• The Science of Supervillainy

  • The Supervillainy Saga, Book 4
  • By: C. T. Phipps
  • Narrated by: Jeffrey Kafer
  • Length: 6 hrs and 5 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (1,560 ratings)

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The Science of Supervillainy  By  cover art

The Science of Supervillainy

By: C. T. Phipps
Narrated by: Jeffrey Kafer
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Publisher's summary

Gary Karkofsky a.k.a Merciless: The Supervillain Without Mercy (TM) returns in the fourth volume of the popular Supervillainy Saga. Having discovered the world's greatest superhero slain by his doppelganger from another reality, Merciful: The Supervillain with Mercy (TM), and the arrogant President Omega, Gary dedicates himself to overthrowing both. Unfortunately, this is harder than it looks since Merciful has all of Gary's genre savviness while President Omega has the entire brainwashed United States military behind him. In the end, though, there can be only one ruler of the world and two of these three feuding villains will have to go.

©2017 Charles Phipps (P)2017 Charles Phipps

What listeners say about The Science of Supervillainy

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

What started off fun, became a chore to finish

Maybe this is true with all series... The first book in the series captured my attention and made me want to continue on to the next. But moving through the books beyond the first has been like walking through and increasingly viscous wall of Jell-O. Finishing off this last book in the series was more of a chore than a joy. While I love all of the snarky fun comments that Gary makes, and the pop-culture references galore (especially the nod to one of my favorite books "Soon I will be infamous") The story became so convoluted that I didn't even bother trying to follow it. I discovered Jeffrey Kafer in the D-List Villain books, and I am convinced the only reason I carried on with the series beyond the second book was simply for his endearing performance.

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9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

So much fun.

Gary, aka Merciless, has woken up in a community of brainwashed people but with the help of Nightgirl he escapes. Other Gary is using his powers to rule Gary's home place. It's, once again, up to Merciless and cohorts to save the world, but by doing so they may have to become something they never wanted to be!!

OK so this is book 4 and by now you would think that the story has slowed down and become stagnant, but not so!! This is just as fast paced and entertaining as the other ones. It's also a little darker and a little more serious, but still has the wit and geekiness that I've come to expect from these books. The writing flows well and the story is exciting, intriguing and as well written as ever.

The characters that we've come to love are all present here, plus we get a new addition that you just know is going to be amazing!!! Gizmo has all the traits of her mom and dad and I loved her character. I can't wait to see what she will be like.

It's getting hard to write reviews for this series because I feel like I'm repeating everything I've said before!! I love this series and this author and highly recommend everything he writes. Can't wait for the next one.

Jeffrey Kafer is one of the best in the business. He makes for a perfect Merciless because he can bring across his snarky manner perfectly and has a strong grasp on using the right inflection at the right time. Brilliant.

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7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

mehh

There was a 15-20 minute thinly veiled anti Trump tirade that soured me for the rest of the book. This was definitely not up to par with the other three books in the series. It seemed rushed and most of the dialogue was either stolen in part or directly, you might not pick up on a lot of it unless you grew up in the 80's. I like silly references to pop culture but not every 5 minutes. It seems like a lot of the story was missing and replace but that.

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6 people found this helpful

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    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Not as good as the others

A very good series but I did not get as invested in this book. The story was just not as fun or quirky as the others.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Funny!

I really liked the first three books in this series, but this one was my absolute favorite! So much comedy gold and quotable quotes that I'm going to relisten and write down my favorites, just so I can use them when I'm telling people about the series. The narrator did an awesome job with this, as he has with the rest of the series. Worth every cent!

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Gets a little too navel-gazing

Any additional comments?

So if your at this point in the series you know what's what with a Supervillainy book. Silly snark, pop-culture reference galore, wacky battles, and just and over the top power fantasy. Or I should say you knew what's what because in this book Phipps decided to give his main character a perfect daughter as part of the power fantasy. That decision to focus on family over superheroic sucks the life out of this book.

The humor goes from irreverent to family sitcom blandness and the story grinds to a screeching halt to switch focus on how adorable everybody is being. I binge listened to the first three books in the series but this one I could not make it a third of the way through this book. Phipps has been one of my top guilty pleasure reads, but he missed the mark on this one. I hate to say it, but I think the Supervillainy Saga has run it's course.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

action heroes and villains, fun and zaniness

Gary, aka Merciless, the Supervillain Without Mercy™ wakes up and finds himself in a community of brainwashed people.  With the help of Nightgirl he escapes.  Other Gary, aka Merciful from another now destroyed dimension is using brainwashing techniques to make everyone happy and delighted with his dictatorship and his harnessing all the power for his evilness.  Merciless and his hench-people must save their world yet one more time.  Merciless is due for a change – in himself – but is he ready for it?  Are the people around him ready for it?  Regardless, Other Gary is not going down without a fight and there are a lot of surprises for both!

C.T. Phipps once again brings life to the supervillain and superhero worlds.  In his sardonic wit, he connects his readers through his characters, their traits albeit some are really skewed a tad bit … or a lot.  They are relatable and fun; even traits the Other Gary exhibit are ones we can relate to in a fundamental way.  Throw in the pop culture references of Star Wars, Star Trek and more, one’s trip throughout the world of Supervillainy is fun, engaging and downright entertaining.

The dialog is awesome and flows even though at any minute you expect someone to slap Merciless silly with all his pop culture references and seemingly half-witted references that only the characters do not get but the readers do. But that is what makes the book fun!

Phipps writing style is fun, full of energy and intriguing.  I enjoyed Gizmo (a reference to Gremlins I am sure!) and her abilities and her new relationship with her father.  I thought the way Other Gary learned his lessons were poignant and reflective.  Phipps uses characters and their flaws to show us our own flaws.  Very well done!  Plus, it helps that he is a wonderful story-teller.

Jeffrey Kafer is a wonderful narrator.  His commanding voice and ability to roll the sardonic witty comments from his tongue were amazingly delivered.  Between the Phipps and Kafer, one cannot help but enjoy the books!

If you enjoy comic books, action heroes and villains, fun and downright zaniness, these this book is for you.  If you are a curmudgeon, who thinks fun is evil and has no life read it anyway - it's fun!

There were no issues with the audio production or quality of this book.

Audiobook was provided for review by the author.

Please find this complete review and many others at my review blog

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Supervillains sometimes have to be heroes.

Note: This is Book 4 in the series and it works best if you have read the previous books.

Gary Karkofsky, a professional supervillain, is up against some serious foes. President Omega has brainwashed the mighty USA military while Gary’s doppelganger from another reality has all of Gary’s abilities and most of his knowledge. Gary, aka Merciless: The Supervillain Without Mercy, might have to do the unthinkable. He might have to become that thing he dreads most: a hero.

The gang’s all back and for some of them, we get a bonus copy. For ease, the doppelganger Gary from another reality will be called Other Gary. This book was just as much fun as the previous books in the series, though I feel it has a touch more seriousness (which I liked). Gary is still popping off one-liners, there’s plenty of Star Wars references, and the crazy supervillain outfits & names continue to be amusing. Also, if you’re a Phipps fan, you might catch a few references to his other series here and there.

Mandy, Gary’s vampire wife, has a lot of great lines in this book. Several of the characters make references to adult relationships that don’t fit the standard married couple routine. Mandy’s extended life and need for blood has given her an extra spin on such relationships and I have to wonder where Mandy and Gary will take their relationship from here. Is there a harem in the future? Maybe….

Both El Diablo Man and Cloak have some serious chats with Gary. There’s a few points in this tale where things get a little heavy. Take for instance young Gizmo. She’s definitely going to need a parent around. Also, Phipps kills off a favorite character of mine (though I do hold a secret hope that this character will return in some sort of form).

Some of my favorite scenes were actually in the first part of the book. Gary and Mandy are being held in a warped prison where they and everyone else there are under this mindcontrol. It’s a cruel version of happy home-makers from the 1950s, complete with period outfits and enforced gender roles. Mandy has some great lines about blood and mayhem said in the sweetest happy significant other voice. Luckily, Night Girl comes along and helps them escape but it’s at a cost.

All around, it’s another great addition to the series. I like the few scenes that bend toward seriousness. It bodes of bigger things to come for Gary. Bigger things that may very well squish him.

I received a free copy of this book.

The Narration: Jeffrey Kafer Is just great at this series. His enjoyment of these characters comes through in his performance. He makes a great Gary/Other Gary and I love his snarky voice for Cindy. He’s great at pulling off all the humor while also making the characters sound very concerned when they come up against a worthy foe.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

HEY! Rate 5 Stars...

...so he'll keep writing these. Maybe even spin-offs. I wouldn't mind a Diabloman One-Shot from before he had his mask.

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Spoiler warning

The author made an audiobook narrator tie in joke. It was a crowning moment of meta humor for a series that is already pretty darn meta.

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