Confessions of a D-List Supervillain

By: Jim Bernheimer

Narrated by: Jeffrey Kafer, Talmadge Ragan

Length: 5 hrs and 46 mins

Publisher's summary

Exploding from the pages of Horror, Humor, and Heroes, Volume One - it’s the full length adventures of the one and only Mechani-Cal! So grab your battlesuit and prepare to get a little nasty.

"Being a supervillain means never having to say you’re sorry - unless it’s to the judge or the parole board. Even then, you don’t really have to. It’s not like it’s going to change the outcome or anything." Those are the words of Calvin Matthew Stringel, better known as Mechani-Cal. He’s a down-on-his-luck armored villain. Follow his exploits as he gets swept up in a world domination scheme gone wrong and ends up working for these weak willed, mercy loving heroes. Immerse yourself in epic battles and see what it’s like to be an outsider looking in at a world that few have ever experienced. Climb into Cal’s battlesuit and join him on his journey. Will he avoid selling out his principles for a paycheck and a pardon? Can he resist the camaraderie of being on a super team? Does he fall prey to the ample charms of the beautiful Olympian Aphrodite? How will he survive the jealous schemes of Ultraweapon, who wears armor so powerful it makes Cal’s look like a museum piece?

See the world of “righteous do-gooders” through the eyes of someone who doesn’t particularly care for them. Revel in his sarcasm and hang on for one wild ride! Just remember: losing an argument with a group of rioters isn’t a good excuse to start lobbing tear gas indiscriminately at them. You’ve only got so many rounds and it’s going to be a long day, so make sure you get as many as possible with each one.

©2011 Jim Bernheimer (P)2011 Jeffrey Kafer

An overall enjoyable experience

the only note I have is it seems odd that you had a Male and female voice actors but didn't have them voice the Male and female rolls only changing for perspective shifts.

Thanks again to the one star reviews.

When I saw the word "Sexist" in three of the one star reviews and then looked over the kind of trash they gave five stars I knew this book was for me. If you can't find the humor in this book I suspect you have had your sense of humor surgically removed after getting a gender studies degree.

I won't give away anything because getting there is half the fun. If you've got a STEM degree you will love this book. If you've got a Liberal Arts degree I suggest something focused on how horrible white men are instead.

Good story, bad narration

The story was compelling enough to make me want to finish the book in spite of the narration. I don’t even blame the narrator. I am guessing he was directed to play it this way. But to my ears it sounded like the narration to a parody of a noir story.

A light, fun, exciting story had me wanting to know what happens next. So i was with it to the end.

Heck of a lot of fun.

Thoroughly enjoyed this. Just wish it was longer. Fun characters, awesome story, and great narration.

Make this a tv series PLEASE!

Ok I read Origins first even though it was written second and I think it was better that way. It's actually interesting how bad (breathy/awkward) the narrator starts out in this, all the while knowing how good he becomes later. I really hope there are more of these books to come, because it was awesome. Witty, realistic, funny, and you just love the characters (ALL of them). It gives a different perspective to the hero/villain genre and I love anything that is both unique and well done (so hard to find considering it's easy for the same type of plots and characters to be recycled when the formulas are proven to work with the masses). This could easily make for a fantastic tv series, but I'll just be happy if more books are written.

MORE PLEASE!

loved the narrator he's my favorite

awesome book loved the humor and style of writing the author knows how to tell a good story

So much fun to read

I picked this up as a deal of the day and I loved it. it started off a bit slow but once it picked up it never stopped. I set out to run four miles while listening. My ran turned into 13 miles. Awesome book.

Great book

I really like stories of a villain that is forced into developing character and this one delivers.

It ain't Shakespeare, but it is very entertaining

This was a fun, fast (and cheap!) take on the superhero genre - and, if that is your expectation, you are going to have a guaranteed good time. The book wastes no time dumping you right into the action: introducing you to the sardonic anti-hero-turned-hero that is the main character and immediately launching into a whirlwind of action. While the universe itself is about as well-justified as most in comic books, and many aspects are played for laughs, Bernheimer can actually make you feel like there are real stakes, and you care about the characters enough to make any inconsistencies in tone or plot seem inconsequential. Ultimately, this is a fun light novel, that is both a send-up and a homage to comic books, and it works really well as these things.

Two minor issues mar the book. The first is that there is a slightly off tone towards the way the author treats female superheroes, which, while never overt, makes a few scenes feel creepy instead of charming. That being said, there is nothing overtly upsetting in the book, which is PG-13 at most, and the author manages to hit the right notes to keep his central romance going most of the time. The second minor issue is the second reader, who is pretty bad, in contrast to the reader for the vast majority of the book (Mr. Kaffer), who is excellent.

If you are looking for something very entertaining, you enjoy the superhero genre, and you aren't going to take Bernheimer's universe too seriously, this is a really winning choice.

Excellent Book

I was just searching the book lists when I came across the title. When I read the synopis and the very first paragraph took me in and I had to buy this book. I wasnt disappointed and have told friends about it. You will laugh out loud at times.

I am eagerly awaiting another book by the author when ever it appears