Superheroes in Prose

Welcome to Prose

By: Sevan Paris

Narrated by: Bryan Reid

"Imagine you have the power to fly.

"Pretty awesome, right? Imagine you have the power to levitate or crush something the size of a Winnebago. Equally awesome. Now... here's the catch: having the power means you are bonded irreversibly to a smartass, sociopathic alien life form.

"Not so awesome.

"So, what would you do with all of that power? The way I figured it, I had one of two options: Option #1) Use it to commit crime or Option #2) Use it to fight crime. My name is Gabe Garrison and I chose Option #2.

"This is my story....

©1998 Sevan Paris (P)2013 Sevan Paris

Like a Comic Book in Your Head

Going into this I had few expectations, but I came away quite impressed.

Aside from the slow first half, the story was excellent and came across exactly like a comic book in... well, prose. It was light, fun, and had a "stellar" ending.

One of the biggest surprises was the setting of the story (basically Chattanooga in all but name). As someone who lives in East Tennessee, I felt like the author had a good grasp on the setting and conveyed it rather well. I'm still trying to process that the area has the largest concentration of superheroes in the world, but maybe the author explains why in further installments.

The performance itself was also excellent. Bryan Reid has a good grasp on the way he tackles characters like M, and handles the various character interactions with grace.

In conclusion: fun story, great performance, and Tennessee awesomesauce. I'll definitely checking out the next installment.

4.5 out of 5 stars

Fun, Fast and Enjoyable

Superheroes in Prose: Welcome to Prose is the first book in a fairly large series of short books. All I have to say, really, is awesome. If you don't expect a story like this to take itself very seriously, are a fan of heroes with super powers, alternate identities, super villains, and want to laugh out-loud, then you will really enjoy this opening audiobook. We get to ride-a-long with a relatively new hero, or maybe young is the right word, as he battles a super villain and banters, like a couple that have been married for 50 years and knows everything about each other, with his bonded alien life form, the reason for his powers.Then there is the side story of the government wanting to have all of the heroes on file, sound familiar? There is very little reasoning for why I enjoyed this so much, I just did and hope you do too.

Audiobook provided for review by the narrator.

Please find this complete review and many others at audiobookreviewer dot com

Superheroes Woody Allen style

Is there anything you would change about this book?

The protagonist was kind of cliche and whiny. He seemed more like the comedy-relief sidekick than the hero.

What do you think your next listen will be?

Robert McCammon's The Five

What three words best describe Bryan Reid’s performance?

Acceptable, OK, Nothing wrong, but not exceptional.

Do you think Superheroes in Prose needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

I wouldn't mind finding out what happens to the love interest.

Any additional comments?

It was OK.

Wish I had approached this differently

Another reviewer mentioned this was like a comic book. I think that's exactly right. I was expecting more story and less comic qualities. I was probably not the target audience for this book. I think someone who enjoys superhero comic books would enjoy this story. The narrator did a good job bringing the characters to life.

Every superhero needs an origin story...

What made the experience of listening to Superheroes in Prose the most enjoyable?

Well written and well performed characters. A lead character who is very easy to identify with, and villains that are dangerous, but don't necessarily have to take themselves so seriously

What did you like best about this story?

Fun characters- even the villains get their lighter moments. And just when you think you've got things figured out, another twist comes in and keeps you guessing.

What about Bryan Reid’s performance did you like?

Very well performed- every character has a definite voice, and even the ones that seem based on other pop culture characters are still defined enough to stand on their own.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The ending is a really nice twist that sets up the next book perfectly.

Any additional comments?

It's the beginning of a series- so obviously all your questions aren't going to be answered right away, so hang in there! It's a short enough book to keep your interest, but long enough that you don't feel short changed.