Secrets of a D-List Supervillain

By: Jim Bernheimer

Narrated by: Jeffrey Kafer

Length: 6 hrs and 27 mins

Publisher's Summary

Cal Stringel may be dead to the world at large, but a select few know that he's still alive and in control of the most powerful suit of battle armor ever created. He's part of a rogue superteam taking the world by storm and changing the dynamic for both heroes and villains alike. With change comes resistance, and those holding control and power are not ready to just hand it over without a fight.

For the former D-list supervillain, it's time to break out the spare synthmuscle, charge the massive railgun pistol, and bring the pain. With his new team, he thinks he can take on the world, but is Cal biting off more than he can chew? He must deal with sanctioned hero teams and power-mad bureaucrats on one side and the major supervillains of his world on the other.

As Cal and his allies ready themselves to face friend and foe, he will also have to deal with his relationship with Stacy Mitchell, also known as the Olympian, Aphrodite. Separated for more than a year, they've only just reunited and are faced with the prospect of being on opposite sides of the coming conflict. Can they find enough common ground between the secrets and half truths to sustain their fledgling relationship, or are they doomed like the last time to crash and burn?

Find out in Secrets of a D-List Supervillain.

©2014 Jim Bernheimer (P)2015 Jim Bernheimer

Reads like a clip-show

This book comes across as a cheap and quick way to throw out something new in this series without actually putting anything NEW out. It's basically about an hour of "new story" in between lots of flashback to "Confessions", which while revealing and entertaining, doesn't really do much to move the series along.

After all of that, we're left with a cliffhanger obviously setting up for the book that actually moves this series along.

So, not a bad listen, just be prepared to hear the same tale from different angles.

7 of 7 people found this review helpful

A Good Listen but Not Quite Equal to the Original

Enjoyed this book, and the structure--'present' Cal and the 'present Cal' revisiting what happened in the past by story snippets told to Aphrodite.

Why not quite equal? I think it didn't break much new ground, which this being the third book (the 2nd being a prequel) seems like only dog paddling forward. Better than treading water.

Still, the story is quite entertaining and Cal Stringel is his usual entertaining self.

The narration is excellent in this series, as usual. I was disappointed with Wendy's voice change. I understand the reason, but she sounds more like a foul-mouthed man than anything else. That's my only disappointment in the area. Everything else is strong.

I'd recommend reading/listening to at least Confessions of a D-List Supervillain (the first novel) prior to giving this one a listen.

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

Scattered

The story was good, but hard to follow. It kept feeling like I missed a book. The story is just not very well put together. However, the plot was still interesting enough to make me want to read the sequel. Here's to hoping the sequel is easier to follow.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Naked dinos on a ball field!

The world thinks Cal Stringel, aka Mechani-Cal, is dead. However, Cal knows differently. He is in hiding, building back up his power and his alternate identity. He and a few select folks don’t agree with the status quo and they are going against it. On one side are the bureaucrats of the powerful nations of the world backing the sanctioned superheroes. On the other hand are the supervillains willing to sabotage Cal and his rogue buddies. Now toss in Cal’s personal life, such as his relationship with Stacy Mitchell (a sanctioned superhero known as Aphrodite) and his boss (Whirlwendy) who happens to be his baby momma, and you have quite the setting for reader entertainment.

I have thoroughly enjoyed this series and I believe this is the best yet. Bernheimer’s writing gets better with each new work. This tale is told mostly as a series of flashbacks. Stacy and Cal had a falling out and a year later they reconnect. So of course Stacy wants the inside story of Cal’s life for the past 12 months. As Cal and Stacy do mundane things like make dinner or shower together, Cal tells his tale. It’s a great story, something that is worthy of headlines if only the world at large knew the half of it. It was a great way to break up all the action with moments of reflection on the consequences.

Then there is the whole idea of Cal as a father. He reproduced! That happens to real people, so why not our D-List supervillain. Of course the dynamic between his baby momma (Whirlwendy) and him is a source of entertainment. Cal and a few others have joined forces and their default team captain is the mother of Cal’s baby. You can imagine my amusement.

At one point, Jim Bernheimer had a contest or such and several fans of the series had their names built into this book as minor characters. That includes me! Hooray! I was quite surprised and amused as to how my character ended up naked on a football field with several others.

OK, back to the plot and characters. Even though the story is told in flashbacks, so we know that Cal survived, there are still several twists and turns that made Cal’s story telling engrossing. Yep, I know he’s still intact and relatively healthy, but I wanted to see how he outwitted or outfought or outhid all these powers that he was up against. I was not disappointed. Then there is the character development. Cal started off the series by burning nearly all his bridges. In this book we see how that has shifted and he is actively trying to build relationships, and not just for the sex. He’s still an ass with a good heart, but he more self-aware and not just reacting to his raw emotions.

Overall, a great addition to the D-List Supervillain series.

The Narration: Jeffrey Kafer once again was awesome. I love his voice for Cal as it is always a little sarcastic. He has great voices for all the other characters and does a great job conveying emotion.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Good performance of a lackluster sequel

I loved the original Confessions of a D-List Supervillian, however this story feels... Lacking. The reading was once again excellent, but the story felt minimal, like it was simply a gap filler until the next book.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Great as usual

What made the experience of listening to Secrets of a D-List Supervillain the most enjoyable?

The combination of a well thought out storyline and humorous dialogue. I like the creative engineering perspective as well.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yep

Any additional comments?

My only complaint is that the next book in the series can't come along quickly enough. Love these books!

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Entertaining, but requires the previous book.

This book is is a direct sequel to "Confessions of a d-list super villain". In fact, it is so direct that if a person does not listen or read this book directly after the first book then the chances of losing track on anything that is happening with the story is likely.

Sure, it is funny and the characters are still fun to follow, but the book as a whole make a couple of small mistakes. First, the plot continues right were the last line of the first book leaves off and then starts having flashbacks to unexplained gaps in the first book making anyone who hadn't memorized the first book completely lost. Second, that even if you follow the jumps back and forth because of the flashbacks and current events the book simply ends at a point where events just start to head forward to a new story. The effect is so abrupt that it actually surprises the listener with something very much like a "to be continued".

Fun book but to truly enjoy it, a listener is practically required to listen to both books one after another in order.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Villains are the best heroes

What made the experience of listening to Secrets of a D-List Supervillain the most enjoyable?

The characters are great. I really like that Cal is kind of screwed up but still manages to be a hero, even if it is by accident.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Hands down it is Cal. His character just resonates with me.

Have you listened to any of Jeffrey Kafer’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I like Jeffrey's work though he does have problem doing "women's voices". His rendition of Wendy threw me out of the story at some points. Overall though I like him alot.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Sarcasm is a weapon if you know how to use it.

Any additional comments?

I think the suits name should be "The Ultra-CALvary". :-)

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Hummmn

Guess I should have started with the earlier books. Didn't realize this was the third in a series. Story was OK if a bit disjointed. No real ending, just a lead in to another book. Good enough that I'll probably go back and read the first two.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

More, More, More - Rise

Sure the story has been has been told in a unique sequence, but who can't like the anti-hero or D-List Supervillian that is Cal. Even though the stories are told through a disjointed timeline, but you must read them in the order written to get the full enjoyment. This installment gives you everything you want and then some. More, more, more!

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

This is not really a sequel to book 1!

I skipped so much of this. You'd think that the explanation for what went on 'off-screen' in book 1 would take 5 or 10 minutes as most of it was covered in the last book's epilogue, however, almost this entire book is just flashbacks to book 1 and a tiny flimsy story strung in between like a clip show on tv.

The overall story is pretty dull but the narration is really good.

I did like the Bungle in the Jungle reference though.