Decades have been spent honing his reputation as a supervillain. The work is soul-crushing, but Doctor Fid endures because he believes his cause to be just.
But now, one battle’s outcome has put all that effort at risk.
Doctor Fid saved the world, and many have come to wonder if the notorious criminal has changed his ways. Others suspect that Doctor Fid was never really a monster at all.
With the status-quo thoroughly disrupted, new threats arise…and Doctor Fid must decide for himself what role he will play. Will he remain a villain? Or can he become something else?
Find out in Book Two in the Chronicles of Fid!
Semi Finalist
Assessment:
Plot: The plot of Reiss’s novel is very much the stuff of superhero comics, but the author gives it an expansive sweep suitable for a work of novel-length fiction. The idea of a world where cross-pollination by interdimensional forces has introduced powers verging on the supernatural provides a solid foundation for the interactions between its superheroes and villains, and the conflicts in which they engage.
Prose/Style: The novel’s prose style is simple but effective for the story being told. Key to its narration is the confidence of Terrance as a narrator. Reiss so comfortably inhabits this smart, sometimes smart-alecky character that he never seems anyone less than the perfect person to usher the readers through his succession of adventures.
Originality: The different elements that come together in this novel have been seen in numerous superhero comics and movies, but Reiss combines and recombines them in a way that makes them seem refreshingly new. Especially notable are Markham’s self-doubt and feelings of guilt, which both humanize him and lend his superhero avatar a vulnerability crucial to the dramatic conflicts in which he engages.
Character Development: The principle characters in Reiss’s novel are very well-developed, especially narrator Terrance Markham who, along with his superhero avatar, Dr. Fid—whom he characterizes to others as a villain, but who has a complicated backstory, has a rich emotional life that shapes his actions both within and without his superhero persona. His android sister Wyn and the various superheroes and villains are largely sounding boards for the conflicted emotions he expresses, but they are established with enough individuality to make them stand out memorably.
Date Submitted: May 25, 2019
Flawless in execution. This story was a perfect blend of tragedy and triumph, villain and hero, good versus evil...A beautifully written book.
Plot lines and characters were well flushed out and continued the build on the foundations established in the first one. The story kept me gripped from start to finish! It was incredibly hard to put down. Neither hero nor villain, he is simply Doctor Fid! I'm so glad he's now in my life, and I hope for many more stories to come. I can't recommend this book enough.
The thing I enjoy the most about Doctor Fid is how believable he is. Not in the sense that the science behind his powers is anything but enjoyable handwaving in the best traditions of superhero "science," but rather that the author has done a truly excellent job of creating a "mad scientist" whom we can believe is actually "mad" in a meaningful, believable way.
Many movies and books where the superhero is the hero of the story founder when the villain is one-dimensional or unbelievable. It's impressive that Doctor Fid has kept my attention as a supervillain who's the hero of his own story for two books, and made me want more.
