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33rd out of 122 books
—
135 voters
Playing for Keeps
by
Mur Lafferty (Goodreads Author)
The shining metropolis of Seventh City is the birthplace of super powers. The First Wave heroes are jerks, but they have the best gifts: flight, super strength, telepathy, genius, fire. The Third Wavers are stuck with the leftovers: the ability to instantly make someone sober, the power to smell the past, the grace to carry a tray and never drop its contents, the power to...more
Paperback, 260 pages
Published
July 1st 2008
by Swarm Press
(first published 2008)
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You may not know it yet, but you want this book. Now, I know what you're thinking: "Hey, Jason, maybe *you* want this book, but how do you know that *I* want it?" Well, nameless faceless reader, I'm glad you asked that.
If you like superhero stories, you'll like this book. It's got the usual fun action, adventure, and cool superpowers that make your inner fan-person go "squee."
If you don't like superhero stories, you'll like this book. Instead of focusing on the jet-setting antics of a few too-...more
If you like superhero stories, you'll like this book. It's got the usual fun action, adventure, and cool superpowers that make your inner fan-person go "squee."
If you don't like superhero stories, you'll like this book. Instead of focusing on the jet-setting antics of a few too-...more
What happens when the superheroes turn out to be less than heroic? What about those people with less desirable (to those who would be heroes at least) superpowers?
Meet the regulars, who are anything but regular, at a local bar in a city overrun with supes on both sides of the law. When they get caught up between the villians and the heroes, things turn a little hectic. What will they discover about the world they live in and their own selves.
Action, adventure, heroism from unusual places, and a...more
Meet the regulars, who are anything but regular, at a local bar in a city overrun with supes on both sides of the law. When they get caught up between the villians and the heroes, things turn a little hectic. What will they discover about the world they live in and their own selves.
Action, adventure, heroism from unusual places, and a...more
The collection of folks with lame powers in a supers setting is something of its own subgenre, complete with its own tropes and dangers. The single greatest accomplishment of this book is how deftly it avoids most of those traps. Most notably, there are very few scenes where the heroes end up in a situation where their esoteric power is exactly the right solution, and thank goodness for that. Similarly, Lafferty does a great job of starting things off morally gray and keeping them there, rather...more
I wanted to like this book so badly. I've followed Lafferty's "I Should Be Writing" podcast for a while and have always enjoyed it; the clever marketing behind "Playing For Keeps"'s original release was pretty inspired, too. Maybe I would have been more sympathetic to the novel if I hadn't immediately read it on the heels of Jennifer Matarese's excellent "Heroine Addiction." Their plots are broadly similar -- an exploration of the side of superheroes one rarely gets to see -- but whereas Matares...more
Nov 28, 2010
Liv
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
folks who liked Mystery Men, and loveable losers
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
A fun read. I almost feel bad only giving it a 3 out of 5; it seems like it deserves a bit more, but I've reset a bunch of ratings recently, so that's probably where it falls on my list. That's not a bad rating, I quite enjoyed it. The primary plot points appeared a bit...trumped up, I guess. Unfocused. Arguably a good representation of how things would happen in "real life"; there's no actual narrative rhythm. Things just happen, and we wire them together in retrospect. But for novels, that fee...more
The “misfit superhero” storyline is nothing new. One of my all-time favorite movies is 1999′s Mystery Men about a team of wannabes who have to step up and become real heroes to save Champion City from the clutches of the evil and delightfully campy Casanova Frankenstein. That movie was based on characters from the cult comic book Flaming Carrot. There was also the The Specials, which followed the misadventures of the “sixth or seventh best superhero team in the world.” Another prime example is B...more
Playing for Keeps by Mur Lafferty is an interesting new take on the superhero genre. Just like in real life, you’re not entirely sure who the “good” guy is, because everyone in charge has their own agenda – the only difference is that these politicians have superpowers. Actually, almost everyone has powers, but the only people who get to have the “super” prefix to their names are the ones who have really good ones like flight and invisibility. Everyone else gets stuck with things like summoning...more
The "railing against Super-Heroes grown corrupt with power" trope has been used more and more in the past few years, but Mur manages to keep it sounding fresh here. She has a sweetness and vulnerability to her voice (both authorial and personal, i listened to the podcast version of this) that makes you naturally want to empathize with her characters, both the good and bad guys, and this lends a layer of complexity to her storytelling.
I had some minor issues with the pacing that i feel like I wou...more
I had some minor issues with the pacing that i feel like I wou...more
I didn't read the book, instead, I listen to the podcast of it. I loved it! This story gives you a unique twist about the whole superhero/villian story. Furthermore, the powers of some of the people in this story is ridiculously funny!! I didn't think I'd like this story as much as did. It's a definite listen.
I bought Playing For Keeps because it looked like really cool story with all the superhero ideas I love - heroes and villains sponsored by the government, some people having utterly useless powers, the villains actually being sympathetic characters (in comparison to the utter monsters the heroes can be in their quest for justice). Plus, it was really cheap, so I decided to give it a go.
The book does have a really great world and it's incredibly interesting to meet all our characters. I really li...more
The book does have a really great world and it's incredibly interesting to meet all our characters. I really li...more
Refreshing take on superhero story. the idea the heroes are schmucks is not that original, but the kind of resentment these schmucks can create among the lesser-powered is well done.
One of the funny things about these characters is they seem to screw up almost everything they try to do. If someone walks out the door to kill zombies they come back with pizza. There are neither zombies nor pizzas (well, not prominently featured plot line level pizzas) in the book, but I liked that about the chara...more
One of the funny things about these characters is they seem to screw up almost everything they try to do. If someone walks out the door to kill zombies they come back with pizza. There are neither zombies nor pizzas (well, not prominently featured plot line level pizzas) in the book, but I liked that about the chara...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
I had the good fortune to have read the opening chapter of this before it was published, and was pleased to be able to download the ebook.
Lafferty's take on what life would be for the bit players in a comic book world is bleak, funny, and touching. Her protagonist, Keepsie, a rejected superheroine, runs a bar, a small, grubby haven for herself and her friends, in the shadow of the official superheroes. When a fleeing supervillain leaves a mysterious metal object with her, Keepsie and the other...more
Lafferty's take on what life would be for the bit players in a comic book world is bleak, funny, and touching. Her protagonist, Keepsie, a rejected superheroine, runs a bar, a small, grubby haven for herself and her friends, in the shadow of the official superheroes. When a fleeing supervillain leaves a mysterious metal object with her, Keepsie and the other...more
Playing for Keeps is an urban fantasy story containing the element of 'super heroes' within it. The main characters were exceptionally done; the secondary characters seemed a little two-dimensional but overall I really enjoyed it and hope there's a second one. It was published in 2008 and had an ending that just didn't feel 'finished'. Some of the characters were in a situation that made you wonder if they would even live. Other characters went off in search of revenge, to hunt people who had wr...more
I'd heard Mur Lafferty's name in association with good things like the Escape Pod podcast, so when I saw her name on one of the books included in the Bundle Of Holding, I was excited to get to it. And I wasn't disappointed!
While the premise of the novel is a humorous one, mutants with second rate powers gathering together to save the world, Playing for Keeps isn't played for laughs. As most of the superhero novels I've read are nearly exclusively comedy, this is refreshing. It's a rocking good s...more
While the premise of the novel is a humorous one, mutants with second rate powers gathering together to save the world, Playing for Keeps isn't played for laughs. As most of the superhero novels I've read are nearly exclusively comedy, this is refreshing. It's a rocking good s...more
Feb 23, 2012
Don Massi
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
super-hero-fiction
Surprisingly good! Some of the wonkier super powers initially annoyed me but Mur Lafferty Really made them work in the context of the story. I mean, really, the power to prevent anyone from stealing anything from you...... But it works in the story. Of course we get more traditional powers like flight, super strength and nuclear powers but we also get unbelievable luck, super smell and the ability to tell convincing lies.
But this is a character driven story. I loved the fact that a lot of times,...more
But this is a character driven story. I loved the fact that a lot of times,...more
In the superhero genre, a lot of books fall short. They're the same as always, or they're way too dark for my preferences, or they're just boring. This one is much more interesting. The first wavers are awesome, the third wavers a lame, but by the end they see that maybe it's better that way. I will say, I didn't actually read it, I downloaded it as a free podcast, read by the author. I really recommend doing that for this book, as the author reads it with the inflections as she intended them. A...more
Jul 10, 2011
Kathryn
rated it
2 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
fiction,
sci-fi-fantasy
Hmm, interesting book, and VERY interesting concept. I liked the range of weird and unusual powers created: Complete Control of Elevators, or Healing (but only one square inch at a time). And I liked how the author looked at powers that most people decided were useless, and found some pretty creative ways that they COULD be used. The writing style was...not to my taste at all, hence the low rating. The bad guys (Hero or Villain) had cookie-cutter motivations, and while the dialog had some cute m...more
This book takes place in the near future. Set in an east coast city, the story revolves around the protagonist, Keepsie, and her relationship with the city's protectors: genetically enhanced human superheroes. Unwillingly thrown in the middle of a conflict between the superheroes and the supervillains, Keepsie and her friends are forced to choose sides or make their own way with their collection of "useless" super powers. As it turns out, their powers are not as useless as they've been led to be...more
I have grown up reading superhero comic books, and I have yet to read a novel that captures that same magic. Having said that I like my superheroes grounded in "reality", no cosmic or demonic interruptions, just more powerfully than normal guys kicking the shit out of the bad guys.
I liked the fact that the people with less than cosmic powers were rejected from the Academy, and that those powers could win through in the end, but theintrduction of cosmic and demonic adversaries switched me off.
Als...more
I liked the fact that the people with less than cosmic powers were rejected from the Academy, and that those powers could win through in the end, but theintrduction of cosmic and demonic adversaries switched me off.
Als...more
Jan 26, 2011
Hunter Johnson
added it
Playing for Keeps by Mur Lafferty. A fun novel and a quick read. The biggest problem is that it's too short -- not in the "it's over and I want more" sense (although there is that too), but in the "if some of these scenes were filled in a little more, I'd be able to get a better handle on some of these secondary characters" way. Normally I find there are too many words in a lot of contemporary fiction, but in this case there aren't enough. Probably would be a good film if faithfully adapted, tho...more
In Playing for Keeps, Mur Lafferty tells the story of a group of people with powers so worthless that they’re not considered adequate to become a part of the city’s elite group of heroes. When the hubris of those very heroes leads to their downfall, it’s up to the misfits to save the day.
Why to buy this book: It is competently written, and the ebook edition doesn’t cost a bunch.
Why not to buy the book: While the writing is competent, it is not spectacular. Though there are no major stylistic ann...more
Why to buy this book: It is competently written, and the ebook edition doesn’t cost a bunch.
Why not to buy the book: While the writing is competent, it is not spectacular. Though there are no major stylistic ann...more
Nov 19, 2009
Gail Carriger
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
author-friends
I picked up Mur's book because I am a fan of her podcast and I feel it helped me to get published and I wanted to pay her back in some way. I'm very glad I did as I heartily enjoyed Playing for Keeps. I love her basic premise that in addition to major super powers there are minor ones as well. (I, myself, seem to posses the inexplicable ability to turn off street lights.) I'm a big fan of the secondary characters and of the love interest in this book. I was left wanting more.
I could also see an...more
I could also see an...more
This would have been better if it could have escaped the trap of sounding *exactly* like a roleplaying game campaign. I don't care if that's what it's based on - there should be a token effort to hide the rolled dice. This would almost be forgivable, if not for the slightly stilted dialogue and the not-infrequent grammatical errors. The book was nearly good enough to overcome two of these issues - one, it could have managed, but with all three, it's just got too many glitches to make it the invo...more
I loved the idea of this book--people with less than spectacular powers getting caught up in a super heroes vs. super villains war and not quiet knowing which side to take.
I was impressed with the wide variety of super powers and the creativity behind them. The super heroes get the typical powers, including super strength and flight, but there is also a few interesting originals--like a guy who's tattoos can come to life. The super villains have their own interesting powers--control over machine...more
I was impressed with the wide variety of super powers and the creativity behind them. The super heroes get the typical powers, including super strength and flight, but there is also a few interesting originals--like a guy who's tattoos can come to life. The super villains have their own interesting powers--control over machine...more
Aug 26, 2010
Rebecca Gomez
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
science-fiction
This is a book that leaves you wanting more. No really, I want more. What's going to happen with Keepsie and her crew next? It's a fun read and captures the feel of a world where superheroes and villains are everyday sights but still removed from the general populace. I've got a few too many unanswered questions about the book's plot still, but since it reads like an origin story, I have a feeling more will be revealed by Lafferty in future stories that will hopefully have the same fast pacing o...more
Please note this book is available for a free download as a .pdf file here. The .pdf also includes a short story that follows the novel: "Parasite Awakens". You can also buy this book from Amazon.com .
Hang on to your tights and secret identity! Playing for Keeps by Mur Lafferty is an imaginative and entertaining new superhero story that will leave you looking at caped crusaders in an entirely new way.
The story revolves around Keepsie Branson, a bar owner in the shining metropolis of Seventh City...more
Hang on to your tights and secret identity! Playing for Keeps by Mur Lafferty is an imaginative and entertaining new superhero story that will leave you looking at caped crusaders in an entirely new way.
The story revolves around Keepsie Branson, a bar owner in the shining metropolis of Seventh City...more
This was a quick, entertaining read. The main character is Keepsie. She lives in a world inhabited by heroes and villains with superpowers, as well as a class of people with minor powers, classified as too insignificant to make them useful to serve as heroes. Keepsie's own power is the ability to prevent people from stealing things from her. When one of the villains gives Keepsie something to keep things get really interesting. Keepsie and her other "Third Wave" friends find themselves stuck bet...more
Apr 26, 2009
Rebecca
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
sci-fi readers and comic book fans
This book was hard for me to get into and hard for me to finish. Despite that, I really enjoyed it. I love the idea of people with quirky powers. I liked the moral ambiguity, the characterizations, and the world building. I can't exactly say what made this a difficult read (and it could have been circumstances beyond my control), but I had an issue. Nevertheless, I don't think that should stop folks from going out and enjoying it. It's a fun non-traditional superhero story with likable character...more
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Mur Lafferty is the author of Playing For Keeps, The Afterlife Series, and Marco and the Red Granny. She is the editor of Escape Pod magazine and a pioneer podcaster behind the shows I Should Be Writing and Angry Robot Books Podcast.
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Apr 10, 2012 07:02am