4 stars
I absolutely loved the concept of this novella. In a genre where everything has been done before, the idea of having tiers of superheroes seemed original and intriguing.
Tanser Girl, a D leaguer, is our heroine. After a bad day, she heads to the Hero’s Cave, a bar where the backup heroes hang out, to pick herself up. She meets up with Dwighter, a fellow level D superhero with a drinking problem, and Frank, the mysterious barkeep, both of whom are instrumental in the events that follow.
The spotlight-hating, funny, self-deprecating Tanser Girl is a likable character. With a Board of Superheroes and rules that apply to the different levels of superheroes, the story also gives us some background on the politics of saving lives. I thought these references added an interesting dimension to the book.
As much as I enjoyed the adventures of Tanser Girl, Frank, and Dwighter, the novella felt a little incomplete to me. It stops abruptly and seems more of a teaser to a fuller work than a stand-alone story. Lucky for us there’s more to the story in a second superhero book, The Original Superheroes.
The Backup Superhero and other works by Hicks can be found on her website: https://kayla-hicks.com/
Hicks has also written a young adult romance novel, Anywhere Else. My review of Anywhere Else is available here: https://bookpicksandpics.com/2021/09/04/anywhere-else-by-kayla-hicks/
This premise sounds kind of funny and interesting. I read sci-fi and Fantasy but have never read any books with a “superhero” storyline
Ooh this sounds fun! That’s good there is a follow up.
Lauren @ http://www.shootingstarsmag.net
I really enjoy superhero themes and this seems like a fun read. Thanks for sharing your review on the book!
If there’s one thing a novella always manages to do, it’s stopping abruptly. I totally understand your feelings on that.