Super (Unabridged‪)‬

might be just what you’re looking

Leo Craft assassinates superheroes in a world of good and bad supermen.   He is hired by the government to get rid of the bad ones, or the good one when they go bad.  Leo is unapologetic about his job.  He is good at it and it needs to get done.  You can’t have men and women with super powers going around perpetrating super crimes, after all.

Then Leo is hired by a secret government agency to assassinate the most beloved and honorable superhero in the world - Patriot Man - and his morals kick in.  Why and who would want to do such a terrible thing, the world needs Patriot Man and the good he does.  The deeper he digs into the assassination plot, the more people get killed and the more confused he gets.  The corruption seems to go all the way to the top – the president of the United States - and even he is not safe.

Written for lovers of comic books, superheroes and super villains, there are various nods to Superman, Batman, the Hulk and others.  It is a chaotic world of supers and those who want to eliminate them.  It would be a fun story, but its attempts at self-deprecating humor often fall flat.  The plot is overly complex and confusing, constantly introducing names the listener can’t remember or why they matter to the story.  We don't lean much about Patriot Man’s super powers are or what he has done that is so great for society.

Written in the first person, we are in Leo’s head throughout, where he constantly explains about who this person is or how he feels about that person.  It is claustrophobic, forcing the action when there is some and slowing the story when there isn’t.  Major plot twists come as explanation rather than unfolding events, killing almost all hope of suspense.  The listener wants to empathize with Leo, but never seems to get the chance.

The story is performed by Paul Woodson who does a very good job.  His voice has the sarcasm and energy the story should have.  His voice characterizations are good and easy to follow.  He is a good pick for the genre.

If you are a lover of superheroes and comic books you might give Super a try.  The action and cartoonish characters might be just what you’re looking for while you trudge through the confusing plot.  Other listeners should look elsewhere; there just isn’t enough to recommend this book.

Audiobook was provided for review by the narrator.

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

[If this review helped, please press YES. Thanks!]