Soon I Will Be Invincible by Austin Grossman

What would you do if you were the smartest person in the world, had impenetrable skin, and that nagging feeling that you just never belonged? If you are Doctor Impossible you would become a supervillain and try to conquer the world. And when the world’s heroes stopped you time and time again? Well, you would just keep on keeping on, never giving up on your dreams of world domination. Statistically speaking you are bound to win at least once, and when you are taking over the world one win is all you need.

This novel is a wonderful homage to superhero comics. It pits the quintessential supervillain (Doctor Impossible) against the archetypal superhero team (The Champions). If you have ever read Superman, Justice League, or the Avengers, or even seen the movie The Invincibles then you are already familiar with the world of superheroes and how the epic battle between good and evil plays out over and over again. In the superhero world people have extraordinary powers that they receive either by birth, an industrial/scientific accident, or by extraterrestrial means. Some have super speed, some have super strength, some are magicians, and some wield magic. And supervillains try to take over the world, sometimes by political intrigue, or by destroying the moon, or by creating a race of giant murderous ants. In the superhero world the extraordinary is rather mundane. Battles between superpowered peoples take place everyday, and the devastated cities they leave behind them is just a normal part of living in the big city.

Austin Grossman captures the normalcy of this superhero world acutely. What happens when a 500lb cyborg walks down the street? The cement crumbles beneath her, and she gets embarrassed because everyone stops and stares. What happens when a supervillain in street clothes gets recognized at the local coffee shop? He quickly hides behind a napkin mask and dukes it out with the heroes the best he can, all while screaming “You will all bow before me!” The reader gets a real inside look at just how human superhumans really are on page after captivating page.

This novel was a treat. It has a extensive list of colorful quirky superhumans, it’s campy, their is adventure, humor, action, drama, and is above all is a great superhero story. This novel could totally work as a Superman or an Avengers story. The book is appropriate for anyone, but readers 14 and up who are very into superhero comic books will probably enjoy it the most.

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