Soon I Will be Invincible: Amazon.co.uk: Austin Grossman: Books

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Product Description

DOUGLAS COUPLAND, author of Generation X and JPod
'Austin Grossman has a superpower himself -- it's called writing
... winning, smart and funny ... It's terrific.'

Wired Magazine
'Every comic-book cliché in this witty, stunning debut is lovingly
embraced, then turned inside out'

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Customer Reviews

13 Reviews

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

Average Customer Review

4.4 out of 5 stars (13 customer reviews)

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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars ...and then the world will KNOW my name!, 26 Aug 2007

By	M. Grace "Evil Genius" (within a hollowed out volcano) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Truly Truly Brilliant. Pratchett's humour/Gaiman's angst/DNA's twisting plotlines wrapped up in a spandex suit; without Moore's/Miller's dark depression.

May induce cackling insanely.

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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Witty and insightful, 16 Jul 2008

By	matthew_panton "matthew_panton" (IoW) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Soon I Will be Invincible (Paperback)

Grossman very carefully avoids parody or mockery of the superhero genre itself, or of its central tropes. This is a good thing. Instead he gives us a psychoanalasys of the stock characters. What drives a man to turn his genius to evil?

The story's two lead characters, Doctor Impossible (Villain) and Fatale (Heroine) are wonderfully self-aware and often second guess their own motivations. The former, having been imprisoned twelve times for twelve different world-domination schemes seems in little doubt that he will fail again. In fact, he seems to take it for granted while still lying to himself - surely, this time he must win? No, and he knows it. Doctor Impossible does what he does simply because he must. He at once strives to live up to society's expectations of a supervillain, while at the same time belittling those expectations.

Fatale, the cyborg superheroine protagonist exists in a state of uncertainty between the paragons of the superheroing golden age and her self-defined rust age reality. She doesn't seem to believe that either is real, but they're all she has to define her world. Again, the character lies to herself while fully acknowledging the facts.

This is one of those rare books that's precisely as deep as the reader wishes - it can be a throwaway pulp adventure story or a thought-provoking study of satre-esque philosophy.

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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars At last! A Supervillain we can all cheer for., 29 Oct 2007

By	Dim Reaper (England) - See all my reviews

This book is fantastic. Doctor Impossible is an evil genius bravely trying to take over the world whilst being thwarted by a pesky superteam.

Starting with Doctor Impossible in prison pondering his life and wondering whether he should have taken a path of scientific research rather than trying to take over the world, the story follows him through the implementation of his latest scheme. First he's got to raise capital to fund his new idea, which means such indignities as having to travel by bus and get changed into his villain costume in the bushes so he can make an entrance.

Meanwhile, a rookie cyborg is given a chance to join a reformed super-team who are out to thwart Doctor Impossible's evil plan.

If you're a fan of comic books or superhero stories in general then you will love this book - the narrative points out the absurdities of the superhero world, whilst making it all believable.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars The geek shall conquer the Earth
Writing about superheroes is a difficult proposition. They are so suited to the visual medium, that conveying the sense of wonder that goes with the genre in prose is a great... Read more

Published 3 months ago by S. Bentley

2.0 out of 5 stars Curses, foiled again!
This is a book that never quite recovers from its own terrific start:

"This morning on planet Earth, there are 1,686 enhanced, gifted, or otherwise superpowered... Read more

Published 12 months ago by Torgo

4.0 out of 5 stars Zap! Pow! Kerblam!
Austin Grossman's "Soon I Will Be Invincible" (whose title really should have an exclamation mark at the end) is a witty and wonderful labour of love, a deeply-affectionate... Read more

Published 12 months ago by Melmoth

5.0 out of 5 stars A comicbook tale with literary flare!
I have really enjoyed reading this book. Being a long-term fan of the comic genre, Grossman's book made a well-written alternative. Read more

Published 12 months ago by Kenn

5.0 out of 5 stars Invincible reading
The best book I have read in a long time. Absolutely superb - couldn't put it down.
Can't wait for the sequel.

Published 13 months ago by S. Austin

5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely fantastic, one of my favourite books
I bought this book because I'm a fan of comic books and wanted to see how the concept could be done in novelisation form, I've read Batman No Man's Land, the novel as well as the... Read more

Published 17 months ago by L. Young

2.0 out of 5 stars not sure what i was expecting
I brought this book only a whim, as a life long comic fan i thought it might be a good read. I must say i was sorely disappointed. Read more

Published 19 months ago by Mr. Apj Smith

5.0 out of 5 stars Excelsior!
If you're the kind of person who nodded sagely during Austin Powers' "what about the henchmen?" sketch, this book is for you. Read more

Published 20 months ago by DW

5.0 out of 5 stars Superheroes with lives
This is superb read. From the very start you feel like you are reading a comic. You meet Dr Impossible (the bad guy) and Fatale (the good girl), you find out their origin and why... Read more

Published 21 months ago by Tim Healey

5.0 out of 5 stars Playful homage
Packed with details that draw you in, this comic book world is more four dimensional than four colour. Read more

Published 22 months ago by Marcus Morgan

› See all 13 customer reviews...

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	66% buy the item featured on this page: Soon I Will be Invincible 4.4 out of 5 stars (13)
	15% buy Hero 4.5 out of 5 stars (12) �4.49
	11% buy Superpowers 3.7 out of 5 stars (7) �5.99
	5% buy Gods Behaving Badly 3.7 out of 5 stars (38) �4.78


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Soon I Will be Invincible (Hardcover)

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