vellichor_vibes's review
4.0
Got the super hero/villain book itch so downloaded this on audible and was not disappointed. It's a nice easy listen, but the narrator's voice could use a bit more variety.
egswriter's review against another edition
5.0
Disregarding the weirdness of reality, how far can ridiculousness go before it’s just absurd? Given that I love Douglas Adams, write my own brand of ridiculous books, and have a penchant for snark, I’m probably the wrong person to ask. C.T. Phipps, with his Rules of Supervillainy, is also probably the wrong person to ask, but by George, the book was entertaining!
1. Thoughts on the plot
This book is sort of the hero’s journey, only our hero is a villain. No, not just labelled by the readers as a Bad Guy, but actually, honestly, a supervillain. Gary Karkofsky inherited, somehow, the cape of the now-deceased superhero Nightwalker. With the sentience therein, and the powers granted to him, he decides to follow his childhood dream and become a supervillain, namely Merciless: The Villain Without Mercy. From there, he embarks on a quest to become the biggest bad in Falconcrest, only there are a bunch of other villains that get in his way. With his wife, an ex-girlfriend-slash-henchperson, and a former villain turned mentor, he has a ways to go before he reaches that goal. And it’s not only the superheros he has to worry about.
The plot was fascinating, because it read exactly as I would expect if a hero (not an MC, a hero) received some powers, discovered how to use them and went about doing noble things to save the world. Only, Gary’s not acting from noble intentions. It was intentionally twisting the bits of the hero’s journey story into something more suiting a less noble character, and it was done in such a way that you knew precisely how the plot was meant to turn out, but weren’t entirely sure if we would get there. Also, it was just plain entertaining.
2. Thoughts on the characters
As villains go, Gary isn’t particularly scary. Okay, yes, he cares more about money than noble intentions. And, yes, he doesn’t actually feel remorse for taking his villainous rivals down. But he’s otherwise perfectly normal. That’s the part that makes him a great character to read. He just has this sort of…eager, dog-like quality about him that is endearing and a little frightening. Just thrown him a bone and he’ll run with it, no matter if it’s the smart thing to do. One has to wonder, just a little, how he gets as far as he does. I’ll chalk it up to the magical cloak and the rational mind of his wife, Mandy. Who is, definitely, a favourite character of mine.
3. Favourite part
Out of all the slightly ridiculous, but somehow still logical scenarios in this book, I think the unabashed snark and sarcasm put forth by the cloak is definitely my favourite. It takes these absurd situations and makes them merely ridiculous and entertaining. That could be because I have a fondness for snark, but I think there’s probably a bit more to it than that.
4. Critique
I don’t really have a critique for this book. The prose was great, the characters entertaining, the situations perfectly ridiculous, and the ending trending just enough towards a cliff hanger to grab attention without leaving important questions unanswered.
Overall, The Rules of Supervillainy is definitely a book worth reading. If you’re into the absurd, with a bit of logic, a whole lot of snark, and some magical powers thrown in, this is worth a read. An excellent book.
1. Thoughts on the plot
This book is sort of the hero’s journey, only our hero is a villain. No, not just labelled by the readers as a Bad Guy, but actually, honestly, a supervillain. Gary Karkofsky inherited, somehow, the cape of the now-deceased superhero Nightwalker. With the sentience therein, and the powers granted to him, he decides to follow his childhood dream and become a supervillain, namely Merciless: The Villain Without Mercy. From there, he embarks on a quest to become the biggest bad in Falconcrest, only there are a bunch of other villains that get in his way. With his wife, an ex-girlfriend-slash-henchperson, and a former villain turned mentor, he has a ways to go before he reaches that goal. And it’s not only the superheros he has to worry about.
The plot was fascinating, because it read exactly as I would expect if a hero (not an MC, a hero) received some powers, discovered how to use them and went about doing noble things to save the world. Only, Gary’s not acting from noble intentions. It was intentionally twisting the bits of the hero’s journey story into something more suiting a less noble character, and it was done in such a way that you knew precisely how the plot was meant to turn out, but weren’t entirely sure if we would get there. Also, it was just plain entertaining.
2. Thoughts on the characters
As villains go, Gary isn’t particularly scary. Okay, yes, he cares more about money than noble intentions. And, yes, he doesn’t actually feel remorse for taking his villainous rivals down. But he’s otherwise perfectly normal. That’s the part that makes him a great character to read. He just has this sort of…eager, dog-like quality about him that is endearing and a little frightening. Just thrown him a bone and he’ll run with it, no matter if it’s the smart thing to do. One has to wonder, just a little, how he gets as far as he does. I’ll chalk it up to the magical cloak and the rational mind of his wife, Mandy. Who is, definitely, a favourite character of mine.
3. Favourite part
Out of all the slightly ridiculous, but somehow still logical scenarios in this book, I think the unabashed snark and sarcasm put forth by the cloak is definitely my favourite. It takes these absurd situations and makes them merely ridiculous and entertaining. That could be because I have a fondness for snark, but I think there’s probably a bit more to it than that.
4. Critique
I don’t really have a critique for this book. The prose was great, the characters entertaining, the situations perfectly ridiculous, and the ending trending just enough towards a cliff hanger to grab attention without leaving important questions unanswered.
Overall, The Rules of Supervillainy is definitely a book worth reading. If you’re into the absurd, with a bit of logic, a whole lot of snark, and some magical powers thrown in, this is worth a read. An excellent book.
assaphmehr's review against another edition
5.0
I've heard a lot about this series, and have sampled CT Phipps works before. Besides, who doesn't like superheroes?
This was a quick, fun read with lots of situational humour and fast paced action. Recommended to fans of the genre - if you've enjoyed Deadpool, The Boys, and the like, you should add this to your reading list.
What to Expect
A superhero story like the comics, with mind-bending twists and hilarious humour. As Phipps says in the introduction, this is born out of love for the genre, with plenty of tropes and no attempt at logic -- just like the comics.
While not as dark as The Boys or as explicit as Deadpool, I still think it would appeal to their fans. Gary aka Merciless(tm) isn't quite the super-villain he likes to be. He *doesn't* suffer from a cliche heart-of-gold, nor is he an anti-hero like the punisher. He's definitely a supervillain... he just likes the world to survive the space monsters and zombies long enough for him to rule it.
What I liked
The humour is in line with Phipps other works, with plenty of situational jokes, slapstick, snide commentary, and fanboi jokes.
The characters are amusing, and if they aren't exactly deep and emotional that fits well with the genre. It's more about the insane plot twists anyway.
What to be aware of
This book is more about chaotic humour than sensible plot, always going for the cheesy jokes. Then again, it's why I like it.
Summary
If you like the super-powered genre, if you enjoy comics and would like a quick laugh-out-loud read, this is a book for you.
--
[a:Assaph Mehr|14422472|Assaph Mehr|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1518065419p2/14422472.jpg], author of [b:Murder In Absentia|29500700|Murder In Absentia (Felix the Fox, #1)|Assaph Mehr|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1457914061l/29500700._SY75_.jpg|46845657]: A story of Togas, Daggers, and Magic - for lovers of Ancient Rome, Murder Mysteries, and Urban Fantasy.
This was a quick, fun read with lots of situational humour and fast paced action. Recommended to fans of the genre - if you've enjoyed Deadpool, The Boys, and the like, you should add this to your reading list.
What to Expect
A superhero story like the comics, with mind-bending twists and hilarious humour. As Phipps says in the introduction, this is born out of love for the genre, with plenty of tropes and no attempt at logic -- just like the comics.
While not as dark as The Boys or as explicit as Deadpool, I still think it would appeal to their fans. Gary aka Merciless(tm) isn't quite the super-villain he likes to be. He *doesn't* suffer from a cliche heart-of-gold, nor is he an anti-hero like the punisher. He's definitely a supervillain... he just likes the world to survive the space monsters and zombies long enough for him to rule it.
What I liked
The humour is in line with Phipps other works, with plenty of situational jokes, slapstick, snide commentary, and fanboi jokes.
The characters are amusing, and if they aren't exactly deep and emotional that fits well with the genre. It's more about the insane plot twists anyway.
What to be aware of
This book is more about chaotic humour than sensible plot, always going for the cheesy jokes. Then again, it's why I like it.
Summary
If you like the super-powered genre, if you enjoy comics and would like a quick laugh-out-loud read, this is a book for you.
--
[a:Assaph Mehr|14422472|Assaph Mehr|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1518065419p2/14422472.jpg], author of [b:Murder In Absentia|29500700|Murder In Absentia (Felix the Fox, #1)|Assaph Mehr|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1457914061l/29500700._SY75_.jpg|46845657]: A story of Togas, Daggers, and Magic - for lovers of Ancient Rome, Murder Mysteries, and Urban Fantasy.
baronessekat's review against another edition
4.0
really 4.5 stars
Gary lives in a world where Superheroes and Supervillains are commonplace. He thinks nothing of it when his hometown Superhero is killed. That is until he received a package on his doorstep- the mystical cloak the Superhero had.
Not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, he assumes the powers of the cloak. Only he chooses not to join the ranks of Heroes and follows his long time dream to be a famous Supervillain - Merciless the Villain who shows no mercy.
Only he has a horrible streak of "morality" that makes it hard to be truly evil. Add to that the the Cloak is sentient and highly opinionated. But what's a guy to do but what he can to make a name of himself, not overly piss off his wife and try not to get killed in the proceess.
******
Okay - this book was HYSTERICAL! I had to fight to not actually laugh out loud as I read this book on my lunch and get looks from my coworkers.
This is the first book in a series and you better believe that I will be looking into more.
Gary lives in a world where Superheroes and Supervillains are commonplace. He thinks nothing of it when his hometown Superhero is killed. That is until he received a package on his doorstep- the mystical cloak the Superhero had.
Not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, he assumes the powers of the cloak. Only he chooses not to join the ranks of Heroes and follows his long time dream to be a famous Supervillain - Merciless the Villain who shows no mercy.
Only he has a horrible streak of "morality" that makes it hard to be truly evil. Add to that the the Cloak is sentient and highly opinionated. But what's a guy to do but what he can to make a name of himself, not overly piss off his wife and try not to get killed in the proceess.
******
Okay - this book was HYSTERICAL! I had to fight to not actually laugh out loud as I read this book on my lunch and get looks from my coworkers.
This is the first book in a series and you better believe that I will be looking into more.
audiobookmel's review against another edition
5.0
Review originally posted at RabidReads.ca.
4.5 stars
This book came on my radar when I posted my review of Villain's Rule by M.K. Gibson read by Jeffrey Kafer. Melissa @ My World...in words and pages, who saw that review on Twitter, pointed out this book to me. I'm so glad that she did. It was another really fun listen for me.
So, The Rules of Supervillainy is an interesting story. It focuses on Gary Karkofsky. Gary is just a guy, until he finds a package. It turns out to be the cloak of the newly deceased superhero. Now Gary isn't the superhero type. He is more of the supervillain type, so he decides to use the cloak for bad instead of good.
So, Gary decides to go in and break of a bank robbery for his first villainous act. He stops the bank robber and even kills some of them, which sounds good right? But he makes off with the loot instead of letting the bank have it back.
He then takes a call from the police chief. A rich man's daughter is kidnapped. The police chief wants the cloak-wearer to help. Gary, aka Merciless: The Supervillain Without Mercy! (which his sentient cloak reminds him is redundant). Gary agrees, but wants the reward that was offered.
Back to the cloak. It is sentient. The cloak knows a lot from being worn by superheroes over the many years. It keeps that knowledge as it moves from one wearer to another. Merciless is the first supervillain to wear the cloak, and this isn't something that the cloak likes. It wants to see Gary help people. Luckily, Gary isn't all bad. But you can feel the cloak's dismay sometimes.
I won't go into the whole story. Just know that this is pretty funny. There some really funny villains that Merciless fights, like Ice Cream Man and the Malt Shop Gang who shoot acid ice cream and freeze rays and Typewriter, who actually wears a typewriter on his head.
Then there are two characters who turn on their boss to takes sides with Merciless. Cindy Wakowski a.k.a Red Riding Hood. Cindy and Gary knew each other before becoming villains. They even had a fling back in the day. Gary is now happily married though. There is also Diabloman, who was at one time the most notorious villains of all time, until an ailment made it difficult for him. He is now acting as a henchmen for bad villains (as in not very good at their job), that is until Gary offers to pay him to mentor him in villainy.
This was a great start to a series. There are plenty of laugh out loud moments. I'm excited to pick up the next book in the series (which I've already downloaded).
Narration
So the first full-length book that I listened to with Jeffrey Kafer is very similar to this one. They are both funny books about villains. I was a little worried when I first started they would sound the same. However I needn't be worried, he tackled these two stories completely differently. With Villain's Rule, Jackson Blackwell is a very dry character that Jeffrey Kafer voiced very dryly. Gary Karkofsky in not a dry character, so Jeffrey didn't voice him dry at all. He does a great job with women's voices. I just love how he took two books that were very similar in premise, but he tackled them in a very different manner.
4.5 stars
This book came on my radar when I posted my review of Villain's Rule by M.K. Gibson read by Jeffrey Kafer. Melissa @ My World...in words and pages, who saw that review on Twitter, pointed out this book to me. I'm so glad that she did. It was another really fun listen for me.
So, The Rules of Supervillainy is an interesting story. It focuses on Gary Karkofsky. Gary is just a guy, until he finds a package. It turns out to be the cloak of the newly deceased superhero. Now Gary isn't the superhero type. He is more of the supervillain type, so he decides to use the cloak for bad instead of good.
So, Gary decides to go in and break of a bank robbery for his first villainous act. He stops the bank robber and even kills some of them, which sounds good right? But he makes off with the loot instead of letting the bank have it back.
He then takes a call from the police chief. A rich man's daughter is kidnapped. The police chief wants the cloak-wearer to help. Gary, aka Merciless: The Supervillain Without Mercy! (which his sentient cloak reminds him is redundant). Gary agrees, but wants the reward that was offered.
Back to the cloak. It is sentient. The cloak knows a lot from being worn by superheroes over the many years. It keeps that knowledge as it moves from one wearer to another. Merciless is the first supervillain to wear the cloak, and this isn't something that the cloak likes. It wants to see Gary help people. Luckily, Gary isn't all bad. But you can feel the cloak's dismay sometimes.
I won't go into the whole story. Just know that this is pretty funny. There some really funny villains that Merciless fights, like Ice Cream Man and the Malt Shop Gang who shoot acid ice cream and freeze rays and Typewriter, who actually wears a typewriter on his head.
Then there are two characters who turn on their boss to takes sides with Merciless. Cindy Wakowski a.k.a Red Riding Hood. Cindy and Gary knew each other before becoming villains. They even had a fling back in the day. Gary is now happily married though. There is also Diabloman, who was at one time the most notorious villains of all time, until an ailment made it difficult for him. He is now acting as a henchmen for bad villains (as in not very good at their job), that is until Gary offers to pay him to mentor him in villainy.
This was a great start to a series. There are plenty of laugh out loud moments. I'm excited to pick up the next book in the series (which I've already downloaded).
Narration
So the first full-length book that I listened to with Jeffrey Kafer is very similar to this one. They are both funny books about villains. I was a little worried when I first started they would sound the same. However I needn't be worried, he tackled these two stories completely differently. With Villain's Rule, Jackson Blackwell is a very dry character that Jeffrey Kafer voiced very dryly. Gary Karkofsky in not a dry character, so Jeffrey didn't voice him dry at all. He does a great job with women's voices. I just love how he took two books that were very similar in premise, but he tackled them in a very different manner.
galvon's review against another edition
lighthearted
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
philibin's review
3.0
(2.25 stars)
I think this is a great premise, and I really want to like this series. The book itself is fun and fast-paced but I find all the female characters to be really two-dimensional and cliché. I wasn’t sure if this was done purposefully because of the genre or not, but I don’t think it is.
I know I’m more sensitive to people’s personal politics being inserted into their writing now because the world has become so polarized… but if I had to guess, I wouldn’t say it has a liberal or conservative leaning, but is firmly in the libertarian camp.
I liked it enough to continue with the series, but I really hope the character development improves and that some of the sexist/racist tropes subside, or proves to be some unrealized attempt at intentional irony.
Edit: I am listening to the Audible version and the narrator is excellent.
I think this is a great premise, and I really want to like this series. The book itself is fun and fast-paced but I find all the female characters to be really two-dimensional and cliché. I wasn’t sure if this was done purposefully because of the genre or not, but I don’t think it is.
I know I’m more sensitive to people’s personal politics being inserted into their writing now because the world has become so polarized… but if I had to guess, I wouldn’t say it has a liberal or conservative leaning, but is firmly in the libertarian camp.
I liked it enough to continue with the series, but I really hope the character development improves and that some of the sexist/racist tropes subside, or proves to be some unrealized attempt at intentional irony.
Edit: I am listening to the Audible version and the narrator is excellent.
tawallah's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5