cover image Soon I Will Be Invincible

Soon I Will Be Invincible

Austin Grossman, , read by J. Paul Boehmer and Coleen Marlo. . HighBridge Audio, $36.95 (0pp) ISBN 978-1-59887-096-1

The world's greatest superhero, CoreFire, has gone missing just before the world's greatest villain, Dr. Impossible, has escaped again from prison. As the fragile alliance among the superhero team, the Champions, begins to unravel, its newest member, Fatale, a female cyborg with an inferiority complex, isn't sure which side she is on. With all the action (and sometimes cheesy dialogue) of a comic book with a bit more detail, development and description, this audiobook proves to be yet another steppingstone in the evolution of the subgenre of superhero fiction. J. Paul Boehmer voices the story from the firsthand point of view of Dr. Impossible with all the self-possession, and egotistical and borderline-deranged attitude one could expect from an evil genius. Coleen Marlo delivers an excellent account of Fatale, adding softness to the externally hard and cold character. Her inflections throughout Fatale's inner dialogue easily turn listeners' sympathies to the half-metal humanoid. Whooshing sound effects carry listeners from one chapter to the next in a fashion that fits or invokes an old-time radio series. Simultaneous release with the Pantheon hardcover (Reviews, Apr. 16). (June)