Merciless: The Affable Antihero
5 out of 5 stars
Games of Supervillainy is a little bit more serious than the first book but when I say that, understand that you aren’t going to wonder if someone else wrote it. Games has all of the typical jest and tongue-in-cheek humor that you’re used to from a Phipps novel.
Know that you’re also in for rooting for the antihero again. Who would have thought that Phipps would write a whole series about an antihero? Merciless is such an affable main character that he’s so easy to like. Even if he’s trying to convince himself and everyone around him that he’s really a bad guy.
There is a scene where Merciless is given the opportunity to talk with his dead brother for one hour (I’m trying not to spoil the reason behind this meeting) but know, if you’ve lost someone, especially someone you were close with – this scene will bring back all the feels. I had to stop listening to the audiobook just to give myself some time to contemplate. I was trying to think of what I would give up to have an hour to chat with Chad – and know that it’s only a part of this story but it really kicked me right in the feels.
Just know that you’re in for a treat when you start Games – especially if you enjoyed the first one as much as I did. We’re, of course, introduced to some new heroes and villains – along with the typical cast and crew that were around in book one. The new and old characters all add to the story and help shape the world and the growth arc of Merciless.
Overall, another home run from me – another superhero/antihero/villain book that I loved from Phipps – and a perfect lead into book three in the series. I loved this and will be starting the next book sooner rather than later.
The sign that these books are great is that they would easily be turned into a graphic novel. They are written in a way that would lend them perfect for that format – but I will be a little elitist and say that the audiobook is the way to go! A 4.5 in over 2000 ratings tells you that you’re in for a treat!
Book Description:
The Games of Supervillainy by CT Phipps
Narrator: Jeffrey Kafer
Length: 6 hrs and 55 mins
Series: The Supervillainy Saga #2
Published by Amber Cove Publishing on January 14th 2016
Genres: Fantasy
Pages: 253
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Get ready for the action-packed follow up to The Rules of Supervillainy. This time with zombies, zombified heroes and villains, cults, magic, super-science, a dragon, a giant Nazi robot, a Greek demigod, and so much more! Gary and Cloak have returned from the supervillain prison on the moon only to discover the city he plans to conquer and rule with an iron fist has been overrun with the living dead. Once again taking up the mantle of Merciless: The Supervillain Without Mercy(tm). Gary will have to pull it together quickly, find his wife, his gang, and a whole lot of help to stop the Brotherhood of Infamy from slaughtering the population of Falconcrest City and opening a portal to summon a primal force of destruction. But Gary has a plan, or at least he's sure he'll have one soon. Just give him a second.
I received this book for free. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Also by this author: Cthulhu Armageddon, Agent G: Infiltrator, The Tower of Zhaal, Lucifer's StarAlso in this series: The Rules of Supervaillainy, The Secrets of Supervillainy, The Science of Supervillainy, The Tournament of Supervillainy
Awesome. Thank you for this very awesome review. I, too, felt compelled to draw from my own experiences to give the Gary and Keith scene weight.