Behind Distant Stars

The Chronicles of Fid, Book 2

By: David Reiss

Narrated by: George Napier

Length: 9 hrs and 36 mins

Publisher's summary

His reputation had been secure.

He was the world's most feared supervillain!

But then he saved the world....

News cameras had captured every moment of the battle in which Doctor Fid single-handedly averted an alien invasion. As details emerge, the public discovers how close the Earth had come to inescapable subjugation...or to complete annihilation. 

In the aftermath, there are many who wonder if the veteran supervillain has changed his ways. There are many who think that Doctor Fid may not be a monster after all. 

Notoriety is important to many of Doctor Fid's long-term plans to punish the unworthy, and this shift in public perception threatens to undermine decades' worth of effort.... But it also presents a tempting opportunity. 

New dangers arise, and through it all Doctor Fid must struggle to decide what role he will play. Can the notorious supervillain set aside his endless quest? Can Doctor Fid become the hero that the world needs? 

Or will he remain the villain that the world's heroes deserve? 

Any fan of the superhero genre will love this supervillainous novel. Read book two in the series that critics have called innovative, snarky, and ridiculously fun!

©2018 David Reiss (P)2020 David Reiss

Reiss is starting a patern

I really like this series and this writing. one problem though, Reiss is really rushing the endings. I mean great story then light speed ending - "then they all lived happily ever after". He's putting in MUCH less work for his finallies. I'd be really angry if the book wasn't so good.

Great Experience

I will be listening again. Looking forward to the next one. One of the best.

Even Stronger than the First Book

The notorious Dr. Fid returns with something of a public relations problem. It turns out that saving the world—even when you had to beat the heck out of a ton of super heroes to do it—softens your image as the baddest of the bad. Add to that a couple of unfortunate instances caught on tape—like saving a falling cat—and the world is asking if Fid has had a change of heart. Could he be becoming the thing he hates the most—a super hero?

Fid, being Fid, decides to use this confusion to pretend to become the hero in question, just so he can further expose how unworthy heroes are of the public’s respect, but in doing so begins to learn that the world is much more complicated than the black and white image he has clung to throughout his career and the journey he has started down might just be more true than he wants it to be.

It’s amazing that a novel that is as heavily psychological as this one is, could also be packed to the gills with amazing action scenes. David Reiss has given more thought to the armored hero / villain than the creators of Iron Man ever did and the reader benefits tremendously from this care on his part. Plus, Fid is a scientific genius to put Tony Stark and Reed Richards to shame and this time he really has to put his IQ to the test as he struggles to unravel numerous complicated puzzles in both his heroic / villainous career and his personal life.

Add to that his developing relationship with a couple of heroes you know he wants to like, his touching guardianship of Whisper, a child AI who oh so obviously reminds him of his long dead little brother, and even his deteriorating relationships with the villains of the world who are convinced he’s going soft, and you have a wonderfully well-rounded novel filled with action, mysteries, and genuine personal growth.

Part of the strength of the series is that I’m really not certain where Fid will end up in his personal journey, but I’ve already started the next book so I can find out.

Great Sequel

Well thought out and written, thusbis a great sequel in Fids story. cant wait to read book 3!

Another winner!

Second book was another fun ride with Doctor Fid and the gang! Waiting eagerly for the third installment!

a lot of fun

very much enjoyed this book. good story, some disappointment in that the "hero" of the story didn't quite doas I hoped.

Great Work!! Takes the mind away from reality...

Great Work!! Takes the mind away from reality...
Then transports you to another version where the remarkable is POSSIBLE and dreams come true. Quite enjoyable!!

I am so hooked 🫣

Okay, this book is much better than the first one (I think because of how Audible formated the first) and really gets into the tragedy of Dr Fid. I didn't mind the flashbacks at all, I felt like they were handled pretty well and provided a lot of psychological detail on the protag. The story in general is very well done too, good balance between plot and character, lots of following up threads from the first book. which is nice.

Hate, hate, hate the flashbacks

I hesitated to purchase this second book in the series because of the pointless flashbacks in the first book. I crossed my fingers that their purpose had been fulfilled in the first book and the author wouldn't use them any more. No such luck. They interrupt the action in the book and don't provide any useful context. STOP IT, author. BAD. I docked 1 star because of this.

Glorious!!!

A well written book filled with amaginative psudoscitific joy and amazing Eldredge horrors. Dr. FiD is remarkably conflicted and human for such a monster. Read and enjoy!