Soon I Will Be Invincible is an amusing parody of the comic book superhero (and supervillian). The story is told from the perspective of two main characters: Dr. Impossible, the evil supergenius, and Fatale, a female cyborg who has just joined the reigning team of superheroes. Dr. Impossible is a well-developed self-pitying, underappreciated genius turned super villian who mirrors the archetypal comic book villian. Fatale, on the other hand, is a very flat character (as are the rest of the female characters in the book) who leaves a lot to be desired. Overall, the book is amusing, but it had potential to be so much more. Many of the characters are rather one dimensional and leave a lot to be desired. I was very excited to read this when I picked it up, but it left me a bit underwhelmed. ( )

I loved this book. It was one of those books where I got a little sad towards the end because I knew it was coming to an end soon. I am a lifelong comic book fan, and this book fell right in that sweet spot. The characters were interesting, the plot was interesting, and the universe that they inhabit is very much a twisted mirror of our own. I would recommend this to anyone who likes superhero stories, but has a little bit of villain stuck deep down inside them, begging to be fed. ( )

http://www.piruett.se/2009/03/21/supe... ( )

http://lampbane.livejournal.com/508125.html

"I mostly liked it. The novel is split between the perspective of one hero and one villain, alternating chapters. The hero, Fatale, is a new member of the world's foremost superhero team (think JLA), recruited to replace a member who had died. The old member was a robot, while Fatale is a cyborg (and a very unhappy one, as is the fate of all cyborgs it seems). Though it may seem a cliché, the novel does a great job of really highlighting the low points of her existence. She doesn't remember anything about her life before the accident, she can't experience most normal human functions like eating, her apartment sucks (I don't even know if she had a job), and she certainly can't walk around like normal. It's not like we haven't heard all this before in the comics, but here we can really get inside her head, inside every little facet of it. And of course, there's watching her deal with the other superheroes in the group, who are all screwed up in their own little ways, but they're not fucked up in the ways writers will fuck up characters when they want to make an old established character "edgy."" ( )

So Soon I Will Be Invincible by Austin Grossman may not be for everybody. If you were never a comic book reader, or at least a movies-based-on-comics watcher, you may not appreciate the exquisite geek charm of this book.
The story is told alternately by two main characters: Dr. Impossible, villainous nerd with a huge chip on his shoulder originating from – gasp — high school and college experiences; and Fatale, a recently indoctrinated superhero (a car crash and secret surgeries have left her part human/part machine like the bionic woman but more so) who is a bit insecure when she is thrown into The New Champions (think Justice League) to help search for their missing leader, Corefire. Grossman pokes great fun at existing superhero folklore (note, for instance, mildly autistic, brilliant, billionaire Blackwolf and his similarities to a certain caped crusader) and creates a fun yet uneven ride by drawing attention to the very human problems of the heroes and villains, such as divorce, poor self image, petty jealousies, greed, and bullying.
Sure, if you are not into comics, it won’t be that fun. Additionally, if you are so into comics that you will balk at inaccuracies or the general sending up of the genre, you may want to stay away. Me, I love a good send up, or even an okay one. It’s when we start to take our interests too seriously that I get nervous. ( )