The Shootout Solution

November 16, 2015
Underwood (Hexomancy) launches the Genrenauts series of novellas with this disappointing episod. The story is occasionally entertaining, but it's undercut by a plot both slight and trite, and a narrative voice too obsessed with snarky pop culture references to allow the story to grow. Leah Tang is an aspiring and generally unsuccessful stand-up comic. After a disastrous performance in which she digresses into a rant about her background as a young genre fan, she's approached by Dr. Angstrom King, a comparative literature professor. He explains that there are alternate worlds, each dedicated to fictional genres, and when things go wrong in those worlds, they affect Earth drastically. His teamâthe Genrenautsâgoes in to fix things, and he wants Leah to join them. It's an entertaining enough concept, and the diverse cast of characters is a nice change of pace. Alas, the clichés of genre literature are a little too on point, and Underwood neglects to twist or undermine them. The meta-trope of Leah as a chosen one never goes anywhere, and her excessive need to highlight pop-culture references distracts from the story itself. There's potential for growth, but not much incentive for readers to return. Agent: Sara Megibow, KT Literary.

November 15, 2015

Stand-up comedians such as Leah Tang have to have a certain flexibility when they are on stage, especially when an act falls flat, as Leah's seems to more often lately. That flexible, just-go-with-it spirit is something highly desired by the mysterious group called the Genrenauts. Leah is recruited into their ranks and immediately sent on a mission. It seems that there are story worlds out there, and when things go off the rails in those realms, the effects spill out into our own. The Western hemisphere is currently broken, causing outbreaks of violence and vigilantism on Earth, so Leah and her new teammates are sent in to set things right. VERDICT This is fun, if extremely lightweight fare from Underwood (Geekomancy), who doesn't dwell on the whys and wherefores of his worldbuilding but instead rockets along on the action of the plot. Luckily, the brief length means that the cute premise doesn't get tired. Readers will be looking forward to Leah and company's next trip to a story world.--MM

Copyright 2015 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 15, 2015
There exists in the universe a fifth dimension where the narrative worlds created in genre fiction reside in their own sphere. Westerns, romances, mysteries, and science-fiction stories play out in this dimension unbeknownst to Earth's population, but when a genre story goes off course, the ripple effect leads to increased violence and mayhem on Earth. Enter the Genrenauts, a group of agents tasked with traveling to the genre worlds, going undercover as characters, and setting the story back to its proper conclusion. In this first installment in a promised series, struggling comedian Leah Tang is recruited by the Genrenauts to travel to Western-World to nudge a wayward plot back into line. Underwood (Shield and Crocus, 2014) offers a humorous, action-packed story laced with witty dialogue, engaging characters, and wry satire, poking fun at time-honored genre tropes. Billed as Leverage meets Jasper Fforde, this title will appeal to readers who enjoy their science fiction blended with gunfights, pop-culture references, and a dash of literary criticism.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)