It's light, it's fun, it's about superheroes and supervillains. But where I like idea literature, this is character literature, and it seems that it mainly succeeds by calling out the common tropes. By the end, I didn't really care what happened, and the twists were pretty easy to spot out on the horizon.

But it is fun. ( )

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. ( )

As a novel, fairly innovative. Explores the mundane aspects of a world full of superpowers and magic from comic books. But entirely derivative of 'realistic' comic books. It lifts themes directly from Watchmen, Powers, Ultimates, and Astro City.

The plot is not terribly gripping, but some nice character touches keep you interested.

A summer beach read, for better and worse. ( )

Through the opposing perspectives of two super humans - one an evil genius, the other a crime-fighting cyborg. The book is full of humor, comic-book style. ( )

This is a must read for anyone who appreciates good sarcasm. If you don't particular like super heros or comic books you can still appreciate the rich irony and oh so delicious cynicism the author dispenses with a shovel.

Also a surprisingly feminist message is delivered in the end. Which just tickled me to no end. I could just feel the the greasy taco slide from the fleshy fingers of the Fanboy Comicbook Guys as the they read the final chapters. The insipid "What?!" frozen to their face as they realize "I have read a Grrrl book!"

I will be looking for more works from mister Grossman. ( )

This book was a fun/light read. My main qualm with this book was that most of the characters were not very detailed and could have been developed further.

I do love Dr. Impossible as a character however and the chapters from his point of view were definitely my favorites. ( )

Meh. ( )

Adequate. A good job of maintaining tongue in cheek without going over the top. An excellent job of maintaining a surprise. (about which I shall say nothing because I don't want to spoil the fun). I enjoyed it, but I'm not motivated to go pick up all his other works.

Soon I Will Be Invincible is the debut novel from Austin Grossman, and it seems in principle to be a superhero fan's dream read. It tells a story that could have been lifted almost directly from a modern comic book, introducing masked super-genius Dr. Impossible and his latest world conquering scheme; and cyborg superheroine Fatale, newest member of The Champions.

It perhaps goes without saying that this is a novel aimed squarely at the comic book crowd, but though it's well written and it both avoids and takes liberties with all the usual cliches, it still wasn't entirely what I expected.

Read the full review at my blog. ( )

Well done, except for the 'high school' connection. Also, if any of you out there also dream in the language / style of the book you're reading, this one could give you psycho nightmares even though it's not a scary book. Mental. ( )

This is more of a playful homage to the superhero genre then a deconstruction of it (read "The Watchmen" if you want that), that mostly works because the author appreciates that the villains are almost always more fun then the heroes. In this case particularly since Dr. Impossible is so driven by his resentments and ambitions and enthusiasms (Wil E. Coyote could have been his godfather) that he dominates the book, whereas the team of heroes tasked with bringing him to justice, yet again, are so suffering from the thousand-yard stare that they've lost much of their flair, but they haven't quite yet become anti-heroes. The exception is the new gal Fatale, a cyborg ex-intelligence operative who sees the Champions as a meal ticket (it takes a lot of upkeep to keep a half-machine girl going you know), and who has the cynical and conflicted anti-hero pose down pat. Much of the payoff of the novel comes in the form of Dr. Impossible and Fatale having their own personal moments of insight, and moving beyond mere obsession and embracing promethean drive. If I have a particular problem with this book it's that early on Fatale reminds me too much of Justina Robson's character Lila Black, though Grossman does wind up with a character that's considerably different in outlook from Robson's take on the half-machine girl. ( )

I love this book. It's flawed and too many characters talk too bluntly about their origins like it's all a big old group therapy session, but I love the psychology of the book. I love the contrasting viewpoints of the heroine and villian. I love that Dr. Impossible seems so sick of the bullshit, that both sides are having identity crises all over the place, that the Superman-analogue is a jerk and the Batman-analogue is autistic. I love that the author took the concept down to the sociological level, that superpowers affect everything from the economy to the housing market to the neighborhoods gathering around superfights like they would a car accident. This book is so, so full of happy for me. ( )

Excellent pomo homage to the superhero genre. Very funny and unpretentious. Go Doctor Impossible! ( )

I wanted to like this book, I really did. I'd been eying it for months until I finally bought it. Even though I'm not a big comic book geek, I loved the premise...and the first page starts out well...
"This morning on planet Earth, there are one thousand, six hundred, and eighty-six enhanced, gifted, or otherwise-superpowered persons. Of these, one hundred and twenty six are civilians leading normal lives. Thirty-eight are kept in research facilities funded by the Department of Defense, or foreign equivalents. Two hundred and twenty-six are aquatic, confined to the oceans. Twenty-nine are strictly localized - powerful trees and genii loci, the Great Sphinx, and the Pyramid of Giza. Twenty four are microscopic (including the Infinitesimal Seven)."

Anyway, I liked how it started. I did not like how it continued. It seemed as though the author had great fun thinking up super heroes, their names, and their abilities, but didn't seem to come up with much plot development. More a roster of superheroes and villains than a ripping great story. IMHO. ( )

Very funny ( )

Profoundly unmoved by this one. The premise was excellent, but to a degree it all felt like an extraordinarily-long buildup to a single punchline-- an incredible punchile, but a punchline nonetheless. I could have done without the superhero's point of view, really. Grossman does Doctor Impossible so well I wish he had simply stuck with him. But I won't complain too much-- it was good entertainment. I just wish I hadn't bought it. ( )

Villains and heroes:

If you like comics, read this;

if not, don't bother. ( )

This is an interestingly semi-realistic look at what beak a super freak would really be like. These are people who are are weirdos adn sometimes powerful because of it, but they're still weird. ( )

A novel about superheroes! Rather a curious thing to attempt.

The central character is not a superhero but a supervillain, one Doctor Impossible, the smartest man in the world. He does have a bit of chemically-enhanced strength, it's true, but the good Doctor keep escaping prisons and (nearly) taking over the world thanks to his mind.

This book made me notice the paradox of comics: they are read by nerds, yet all the heroes are essentially jocks. Just as Satan is more interesting than God, Lex Luthor is more compelling than Superman. Dr. Impossible keeps getting beaten, keeps getting back up again...he's like an evil Charlie Brown (with a power staff and a winged helmet). Why don't we all identify with Lex, with Dr. Impossible?

Anyway, this book will entertain anyone who's familiar with comics -- it's full of little in-jokes, nods to the tradition. What other readers will make of it, I have no idea.

I'm a bit weary when it comes to books based in or around the concept of comic book superheroes, and the only book that I've read that's done it right so far is the Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay. A friend recommended this, and I was quite happy with it, though I wouldn't rush out and recommend it to everyone I know.

The best thing about it was probably the alternating viewpoints throughout. Having the villain narrate his side of the story and a new superhero narrate her side is a great device, and it was fairly entertaining to see both sides trying to second-guess one another... or seeing how wrong the superheroes were about Doctor Impossible the whole way through. Fatale's side of the story was the weakest, and I was constantly wishing for things to get back to Doctor Impossible, but it would have been much worse without her story.

I also liked how the relationships and pasts between all the characters were only slowly revealed as the story went on. It drove me crazy trying to figure out what was going on between them the entire way through, and the ending felt that much better because of it. The ending was great for several reasons, but all the twists that were revealed in the various relationships right at the very end was probably the best part.

The superhero element was also well done. For some reason, I tend to get hit with big weepy melodramas about "fake" superheroes (ones that don't have an existing backstory established elsewhere, like the guys in Watchmen), but this one wasn't so melodramatic, which is great. The characters have their problems, but there's nothing very tragic or overdone about any of them. They're just regular people, and I liked that.

Their superpowers and the backstory and history involved with superhuman powers established in the novel was great. I started rolling my eyes a bit about Doctor Impossible being the typical child outcast, but for some reason the mad scientist role didn't bother me too much, and his sense of humor is spot-on, so it was a pleasure reading it all anyway, and hearing him talk about some of the supervillains from the past was great, especially when he ran out to visit one.

There wasn't anything spectacular about it, but I still enjoyed it all the way through, and I would read a sequel in a second. ( )

I find it interesting that so many compare this book to Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons's "Watchmen," because in truth this book is the converse of "Watchmen." Moore's premise was: What would the world *really* be like if there were costumed crimefighters? If there were an invincible, superpowered hero? He took the world of comic books apart.

Grossman, on the other hand, accepts the comic-book universe in all its glorious and inglorious silliness: super-science, mysterious aliens, alternate continuities, time travel, lab accidents creating superpowers, magic, and supervillains who always lose in the end. Then he tries to give characters in this world believable, human, motivations and emotions.

He is not entirely successful at this. Fatale, the cyborg who is one of the two viewpoint characters, never feels as fully fleshed out (if you'll pardon the expression) as the other viewpoint character, the villain Doctor Impossible. (Lily would have been a more interesting character, but it would have been nearly impossible to use her for viewpoint while keeping secret her big reveal at the novel's climax.) And he strikes the occasional false note, as when Fatale, early on, refers to someone as resembling a "Star Trek" villain -- I don't think "Star Trek" would exist in the world he has presented us with.

However, on the whole "Soon I Will Be Invincible" is an enjoyable, compulsively readable, and -- strangely enough -- believable novel. Nearly every subplot and character arc is brought to a satisfying climax, and if at the end we are left wanting more Doctor Impossible, that dedicated scientist would have it no other way. ( )