Smash Gal and Esvanir: Issues #0-#18

De: Shawn Williams

Narrado por: Shawn Williams

Kari Stewart and Curtis Reese grew up as close friends and spent their adolescence together, until Kari discovered that she was special. Her parents took her away and trained her for years, leaving Curt behind. Years later, after she's mastered her powers, she arrives in Avalare City, hoping to help people. Curt, meanwhile, bitter that his best friend, widely his only friend, abandoned him, leaving him to languish turned to the only skills he had. He built himself superpowers and uses them to steal from the rich and to provide for the poor, something he wished had happened for him when he was younger. They are given alternate identities by the press. Smash Gal, the strongest woman in the world and the elusive thief, Esvanir. And they couldn't help but clash.

©2020 Shawn Williams (P)2024 Shawn Williams

Thoughtful, engaging, action packed and real

The writing is sharp, attuned and full of heart. I’m listening to it slightly sped up and it’s perfect for the action packed drama toward the middle of the book. The author must have spent a lot of time developing the characters, making them meaningful and differentiated. How he managed to make different voices for all the characters is beyond me. There are a LOT of characters, but surprisingly not in that way where there are too many to keep track of. They are all introduced meaningfully which makes a difference. If you like character driven comic books filled with emotion, tension, relationships, hot girls stealing stuff, alien lore, cool technology, portals, other hot girls beating up things, and dudes being endearing and grumpy, spend your credit this month on this one.

A Fresh Take, updated

Resubmitted because I most certainly did *not* select 3 stars for the story. I had originally clicked 5. >:V

This particular book can be listened to either over one long stint or chapter by chapter. Much like a comic book, each issue has a self-contained mini plot line with an overarching storyline as readers are treated with two opposing perspectives. Williams is incredibly skilled at exponentially increasing the tension with his storytelling as well as breathing life into his characters. Even though the superhero genre has become rather saturated as of late, Williams gives his story a unique take by tackling the ethics and humanitarian topics that are normally left on the wayside, or in some depictions, used for satirical purposes.

The author himself narrates his book, and while green he may be, he makes a valient effort at drawing the listener in. He gives his characters a distinct voice and adds in small sound effects here and there — a detail this listener highly appreciates. Sometimes, the tone of a scene feels like it was lost as he can slip into a monotone, but those occurrences become less frequent as he continues reading.

I look forward to hearing more from Williams in the future!

A refreshing take on the superhero genre.

The narrator is a little green and there are points where the voices are a little awkward, as well as a handful of editing mistakes, but the story is an interesting and unique take on the superhero/villain dichotomy. I'm looking forward to seeing how the story and the narrator's vocal talents grow.

An interesting take on the superhero genre.

I enjoyed the story and characters. The editing was a bit clunky, but definitely worth the listen.