but I'm not crazy about super hero stories where everything's all dark and moody. Personally, I like the ones where good guys fight giant apes on the moon and stuff. Remember those? I do. That was back when comic book worlds were places you wanted to escape to... not from." But I think it is too much watching news. they just keep overfocussing on the negative. This is news how they should be more: http://www.leasticoulddo.com/comic/20130919/ (sometimes NSFW) amen to that Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cassandra Posted October 12, 2013 Report Share Posted October 12, 2013 One could view the Squadron Supreme miniseries as a comic where the main characters were "villains". While the Squadron was Marvel's version of the Justice League, the teams goal was to take over the world with the goal of creating a Utopia, no matter what the cost. No one really thinks they're ever evil. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FrankL Posted October 13, 2013 Report Share Posted October 13, 2013 I have only this to say. Why can't anything be bright and shiny any more? Everything is so nasty now. I sometimes wonder the same thing A humorous supers book I'm enjoying is Tales of the Dim Knight. Normal guy in a small town gets a symbiote suit. Hilarity ensues. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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