This week I got the chance to review an Advance Reader Copy of Kayla Hicks’ new novella, The Backup Who Cried Wolf: Book Three in The Backup Superhero series.
Kayla Hicks, Amazon
Before diving into The Backup Who Cried Wolf, I was a little worried that I’d be lost without the background of Books 1 and 2. The series is episodic, though, so while there were a few characters I got the feeling I was missing some background on, I was able to track along with the story with no problems.
The premise of the world is that “Superheroes” are sort of government-sanctioned vigilantes. They wear costumes and have Superhero names (like Tanser Girl or Catman), but they don’t have actual powers. They care about justice and try to help the police in New York City, and they seem to employ typical non-lethal Superhero tactics despite having no abilities.
In The Backup Who Cried Wolf, Dwighter (who dresses a bit like Batman and has to stay constantly inebriated to keep his demons at bay) tries to uncover by the criminal kingpin, Francesca. Between action sequences and some undercover work, he deals with his own self-image and his resentment at the stratification of the superhero league, calling in his friend Tanser Girl (who is a little leery of working with an alcoholic but willing to give Dwighter a chance) to help him save the day.
The story is a quick read (under two hours) and has a feel somewhere between a hard-boiled detective novel and Disney's Zootopia. There’s a mastermind villain with an evil plan, a conflicted hero, some dirty cops, a few double-crosses, and some light action sequences.
With no real speculative elements and a lighter, more action-focused feel, this wasn’t my normal cup of tea. Still, it moved quickly and I finished it in a weekend.
If you’re looking for some light reading that’s a little darker and less speculative than the typical Superhero story but lighter and more action-focused than the typical detective novel, check out The Backup Who Cried Wolf (available for pre-order now with a release date this Friday, April 29).
You can also interact with the author at the links below:
Facebook
Twitter
Tiktok
Medium
Website
Youtube
Skillshare
Gumroad
Thanks for reading! Come back tomorrow for an interview with the author.
The premise of the world is that “Superheroes” are sort of government-sanctioned vigilantes. They wear costumes and have Superhero names (like Tanser Girl or Catman), but they don’t have actual powers. They care about justice and try to help the police in New York City, and they seem to employ typical non-lethal Superhero tactics despite having no abilities.
In The Backup Who Cried Wolf, Dwighter (who dresses a bit like Batman and has to stay constantly inebriated to keep his demons at bay) tries to uncover by the criminal kingpin, Francesca. Between action sequences and some undercover work, he deals with his own self-image and his resentment at the stratification of the superhero league, calling in his friend Tanser Girl (who is a little leery of working with an alcoholic but willing to give Dwighter a chance) to help him save the day.
The story is a quick read (under two hours) and has a feel somewhere between a hard-boiled detective novel and Disney's Zootopia. There’s a mastermind villain with an evil plan, a conflicted hero, some dirty cops, a few double-crosses, and some light action sequences.
With no real speculative elements and a lighter, more action-focused feel, this wasn’t my normal cup of tea. Still, it moved quickly and I finished it in a weekend.
If you’re looking for some light reading that’s a little darker and less speculative than the typical Superhero story but lighter and more action-focused than the typical detective novel, check out The Backup Who Cried Wolf (available for pre-order now with a release date this Friday, April 29).
You can also interact with the author at the links below:
Tiktok
Medium
Website
Youtube
Skillshare
Gumroad
Thanks for reading! Come back tomorrow for an interview with the author.