A Stella Review: Flyboy’s First Misadventure (Flyboy’s Misadventures Book 1) by Havan Fellows

Rating: 3.75 stars out of 5

Flyboys First_1400Secrets? Oh yeah, Dean Wades has a doozy. When he goes up, he doesn’t necessarily come back down. Okay, that’s not true. Dean’s a master at falling, it’s the landing that could use improvement—a lot of improvement. After thirteen years of attempting to conquer this gravity defying mystery, he can no longer live with not knowing what he is anymore. So he heads cross-country to see the two people who just might be able to give him the answers he seeks…his folks.

Easygoing Gavin Trevor is always willing to help his family, even when they have ulterior motives…like forcing him to make up with his annoying older brother. When a simple task at his parent’s house puts him in a position of danger, he’ll need a lot more than luck to avoid a serious injury—he’ll need his very own superhero.

And the fates collide, well sort of. It may not be love at first sight—Gavin was unconscious in Dean’s arms for their initial introduction…but perhaps these two men can make it a relationship at first flight?

A threat against Gavin’s family throws a wrench in their plans, and while Dean gladly offers his amateur talent to help the mission, Gavin doesn’t want to put his rescuer’s life in jeopardy by risking exposure of the greatest secret ever.

This proves to be a rescue adventure for the books. Or is that a rescue misadventure?

Flyboy’s First Misadventure was a lovely read, a great addition to this new series. I found Havan’s writing easy and really great. I need to check out more by this author, because honestly this one was a winner.

Gavin is a tattoo artist apprentice, struggling to be accepted by his military family and always fighting with his brother. One day while helping his parents in some houseworks involving a ladder, he literally falls into Dean’s arms.

Dean is a cute superhero, he can fly (well not exactly fly, more like jump high in the air, flutter a little and then face-plant in the dirty ground!) and has an amazing best friend in Tia. They are on a trip to see Dean’s folks to come out of his hero closet and maybe learn more about his talent.

I saw the sparkles between my MCs from the start and it was a crescendo in the story, with a lot of funny moments, some sweet ones and an unexpected rescue mission, until I wasn’t sure anymore who was the real superhero. It’s a story that has a lot of potential and it needs a sequel or two. I’m so glad Havan has more to come. This was just the start.

If you’re looking for some light book, easy, fun and believable in its not real world, you have to give a chance to this one. I’m glad I did cause I enjoyed it a lot.

Flyboy’s First Misadventure is part of the Story Orgy Collection: Superhero. Four authors, Lee Brazil, Havan Fellows, Em Woods and Hank Edwards will show us some new heros to love. I can’t wait to read the next stories.

Cover art by Startled Monkeys Media. The cover caught my attention first, it’s colorful and funny. I soon liked it and wanted to know more about the story. Well done.

Sales Links:  All Romance (ARe) | Amazon | Buy It Here

Book Details:

Kindle Edition, 107 pages
Published October 12th 2015 by Appleton Publishing Avenue
ASINB015WXHX9U
edition languageEnglish

A Stella Review: A Man of Unusual Talent by Lee Brazil

Rating: 3.75 stars out of 5

Man of Unusual Talent_1400Collin Crane is a man of unusual talent. Really unusual. Too weird for the Guinness Book unusual. On the fifty-year plan to a doctoral degree in physics, and a quiet quest to understand his own oddities, Collin clings to obscurity. This superhero has learned the hard way that it’s better to be safe than sorry.

Enter Mathias Giraud, football hero, local cop, and CC’s secret fantasy since high school. Mat’s a simple man with a hero complex fostered by comic books and Marvel movies. Saving the world is his fantasy, but since his roots are firmly planted in Morrisonville and reality, he’ll settle for protecting and serving. Until he clashes with CC at the local convenience store and is reminded of his own high school crush.

When marshmallows are involved, the course of true love is bound to get sticky

I haven’t read a lot by Lee Brazil (surprisingly) but A Man of Unusual Talent soon took my attention, from the start it was impossible to put down. Funny, engaging and with a story to follow, it was just the right book I needed to read. Sweet, cute and quick, with not a lot drama at all. One of that books I like to have by my side when I just want to relax a little. And the writing with my favourite double point of view was really good and smart.

After having spent years trying to control his talent, CC having achieved nothing, he’s still trying to solve the mystery his that talent is, still taking shower after shower to take away the delicious (not to him) smell of marshmallows, still crushing on Mat, the handsome cop of their conservative town with the hero complex. But CC doesn’t know Mat is attracted to him too, wanting to cherish him and his vulnerability. Who’s the hero and what are their superpowers?

The title says it all, CC has a really unique talent, I still can’t believe Lee, or better the girl who came up with the prompt, could think of something so unbelievably cute. As soon as I realized it, I was laughing my head off. I hit it off with all the characters from the first lines till the last ones(my favorite: CC whispered, “What is your superpower?” “Love.”). It was a lovely surprise to me.

I’d like to recommend this short story to anyone who is looking for a break with something unusual, funny and well written .

A Man of Unusual Talent is part of the Story Orgy Collection: Superhero. Four authors, Lee Brazil, Havan Fellows, Em Woods and Hank Edwards will show us some new heros to love. Stay tuned in the next days for my review of Flyboy’s  First Misadventure by Havan Fellows.

Cover art by Startled Monkeys Media. The cover caught my attention first, it’s colorful and funny. I soon liked it and wanted to know more about the story. Well done.

Sales Links:   All Romance (ARe) | Amazon | Buy It Here

Book Details:

ebook
Kindle Edition, 96 pages
Published October 12th 2015 by Smashwords Edition
ISBN139781311891150

Superhero Spotlight: ‘A Man of Unusual Talent (Lee Brazil) and ‘Flyboy’s First Misadventure (Havan Fellows) Series: Story Orgy Superheroes (guest post, excerpt and contest)

Flyboys First_1400 Man of Unusual Talent_1400

Book Names: ‘A Man of Unusual Talent ‘ by Lee Brazil

and

‘Flyboy’s First Misadventure’ by Havan Fellows

Series: Story Orgy Superheroes
Release Date: October 12, 2015

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Goodreads Links:   A Man of Unusual Talent  and   Flyboy’s First Misadventure

Publishers:

A Man of Unusual Talent: Lime Time Press
Flyboy’s First Misadventure: Appleton Publishing Avenue
Cover Artist: Startled Monkeys Media

superhero logo

 

We have a first here at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words.  Four characters from two books have stopped by to be interviewed. Collin Crane (CC) and Mathias Giraud (Matt) from A Man of Unusual Talent by Lee Brazil along with Dean Wades and Gavin Trevor from ‘Flyboy’s First Misadventure by Havan Fellows.  Let’s welcome all four!

  Our Interview with Characters Dean, Matt, CC, and Gavin!

Dean: Did Havan Fellow and Lee Brazil really leave us here to do this one all by ourselves?

Mat: We’re adults. We can handle it. I think the truth is, there’s no coffee and they saw a Starbucks on the corner when we drove up.

CC: Now that sounds like the truth.

Dean: But they had to realize that letting us all talk at once could be…um…

Gavin: They said something about not wanting to be around when we air our dirty shit. I guess we should introduce ourselves at least.

Dean: Not sure we’re airing any dirty stuff. I vote for Mat to start, he’s the person of authority here.

Mat: I’m Mat Giraud. I’m a policeman, and this is my lover CC who is a student of physics.

CC: Nice. Gloss over the whole career as a convenience store clerk thing. Are you practicing that for when I meet your parents?

Mat: Don’t be silly. My family get’s gas at the convenience store, same as everyone else in town. Of course they know where you work. But where you work isn’t who you are.

CC: But you called yourself a policeman.

Mat: Because I am. And always will be. You aren’t always going to work at that place.

CC: *glowing* Thank you.

Dean: Well, that leaves us, Gav. Hello. I’m Dean Wades. I’m from the west coast but currently visiting Florida, have a crazy best friend, and oh yeah, I can fly. This is Gavin Trevor…

Gavin: And I have an annoying older brother, I’m training to be a damn good tattoo artist, and he might be able to fly, but he can’t land worth shit.

Dean: Ouch… Crash land with someone one time and they never let you forget it. We’re the main characters of Flyboy’s First Misadventure and from Havan Fellows imagination.

Gavin: Really warped imagination—

CC: Uh… maybe I should have mentioned the marshmallows?

Gavin: *snorts* Okay, not as warped as Lee Brazil, evidently. But hey, our writers are pretty cool. They write for this group the Story Orgy and that’s where they got the prompts for these superhero type books.

CC: Seriously? Is that what this is all about? Here I’m trying to use physics and biology and it’s that simple?

Dean: Yeah, because only they would call us superheroes.

Gavin: Well, I think you’re kinda super…

Share a list of things you’ll never do again.

Dean: I’ll never forget to take my allergy medicine again. Levitating while you sneeze is not good.

Gavin: I’m never letting my brother get the better of me again…

Dean: Really? So this is a fantasy list?

Gavin: Fine, I’m never doing high school again, not with my brother and his group of buddies.

Dean: We might all go for the no high school again thing.

Mat: Uhm… let’s see. I’ll never let my cousin Thorne answer a call from the convenience store again. And I’ll never sleep alone again. And I’ll never go to a Marvel movie alone again…

CC: Wow…you uh… Okay. I’ll never doubt Mat again. And that other one he said, except the Marvel thing. I’m not going to go see Ant Man.

Mat: Then I won’t either.

For more Story Orgy Superhero goodness, our co-writers Hank Edwards and Em Woods will be releasing their books soon. 🙂

Blurb(s)

A MAN OF UNUSUAL TALENT:Man of Unusual Talent_1400

Collin Crane is a man of unusual talent. Really unusual. Too weird for the Guinness Book unusual. On the fifty-year plan to a doctoral degree in physics, and a quiet quest to understand his own oddities, Collin clings to obscurity. This superhero has learned the hard way that it’s better to be safe than sorry.

Enter Mathias Giraud, football hero, local cop, and CC’s secret fantasy since high school. Mat’s a simple man with a hero complex fostered by comic books and Marvel movies. Saving the world is his fantasy, but since his roots are firmly planted in Morrisonville and reality, he’ll settle for protecting and serving. Until he clashes with CC at the local convenience store and is reminded of his own high school crush.

When marshmallows are involved, the course of true love is bound to get sticky.

FLYBOY’S FIRST MISADVENTURE:

Flyboys First_1400Secrets? Oh yeah, Dean Wades has a doozy. When he goes up, he doesn’t necessarily come back down. Okay, that’s not true. Dean’s a master at falling, it’s the landing that could use improvement—a lot of improvement. After thirteen years of attempting to conquer this gravity defying mystery, he can no longer live with not knowing what he is anymore. So he heads cross-country to see the two people who just might be able to give him the answers he seeks…his folks.

Easygoing Gavin Trevor is always willing to help his family, even when they have ulterior motives…like forcing him to make up with his annoying older brother. When a simple task at his parent’s house puts him in a position of danger, he’ll need a lot more than luck to avoid a serious injury—he’ll need his very own superhero.

And the fates collide, well sort of. It may not be love at first sight—Gavin was unconscious in Dean’s arms for their initial introduction…but perhaps these two men can make it a relationship at first flight?

A threat against Gavin’s family throws a wrench in their plans, and while Dean gladly offers his amateur talent to help the mission, Gavin doesn’t want to put his rescuer’s life in jeopardy by risking exposure of the greatest secret ever.

This proves to be a rescue adventure for the books. Or is that a rescue misadventure?

 

Pages or Words: A Man of Unusual Talent (28,000), Flyboy’s First Misadventure (32,000)

Categories:

  • A Man of Unusual Talent: Contemporary, Gay Fiction, Humor, Paranormal, Romance
  • Flyboy’s First Misadventure: Gay Fiction, Humor, M/M Romance

 

Excerpts:

A Man of Unusual Talent:

Mathias squirmed on the seat. Had to piss. He cast a glance at his partner. Dillon was such a hard-nose. “Hey…how about you pull into that gas station over there? I got to take a leak.”

Dillon’s lip curled, but he swung the patrol car into the convenience store parking lot. “I told you not to get the grande coffee at Mabel’s. Good thing it’s dead tonight.”

“Want anything while I’m in there?” Mat paused with his hand on the door latch, cocking his head at Dillon. Guy wasn’t so bad…just a walking encyclopedia of procedure and a nitpicker. He gave out more jaywalking and broken taillight tickets than any cop on the force.

“No eating in the squad car.” Dillon turned to face him, lips narrow and tight, radiating disapproval.

“You know…if you weren’t my brother…” Mat shoved the door open with unnecessary force. The captain was punishing him…all because he’d missed last Sunday’s dinner with the family. Well, Pop should learn to separate work from personal. Riding with Dillon for a week was going to be torture. If Pop…Captain Giraud, head of Morrisonville’s twenty-five man police force…made good on his threat to force his grandsons to ride together for a month they’d be lucky if the both of them survived.

Shaking his head, Mat slammed the cruiser door as forcefully as he’d opened it. A poster on one of the convenience store’s huge plate glass windows boasted of sixty-four ounce sodas in refillable Hulk, Hawkeye, Iron Man, Black Widow, and Thor cups. Mm. I need to go see that new movie. “I’m getting a soda,” he called over his shoulder to Dillon as he opened the door. “Can I get the restroom key?”

His gaze automatically surveyed the interior, noting it was deserted except for the cashier…a cute little guy named CC he vaguely remembered from high school…and two hoodie-wearing teens. “Everything okay tonight, CC?” he asked. Not that he expected a negative answer; it was just that Collin Crane looked a little freaked. The two kids weren’t any bigger than Collin and weren’t familiar to Mat, so he figured they weren’t troublemakers. Generally he’d had dealings with most of the town’s rowdy teens.

“Yeah, fine, these two were just getting gas. Thanks for coming in, fellas.” CC stepped back, grabbed the restroom key off the hook, and tossed it to Mat.

Mat caught the keys, watching the boys leave without speaking. “Seriously, CC. Those kids giving you trouble? I can talk to them.” Something about the smaller man…regret probably, for ignoring the way the kid was bullied in high school…made him feel a little protective. It was weird, but Mat had learned a lot since he’d turned his back on bullying when he was a kid. Then he’d thought it was enough that he didn’t participate when Jake and Thorn and the others messed with the younger kids. Now…social guilt? Whatever. He was a better person at thirty than he had been at fifteen.

CC looked up, cheeks flushed a little, lower lip trembling. “No…it’s okay. They just wanted gas.”

“Okay. I’ve gotta go, but I want a Thor cup when I get back.” He nodded and walked toward the narrow hall lined with empty boxes which led to the restroom.

“You a fan of The Avengers?” CC called after him.

Mat paused and glanced back over his shoulder, letting his smile widen. “I’m a huge fan of Thor…that is one well put together man.” He was still chuckling over CC’s strangled response when he closed the restroom door.

FLYBOY’S FIRST MISADVENTURE

He attempted to roll the green-eyed man with the dreamy voice off him, but only succeeded in flipping them over so he was now stuck on top. What the fuck? He glanced down their bodies and noticed a cord of some kind wrapped repeatedly around their midsections and legs. No wonder his legs had stopped obeying him. A quick look up showed him numerous clothes line poles with no actual line attached to them.

Well, that was probably because it was all bound around their bodies…and tight too. In the middle of their airborne Cirque du Soleil auditions, their bodies managed to rearrange themselves so the clothesline wrapped them up in the missionary position. With them being damn near close to the same height they lined up quite perfectly with each other.

And that thought made Dean’s cock jump and want to do a few flying lessons of its own.

Dean saw the fog lift from his captive’s eyes as they narrowed with suspicion. His voice was steely this time, not whimsical and light with confusion. “What is happening?”

When all else failed, there was one surefire way to handle what appeared to be an unhandleable situation—channel his snarky best friend Tia.

So he put on a lopsided smile and shrugged as he tried to loosen their bonds somewhat. “You know how Mondays are…run out of coffee, get an extra dose of paperwork at the evil day job, end up in a neighbor’s backyard tied to a charming and well-meaning stranger…” He forced a chuckle out for good measure.

The man’s intense voice didn’t cut him any slack. “Today’s Sunday.”

 

Buy the book:

 

A Man of Unusual Talent:

 

Flyboy’s First Misadventure:

RC

Meet the Authors

LEE BRAZIL:

Somewhere in a small town in up-state New York are a librarian and a second grade teacher to whom I owe my life. That might be a touch dramatic, but it’s nevertheless one hundred percent true.

Because they taught me the joy of reading, of escaping into worlds crafted of words.

Have you ever been nine years old and sure of nothing so much as that you don’t belong? Looked at the world from behind glasses, and wondered why you don’t fit?

Someone hands you a book, and then you turn the page and see… There you are, running from Injun Joe in a dark graveyard; there you are fencing with Athos; there you are…beneath the deep blue sea- marveling at exotic creatures with Captain Nemo.

I found myself between the pages of books, and that is why I write now. It’s why I taught English and literature for so many years, and it’s why my house contains more pounds of books than furniture.

If I’d had my way, I’d have been a fencer…or a starship captain, or a lawyer, or a detective solving crimes. But instead, I am a writer, and I’ve come to realize that’s the best thing in the world to be, because as a writer, I can be all those things and more.

If I hadn’t learned to value the stories between the pages, who knows what would have happened? Certainly not college…teaching…or writing.

 

Where to find the author:

LEE BRAZIL:

HAVAN FELLOWS:

 

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Tour Dates & Stops:

12-Oct: Michael Mandrake, Jessie G. Books

13-Oct Love Bytes, MM Good Book Reviews

14-Oct Unquietly Me, Wicked Faerie’s Tales and Reviews, Happily Ever Chapter

15-Oct Joyfully Jay, Inked Rainbow Reads, Molly Lolly

16-Oct Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, V’s Reads, Bayou Book Junkie

 

Giveaway

Enter to win a Rafflecopter Prize: 2 – $10 ARe Gift Cards (One each to two winners).  Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.  Link and prizes provided by the authors and Pride Promotions.  

 

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Heat Things Up with Cari Z on Superheroes and Where There’s Smoke…(guest blog and giveaway)

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Where There’s Smoke by Cari Z
Riptide Publishing

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Here today at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words is Cari Z talking about Superheroes and her release Where There’s Smoke.  Check out her guest blog and book details below. And don’t forget to leave a comment to be entered in the giveaway.

Cari Z on Superheroes….

Superheroes seem to be having a moment right now. A big one.

They’re everywhere. They’re in blockbuster movies (hello my Avengers, it’s been far too long), they’re getting their own shows on TV, they’re on t-shirts and backpacks and bags of Doritos. Yes, I can now eat Captain America-endorsed Doritos, and that actually does incline me to grab a bag. I mean…it’s Chris Evans. Yes, please. Then there are the comics, don’t even get me started on the comics and how much money I’ve spent and how many different timelines there are, I will go insane if I think about it too hard.

I love superheroes, from the staunch to the sly, but I’ve also got a major soft spot for those who are endowed with great power and choose not to accept that great responsibility along with it. Or if they do, they do it for what we’d think of as the “wrong reasons.” Money, notoriety, the sheer thrill that comes from using your power for yourself and no one else. Selfish reasons. Personal reasons. These are the sorts of motives that turn a potential hero into a villain, but that doesn’t necessarily make a person bad.

These are the people who take a shitty situation and make the best of it, or decide not to let someone else make their decisions and run their lives. You don’t have to be The Joker to make villainy interesting. Be a nihilist, be a hedonist, be the Jackie Estacado of the criminal underground. This was the sort of character I wanted to focus on in the first book of the Panopolis series, but naturally I couldn’t start right there. Instead I took a normal guy named Edward Dinges and stuck him in Panopolis, the city of Heroes and Villains. I gave him a decent job, an average history and an overall humdrum life, and then…I made him fall in love.

With a villain.

How does love change you in the face of overwhelming odds? Where There’s Smoke has the answer.

STRW Author BookSynopsis

Panopolis is a rough place to be an average Joe. I came here looking for adventure and excitement, but nobody cares about one more normal guy in a city filled with super-powered heroes. The closest I’ve come to glory is working in a bank that villains often rob.

But then I maybe accidentally-on-purpose helped a villain escape the hero who was trying to save the day. Imagine my shock when, a week later, that villain asked me out for coffee. One date turned into more, and now I’m head over heels in love with Raul.

Falling in love with the guy dubbed the Mad Bombardier isn’t without its downsides, though. I’ve had to deal with near-death encounters with other villains, awkwardly flirtatious heroes who won’t take no for an answer, and a lover I’m not sure I can trust. It’s getting to the point where I know I’ll have to make a choice: side with the heroes, or stand fast by my villain.

Either way, I think my days as a normal guy are over.

STRW Author Bio and Contacts

Cari Z was a bookworm as a child and remains one to this day. In an effort to combat her antisocial reading behavior, she did all sorts of crazy things, from competitive gymnastics to alligator wresting (who even knew that was legal!) to finally joining the Peace Corps, which promptly sent her and her husband to the wilds of West Africa, stuck them in a hut, and said, “See ya!” She also started writing in earnest then, because when you have no television, no car and nothing to read other than a French translation of Twilight, you find ways of entertaining yourself. She’s been back in Colorado for a while now, but stuck with the writing.

Cari posts a free weekly serial on her blog at carizerotica.blogspot.com. Come read, come say hi, or check out her other works at cari-z.net.

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Every comment on this blog tour enters you in a drawing for a paperback copy of Rules To Live By. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on May 2. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries. Don’t forget to add your email so we can contact you if you win!  Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.

Review: Heroes & Villains (Heroes & Villains #1) by Harper Kingsley

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

heroesvillains400Once Vereint Georges realized he had superpowers he dreamed of the day he would become a superhero and help save the world.  He would be adored, famous and hopefully wealthy.  But the reality was far different than he ever could have imagined.  Vereint didn’t like sewing his costumes and he had to keep his day job in order to live. Then his first rescue as the superhero Starburst went horribly wrong.  The person he rescued was badly burned by his superpowers and Vereint threw up in front of the cameras.  To make it worse, his superhero name reminded everyone of the candy and not a hero.  In fact, there were so many superheroes that he was ridiculed by the very people he was supposed to save and mocked by the other superheroes who wouldn’t accept him, especially the superhero Blue Ice.   Vereint hated being a superhero but what else could he do?

Well, he could become a villain and soon Darkstar was born.  Vereint found it incredibly freeing and lucrative to be evil.  He was even good at it!  Soon the populace of Megacity feared and idolized him.  Darkstar even had people wanting to be his minions.  Vereint as Darkstar had finally made it and life was outstanding.

Blue Ice, aka Warrick Tobias, hated Darkstar.  He hated him when he was Starburst and hated him worse now that he was supervillain Darkstar.  Darkstar was all Warrick could think about.  It was almost like he was obsessing over him.  Of course, Darkstar was impossibly gorgeous with that black hair and mesmerizing blue eyes.   Darkstar even invaded his dreams so what is a superhero to do?

When Darkstar and Blue Ice’s clashes turn amorous it leaves both metahumans confused and maybe even hopeful.   A superhero and a supervillain falling in love? Is that even possible?  It’s time for Darkstar and Blue Ice to find out.

I throughly enjoyed this book.  I didn’t know what to expect from the blurb but the reality of the story was so much better than I expected.  In fact, I felt as though I got two books for the price of one.  Heroes and Villains is the story of two metahumans who live in the metropolis of Megacity (of course).  Harper Kingsley starts off the story in a setting than any reader of comic books would recognize.  Those anonymous buildings populated by typical humans going about their business even as superheroes and villains clash in the streets and air all around them.  Disasters and super battles are commonplace and there is such a surfeit of superheroes and supervillains that each has a council to keep them organized.  For the superheroes, it is the League of Superheroes and  for villains it is the League of Ultimate Evil.  There is the Police Commissioner and his Code Black that will summon the superheroes when needed.  It’s all there and accounted for, all the elements we have come to expect, love, and maybe even giggle at when we think of superheroes, supervillains and the cities they live in.  As I was reading, all I could think of was how much fun Harper Kingsley must have had writing this story.

From the names to the costumes and superpowers, Kingsley takes our superhero characters and has fun with them, starting with the position that the reality of being a superhero isn’t what it is cracked up to be.  What if, when a fire happens, not one hero shows up but twenty? And some are great and others? Maybe not so much.  What happens when the superhero isn’t wealthy but just getting by in a Dilbert like desk job?  How do they account for the time they must take away from their jobs to save people and put out the fires?  Like Vereint, they must come close to getting fired because they have used up all their vacation days.  Plus they might not be able to pay their rent on time because they have to spend their money replacing costumes.  It’s a great parody and I loved it.

Kingsley works magic here with the superhero trope.  With their arrogance and position in society, the author’s superheroes act more like a group of mean girls than heroes. Blue Ice in fact is a legacy superhero (five generations of his family have been in the business), and he feels weighed down by the responsibilities he has shouldered since the age of 14.  He lives in the penthouse of Tobias Towers, naturally, and secretly despises the humans he is supposed to protect.   He also resents the  adulation and lifestyle that is Darkstar’s while also being envious of his freedom.  I loved all the details Kingsley brings to the character of Blue Ice.  It’s not only funny, but it also rings with authencity.  Warrick Tobias as Blue Ice really dislikes his job and is in denial about so many things about himself, including his sexuality.  So how does he handle it?  By being a bully.  He is as responsible for Vereint becoming Darkstar than anyone else because of his constant mocking and demoralizing actions towards Starburst.  Warrick is also in his 30’s and now has to follow a Heart Healthy diet. Here is a taste of Warrick Tobias:

It wasn’t like Warrick didn’t understand that he was acting completely insane, but he just couldn’t seem to help himself. There was something about the whole Darkstar situation that just drove him to the verge and maybe a little bit over. The fact that he didn’t really know why he cared that much just made it even worse because the mystery itself was eating away at him.

Warrick spooned up his last bite of maple and brown sugar oatmeal before picking up the plump yellow banana he’d chosen for his breakfast. He squeezed it gently between his fingers, seeing that it didn’t have a single brown spot. It was a singularly beautiful piece of fruit.

As he’d resigned himself to the idea that he was in his thirties— his early thirties, but his thirties nonetheless— he’d had to make a few dietary changes in his life. He’d had to cut back on the sugars, the trans fats, the delicious carbs, and basically everything else that he loved so that he didn’t end up bulging out of his supersuit. He couldn’t have a greasy breakfast of bacon, eggs, and hash browns at his favorite diner anymore, and if he did go there, he had to pick things off the Heart Healthy menu.

I hate egg white omelets and turkey bacon. I want to eat fatty pork bacon and scrambled eggs covered in melted cheese. I bet Darkstar doesn’t have to worry about anything. His super metabolism probably …

“Dammit!” Warrick shouted, flinging the hapless banana across the room to splatter against the wall. Everything in his head came back to Darkstar and he just couldn’t help himself. It wasn’t like he was obsessed or anything. Except that it really seemed like he was obsessed, and not even the self-knowledge that he was out of control helped any.

And Vereint Georges is just as nuanced and believable character as Warrick.  His character changes from a naive, hopeful young superhero to someone who gradually becomes disenchanted with the harsh reality of his dreams.  Nothing measures up.  He’s the new boy, the young “dorky, loser” as the popular kids nee superheroes call him.  Always on the outside, never has the cool clothes, trying to hard to fit in and perpetually disdained for his efforts.  And when he has finally had enough, we are with him 100 percent.

He couldn’t really understand why no one could take him seriously. He tried just as hard as every other hero, so why didn’t he get any kind of respect?

If it was just Blue Ice treating him badly, he might have been able to ignore it, but it was everyone acting like it was a crime that he wanted to save them. They made fun of his name, his ideals, everything about him.

What do I feel about the way everyone treats me?

The answer came in a surprisingly cold voice:   I’m angry.

And of course, they won’t like him when he is angry.

Clenching his hands into fists at his sides, he gritted his teeth and tried to bury his anger deep inside him. He almost had himself back under control and relaxed a little, sure he wasn’t going to completely lose it.

“You know, you’ve got a hole in your shirt,” Blue Ice said, pointing.

“THAT … IS … IT! I have had enough of all this crap.”

Filled with rage, Starburst could feel himself trembling uncontrollably. Violet color began rising around his body and he felt his hair shifting in an unfelt breeze. His eyes felt hot all of a sudden and he was afraid of what was going to happen, but he couldn’t stop it. He was just so frustrated and angry.

Thus Darkstar is born.  But there is so much more to come.  There is the physical attraction both men feel for each other, poseurs who want Darkstar’s attention, more mega explosions and evil doings galore.

Right up until the halfway mark, the story still has the feel of a parody about it.  Then it changes.  An evil deed by Darkstar has profound affects upon his thinking and the story starts to become darker with more real emotions and events that will play with the reader’s empathy and affections.   There were elements of cruelty before but now it fully comes out to play.  All the metahumans really don’t like the regular human beings very much.  They regard them as so much sheep and their actions reflect that.

Kingsley also starts to concentrate on the growing relationship between Warrick and Vereint, the changes in their characters and all the outside influences that effect their lives and potential future.    From the somewhat gentle lampooning of the genre, the author takes this satire to a darker level, bringing a certain amount of grit to the characters and the scenes.  Not everyone will appreciate the loss of the humor and cartoonish takeoff that the first part of the book represents. I liked this element but also understand its lack of appeal to some readers.

I also felt that the story especially the epilogue was a little long.  It certainly could have been shortened without harm to the narrative.   Still, I can say that I really liked Heroes and Villains, it is one of the more unusual stories that I have read recently and I throughly appreciated that.  From every aspect of this novel,  the attention to detail , the inclusion of all the expected comic book elements to the terrific characterizations,  I highly recommend this book to all.  Let me know what you think.

Cover designed by Aisha Akeju.  I am not sure what I make of this cover.  I appreciate the pointillism of the graphics that convey a sense of comic book similarity but I wish it had taken that element a little further in design.

Book Details:

Kindle Edition, 1st Edition, 211 pages
Published June 1st 2011 by Harper Kingsley