Soon I Will Be Invincible

Grossman has written a mainstream novel on a comic-book premise. Though not as well done as WILD CARDS, the twelve-book series that ran from 1987 through 2006, Grossman's INVINCIBLE does a credible job. The story features mega-villain Dr. Impossible, who is out to conquer the world for the hundredth time. Dual readers Paul Boehmer and Coleen Marlo provide alternating chapters from the point of view of the villain and the hero. Boehmer comes close to going over the top with Impossible's rants but generally does a decent job. Marlo is more controlled in her performance as heroine Fatale. There are points of humor sprinkled throughout, which sometimes minimize the tension of the story. M.S. (c) AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine

April 16, 2007
The realm of comic book heroes and villains gets a dose of realism in this whimsical debut from game design consultant Grossman. The story shifts between the perspectives of Doctor Impossible, a brilliant scientist turned world's greatest menace, and Fatale, a lonely cyborg and the newest addition to the venerable group of heroes known as the Champions. Though he's been out of commission for a while, Doctor Impossible hatches a scheme to knock the planet out of orbit ("As the Earth grows colder, my power becomes apparent, and the nations submit," he reasons). Meanwhile, Champions leader Corefire goes missing, and Fatale has to learn the ropes of superherodom as the conventional climactic showdown (at Doctor Impossible's secret lair) draws near. However fantastical, the characters (including a "genetic metahuman" and "an elite fairy guard") are thoughtfully portrayed, with Fatale—stuck in a perpetual existential crisis—bemused over the Champions' purpose, and Doctor Impossible wondering "whether the smartest man in the world has done the smartest thing he could with his life." Grossman dabbles in a host of themes—power, greed, fame, the pitfalls of ego—in this engrossing page-turner, broadening the appeal of an already inviting scenario.

July 30, 2007
The world's greatest superhero, CoreFire, has gone missing just before the world's greatest villain, Dr. Impossible, has escaped again from prison. As the fragile alliance among the superhero team, the Champions, begins to unravel, its newest member, Fatale, a female cyborg with an inferiority complex, isn't sure which side she is on. With all the action (and sometimes cheesy dialogue) of a comic book with a bit more detail, development and description, this audiobook proves to be yet another steppingstone in the evolution of the subgenre of superhero fiction. J. Paul Boehmer voices the story from the firsthand point of view of Dr. Impossible with all the self-possession, and egotistical and borderline-deranged attitude one could expect from an evil genius. Coleen Marlo delivers an excellent account of Fatale, adding softness to the externally hard and cold character. Her inflections throughout Fatale's inner dialogue easily turn listeners' sympathies to the half-metal humanoid. Whooshing sound effects carry listeners from one chapter to the next in a fashion that fits or invokes an old-time radio series. Simultaneous release with the Pantheon hardcover (Reviews, Apr. 16).