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How to Succeed in Evil #2
How to Succeed in Evil
How to Succeed in Evil is the story of Edwin Windsor, Evil Efficiency Consultant. He tries to help super-villains be more villainous--or at least more profitable and sensible about the business side of Evil. Along with his very proper and English secretary Agnes and his hench-lawyer Topper, he struggles to make the world of super-powered people make sense, but this is very difficult because while Edwin’s advice is excellent, all of his clients are too egomaniacal to listen. There is, it must be said, a bit of comedy in this work. Edwin struggles with a cast of characters, including Dr. Loeb, a trust fund child who desperately wants to be an Evil Genius but has none of the talent; Dr. Loeb’s hideous mother, Iphagenia whose evil scheme is to foment a second Southern Rebellion, beginning with Lower Alabama; and the Cromogoldon, a brute with a forehead villainous low and quite possibly the strongest creature on the planet. Inevitably, Edwin’s unique clientele lead him into direct conflict with the greatest superhero of them all, Excelsior, and so, the quiet, restrained intellectual is pitted against heroic force.
292 pages, ebook
First published January 1, 2006
99 people are currently reading
1154 people want to read
About the author
Patrick E. McLean
14 books157 followersPatrick's work ranges from the autobiographical, to the absurd and fantastic. Describing himself as a "writer raised by Economists" his perspective on the world is naturally unusual. From violent revenge and musings on the value of life from a character who is dead (Unkillable) to the rage and frustration of a consultant who grows so sick of having his advice ignored that he decides to take over the world (How to Succeed in Evil) Patrick's work is high-concept, penetrating satire that manages twists and turns while never shorting true psychological insight into fascinating characters caught in desperate situations.
In 2005, feeling that "he wasn't putting any torque through the axle of the world" he started the Seanachai podcast (http://www.theseanachai.com) He wrote and produced an original short story or essay every week for a year.
Among his influences, Patrick cites Douglas Adams, Terry Pratchett, Mark Helprin, S.J. Perleman, H.L. Mencken, Albert Jay Nock, Hafiz, Homer and George RR Martin.
In 2005, feeling that "he wasn't putting any torque through the axle of the world" he started the Seanachai podcast (http://www.theseanachai.com) He wrote and produced an original short story or essay every week for a year.
Among his influences, Patrick cites Douglas Adams, Terry Pratchett, Mark Helprin, S.J. Perleman, H.L. Mencken, Albert Jay Nock, Hafiz, Homer and George RR Martin.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 122 reviews
January 12, 2012
Here's the short version:
Ever since Austin Powers first deprived a henchmens wife of her husband, we've wondered what life is like on the other side of the Thin Spandex Line. This story is filled with humorous insights into not only how villains think and act, but also about the darker nature of Heroes. The main character is not a bad guy; he is a smart guy. And smart guys tend to be a bit Villainous. If you can get past the various grammatical errors in this book, you'll love the turned-table of Evil versus Good and the various questions it forces us to ask about ourselves in a tongue in cheek manner.
Here's the long version:
Honestly, when I started this book I was only going to give it two stars due to the spelling mistakes and subtle character flaws. Some were more blatant than others, but it seemed as though the plot was merely a linear affair designed to get you from A to B.
However, about halfway through I wanted to give it four stars. I realised that the author really did have a story to tell, and that Edwin's tale was that of reasonable reactions to vastly unreasonable situations. Good vs Evil became Evil vs Good, or at least that's what 'they' want you to think (evil is a subjective term, in my opinion).
This is one of those rare gems that actually makes you think about yourself, your role in the world, and most importantly OTHER peoples roles in the world. It questions the tropes and cliches of not only the fictional world but of our own reality too. If you've ever read Superman: Red Son, you'll see a very similar notion regarding a hero who does what he 'thinks' is best falling short, and a villain who does great things to nefarious ends. I'm not claiming this to be a work if literary excellence, but the author has managed to say quite a lot with very little.
Which is why I had to knock it down to three stars. The ending was so perfect in lue of its shaky beginnings that I felt he should have gone back and changed the first half of the book to match the tone of the latter half. The build up was too short and the introspection too quick. I genuinely enjoyed this story but it seemed too unfinished, like the author could have made it better and chose not to.
All things considered, I recommend this book to anyone with a love of super heroes/villains, but especially to anyone who loves Reason. Be it for the betterment or detriment of mankind, Reason almost always wins.
Ever since Austin Powers first deprived a henchmens wife of her husband, we've wondered what life is like on the other side of the Thin Spandex Line. This story is filled with humorous insights into not only how villains think and act, but also about the darker nature of Heroes. The main character is not a bad guy; he is a smart guy. And smart guys tend to be a bit Villainous. If you can get past the various grammatical errors in this book, you'll love the turned-table of Evil versus Good and the various questions it forces us to ask about ourselves in a tongue in cheek manner.
Here's the long version:
Honestly, when I started this book I was only going to give it two stars due to the spelling mistakes and subtle character flaws. Some were more blatant than others, but it seemed as though the plot was merely a linear affair designed to get you from A to B.
However, about halfway through I wanted to give it four stars. I realised that the author really did have a story to tell, and that Edwin's tale was that of reasonable reactions to vastly unreasonable situations. Good vs Evil became Evil vs Good, or at least that's what 'they' want you to think (evil is a subjective term, in my opinion).
This is one of those rare gems that actually makes you think about yourself, your role in the world, and most importantly OTHER peoples roles in the world. It questions the tropes and cliches of not only the fictional world but of our own reality too. If you've ever read Superman: Red Son, you'll see a very similar notion regarding a hero who does what he 'thinks' is best falling short, and a villain who does great things to nefarious ends. I'm not claiming this to be a work if literary excellence, but the author has managed to say quite a lot with very little.
Which is why I had to knock it down to three stars. The ending was so perfect in lue of its shaky beginnings that I felt he should have gone back and changed the first half of the book to match the tone of the latter half. The build up was too short and the introspection too quick. I genuinely enjoyed this story but it seemed too unfinished, like the author could have made it better and chose not to.
All things considered, I recommend this book to anyone with a love of super heroes/villains, but especially to anyone who loves Reason. Be it for the betterment or detriment of mankind, Reason almost always wins.
January 20, 2012
Really, this book only deserves two and a half stars, but I'm rounding up out of generosity. I just finished it, and honestly, I'm not even sure what the hell I just read.
There were parts of it where I was thoroughly enjoying myself - I enjoyed the math and statistics jokes, the golfing, and even the playing off of your standard Heroes and Villains tropes. I liked Edwin. I liked Topper. I hated Excelsior, which I think was the point the author was trying to get across, that Heroes aren't always everything they're cracked up to be.
I'm prepared to ignore the numerous typos and misspellings (the constant misspelling of Nehru really ground my gears, though) - this is a self-published novel after all - and I understand that it was originally written episodically for a podiocast. Since that was the story's point of origin, I can kind of understand the disconnect between the chapters, and I'm willing to forgive that.
So, why the 2.5 stars then? The end. I just...I don't even understand what the point was. The last 10% of the book was just [sigh] lame, really. I can't even come up with anything decent to say because it was so disappointing.
There were parts of it where I was thoroughly enjoying myself - I enjoyed the math and statistics jokes, the golfing, and even the playing off of your standard Heroes and Villains tropes. I liked Edwin. I liked Topper. I hated Excelsior, which I think was the point the author was trying to get across, that Heroes aren't always everything they're cracked up to be.
I'm prepared to ignore the numerous typos and misspellings (the constant misspelling of Nehru really ground my gears, though) - this is a self-published novel after all - and I understand that it was originally written episodically for a podiocast. Since that was the story's point of origin, I can kind of understand the disconnect between the chapters, and I'm willing to forgive that.
So, why the 2.5 stars then? The end. I just...I don't even understand what the point was. The last 10% of the book was just [sigh] lame, really. I can't even come up with anything decent to say because it was so disappointing.
April 9, 2014
I listened the the audiobook, which was really produced well. The author is great at voices, and great at making some of the voices horrendously annoying. Namely, Topper.
Here comes the rant:
I think I would have really enjoyed this book if it weren't for Topper. That shrill, womanizing midget detracted significant style points from the novel. While he was a pretty good foil for Edwin, it just seems cruel to drag a horrendous short guy through the book to annoy the reader. He was a humor fail, and what's worse, he was responsible for killing my suspension of disbelief in this superhero novel.
Technicalities can be fatal. You see, Topper was described repeatedly as a "midget" by narrator and multiple characters. Descriptions of his interactions with the environment were really well done to create the effect of a tiny man in a tall man's world. But then he goes into this rant about being 5'3" while the cutoff height for dwarfs is 5'4". This brought me up short. According to the last stats I read, that is pretty close to the average height for females. That annoyed me. And as soon as I got focused on the casual slight to average-height people, I started frowning about the lack of good female characters, and so began the downward spiral.
I had enjoyed the beginning. I was happy to suspend my disbelief for Excelsior flying around moping. For the charmingly unemotional Edwin to disappear people who walked into his office. I was happy to suspend my disbelief for the antihero slant. The story had some fun parts.
Alas, my suspension bridge was tenuous, and it broke over a matter of a few inches and feet.
Here comes the rant:
I think I would have really enjoyed this book if it weren't for Topper. That shrill, womanizing midget detracted significant style points from the novel. While he was a pretty good foil for Edwin, it just seems cruel to drag a horrendous short guy through the book to annoy the reader. He was a humor fail, and what's worse, he was responsible for killing my suspension of disbelief in this superhero novel.
Technicalities can be fatal. You see, Topper was described repeatedly as a "midget" by narrator and multiple characters. Descriptions of his interactions with the environment were really well done to create the effect of a tiny man in a tall man's world. But then he goes into this rant about being 5'3" while the cutoff height for dwarfs is 5'4". This brought me up short. According to the last stats I read, that is pretty close to the average height for females. That annoyed me. And as soon as I got focused on the casual slight to average-height people, I started frowning about the lack of good female characters, and so began the downward spiral.
I had enjoyed the beginning. I was happy to suspend my disbelief for Excelsior flying around moping. For the charmingly unemotional Edwin to disappear people who walked into his office. I was happy to suspend my disbelief for the antihero slant. The story had some fun parts.
Alas, my suspension bridge was tenuous, and it broke over a matter of a few inches and feet.
September 11, 2013
Does even evil undergo existential identity crises in the post-modern, nihilistic age? This is another tongue-in-cheek look at super heroes and super villains and their keepers.
Needed one more proof reading: "…the faded memory of an Airborne logo is almost visible." And "…the day Gus will going to die."
As one who lived in LA (Lower Alabama) for several decades in the 1970s, I can attest he got it right. Except the location. LA is the Florida panhandle west of the Apalachicola River. Locals suggest it is still occupied by a string of Northern aggressor fortifications at NAS Pensacola, Hurlburt Field, and Eglin and Tyndall AFBs. The Yankees are ruinin' the culture.
Pagination was a problem with the ePub version
A good read.
Needed one more proof reading: "…the faded memory of an Airborne logo is almost visible." And "…the day Gus will going to die."
As one who lived in LA (Lower Alabama) for several decades in the 1970s, I can attest he got it right. Except the location. LA is the Florida panhandle west of the Apalachicola River. Locals suggest it is still occupied by a string of Northern aggressor fortifications at NAS Pensacola, Hurlburt Field, and Eglin and Tyndall AFBs. The Yankees are ruinin' the culture.
Pagination was a problem with the ePub version
A good read.
September 17, 2011
Have you ever wished you could live in an alternate universe where Spiderman regularly sweeps through the skies, where the Fantastic Four team up to fight evil, and where Superman could appear anywhere to rescue people from falling buildings?
Edwin Windsor lives in such a world, where men like Excelsior (think Superman), Lifto the Magnificent, and more are not uncommon. He in fact runs a business specializing in honing a villain's skills into money making schemes. But life never goes perfectly, and this book is a tale of his many exploits with would-be villains and a man that becomes his ultimate nemesis: Excelsior.
Now that I've finished this book, I'm finding myself in that awkward position of not knowing exactly what to say about it: what I liked and what I didn't. It's so easy to review books you viscerally hate or enthusiastically enjoy: there is either plenty to nitpick or plenty of parts you love. This book is one of those middle of the road books for me: I enjoyed reading it, but there were parts that I wasn't 100% gung ho about, and trying to explain why I'm not gung ho is going to be a little challenging.
One thing I recommend doing when listening/reading this is to think it is an episodic novel, more along the lines of “To Kill a Mockingbird” (which was originally printed in parts in a newspaper) than a fully cohesive novel. I didn't exactly go into the book with that mentality, and it took me a while to catch the rhythm.
I really liked the nods to the laws of physics (“YAY!” squees the inner math/physics nerd), government, and law. While I have no trouble appreciating completely non-sensical science (Come on, I read Star Wars, for crying out loud), I do like a novel that can be enjoyable and scientifically accurate at the same time. But sometimes the nods to physics and math got to be too much, even to me—almost to the point where physics could be considered the Fourth Major Character.
Also, this book is funny. I would count the style of humor to be along the lines of Douglas Adams' Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Funny, but more so in its reservation and serious language than in being blatantly funny. Another big area of “jokes” is from the superhero/villain aspect of the novel. The author is obviously familiar with superhero tropes, because he makes all sorts of playful jabs and nods to them as well—such as Excelsior fondly recalling making love in a cloud to a woman he rescued back in the “Good 'Ole Days” vs Modern Times. I only have a very small knowledge base of comic book superheroes (and mostly from the sometimes crappy movies that have appeared in recent years), but even I got the jokes.
The ending is absolutely superb. The showdown between Excelsior and Edwin is great, also the sneak peek at what book 2 might have is also really interesting. Only complaint? In my podiobook, both of these sequences aren't in a chapter, but the “Epilogue”. While the sneak peek might have been appropriate for an Epilogue, the showdown between Excelsior and Edwin definitely should have been a separate chapter and not part of the Epilogue.
My favorite character was Agnes Plantagenet. She was an absolute riot and definitely should have been in more of the novel. I loved how supportive she was of Edwin, I loved her overly British quirks, and I adored how she would rather bludgeon someone than use a Taser. The only problem I had with her was that it seemed her name changed from “Agnes” to “Edna” rather randomly. Perhaps the author originally chose “Edna” but then changed to “Agnes” to keep readers from being confused with Edwin? Maybe this is only a problem with the podiobook.
As for the faults...well, let's start with my big one: the focus. I just couldn't figure out, even at the end, what the focus of the novel was. At first, I thought the big focus would be Edwin with crazy Dr. Lobe. But then that event got wrapped up quickly (and really, it has very little significance in what I see as the main story “thread”--Edwin vs. Excelsior). Then, when Edwin got Barry, I thought he would be the focus. But then Barry went on the loose, and there still seemed to be little connection between Edwin and Excelsior's stories (more than with Dr. Lobe, of course, but still it seemed to just “float” in the body of the story). When Mr. Lifto appeared, I thought for sure the novel would be a “Edwin's crazy clients”. But that didn't turn out to be true. The novel also ventured into courtroom drama, made a pitstop as a golfing tournament (like in “Caddyshack”), before ending with the absolutely chilling conclusion that I described above (brilliant, again, brilliant). The unevenness, how it seemed to change from superhero satire to courtroom drama, was rather confusing for me, even considering that this was a episodic novel. I could take some disconnected events (I mean, that's what happened with some of Scout's adventures in “To Kill a Mockingbird”), but this just felt too much.
Some of the characters were a wee bit overdone. By that, I'm mostly meaning Topper. I would much rather imagine him as a Peter Dinklage character: a hard biting lawyer that just happens to be a midget. Of course, that is personal preference. I just hate seeing Topper somewhat stereotyped as a midget—high-strung, comedic, like one of those toy dogs that doesn't realize it isn't a Great Dane. Not to mention, I had trouble believing he could win any cases. Now, his friendship with Edwin, that was great. I really liked how that was so different from his “other” persona.
Edwin, I had trouble imaging what he looked like. I didn't even realize he was super tall (obviously Peter Mayhew tall, I am guessing?) until a good way through the book. We got more description about his exquisitely tailored garments than what he looked like. He's a great character, don't get me wrong, but I just like to have a better image of a character.
Excelsior wasn't really bad, and I liked how he was a pawn in other people's chess board, despite his powers. Gus was a bit much himself: the chain smoking, hard bitten old man got a bit much on the mind. However, again, I liked the relationship between him and Excelsior. Mrs. Reilly was out of this world nuts. I actually liked the idea of her wanting to make the world like Gone with the Wind, but the oiled young boys? Really? That doesn't jive with her desire to bring back the genteel South. Dr. Lobe, with all his insanity, was actually okay with me—until the goat scene. I needed a bath tub of brain bleach to eradicate that from my mind (though, kudos to the author for being as discreet as he was).
Other than Agnes, there aren't any other females in this novel that aren't either sex kittens or crazy old women. I would have liked to see some women clients of Edwin's or maybe someone other than a woman who wanted to bang Excelsior. At least there were no romantic triangles (one of my recent pet peeves).
I think the best way to sum up how I felt is this: the beginning and ending were great, but the middle got a bit lost. The author is really talented: his writing is great, his humor is top-notch, his knowledge is impressive. Not to mention, he actually is a really good podiobook narrator (I loved how he did different voices and really put emotion into the dialogue). But I feel that the story got a bit lost in the middle and some of the characters ventured beyond crazy into “Unbelievable” territory. I might not have been interested in a sequel, but with the way this book ended, I can't help but be curious about what happens next.
Edwin Windsor lives in such a world, where men like Excelsior (think Superman), Lifto the Magnificent, and more are not uncommon. He in fact runs a business specializing in honing a villain's skills into money making schemes. But life never goes perfectly, and this book is a tale of his many exploits with would-be villains and a man that becomes his ultimate nemesis: Excelsior.
Now that I've finished this book, I'm finding myself in that awkward position of not knowing exactly what to say about it: what I liked and what I didn't. It's so easy to review books you viscerally hate or enthusiastically enjoy: there is either plenty to nitpick or plenty of parts you love. This book is one of those middle of the road books for me: I enjoyed reading it, but there were parts that I wasn't 100% gung ho about, and trying to explain why I'm not gung ho is going to be a little challenging.
One thing I recommend doing when listening/reading this is to think it is an episodic novel, more along the lines of “To Kill a Mockingbird” (which was originally printed in parts in a newspaper) than a fully cohesive novel. I didn't exactly go into the book with that mentality, and it took me a while to catch the rhythm.
I really liked the nods to the laws of physics (“YAY!” squees the inner math/physics nerd), government, and law. While I have no trouble appreciating completely non-sensical science (Come on, I read Star Wars, for crying out loud), I do like a novel that can be enjoyable and scientifically accurate at the same time. But sometimes the nods to physics and math got to be too much, even to me—almost to the point where physics could be considered the Fourth Major Character.
Also, this book is funny. I would count the style of humor to be along the lines of Douglas Adams' Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Funny, but more so in its reservation and serious language than in being blatantly funny. Another big area of “jokes” is from the superhero/villain aspect of the novel. The author is obviously familiar with superhero tropes, because he makes all sorts of playful jabs and nods to them as well—such as Excelsior fondly recalling making love in a cloud to a woman he rescued back in the “Good 'Ole Days” vs Modern Times. I only have a very small knowledge base of comic book superheroes (and mostly from the sometimes crappy movies that have appeared in recent years), but even I got the jokes.
The ending is absolutely superb. The showdown between Excelsior and Edwin is great, also the sneak peek at what book 2 might have is also really interesting. Only complaint? In my podiobook, both of these sequences aren't in a chapter, but the “Epilogue”. While the sneak peek might have been appropriate for an Epilogue, the showdown between Excelsior and Edwin definitely should have been a separate chapter and not part of the Epilogue.
My favorite character was Agnes Plantagenet. She was an absolute riot and definitely should have been in more of the novel. I loved how supportive she was of Edwin, I loved her overly British quirks, and I adored how she would rather bludgeon someone than use a Taser. The only problem I had with her was that it seemed her name changed from “Agnes” to “Edna” rather randomly. Perhaps the author originally chose “Edna” but then changed to “Agnes” to keep readers from being confused with Edwin? Maybe this is only a problem with the podiobook.
As for the faults...well, let's start with my big one: the focus. I just couldn't figure out, even at the end, what the focus of the novel was. At first, I thought the big focus would be Edwin with crazy Dr. Lobe. But then that event got wrapped up quickly (and really, it has very little significance in what I see as the main story “thread”--Edwin vs. Excelsior). Then, when Edwin got Barry, I thought he would be the focus. But then Barry went on the loose, and there still seemed to be little connection between Edwin and Excelsior's stories (more than with Dr. Lobe, of course, but still it seemed to just “float” in the body of the story). When Mr. Lifto appeared, I thought for sure the novel would be a “Edwin's crazy clients”. But that didn't turn out to be true. The novel also ventured into courtroom drama, made a pitstop as a golfing tournament (like in “Caddyshack”), before ending with the absolutely chilling conclusion that I described above (brilliant, again, brilliant). The unevenness, how it seemed to change from superhero satire to courtroom drama, was rather confusing for me, even considering that this was a episodic novel. I could take some disconnected events (I mean, that's what happened with some of Scout's adventures in “To Kill a Mockingbird”), but this just felt too much.
Some of the characters were a wee bit overdone. By that, I'm mostly meaning Topper. I would much rather imagine him as a Peter Dinklage character: a hard biting lawyer that just happens to be a midget. Of course, that is personal preference. I just hate seeing Topper somewhat stereotyped as a midget—high-strung, comedic, like one of those toy dogs that doesn't realize it isn't a Great Dane. Not to mention, I had trouble believing he could win any cases. Now, his friendship with Edwin, that was great. I really liked how that was so different from his “other” persona.
Edwin, I had trouble imaging what he looked like. I didn't even realize he was super tall (obviously Peter Mayhew tall, I am guessing?) until a good way through the book. We got more description about his exquisitely tailored garments than what he looked like. He's a great character, don't get me wrong, but I just like to have a better image of a character.
Excelsior wasn't really bad, and I liked how he was a pawn in other people's chess board, despite his powers. Gus was a bit much himself: the chain smoking, hard bitten old man got a bit much on the mind. However, again, I liked the relationship between him and Excelsior. Mrs. Reilly was out of this world nuts. I actually liked the idea of her wanting to make the world like Gone with the Wind, but the oiled young boys? Really? That doesn't jive with her desire to bring back the genteel South. Dr. Lobe, with all his insanity, was actually okay with me—until the goat scene. I needed a bath tub of brain bleach to eradicate that from my mind (though, kudos to the author for being as discreet as he was).
Other than Agnes, there aren't any other females in this novel that aren't either sex kittens or crazy old women. I would have liked to see some women clients of Edwin's or maybe someone other than a woman who wanted to bang Excelsior. At least there were no romantic triangles (one of my recent pet peeves).
I think the best way to sum up how I felt is this: the beginning and ending were great, but the middle got a bit lost. The author is really talented: his writing is great, his humor is top-notch, his knowledge is impressive. Not to mention, he actually is a really good podiobook narrator (I loved how he did different voices and really put emotion into the dialogue). But I feel that the story got a bit lost in the middle and some of the characters ventured beyond crazy into “Unbelievable” territory. I might not have been interested in a sequel, but with the way this book ended, I can't help but be curious about what happens next.
July 27, 2013
Quante volte abbiamo visto un film, o letto un fumetto/libro, pensando che se al posto del cattivo ci fossimo stati noi avremmo conquistato il mondo, e facendoci anche una bellissima figura? E non siamo nemmeno in pochi, visto che on-line le liste di cosa fare nel caso si decidesse di diventare dei Signori del Male sono ampliate da anni.
McLean ha scritto un libro dove il protagonista incarna il lato più razionale e vagamente sociopatico di tutti noi, quando la trama raggiunge livelli di idiozia così palesi che mantenere la sospensione dell'incredulità è impossibile, e si finisce inevitabilmente a tifare per il cattivo nonostante l'esasperazione per la sua idiozia.
Edwin è un consulente per cattivi, una persona geniale, glaciale e tremendamente logica, che cerca di inserire un po' di buon senso in un mondo fatto di ordinaria follia. Raccoglie l'urlo di dolore dei nostri neuroni maltrattati, affrontando con coraggio scienziati folli (che credono di essere scienziati ma sono solo folli) mostrando come, con piani più contenuti, è possibile fare più danno e guadagnare di più, ottenere insomma un vero potere.
E alla fine, dopo averlo visto vincere e fallire contemporaneamente (perchè Edwin ha, ovviamente, sempre ragione e lo capirebbe anche un bambino... ma questo si dimostra con la sconfitta dei suoi clienti che non ascoltano e quindi è anche una sconfitta), lo vediamo dire "Ok, ora basta. Adesso il cattivo lo faccio io.". E finalmente c'è la rivincita: un super villain che usa intelligenza, efficienza e buon senso. Praticamente inarrestabile, direi.
I personaggi sono molto, molto, interessanti: Edwin è fantastico, perchè non è un buono. È freddo, razionale, ragionevole. L'intelligenza senza l'emotività. Ma con il senso dell'umorismo, sennò non è divertente da leggere.
Ho apprezzato tantissimo che non commettesse i classici errori, tipo che quando inizia ad essere arrabbiato perde concentrazione, anzi: proprio perchè ha un obbiettivo è più prudente. Poi quando ha le crisi depressive perchè il genere umano è stupido mi piegavo in due.
Topper è l'avvocato di Edwin, ed è un nano con problemi di gestione della rabbia. Oltre che uno dei migliori nel suo campo, perchè contrariamente a molte sue contrparti fumettistiche, Edwin si circonda di persona competenti, e quando lavori in modi legali ma moralmente discutibili ti serve di più un buon avvocato che una bomba nucleare. Così come ti serve anche un'ottima segretaria in grado di gestire i lunatici che ti piombano in ufficio, ed ecco entrare in scena Agnes, che più inglese di così non si può, in grado di maneggiare te' e tranquillanti con una mano sola, e impegnata in una personale crociata contro la maleducazione.
Ma ovviamente un libro non può non avere degli antagonisti. E se è divertente vedere all'inizio Edwin che fa a pezzi gli altri villain con il suo cervello, alla fine il nemico di un cattivo non può che essere l'eroe. Ed ecco quindi Excelsior, che è Superman senza se e senza ma. Un uomo in crisi esistenziale, a cui viene sempre chiesto di salvare tutto e tutti, e che non può dire di no anche se vorrebbe. Sotto il diretto controllo del governo, Excelsior non ha scelta su cosa fare dei propri poteri e della propria esistenza, ed inizia ad essere stanco di non poter mai decidere da solo cosa fare o come pensare. Bellissimo il suo rapporto con Gus, l'uomo che l'ha trovato quando era solo un bambino spaventato, e che riesce a rapportarsi con lui proprio perchè non ne ha paura. Al massimo ha paura per lui, quello che gli succederà quando rimarrà solo... eppure è anche vagamente manipolatorio, nel suo modo di portarlo ad agire come lui ritiene giusto.
In effetti, se Edwin è quello freddo e amorale nella sua spietata logica, Excelsior è quello che porta una dimensione più emotivo al libro: all'inizio è tutto molto comico e divertente, ma quando leggi di un super uomo che non sa se può piangere o meno perchè quando gli bruciano gli occhi può anche sparare raggi laser e quindi si trattiene di default... beh, non voler entrare nel libro per abbracciarlo è difficile.
Lo stile l'ho adorato: McLean riesce a gestire benissimo i salti tra momenti estremamente comici e momenti estremamente tristi, rendendo la transizione naturale e non spiazzante. È bravissimo anche nel creare i personaggi: quelli prettamente fumettistici... beh, sono delle spietate parodie, ma quelli che vuole rendere più umani lo sono. Lo sono tantissimo. E riesce anche a rendere memorabili le comparse: la prostituta Selene appare per due pagine e mezzo, ma è così azzeccata, così riuscita, che sono rimasta sorpresa dal non vederla diventare un membro fisso del cast (ma in tal senso nutro speranze per il seguito).
Il difetto più grande è la natura episodica del libro: è come se dentro ci fosse tre storie e mezzo strizzate insieme a forza, e non necessariamente utili a qualcosa se non a dare un po' di contesto. Un po' coem se la serie fosse nata come raccolta di racconti brevi, e per trasformarla in libro ne siano stati scelti alcuni da cucire in una trama più o meno omogenea.
In definitiva, un libro ben scritto e divertente, e credo proprio che mi leggerò anche gli altri.
McLean ha scritto un libro dove il protagonista incarna il lato più razionale e vagamente sociopatico di tutti noi, quando la trama raggiunge livelli di idiozia così palesi che mantenere la sospensione dell'incredulità è impossibile, e si finisce inevitabilmente a tifare per il cattivo nonostante l'esasperazione per la sua idiozia.
Edwin è un consulente per cattivi, una persona geniale, glaciale e tremendamente logica, che cerca di inserire un po' di buon senso in un mondo fatto di ordinaria follia. Raccoglie l'urlo di dolore dei nostri neuroni maltrattati, affrontando con coraggio scienziati folli (che credono di essere scienziati ma sono solo folli) mostrando come, con piani più contenuti, è possibile fare più danno e guadagnare di più, ottenere insomma un vero potere.
E alla fine, dopo averlo visto vincere e fallire contemporaneamente (perchè Edwin ha, ovviamente, sempre ragione e lo capirebbe anche un bambino... ma questo si dimostra con la sconfitta dei suoi clienti che non ascoltano e quindi è anche una sconfitta), lo vediamo dire "Ok, ora basta. Adesso il cattivo lo faccio io.". E finalmente c'è la rivincita: un super villain che usa intelligenza, efficienza e buon senso. Praticamente inarrestabile, direi.
I personaggi sono molto, molto, interessanti: Edwin è fantastico, perchè non è un buono. È freddo, razionale, ragionevole. L'intelligenza senza l'emotività. Ma con il senso dell'umorismo, sennò non è divertente da leggere.
Ho apprezzato tantissimo che non commettesse i classici errori, tipo che quando inizia ad essere arrabbiato perde concentrazione, anzi: proprio perchè ha un obbiettivo è più prudente. Poi quando ha le crisi depressive perchè il genere umano è stupido mi piegavo in due.
Topper è l'avvocato di Edwin, ed è un nano con problemi di gestione della rabbia. Oltre che uno dei migliori nel suo campo, perchè contrariamente a molte sue contrparti fumettistiche, Edwin si circonda di persona competenti, e quando lavori in modi legali ma moralmente discutibili ti serve di più un buon avvocato che una bomba nucleare. Così come ti serve anche un'ottima segretaria in grado di gestire i lunatici che ti piombano in ufficio, ed ecco entrare in scena Agnes, che più inglese di così non si può, in grado di maneggiare te' e tranquillanti con una mano sola, e impegnata in una personale crociata contro la maleducazione.
Ma ovviamente un libro non può non avere degli antagonisti. E se è divertente vedere all'inizio Edwin che fa a pezzi gli altri villain con il suo cervello, alla fine il nemico di un cattivo non può che essere l'eroe. Ed ecco quindi Excelsior, che è Superman senza se e senza ma. Un uomo in crisi esistenziale, a cui viene sempre chiesto di salvare tutto e tutti, e che non può dire di no anche se vorrebbe. Sotto il diretto controllo del governo, Excelsior non ha scelta su cosa fare dei propri poteri e della propria esistenza, ed inizia ad essere stanco di non poter mai decidere da solo cosa fare o come pensare. Bellissimo il suo rapporto con Gus, l'uomo che l'ha trovato quando era solo un bambino spaventato, e che riesce a rapportarsi con lui proprio perchè non ne ha paura. Al massimo ha paura per lui, quello che gli succederà quando rimarrà solo... eppure è anche vagamente manipolatorio, nel suo modo di portarlo ad agire come lui ritiene giusto.
In effetti, se Edwin è quello freddo e amorale nella sua spietata logica, Excelsior è quello che porta una dimensione più emotivo al libro: all'inizio è tutto molto comico e divertente, ma quando leggi di un super uomo che non sa se può piangere o meno perchè quando gli bruciano gli occhi può anche sparare raggi laser e quindi si trattiene di default... beh, non voler entrare nel libro per abbracciarlo è difficile.
Lo stile l'ho adorato: McLean riesce a gestire benissimo i salti tra momenti estremamente comici e momenti estremamente tristi, rendendo la transizione naturale e non spiazzante. È bravissimo anche nel creare i personaggi: quelli prettamente fumettistici... beh, sono delle spietate parodie, ma quelli che vuole rendere più umani lo sono. Lo sono tantissimo. E riesce anche a rendere memorabili le comparse: la prostituta Selene appare per due pagine e mezzo, ma è così azzeccata, così riuscita, che sono rimasta sorpresa dal non vederla diventare un membro fisso del cast (ma in tal senso nutro speranze per il seguito).
Il difetto più grande è la natura episodica del libro: è come se dentro ci fosse tre storie e mezzo strizzate insieme a forza, e non necessariamente utili a qualcosa se non a dare un po' di contesto. Un po' coem se la serie fosse nata come raccolta di racconti brevi, e per trasformarla in libro ne siano stati scelti alcuni da cucire in una trama più o meno omogenea.
In definitiva, un libro ben scritto e divertente, e credo proprio che mi leggerò anche gli altri.
September 2, 2013
I love superhero books. I love supervillain books even more.
This one has a different approach to both, heroes and villains and it responds very good questions one does when reading about super-strong, super-rich and super-anything on this kind of universe.
It is a delicate work, showing the motivations and the development of a true super villain- and making you like him. The focus of the book is out of the box and the narrative is interesting and envolving, making you want just a little more all the time.
My only sorrow was the end, wich was great, but made me - again - know what will happen on the next page when there was no next page. But then, there is Hostile Takeover, and I will know.
This one has a different approach to both, heroes and villains and it responds very good questions one does when reading about super-strong, super-rich and super-anything on this kind of universe.
It is a delicate work, showing the motivations and the development of a true super villain- and making you like him. The focus of the book is out of the box and the narrative is interesting and envolving, making you want just a little more all the time.
My only sorrow was the end, wich was great, but made me - again - know what will happen on the next page when there was no next page. But then, there is Hostile Takeover, and I will know.
November 10, 2011
Short review: I remember this book from a series of podcasts about 6 or 7 years ago. It never finished so I picked up the book to see what happened. Unfortunately, this feels like a series of podcasts or short stories that are strung together into a novel without being fully integrated. The story concept is great. The result is mediocre.
My full review on my blog at http://bookwi.se/mclean/
My full review on my blog at http://bookwi.se/mclean/
July 30, 2012
Nearly brilliant...demi-brilliant. If you dig the anti-hero and have a sense of humor (one that senses wry wit and irony [the real kind, not the Alannis Morisette kind]), this belongs on your to-read list. Not only that, you should read it. I'll be reading the sequel(s) when they finally come out. If I remember. Seriously, I got this for like 99cents at the Kindle store. Just buy it.
September 1, 2014
Very. Awesome!
While not often laugh-out-loud funny, it was so comic, with a wry kind of humor I really appreciated. It was an excellently-crafted story with compelling characters and a fascinating plot. The tone is subdued and dignified and I really enjoyed the break from my usual fare.
While not often laugh-out-loud funny, it was so comic, with a wry kind of humor I really appreciated. It was an excellently-crafted story with compelling characters and a fascinating plot. The tone is subdued and dignified and I really enjoyed the break from my usual fare.
August 29, 2024
I don't know what it is, but I really like a good book from the "evil" point of view. I don't know if this means that I'm a mad scientist in training, but I really enjoyed this book. It definitely kept me entertained on two airplane flights and the layover.
August 11, 2020
So, to save time, I'm going to review all 3 books in this series at once. Book 1 is 4.5 stars but I rounded up because this is the first book I've discovered on the internet that has an artificially deflated score. Usually it works the other way with discerning readers not bothering to leave reviews of books they dislike. Here, somehow, Mr. McLean has found more than his fair share of poor reviewers.
Book 2 is 3 stars because, while Mr. McLean maintains plotting and story-telling standards, I found the story resolution weak. It looked to me as if book one was written as a stand-alone book that was good enough to deserve a sequel whereas book 2 was written with an eye to book 3.
Book 3 is 4 stars- good story telling but, because of familiarity with the characters by this point in time the big reveal was predictable, but enjoyable.
Mr. McLean hits my personal sweet spot with a highly competent MC, Edwin Windsor, a consultant to supervillains who tires of explaining to his clients why space-based lasers are financially impractical. Mr. Windsor is all brain and very little heart, his only attachment being to his former governess, now assistant, who is as competent as she is insistent on serving tea to all clients. Mr. Windsor's only real friend is his lawyer, Topper. Topper is 4' 4" and a half but hates it when anyone points out that fact. Topper is a hard charging criminal defense attorney who doesn't hesitate to pay a hooker or do a line of coke when not on the job. In essence Topper, while smart, is the opposite of Windsor, being more heart, and general zest for life. Topper only uses as much brain as he needs to win, because Topper really loves to win and doesn't care if he has to use a gun, or a rocket launcher, to do so.
In book one, Topper is approached (and kidnapped) by vampires as they have been unable to get Windsor by phone at night. These are your typical haughty, "we were European nobility" type vampires who refuse to realize that hunting for their own food essentially makes them peasants, even when Windsor spells it out for them. The vampires, like so many of his other clients, only listen to Windsor until they realize he isn't going to just tell them what they want to hear. This puts Windsor, and Topper, in the dangerous position of being the focus of some very insistent vampires. Worse, the vampires don't have bank accounts so now Windsor also has to take payment in gold.
In book 2 Windsor is consulted by "Dr. Loeb", a typical mad scientist type, whose only super power is money. After explaining to Dr. Loeb the many barriers, including financial, to placing laser in space, it comes out that Dr. Loeb is really just acting out against his overbearing and outrageously rich mother. Seeing an opportunity for profit Windsor heads to Alabama only to discover that Loeb's mother is crazier yet since the mother appears to be intent on restarting the Civil War so as to bring Southern manners and sweet tea to the rest of the nation. Windsor, true to form, explains to dear old mom how to leverage her assets to become even wealthier, without the dangers of a new Civil War. Of course the mad mother is displeased with such practical advice and imprisons Windsor, this initiating the protocols Windsor has arranged with his assistant, meaning a new hand-made custom suit is ordered since the one Windsor is currently wearing almost certainly won't survive.
In book 3 Windsor and Topper have gained control of a remarkably powerful, yet stupid, super, Cromoglodon. This leads them to take over an insurance company and turn it into the only insurance company in the world willing to insure against supers. Of course any corporation not buying their insurance is visited by Cromoglodon and so the company has an unprecedented period of expansion without a single claim every being filed. That is until the government decides to attack Windsor's pocket book and sends "heroes" to destroy factories insured by his company. Further, the humdrum of running an insurance company drives Topper crazy, especially when it is repeatedly made clear to him that this really is Windsor's company. Concerned that Windsor is losing himself in the company, Topper convinces himself to cooperate with the feds in removing Windsor.
Bottom line: All three books are witty and well plotted. Easily worth the read.
Book 2 is 3 stars because, while Mr. McLean maintains plotting and story-telling standards, I found the story resolution weak. It looked to me as if book one was written as a stand-alone book that was good enough to deserve a sequel whereas book 2 was written with an eye to book 3.
Book 3 is 4 stars- good story telling but, because of familiarity with the characters by this point in time the big reveal was predictable, but enjoyable.
Mr. McLean hits my personal sweet spot with a highly competent MC, Edwin Windsor, a consultant to supervillains who tires of explaining to his clients why space-based lasers are financially impractical. Mr. Windsor is all brain and very little heart, his only attachment being to his former governess, now assistant, who is as competent as she is insistent on serving tea to all clients. Mr. Windsor's only real friend is his lawyer, Topper. Topper is 4' 4" and a half but hates it when anyone points out that fact. Topper is a hard charging criminal defense attorney who doesn't hesitate to pay a hooker or do a line of coke when not on the job. In essence Topper, while smart, is the opposite of Windsor, being more heart, and general zest for life. Topper only uses as much brain as he needs to win, because Topper really loves to win and doesn't care if he has to use a gun, or a rocket launcher, to do so.
In book one, Topper is approached (and kidnapped) by vampires as they have been unable to get Windsor by phone at night. These are your typical haughty, "we were European nobility" type vampires who refuse to realize that hunting for their own food essentially makes them peasants, even when Windsor spells it out for them. The vampires, like so many of his other clients, only listen to Windsor until they realize he isn't going to just tell them what they want to hear. This puts Windsor, and Topper, in the dangerous position of being the focus of some very insistent vampires. Worse, the vampires don't have bank accounts so now Windsor also has to take payment in gold.
In book 2 Windsor is consulted by "Dr. Loeb", a typical mad scientist type, whose only super power is money. After explaining to Dr. Loeb the many barriers, including financial, to placing laser in space, it comes out that Dr. Loeb is really just acting out against his overbearing and outrageously rich mother. Seeing an opportunity for profit Windsor heads to Alabama only to discover that Loeb's mother is crazier yet since the mother appears to be intent on restarting the Civil War so as to bring Southern manners and sweet tea to the rest of the nation. Windsor, true to form, explains to dear old mom how to leverage her assets to become even wealthier, without the dangers of a new Civil War. Of course the mad mother is displeased with such practical advice and imprisons Windsor, this initiating the protocols Windsor has arranged with his assistant, meaning a new hand-made custom suit is ordered since the one Windsor is currently wearing almost certainly won't survive.
In book 3 Windsor and Topper have gained control of a remarkably powerful, yet stupid, super, Cromoglodon. This leads them to take over an insurance company and turn it into the only insurance company in the world willing to insure against supers. Of course any corporation not buying their insurance is visited by Cromoglodon and so the company has an unprecedented period of expansion without a single claim every being filed. That is until the government decides to attack Windsor's pocket book and sends "heroes" to destroy factories insured by his company. Further, the humdrum of running an insurance company drives Topper crazy, especially when it is repeatedly made clear to him that this really is Windsor's company. Concerned that Windsor is losing himself in the company, Topper convinces himself to cooperate with the feds in removing Windsor.
Bottom line: All three books are witty and well plotted. Easily worth the read.
August 6, 2017
This Is A Combination of a Number of Different Books, All Good
The premise is crisp. Edwin Windsor, a business consultant for super villains, tires of their egotism and incompetence, and decides to go into business for himself. Feels like a generic superhero sendup. But, as they say in the infomercials - wait, there's more!
This is a long novel, and so there's room for a couple of different books that all sort of move ahead in combination.
First, we get Edwin's interactions, mostly in the form of office business meetings, with his nutsy and unstable book of client villains. From trust fund babies with stooopid plans and no skills, to delusional wackos, Edwin handles each encounter with deadpan wit and elegantly disguised contempt.
Second, we get the tragic story of the superhero Excelsior. Sort of a gormless Superman with a shady, cynical, government babysitter/handler, Excelsior is a bundle of neuroses, doubts, and anxieties who does what's he's told to do and bumbles through life killing and maiming as many people as he saves. His Hamlet-like internal monologues are pathetic and touching, often simultaneously. Edwin's manipulation of Excelsior's insecurities mark some of the most penetrating parts of the story.
Then, we get a sendup of Edwin's hench-lawyer, Topper, an immoral, uncouth, unbridled killer shark. Just to drive home the joke/point, Topper is a dwarf. There is an extended trial section, (Edwin sues Excelsior for damages caused by the excessive force Excelsior used in Edwin's office against one of Edwin's clients), that reads way better, and with more legal insight, than anything guys like Grisham write.
There is also a longish section dealing with an Edwin client who wants to start a new Civil War, starting in Lower Alabama. This has a lot of funny lines, but could have been disappeared without much harm.
Finally, there are literally dozens of stand-alone bits that aren't essential, as such, to the story, but certainly reward the reader. Because Edwin is smart, dry, deadpan, and practically built out of irony, his musings can be hysterical. There's his economic theory of villainy; there's a long meditation on why it's essential to wear a perfectly tailored suit; there's an explanation about why revenge is always better than murder, and so on.
The upshot is that this book is a rich stew of elegant writing, critical thinking, satire, and an unnerving message of sorts that calculation, patience, and restraint are the ultimate superpowers. This book was a wonderful find.
(Please note that I found this book while browsing Amazon Kindle freebies. I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)
The premise is crisp. Edwin Windsor, a business consultant for super villains, tires of their egotism and incompetence, and decides to go into business for himself. Feels like a generic superhero sendup. But, as they say in the infomercials - wait, there's more!
This is a long novel, and so there's room for a couple of different books that all sort of move ahead in combination.
First, we get Edwin's interactions, mostly in the form of office business meetings, with his nutsy and unstable book of client villains. From trust fund babies with stooopid plans and no skills, to delusional wackos, Edwin handles each encounter with deadpan wit and elegantly disguised contempt.
Second, we get the tragic story of the superhero Excelsior. Sort of a gormless Superman with a shady, cynical, government babysitter/handler, Excelsior is a bundle of neuroses, doubts, and anxieties who does what's he's told to do and bumbles through life killing and maiming as many people as he saves. His Hamlet-like internal monologues are pathetic and touching, often simultaneously. Edwin's manipulation of Excelsior's insecurities mark some of the most penetrating parts of the story.
Then, we get a sendup of Edwin's hench-lawyer, Topper, an immoral, uncouth, unbridled killer shark. Just to drive home the joke/point, Topper is a dwarf. There is an extended trial section, (Edwin sues Excelsior for damages caused by the excessive force Excelsior used in Edwin's office against one of Edwin's clients), that reads way better, and with more legal insight, than anything guys like Grisham write.
There is also a longish section dealing with an Edwin client who wants to start a new Civil War, starting in Lower Alabama. This has a lot of funny lines, but could have been disappeared without much harm.
Finally, there are literally dozens of stand-alone bits that aren't essential, as such, to the story, but certainly reward the reader. Because Edwin is smart, dry, deadpan, and practically built out of irony, his musings can be hysterical. There's his economic theory of villainy; there's a long meditation on why it's essential to wear a perfectly tailored suit; there's an explanation about why revenge is always better than murder, and so on.
The upshot is that this book is a rich stew of elegant writing, critical thinking, satire, and an unnerving message of sorts that calculation, patience, and restraint are the ultimate superpowers. This book was a wonderful find.
(Please note that I found this book while browsing Amazon Kindle freebies. I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)
December 9, 2019
Apologies to my lovely husband who loved this podcast and got the book for me to read.
The pacing was off with half the book building characters that really just felt like caricatures of all those classic character archetypes, action finally happening for a quarter of it, and then a rushed and downright silly ending. Involving golf, an evil villain speech, and concrete. 🙄
Edwin waxes poetic a lot about being smarter than everyone, the world being terrible, and about how all his clients are intolerably stupid. I suppose it's meant to be tongue-in-cheek, but it straddles the fence so often that it came off as mildly offensive. How smart is a character, really, if all other characters are just dumb?
It was refreshing that there was no romance, but I didn't appreciate that the only two female characters that appear for more than a page or two are a horny old rich lady and a prim and proper old English lady whose only existence is as a plot device to move the "hero" forward.
I get this was a brains vs. brawns story. I get that he's using his "smarts" against an otherwise immovable force. I would've liked if more than 10% of the story actually dealt with that. I'm also well aware that this'll likely get hate as the fans funded turning the podcast into print, so it's gotta be well liked, I guess.
My favorite and the most standout typo of a book that was apparently edited: "Iphigenia be and his new conreaks a serving plate over his head. Eustace falls silent as hcussion collapse on a heap on the floor." Pg. 98 👌
All in all, though it sets it up for a sequel, excuse me for skipping it.
The pacing was off with half the book building characters that really just felt like caricatures of all those classic character archetypes, action finally happening for a quarter of it, and then a rushed and downright silly ending. Involving golf, an evil villain speech, and concrete. 🙄
Edwin waxes poetic a lot about being smarter than everyone, the world being terrible, and about how all his clients are intolerably stupid. I suppose it's meant to be tongue-in-cheek, but it straddles the fence so often that it came off as mildly offensive. How smart is a character, really, if all other characters are just dumb?
It was refreshing that there was no romance, but I didn't appreciate that the only two female characters that appear for more than a page or two are a horny old rich lady and a prim and proper old English lady whose only existence is as a plot device to move the "hero" forward.
I get this was a brains vs. brawns story. I get that he's using his "smarts" against an otherwise immovable force. I would've liked if more than 10% of the story actually dealt with that. I'm also well aware that this'll likely get hate as the fans funded turning the podcast into print, so it's gotta be well liked, I guess.
My favorite and the most standout typo of a book that was apparently edited: "Iphigenia be and his new conreaks a serving plate over his head. Eustace falls silent as hcussion collapse on a heap on the floor." Pg. 98 👌
All in all, though it sets it up for a sequel, excuse me for skipping it.
September 27, 2021
This book is meant to be light-hearted and would appeal to a reader who finds humour in caricature. Most of the characters have simple predictable motivations making it an easy story to consume.
Never the less there are interesting themes explored which I thought about long after finishing the book. Is the super hero's actions really good? What actually is evil? Is following economic rationalism really a sign of sanity? Is a reverence for antiques and expensive furniture and clothes rational? Can you be a hero of your nation, when your nation is flawed, probably corrupt and certainly narcissistic?
This book is the title of a series surrounding the consultancy of Edwin Windsor whose intellectual brilliance is admitted by all with in the story and proven after events when his mysterious plans are shown to have taken into account all kinds of unusual variables to have an outcome Edwin had planned for all along. Edwin's brilliance and strength of character is also outstanding because most everyone else in the world is flawed either by vanity, lust and/or stupidity. These books are set in a world very similar to that of Marvel or DC franchises - based in a country very like the modern USA filled mostly with white men who do the interesting things. Most people are 'ordinary' but there are those with super-powers who require guidance.
Never the less there are interesting themes explored which I thought about long after finishing the book. Is the super hero's actions really good? What actually is evil? Is following economic rationalism really a sign of sanity? Is a reverence for antiques and expensive furniture and clothes rational? Can you be a hero of your nation, when your nation is flawed, probably corrupt and certainly narcissistic?
This book is the title of a series surrounding the consultancy of Edwin Windsor whose intellectual brilliance is admitted by all with in the story and proven after events when his mysterious plans are shown to have taken into account all kinds of unusual variables to have an outcome Edwin had planned for all along. Edwin's brilliance and strength of character is also outstanding because most everyone else in the world is flawed either by vanity, lust and/or stupidity. These books are set in a world very similar to that of Marvel or DC franchises - based in a country very like the modern USA filled mostly with white men who do the interesting things. Most people are 'ordinary' but there are those with super-powers who require guidance.
July 23, 2017
First things first. Yes there are a few grammar errors but who really has the money to pay $30 an hour for an editor. After a while I didn't notice them as I was too enthralled by the story.
The book does have a lack of chapter numbers and that did get frustrating at the start, next the books reads as more of a 2 in 1 book.
I did enjoy the humour and the wit of the characters, it is a fantastic concept, and it made me laugh more than once. I do hope there is a sequel.
The book does have a lack of chapter numbers and that did get frustrating at the start, next the books reads as more of a 2 in 1 book.
I did enjoy the humour and the wit of the characters, it is a fantastic concept, and it made me laugh more than once. I do hope there is a sequel.
July 26, 2020
A true hidden gem, it might not be for everyone, but this story found me at the right time in my teens and it's one that has stayed with me all these years. Edwin Windsor was my Holden Caulfield. I love Patrick's style, the character's voices, the cynical sense of humour. In a world saturated by superheroes and superhero satire, I think this is one that stands out from the crowd. I recommend the audiobook if you can find it, the author really brings each character to life.
May 6, 2021
my impression of this is simply all over the board.
Core concepts through small bit ideas deserve a 5/5
construction and follow through 1/5
Its like its still a first draft even though this came after the short storys/podcasts
My best guess is that the writer is still struggling with how exactly to tell this story as it still feels like maybe it was written to be turned into a comic book.
I want more of this but ideally what a rewrite.
Core concepts through small bit ideas deserve a 5/5
construction and follow through 1/5
Its like its still a first draft even though this came after the short storys/podcasts
My best guess is that the writer is still struggling with how exactly to tell this story as it still feels like maybe it was written to be turned into a comic book.
I want more of this but ideally what a rewrite.
May 16, 2023
I listened to this audiobook on a long car trip. I enjoyed the send-up of various tropes - a James Bond-ish hero who happens to be an efficiency guru (in a way, this is a great business book), a mashup of knowing superhero universes ala The Incredibles and X-Men, and the obscene Danny DeVito-ish accomplice. More Agnes Plantagenet screen time would have been good. I might check out the sequel on another road trip.
August 5, 2018
I have read this book first, but it really does not seem to matter. It is fast paces and entertaining which in my opinion entitles it to a good review. It does also make you think in a few places which is kinda good but I feel less important than the entertainment value which is why we buy books after all.
Highly recommended and I look forward to reading the rest in the series in whatever order.
Highly recommended and I look forward to reading the rest in the series in whatever order.
December 7, 2017
Loved the book! And I loved the audio version of the book. It was fun, fresh and gets you thinking... sometimes. But must of the times is just pure fun.
The sarcasm, the characters, and situations. All adds up and all makes it for a brilliant book
The sarcasm, the characters, and situations. All adds up and all makes it for a brilliant book
December 22, 2022
I loved this story. I used to read superhero comics as a child. I never understood how villains got their evil plans financed. This is the book that tells the true story. It also looks at the seldom investigated story of what happens in the aftermath of their fights
November 2, 2017
Very funny, very clever. Stands the conventions of the superhero story on their heads.
May 10, 2020
Honestly, I gave up. Maybe some day I'll read the rest but it bored me and I couldn't get into the story.
August 19, 2020
Nice and easy read.
Compelling story.
The end is a bit disappointing and leaving much to be desired.
Compelling story.
The end is a bit disappointing and leaving much to be desired.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 28, 2021
I listen to this book
i dont understand alot of it so my rating isnt fare
but it was agood start
i dont understand alot of it so my rating isnt fare
but it was agood start
May 9, 2022
Interesting and entertaining
Reading the series, what great characters and plot twists. Keeps you guessing , who really is the bad guy? Enjoy
Reading the series, what great characters and plot twists. Keeps you guessing , who really is the bad guy? Enjoy
May 12, 2022
Really enjoyable and light read. I didn't even realize this was the 2nd book in the series until I looked it up on Goodreads halfway through.
December 17, 2022
Would have been better if they hadn‘t forgotten to put any notable female characters in it.
May 13, 2023
2 1/2 stars. I had fun, and I’m sure the audio version is better than the self-published novel since we’re not reading the typos and stuff. I’m just 🤷🏻♀️ about the whole thing.
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