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The Supervillainy Saga #5
The Tournament of Supervillainy
Gary Karkofsky a.k.a Merciless the Supervillain without MercyTM is presently the most disliked supervillain in the world. Superheroes don't want to just throw him in jail, they want to deliver an epic beat down for ending their golden age by killing Merciful the Superhero with MercyTM. His fellow supervillains aren't much better, either jealous of his success or loathing him for all the other baddies he's killed. Also, what's up with his wife Mandy? She's been acting extra-strange since getting her soul back (long story). That's when Gary receives an invitation to the Primal Fighting Tournament—an interdimensional contest involving all the universe's greatest warriors. The prize? A wish with no limitations. Gary can finally get on that world domination thing he's been putting off.
Unfortunately, Gary is competing against good and evil way above his league. Not only Gabrielle Anders a.k.a Ultragoddess, his former fiancé, but Entropicus the Space God of Evil. Thankfully, Gary has allies from unexpected sources including Jane Doe, the protagonist of I was a Teenage Weredeer, G from Agent G, and Cassius Mass from Lucifer's Star.
Unfortunately, Gary is competing against good and evil way above his league. Not only Gabrielle Anders a.k.a Ultragoddess, his former fiancé, but Entropicus the Space God of Evil. Thankfully, Gary has allies from unexpected sources including Jane Doe, the protagonist of I was a Teenage Weredeer, G from Agent G, and Cassius Mass from Lucifer's Star.
256 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 15, 2018
30 people are currently reading
258 people want to read
About the author
C.T. Phipps
93 books675 followersC.T Phipps is a lifelong student of horror, science fiction, and fantasy. An avid tabletop gamer, he discovered this passion led him to write and turned him into a lifelong geek. He is a regular reviewer on Booknest.EU and for Grimdark Magazine.
He's written the Agent G series, Cthulhu Armageddon, the Red Room Trilogy, I Was A Teenaged Weredeer, Lucifer's Star, Psycho Killers in Love, Straight Outta Fangton, The Supervillainy Saga, and Wraith Knight.
Blog: http://unitedfederationofcharles.blog...
Website: https://ctphipps.com/
C.T. Fanclub: https://www.facebook.com/groups/14917...
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ctphipps
He's written the Agent G series, Cthulhu Armageddon, the Red Room Trilogy, I Was A Teenaged Weredeer, Lucifer's Star, Psycho Killers in Love, Straight Outta Fangton, The Supervillainy Saga, and Wraith Knight.
Blog: http://unitedfederationofcharles.blog...
Website: https://ctphipps.com/
C.T. Fanclub: https://www.facebook.com/groups/14917...
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ctphipps
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 51 reviews
March 2, 2019
This 5th instalment in the Supervillainy Saga series was a good one. Definitely the most fun book in the series since the early books and a return to top form for a series I rate as the best superhero series of the lot! It was packed full of all the action, humour, and crazy super powered happenings that we have come to expect from the series and as always balances out the hilarious humour with some dark and cynical moments that add tension and drama to the story.
The premise of this instalment was pretty fun. Coming off a win against Omega and Merciful, and with a daughter now in his life, Gary Karkofsky is having doubts about his chosen career path and is pondering switching to the superhero team! Before he can do anything too rash his patron God, Death, appears to grab him and a few of his friends up to whisk them off to a Battle Tournament with the fate of the multiverse at stake. The villain seeking to win the tournament and use the powers granted to the winner to destroy the multiverse was the crazy Entropicus (guy was like a mix of Thanos and Skeletor).
The story was pretty fun and the weird setting, at a space death tournament, gave the story a stand-alone feel. It also let Phipps add a few of the lead characters from his other books to Team Merciless! Jane fromI Was a Teenage Weredeer made an appearance as did Cassius from the Lucifer's Star series and G from the Infiltrator series. I feel like all the characters got to show a bit of who they were and that it was handled in a way so if readers were unfamiliar with them and wanted to read their series then nothing really got spoiled about them.
The weird thing was that the fight action was the least interesting bit of the tournament. Most of the fun came from the drama in Gary's personal life and the interactions between Gary and the other characters. There was a great mix of tension and drama in the story and most of that came from the developments in Gary's personal life. The changes there feel like they will make a lasting impact while the tournament story arc itself felt a little episodic and got wrapped up in this instalment. I liked that balance and feel like it sets the story up well for something new in the next instalment. The other strange thing was how the regular support characters for the Supervillainy Saga series, like Mandy, Cindy, Gabrielle, and Diabloman, all outshone the stars of Phipps other books. Even Guinevere and Death were good in their contributions to this story!
I felt like this instalment was even higher than normal on the number of pop culture references that it stuffed into the dialogue but that worked out well as Phipps was particularly on form with them so they added a ton of hilarity to the story and made it extra fun. I'd have quoted a few of the more hilarious ones for this review if I was not audio only on this "read"! Even few fun WoT ones:)
There was plenty of relationship drama for Gary in this one but I actually enjoyed how it all played out especially in the later stages. One asshole God's savaging of Gary's personal life towards the end mixed truth and hilarity really well and even offered a mitigating reason why a lot of the happenings have played out like they have. I'm not always a giant fan of polyamorous relationships in my fiction as 99% of authors always seem just to go the pure wish-fulfilment route but by this stage in the story I'm routing for Cindy to stay a part of Gary's love life no matter if he ends up with Gaby or Mandy. Cindy has developed into a character who is weirdly likeable despite her crazy and always hilarious antics and is now easily the standout secondary character in the series.
All in all I enjoyed this one a lot an cannot wait for Gary's next adventure!
Rating: 4.5 stars. I'm rounding up to 5 stars as I was pretty close to going with that rating anyway!
Audio Note: As always Jeffrey Kafer did a great job with the audio for this series.
The premise of this instalment was pretty fun. Coming off a win against Omega and Merciful, and with a daughter now in his life, Gary Karkofsky is having doubts about his chosen career path and is pondering switching to the superhero team! Before he can do anything too rash his patron God, Death, appears to grab him and a few of his friends up to whisk them off to a Battle Tournament with the fate of the multiverse at stake. The villain seeking to win the tournament and use the powers granted to the winner to destroy the multiverse was the crazy Entropicus (guy was like a mix of Thanos and Skeletor).
The story was pretty fun and the weird setting, at a space death tournament, gave the story a stand-alone feel. It also let Phipps add a few of the lead characters from his other books to Team Merciless! Jane fromI Was a Teenage Weredeer made an appearance as did Cassius from the Lucifer's Star series and G from the Infiltrator series. I feel like all the characters got to show a bit of who they were and that it was handled in a way so if readers were unfamiliar with them and wanted to read their series then nothing really got spoiled about them.
The weird thing was that the fight action was the least interesting bit of the tournament. Most of the fun came from the drama in Gary's personal life and the interactions between Gary and the other characters. There was a great mix of tension and drama in the story and most of that came from the developments in Gary's personal life. The changes there feel like they will make a lasting impact while the tournament story arc itself felt a little episodic and got wrapped up in this instalment. I liked that balance and feel like it sets the story up well for something new in the next instalment. The other strange thing was how the regular support characters for the Supervillainy Saga series, like Mandy, Cindy, Gabrielle, and Diabloman, all outshone the stars of Phipps other books. Even Guinevere and Death were good in their contributions to this story!
I felt like this instalment was even higher than normal on the number of pop culture references that it stuffed into the dialogue but that worked out well as Phipps was particularly on form with them so they added a ton of hilarity to the story and made it extra fun. I'd have quoted a few of the more hilarious ones for this review if I was not audio only on this "read"! Even few fun WoT ones:)
There was plenty of relationship drama for Gary in this one but I actually enjoyed how it all played out especially in the later stages. One asshole God's savaging of Gary's personal life towards the end mixed truth and hilarity really well and even offered a mitigating reason why a lot of the happenings have played out like they have. I'm not always a giant fan of polyamorous relationships in my fiction as 99% of authors always seem just to go the pure wish-fulfilment route but by this stage in the story I'm routing for Cindy to stay a part of Gary's love life no matter if he ends up with Gaby or Mandy. Cindy has developed into a character who is weirdly likeable despite her crazy and always hilarious antics and is now easily the standout secondary character in the series.
All in all I enjoyed this one a lot an cannot wait for Gary's next adventure!
Rating: 4.5 stars. I'm rounding up to 5 stars as I was pretty close to going with that rating anyway!
Audio Note: As always Jeffrey Kafer did a great job with the audio for this series.
December 16, 2018
The Tournament of Supervillainy (The Supervillainy Saga #5) by C.T. Phipps is a book I requested and the review is voluntary. I just love this zany series! Our super villains get conned into going to a Tournament where there will be Supers from all over the multi -verse. Super heroes and villains! The problem is, our super villain only kills bad guys when he has to...not much of a Super villain right? Just don't let him hear you say that, he might send his wife or girlfriend after you! Or worse still, his young daughter! Yikes! This book has the best characters! It even has some from his other books characters making an appearance! To the other worlds, he is a comic
book character.
This book has what I love in this series, the humor, crazy situations, unpredictable plot, favorite characters, zany action and dialogue, and I get a lot of giggles out of it! Another great read!
book character.
This book has what I love in this series, the humor, crazy situations, unpredictable plot, favorite characters, zany action and dialogue, and I get a lot of giggles out of it! Another great read!
December 9, 2018
This book took awhile to get out due to conflicts with the publisher and being rewritten a couple of times. Basically, I just didn't want to do another 'silly' Gary book but wanted to actually progress his story both emotionally and universally. However, how DO you progress a superhero universe? They're innately bound to the status quo, aren't they? Well, this story shakes things up permanently in the Garyverse. It's also, appropriately, a parody of the big CRISIS ON INFINIT EARTHS style stories with a dash of Mortal Kombat.
I also had a bit of fun with the fact Gary is innately a selfish character (no duh). He's incapable of giving up his relationships to past characters because he's still that terrified boy who lost his family long ago. It causes him to cling emotionally to Mandy, Cindy, Gabrielle, and now his new daughter Leia. Well, the latter is natural. Especially since Cindy is a *terrible* mother.
I think people will really enjoy this because it deals with not only emotional stakes but cosmic stakes as well as the issue of status quos in fiction. We also get to see Gary fight a monster well above his weight class with Entropicus--the Darkseid or Thanos of his universe. There's simply no way for him to outright beat him even with cleverness and guile so it's up to our hero to thwart his plans instead. Jane and G also prove to be better supporting cast members than I expected as, different worlds or not, they're both snarky badasses who accept being in an alternate reality really well.
This book sets up the next 4 book arc, which I call MERCILESS VOLUME 2.
Original title, I know.
I also had a bit of fun with the fact Gary is innately a selfish character (no duh). He's incapable of giving up his relationships to past characters because he's still that terrified boy who lost his family long ago. It causes him to cling emotionally to Mandy, Cindy, Gabrielle, and now his new daughter Leia. Well, the latter is natural. Especially since Cindy is a *terrible* mother.
I think people will really enjoy this because it deals with not only emotional stakes but cosmic stakes as well as the issue of status quos in fiction. We also get to see Gary fight a monster well above his weight class with Entropicus--the Darkseid or Thanos of his universe. There's simply no way for him to outright beat him even with cleverness and guile so it's up to our hero to thwart his plans instead. Jane and G also prove to be better supporting cast members than I expected as, different worlds or not, they're both snarky badasses who accept being in an alternate reality really well.
This book sets up the next 4 book arc, which I call MERCILESS VOLUME 2.
Original title, I know.
April 2, 2019
See this and many more reviews on Brian's Book Blog
A Fun Series AND Cross-Over Characters? Win!
4.5 out of 5 stars
So… Phipps finally did it. He took my favorite characters from his other series… serieses… from his other books and added them to the Supervillainy Saga. In Tournament he includes Jane Doe from the Bright Falls Mysteries Series and Cassius Mass from Lucifer’s Star (both pictured in the cover), along with Agent G. Phipps was able to include them without making it feel forced and also made it really enjoyable if you’ve read the other books in their own worlds.
Book five, while I heard/read via Goodreads took a while to get out – I happened to read it about 1.5 weeks after book four and I can see where some people would have been mad. Having ravenously read this series over the last few months the books keep getting better and better. For a while, they were getting sillier and sillier to the point where I was worried that Phipps was going to go off the deep end with the books, but book five reels it in a bit.
We’re introduced to yet another bad guy – this time its Entropicus, the Space God of Evil. Now, we find out there is a tournament to save the existence of the multi-universe. Giving Gary/Merciless and the gang a reason to fight definitely helped this book and this series take a slightly serious tone to it. Don’t get me wrong, Phipps’ wit and snark are still around in Tournament – they just aren’t the main attraction.
Take all of what I said above and throw in the masterful storytelling ability of Jeffrey Kafer and you have a really enjoyable book. Tournament would eek into my favorites just because of the cross-stories with Jane, Agent G, and Cassius but even without those, it was an excellent book that I flew through.
I’m not sure where Phipps will take book 6 but know that I’m caught up – I’m eagerly awaiting its release.
A Fun Series AND Cross-Over Characters? Win!
4.5 out of 5 stars
So… Phipps finally did it. He took my favorite characters from his other series… serieses… from his other books and added them to the Supervillainy Saga. In Tournament he includes Jane Doe from the Bright Falls Mysteries Series and Cassius Mass from Lucifer’s Star (both pictured in the cover), along with Agent G. Phipps was able to include them without making it feel forced and also made it really enjoyable if you’ve read the other books in their own worlds.
Book five, while I heard/read via Goodreads took a while to get out – I happened to read it about 1.5 weeks after book four and I can see where some people would have been mad. Having ravenously read this series over the last few months the books keep getting better and better. For a while, they were getting sillier and sillier to the point where I was worried that Phipps was going to go off the deep end with the books, but book five reels it in a bit.
We’re introduced to yet another bad guy – this time its Entropicus, the Space God of Evil. Now, we find out there is a tournament to save the existence of the multi-universe. Giving Gary/Merciless and the gang a reason to fight definitely helped this book and this series take a slightly serious tone to it. Don’t get me wrong, Phipps’ wit and snark are still around in Tournament – they just aren’t the main attraction.
Take all of what I said above and throw in the masterful storytelling ability of Jeffrey Kafer and you have a really enjoyable book. Tournament would eek into my favorites just because of the cross-stories with Jane, Agent G, and Cassius but even without those, it was an excellent book that I flew through.
I’m not sure where Phipps will take book 6 but know that I’m caught up – I’m eagerly awaiting its release.
Want to read
December 10, 2018I am fascinated with any additional insight an author can give, without spoilers. I appreciate that CT Phipps provides these brief "behind-the-scenes" posts:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
September 18, 2018
All the way back to when the Jetsons met the Flintstones, and every dang Scooby Doo special, I've always loved a good Crossover. Most recently, the CW Superhero shows reminded me how much I love Crossovers. Crossovers are great because they mean that no longer are there no consequences in a story. The story is unequivocally effected by having the rules of each story's world suddenly become part of their own. I find it exciting and fun to know that the sandbox the creators are playing in is so much bigger. A beach more than a sandbox.
This love of Crossovers was reignited with a fury when I heard that the new Supervillainy book by C.T. Phipps was going to include a huge Crossover of all of his written worlds.
Unlike all of those other Crossover stories, though. It doesn't open with an even breakdown from every one of those separate worlds. We get a Phipps Crossover in the best way that we could: From Gary's point of view.
The story's plot is pretty straight forward. There's an orb that will allow anyone who possesses it one wish with absolutely no limits. Since all realities could be effected by a wishing device with no rules, Death's first champion, Entropicus put together a Tournament for champions from each reality to duel for the right to win the magical orb. Entropicus's goal is to win the orb for himself so that he can end all things. Death doesn't like that and sends her newest champion, Gary, to try and win the tournament.
Things go crazy from there as Gary starts to meet all of the other characters from other works of C.T. Phipps, including Jane Doe, Agent G, and Cassius Mass. While I would have liked to see John Booth from the Cthulhu Armageddon series, John has already shown a propensity for being woven into the very fabric of the multiverse, and I understand leaving him out to preserve the integrity of his potential universe hopping.
But dang, it'd be neat for Gary to learn Cthulhu was real...
I digress. The plot surrounding Gary and his crew of misfits isn't derailed by the Crossover event so much as enhanced by it. Gary's wife Mandy is acting really off and it's got Gary a little concerned, but he's too busy to deal with it as his other wife Cindy and his new/old girlfriend, Gabriel, also known as Ultragoddess, are also in the tournament and everything seems to be going to hell. People are getting killed, their new friends want to steal the orb, and everyone is terrified about what will happen should Entropocis get the orb.
All of this is happening while Gary debates whether or not he has the right to bring people back from the dead who have already died. In the world of comic books, returning from death is a common occurrence, but just because someone can do it, doesn't mean they should. It's a question that has both philosophical and real world consequences depending on how he, the chosen champion of Death, chooses to answer.
And of course, the best part of any Crossover, the interactions between characters from other worlds were spot on. Agent G's realization that his cyberpunk world isn't the greatest while Jane Doe's deer puns contagiously cross universes. Then there was all of the drama around Cassius Mass and ... wait ... how does he know Mandy?
This story had everything in it that first drew me to the Rules of Supervillainy series. From the pop-culture references to the kickass action scenes to the emotional moments that make you empathize with someone who continually fails at being a supervillain, but is a damned awesome anti-hero. Add in all of my favorite characters from other Phipps books and you have the perfect story. The perfect Crossover.
This was a 5 out of 5 book. Definitely give it a read.
This love of Crossovers was reignited with a fury when I heard that the new Supervillainy book by C.T. Phipps was going to include a huge Crossover of all of his written worlds.
Unlike all of those other Crossover stories, though. It doesn't open with an even breakdown from every one of those separate worlds. We get a Phipps Crossover in the best way that we could: From Gary's point of view.
The story's plot is pretty straight forward. There's an orb that will allow anyone who possesses it one wish with absolutely no limits. Since all realities could be effected by a wishing device with no rules, Death's first champion, Entropicus put together a Tournament for champions from each reality to duel for the right to win the magical orb. Entropicus's goal is to win the orb for himself so that he can end all things. Death doesn't like that and sends her newest champion, Gary, to try and win the tournament.
Things go crazy from there as Gary starts to meet all of the other characters from other works of C.T. Phipps, including Jane Doe, Agent G, and Cassius Mass. While I would have liked to see John Booth from the Cthulhu Armageddon series, John has already shown a propensity for being woven into the very fabric of the multiverse, and I understand leaving him out to preserve the integrity of his potential universe hopping.
But dang, it'd be neat for Gary to learn Cthulhu was real...
I digress. The plot surrounding Gary and his crew of misfits isn't derailed by the Crossover event so much as enhanced by it. Gary's wife Mandy is acting really off and it's got Gary a little concerned, but he's too busy to deal with it as his other wife Cindy and his new/old girlfriend, Gabriel, also known as Ultragoddess, are also in the tournament and everything seems to be going to hell. People are getting killed, their new friends want to steal the orb, and everyone is terrified about what will happen should Entropocis get the orb.
All of this is happening while Gary debates whether or not he has the right to bring people back from the dead who have already died. In the world of comic books, returning from death is a common occurrence, but just because someone can do it, doesn't mean they should. It's a question that has both philosophical and real world consequences depending on how he, the chosen champion of Death, chooses to answer.
And of course, the best part of any Crossover, the interactions between characters from other worlds were spot on. Agent G's realization that his cyberpunk world isn't the greatest while Jane Doe's deer puns contagiously cross universes. Then there was all of the drama around Cassius Mass and ... wait ... how does he know Mandy?
This story had everything in it that first drew me to the Rules of Supervillainy series. From the pop-culture references to the kickass action scenes to the emotional moments that make you empathize with someone who continually fails at being a supervillain, but is a damned awesome anti-hero. Add in all of my favorite characters from other Phipps books and you have the perfect story. The perfect Crossover.
This was a 5 out of 5 book. Definitely give it a read.
December 18, 2018
Fun parody
It's a fun fighting game superhero parody. Solid jumping on point, though you wonder at the references.
But it's crippled by the proofreading. Incorrect names, changing tense, alternating person, and a few simple typos. It desperately needs a couple rounds of real proofreading before I could actually recommend it.
Should be a five, is currently a three.
It's a fun fighting game superhero parody. Solid jumping on point, though you wonder at the references.
But it's crippled by the proofreading. Incorrect names, changing tense, alternating person, and a few simple typos. It desperately needs a couple rounds of real proofreading before I could actually recommend it.
Should be a five, is currently a three.
January 22, 2019
Gary Karkofsky is back and this time the entire multiverse is at stake! Don't worry, the escalation in stakes is thoroughly lampshaded, along with every other superhero or storytelling trope Phipps can get his hands on.
Crisis on Infinite Earths-style, the protagonists of many of Phipps' books come together in a battle royale against a smorgasbord of villains. I'm a big fan of a straightforward contest narrative (pretty obvious given some of my own novels) so I was looking forward to some crazy action. I was surprised then that although the fifth book in the Supervillainy series is still indulgent on the action and pop culture references, it's also very dialogue-heavy and serious in a lot of places. Despite an in-universe explanation for comic book-style retcons and drifting timelines, the question of whether he can keep up with the endless adventures of a comic book character and if he can keep doing so as a villain are weighing on Gary.
The biggest question in reviewing this book is how easily recommendable it is to those who aren't already fans of C.T. Phipps. Those without a wide range of background knowledge will probably be lost but for longtime fans like myself, its more a question of strap in, leave the fourth wall behind, and enjoy the ride.
Crisis on Infinite Earths-style, the protagonists of many of Phipps' books come together in a battle royale against a smorgasbord of villains. I'm a big fan of a straightforward contest narrative (pretty obvious given some of my own novels) so I was looking forward to some crazy action. I was surprised then that although the fifth book in the Supervillainy series is still indulgent on the action and pop culture references, it's also very dialogue-heavy and serious in a lot of places. Despite an in-universe explanation for comic book-style retcons and drifting timelines, the question of whether he can keep up with the endless adventures of a comic book character and if he can keep doing so as a villain are weighing on Gary.
The biggest question in reviewing this book is how easily recommendable it is to those who aren't already fans of C.T. Phipps. Those without a wide range of background knowledge will probably be lost but for longtime fans like myself, its more a question of strap in, leave the fourth wall behind, and enjoy the ride.
January 8, 2019
As of today, this is my absolute FAVORITE Phipps story! As a prolific reader, the crossovers and pure fan-fic-ness of this book appealed to my inner comic book nerd, in a huge way. The author tends toward pop culture and pure craziness, but I wasn't ready for Tournament. I absolutely loved this book, hard. When recommending, I'm going to tell all of my people that THIS IS THE BOOK THEY'VE BEEN WAITING FOR! Gary and his harem...ahem, retinue... face some universe altering challenges, along with Jane and G, and all the other Supervillainy peripherals. Oh, yeah, I loved this book.
January 6, 2019
Well, it was ok. I think this series has run itself out. This book took a long time since book 4 and the author gives a forward explaining why. It is a fine ending if it stops here. I got the sense the authors heart was not 100% into it compared to his other fine work.
Read
January 11, 2019“Gary, you’re the Jason Todd of my Bat Team”
If this line means anything to you, then Charles Phipps’ Tournament Of Supervillainy will become your new favorite book.
I’ve been singing the praises of this series for a long time. Phipps’ multi volume story about Gary Karkofsky’s life as “Merciless”, The worlds worst supervillain, is perhaps one of the more brilliant and profound collections of writing out there.
Yes, superhero and comic book fans NEED to devour this series. Yes, much of the overall plot points of this latest volume parody Avengers: Infinity War, Back To The Future, and just about every Marvel and DC retcon/reboot that’s ever existed, with a healthy dose of Mortal Kombat, And furthermore, if you are looking for a book where there are set rules to a world that make complete sense, this is not the place to start.
Phipps has created a multiverse in Tournament of supervillainy, that is in danger of being destroyed by Entropicus, a massive conquering supervillain (think Thanos) that has set up a Multiversal Tournament , in which only his victor can offset his plans for world domination/destruction. In creating this massive tournament, Phipps has brought in some great Easter Eggs from his other series, by having Jane Doe, Cassius and Agent G act as major players in the story that in fact interact with Gary, and his own co-stars.
The puns are ever present and brilliantly timed. The pop culture references are hilarious, and the keen social observations which are always prominent in a Phipps novel are ramped up even further. Tournament of Supervillainy might possibly be the funniest book I’ve ever read. At many points I was laughing to the point of tears. If there has ever been a book that cements my feelings about Charles Phipps as a comedic genius, this is it.
With all that said, Tournament of Supervillainy is far from definable as straight comedy. Phipps has in actuality created one of the most real, most tragic, and most profound pieces of writing I’ve read in years. Much of the novel focuses on the concept of relationships. Why they work, and why they don’t. He examines the power of love, and what it truly means. Yes, Gary has a wife, a mistress, and an old flame that he kinda still loves, but Phipps treats all of his characters with such a great deal of love and respect that he allows us to accept these outlandish concepts, as well as Gary’s relationships with each one without making us hate him in the process. The fact that Gary is so good hearted, yet so profoundly simple, motivated by a tragic back story to be a super villain, yet in some ways a carbon copy hero, makes him one of the best characters in modern fiction. Throughout these five novels we watch Gary grow, and come to terms with his entire self concept. In essence we see the birth of a hero.
By using metaphorical concepts involving the meaning of death and timelines in comics, Phipps beautifully engages us in thinking about what death means. There is a huge existential conflict at the core of the novel’s central theme, that Phipps is quite transparent about and much of the novel breaks the fourth wall in such an obvious manner that we feel the author’s thoughts and presence as he talks to us about life and and all of its nuances.
Charles Phipps is without a doubt one of the most unique multi-genre fiction writers in the field today. Upon completing Tournament of Supervillainy, i found myself wondering how he came up with it, and how he managed to make me laugh, cry and think so deeply all in one relatively short book. I would follow Gary, Cindy and the entire Supervillainy crew anywhere their creator wants to take them, but conceptually, and from a pure enjoyment standpoint, this one will be hard to beat. One of my top reads of all time.
If this line means anything to you, then Charles Phipps’ Tournament Of Supervillainy will become your new favorite book.
I’ve been singing the praises of this series for a long time. Phipps’ multi volume story about Gary Karkofsky’s life as “Merciless”, The worlds worst supervillain, is perhaps one of the more brilliant and profound collections of writing out there.
Yes, superhero and comic book fans NEED to devour this series. Yes, much of the overall plot points of this latest volume parody Avengers: Infinity War, Back To The Future, and just about every Marvel and DC retcon/reboot that’s ever existed, with a healthy dose of Mortal Kombat, And furthermore, if you are looking for a book where there are set rules to a world that make complete sense, this is not the place to start.
Phipps has created a multiverse in Tournament of supervillainy, that is in danger of being destroyed by Entropicus, a massive conquering supervillain (think Thanos) that has set up a Multiversal Tournament , in which only his victor can offset his plans for world domination/destruction. In creating this massive tournament, Phipps has brought in some great Easter Eggs from his other series, by having Jane Doe, Cassius and Agent G act as major players in the story that in fact interact with Gary, and his own co-stars.
The puns are ever present and brilliantly timed. The pop culture references are hilarious, and the keen social observations which are always prominent in a Phipps novel are ramped up even further. Tournament of Supervillainy might possibly be the funniest book I’ve ever read. At many points I was laughing to the point of tears. If there has ever been a book that cements my feelings about Charles Phipps as a comedic genius, this is it.
With all that said, Tournament of Supervillainy is far from definable as straight comedy. Phipps has in actuality created one of the most real, most tragic, and most profound pieces of writing I’ve read in years. Much of the novel focuses on the concept of relationships. Why they work, and why they don’t. He examines the power of love, and what it truly means. Yes, Gary has a wife, a mistress, and an old flame that he kinda still loves, but Phipps treats all of his characters with such a great deal of love and respect that he allows us to accept these outlandish concepts, as well as Gary’s relationships with each one without making us hate him in the process. The fact that Gary is so good hearted, yet so profoundly simple, motivated by a tragic back story to be a super villain, yet in some ways a carbon copy hero, makes him one of the best characters in modern fiction. Throughout these five novels we watch Gary grow, and come to terms with his entire self concept. In essence we see the birth of a hero.
By using metaphorical concepts involving the meaning of death and timelines in comics, Phipps beautifully engages us in thinking about what death means. There is a huge existential conflict at the core of the novel’s central theme, that Phipps is quite transparent about and much of the novel breaks the fourth wall in such an obvious manner that we feel the author’s thoughts and presence as he talks to us about life and and all of its nuances.
Charles Phipps is without a doubt one of the most unique multi-genre fiction writers in the field today. Upon completing Tournament of Supervillainy, i found myself wondering how he came up with it, and how he managed to make me laugh, cry and think so deeply all in one relatively short book. I would follow Gary, Cindy and the entire Supervillainy crew anywhere their creator wants to take them, but conceptually, and from a pure enjoyment standpoint, this one will be hard to beat. One of my top reads of all time.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 19, 2019
A Blessed Side Adventure with Heart
Full Disclosure - I know Charles and he gave me a copy for review.
Ahh . . . The Tournament of Supervillainy. I will admit, I wasn’t sure if I was going to get into this one. As this is the 5th novel in the Supervillainy series, I was afraid of getting burned out. Even in my own writing, I fear fatigue for myself and the audience. But, I was very pleasantly surprised. And that’s my bad, because Charles will always give you a Charles book. And as always, the amazing audio narration of Jeff Kafer can take any story and bump it up a couple of notches.
There are other reviews out there that go over the plot, so I won’t rehash that here. But, I will say that this book felt more like an open-world video game’s side-plot than the actual main story line. And that’s a good thing. (Witcher 3 fans always talk about the Bloody Baron side story, but no one really expounds on Geralt’s mission to find Siri). The point is, this cosmic combat tournament feel ‘right’ in the world of Gary AKA Merciless. The humor and pop culture is ever present and the menagerie of supporting characters do as they always do. We are even introduced to several characters from Charles’ other books, Jane Doe, Agent G, and Cassius Mass from “I was a Teenage Weredeer”, “Agent G”, and “Lucifer’s Star” respectively. Sadly, Booth from “Cthulhu Armageddon” and Jacob Riverson from “Wraith Knight” were missed. (My guess is that Charles knew either one could possibly beat Gary.)
I’ll get my negatives out of the way first. The aforementioned other “Phippsiverse” ™ book guests really have little to do other than . . . being there. Sure they lend an ear when needed and help in ways when the plot demands it. But they never really shine. But, this is Gary’s book and not theirs. As well, the supporting cast, all of them, continually recounts all of Gary’s accomplishments when he has self-doubt. Like I said, this is the 5th book, so we the readers know what Gary’s done and the constant recap of previous books kind of slows things down. There are more love triangles (quadrilaterals?), as you would expect in these books, but they are more intrinsic to the plot than before. And lastly . . . Cindy. I won’t go into plot-spoiling specifics, but this time around she rubbed me the wrong way and I’m quickly turning into an anti-Cindy reader. But, maybe that’s a good thing, as not all characters are meant to be liked.
Okay, with that out of the way, let’s focus on the good. Damn it, the book was fun. Yes, you can play pop culture bingo as you read. It is a blessed love letter to all the fighting tournaments you’ve come to know and love from video games and movies. With the stakes set at the primordial god-like level, Charles manages to weave in a thread of humanity and heart. As I’ve said in the past many times, I think my favorite Gary moment isn’t some shenanigan, quip, or joke. But when he had a face-to-face with his dead brother back in book 1. See, when “the cloak” comes off and it’s just Gary having real moments, it makes the bravado and foolish act more tolerable. Because no one would suffer someone who acted a fool like that all the time, unless there was something underneath. And this book delivers on said moments. Kudos. But never fear, the book is still jam packed with comedy and action that fans of the series have come to love.
So, overall I enjoyed my time with the Tournament of Supervillainy. As always the audio narration provided by Jeff Kafer was flawless and adds a richness to the antics that Charles pens. Long story short: did you like the previous Supervillainy books? Then get this one. - 4.5/5
- MK Gibson, author of The Shadow Master Novels, and the Technomancer Novels.
Full Disclosure - I know Charles and he gave me a copy for review.
Ahh . . . The Tournament of Supervillainy. I will admit, I wasn’t sure if I was going to get into this one. As this is the 5th novel in the Supervillainy series, I was afraid of getting burned out. Even in my own writing, I fear fatigue for myself and the audience. But, I was very pleasantly surprised. And that’s my bad, because Charles will always give you a Charles book. And as always, the amazing audio narration of Jeff Kafer can take any story and bump it up a couple of notches.
There are other reviews out there that go over the plot, so I won’t rehash that here. But, I will say that this book felt more like an open-world video game’s side-plot than the actual main story line. And that’s a good thing. (Witcher 3 fans always talk about the Bloody Baron side story, but no one really expounds on Geralt’s mission to find Siri). The point is, this cosmic combat tournament feel ‘right’ in the world of Gary AKA Merciless. The humor and pop culture is ever present and the menagerie of supporting characters do as they always do. We are even introduced to several characters from Charles’ other books, Jane Doe, Agent G, and Cassius Mass from “I was a Teenage Weredeer”, “Agent G”, and “Lucifer’s Star” respectively. Sadly, Booth from “Cthulhu Armageddon” and Jacob Riverson from “Wraith Knight” were missed. (My guess is that Charles knew either one could possibly beat Gary.)
I’ll get my negatives out of the way first. The aforementioned other “Phippsiverse” ™ book guests really have little to do other than . . . being there. Sure they lend an ear when needed and help in ways when the plot demands it. But they never really shine. But, this is Gary’s book and not theirs. As well, the supporting cast, all of them, continually recounts all of Gary’s accomplishments when he has self-doubt. Like I said, this is the 5th book, so we the readers know what Gary’s done and the constant recap of previous books kind of slows things down. There are more love triangles (quadrilaterals?), as you would expect in these books, but they are more intrinsic to the plot than before. And lastly . . . Cindy. I won’t go into plot-spoiling specifics, but this time around she rubbed me the wrong way and I’m quickly turning into an anti-Cindy reader. But, maybe that’s a good thing, as not all characters are meant to be liked.
Okay, with that out of the way, let’s focus on the good. Damn it, the book was fun. Yes, you can play pop culture bingo as you read. It is a blessed love letter to all the fighting tournaments you’ve come to know and love from video games and movies. With the stakes set at the primordial god-like level, Charles manages to weave in a thread of humanity and heart. As I’ve said in the past many times, I think my favorite Gary moment isn’t some shenanigan, quip, or joke. But when he had a face-to-face with his dead brother back in book 1. See, when “the cloak” comes off and it’s just Gary having real moments, it makes the bravado and foolish act more tolerable. Because no one would suffer someone who acted a fool like that all the time, unless there was something underneath. And this book delivers on said moments. Kudos. But never fear, the book is still jam packed with comedy and action that fans of the series have come to love.
So, overall I enjoyed my time with the Tournament of Supervillainy. As always the audio narration provided by Jeff Kafer was flawless and adds a richness to the antics that Charles pens. Long story short: did you like the previous Supervillainy books? Then get this one. - 4.5/5
- MK Gibson, author of The Shadow Master Novels, and the Technomancer Novels.
December 9, 2018
I discovered C. T. Phipps when I came across the first book in this series, The Rules of Supervillainy. I was instantly enthralled with the story of a man given the powers of the city's greatest hero, and deciding heroics is for chumps, I'll be a villain instead and make some money! That appealed to me, in the same way Ben Bequer's Blackjack books caught my attention. To say I was anticipating book five is an understatement, and I was not disappointed with the final result.
Through the first four books, Gary Karkofsky, aka. Merciless, the Villain Without Mercy (tm), has had some definite highs and lows, but has always seemed to always just scrape by. Finally, after defeating his nemesis Merciful, his alternate universe doppelganger, along with President Omega, Merciless just wants to settle down to some quality low key supervillainy with his newly re-souled wife Mandy, his other wife Cindy, the villain known as Red Riding Hood, and their daughter . Instead, he is offered a chance to compete in the Primal Fighting Tournament (think Mortal Kombat), with the chance to win the ultimate prize: one unlimited wish.
Realizing there are definitely entities he doesn't want with that wish, Gary, along with his crew, enter the Tournament. Upon arriving at the interdimensional equivalent of Han's Island from Enter the Dragon, Gary and company meet some of the other contestants. Included in this group are Jane Doe, Weredeer shaman (I Was A Teenage Weredeer), Cassius Mass, former Fire Count in the Archduchy of Crius (Lucifer's Star), and Agent G, cyborg assassin (Agent G series). All these characters belong in other worlds in the author's various series, crossed over for this event. All these characters are trying to keep the grand prize out of the hands of Entropicus, the ender of worlds, who just wants to destroy the universe.
As the tournament progresses, Gary discovers the stakes are even higher than he knew, since there are cosmic entities much higher on the food chain than he is with a vested stake in the results. Gary will have to go through enemies and allies alike to be able to take the ultimate prize, and the ending is nothing like he expected, with a twist you just won't see coming. The revelations for some aspects of his personal life are also completely shocking.
Like his other books, which all have impressive worldbuilding and plotting, the characters are where this series really shines. From the impressive development of Gary and the rest of his crew, to the various villains and secondary characters, C. T. Phipps lavishes attention on the smallest character details, and you really get into the heads of the various characters. This is just one of those series that gets better with every installment. If you are like me, you will definitely be anticipating the next book!
Through the first four books, Gary Karkofsky, aka. Merciless, the Villain Without Mercy (tm), has had some definite highs and lows, but has always seemed to always just scrape by. Finally, after defeating his nemesis Merciful, his alternate universe doppelganger, along with President Omega, Merciless just wants to settle down to some quality low key supervillainy with his newly re-souled wife Mandy, his other wife Cindy, the villain known as Red Riding Hood, and their daughter . Instead, he is offered a chance to compete in the Primal Fighting Tournament (think Mortal Kombat), with the chance to win the ultimate prize: one unlimited wish.
Realizing there are definitely entities he doesn't want with that wish, Gary, along with his crew, enter the Tournament. Upon arriving at the interdimensional equivalent of Han's Island from Enter the Dragon, Gary and company meet some of the other contestants. Included in this group are Jane Doe, Weredeer shaman (I Was A Teenage Weredeer), Cassius Mass, former Fire Count in the Archduchy of Crius (Lucifer's Star), and Agent G, cyborg assassin (Agent G series). All these characters belong in other worlds in the author's various series, crossed over for this event. All these characters are trying to keep the grand prize out of the hands of Entropicus, the ender of worlds, who just wants to destroy the universe.
As the tournament progresses, Gary discovers the stakes are even higher than he knew, since there are cosmic entities much higher on the food chain than he is with a vested stake in the results. Gary will have to go through enemies and allies alike to be able to take the ultimate prize, and the ending is nothing like he expected, with a twist you just won't see coming. The revelations for some aspects of his personal life are also completely shocking.
Like his other books, which all have impressive worldbuilding and plotting, the characters are where this series really shines. From the impressive development of Gary and the rest of his crew, to the various villains and secondary characters, C. T. Phipps lavishes attention on the smallest character details, and you really get into the heads of the various characters. This is just one of those series that gets better with every installment. If you are like me, you will definitely be anticipating the next book!
January 24, 2019
As a note, I did read the book before I listened to the audio and, as always, found the ‘Kafer touch’ to add to my enjoyment. I have the paperback, Kindle and the audiobook. He always brings the total snark of the characters through easily.
What might have been the most battle crazed book of the Supervillainy Saga, melted my brain completely. This is in a good way. It is not customary to have an audiobook with the forward actually a part of the narration, so when Jeffery Kafer added it, I was joyfully surprised. I was even more joyfully surprised when I read Mr. Kafer’s additional forward and hearing it in the narration was a special treat. Yeah, these guys are good together! The fact that Jeffery Kafer has become an intrigal part of not only this series, but most of the C.T. Phipps collection of worlds, easily justifies his rightful place in the Forward of this book. There is a lesson here for the creation not only a lasting relationship, but a successful group of books.
Yes, The Tournament of Supervillainy by C.T. Phipps came through with a knock-down, drag out set of fights that rekindled such phrases as “Fatality!” and “Come Here!” from classic video fighting games of the 90’s. It brought back many images of the Mortal Combat game and their characters. Phipps also snuck in references to Skeletor from the He-Man series. While never really a fan of that series, I did appreciate Skeletor’s efforts. I guess that says more about me than the book. Phipps keeps with his typical pop culture comments and his love of Star Wars. It wouldn’t have been a story about Gary Karkofsky without them. Besides, I think Jeffrey Kafer enjoys them too.
The references to events of the past books did not distract as they were applied appropriately. Being able to return to such places as Atlas City and Flaconcrest City, even if it was short, refreshed my memories of the places as well as how the world was still recovering from the effects from the previous books. There is so much history at this point, there is the question for new readers being able to just pick this ‘issue’ up and enjoying it as much as one who was familiar with the series. I mention ‘issue’ because that is exactly the way Phipps has been putting the Supervillainy Saga across.
The story sets its own pace bringing in characters from Phipps’ other series. The part I became confused with at times, was whose side these other characters were actually on. Maybe that was just my issue. I also wasn’t quite sure how one of the characters was able to return from an obvious defeat (Gabby) without a similar explanation as to how the other character was able to return.
The final ‘boss battle’ became a series of Gary’s typical loop-holes he typically manages to find. I believe my favorite line in the book that is so typical of Gary, “Why does everything in the universe prove you right, when everything you say is so stupid.” This is typical of all the Supervillainy storylines and strangely keeps me coming back for more. Again, maybe that says more about me than the book or series. The overall arc and the only things that really matter to Gary are family. We all could learn from him in spite of his sense of morals gone wild. He values what is truly important to all of us.
My only real complaint is that it ended way too quickly. I wanted to have more stories of daring robberies, snark in the face of disaster and more about his new relation with Death. Gary’s children, Gabby and DiabloMan are all left open-ended for the next book in the series. Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t the end of the Supervillainy Saga. It appears it is just the beginning of a new series or saga for Gary and his family.
What might have been the most battle crazed book of the Supervillainy Saga, melted my brain completely. This is in a good way. It is not customary to have an audiobook with the forward actually a part of the narration, so when Jeffery Kafer added it, I was joyfully surprised. I was even more joyfully surprised when I read Mr. Kafer’s additional forward and hearing it in the narration was a special treat. Yeah, these guys are good together! The fact that Jeffery Kafer has become an intrigal part of not only this series, but most of the C.T. Phipps collection of worlds, easily justifies his rightful place in the Forward of this book. There is a lesson here for the creation not only a lasting relationship, but a successful group of books.
Yes, The Tournament of Supervillainy by C.T. Phipps came through with a knock-down, drag out set of fights that rekindled such phrases as “Fatality!” and “Come Here!” from classic video fighting games of the 90’s. It brought back many images of the Mortal Combat game and their characters. Phipps also snuck in references to Skeletor from the He-Man series. While never really a fan of that series, I did appreciate Skeletor’s efforts. I guess that says more about me than the book. Phipps keeps with his typical pop culture comments and his love of Star Wars. It wouldn’t have been a story about Gary Karkofsky without them. Besides, I think Jeffrey Kafer enjoys them too.
The references to events of the past books did not distract as they were applied appropriately. Being able to return to such places as Atlas City and Flaconcrest City, even if it was short, refreshed my memories of the places as well as how the world was still recovering from the effects from the previous books. There is so much history at this point, there is the question for new readers being able to just pick this ‘issue’ up and enjoying it as much as one who was familiar with the series. I mention ‘issue’ because that is exactly the way Phipps has been putting the Supervillainy Saga across.
The story sets its own pace bringing in characters from Phipps’ other series. The part I became confused with at times, was whose side these other characters were actually on. Maybe that was just my issue. I also wasn’t quite sure how one of the characters was able to return from an obvious defeat (Gabby) without a similar explanation as to how the other character was able to return.
The final ‘boss battle’ became a series of Gary’s typical loop-holes he typically manages to find. I believe my favorite line in the book that is so typical of Gary, “Why does everything in the universe prove you right, when everything you say is so stupid.” This is typical of all the Supervillainy storylines and strangely keeps me coming back for more. Again, maybe that says more about me than the book or series. The overall arc and the only things that really matter to Gary are family. We all could learn from him in spite of his sense of morals gone wild. He values what is truly important to all of us.
My only real complaint is that it ended way too quickly. I wanted to have more stories of daring robberies, snark in the face of disaster and more about his new relation with Death. Gary’s children, Gabby and DiabloMan are all left open-ended for the next book in the series. Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t the end of the Supervillainy Saga. It appears it is just the beginning of a new series or saga for Gary and his family.
January 29, 2019
I've been eating up this series from the first book, so I jumped at an opportunity to review the audiobook. Here's the disclaimer: I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review. I didn't expect to see a book 5 because I thought book 4 had wrapped up Gary's tales. Nice to see I was wrong.
Here's the deal about this story: Gary and crew (Cindy, Mandy, Diabloman, Gabrielle and others) from the previous books are back. This is almost a reboot of the series, or it's the place where the author finds his mojo again. As fun as superhero/supervillain tales can be, they can be a drain on creativity. So Phipps spins it in a new direction with this salute to Mortal Kombat, Street Fighter, and games of that sort.
We get the same intelligence, irreverence and cleverness that we've known in the previous books of the series, but here it's an everything goes in the multi-verse type thing. Basically, Phipps brings in characters from other book series he's written that are completely unrelated to this story and lets them play here. It works so well that now I want to get my ears on the Agent G and Jane Doe series. (A were-deer. Seriously? Turns out she's cool!)
Jeffrey Kafer's performance was as great as ever. He's a hard-working narrator with lots of titles I've enjoyed. Some of my favorite voices of his are Cindy's and Diabloman's. Even though he's got a vast audiography, he excels with scifi/fantasy titles.
Bottom line: A good story to start fresh with Gary/Merciless, but I do recommend going back to the beginning. The other books are just fun. For those who love their leads witty and snarky and who don't mind their bad guys doing good. This is why Gary is the best anti-villain.
Looking forward to book 6.
Here's the deal about this story: Gary and crew (Cindy, Mandy, Diabloman, Gabrielle and others) from the previous books are back. This is almost a reboot of the series, or it's the place where the author finds his mojo again. As fun as superhero/supervillain tales can be, they can be a drain on creativity. So Phipps spins it in a new direction with this salute to Mortal Kombat, Street Fighter, and games of that sort.
We get the same intelligence, irreverence and cleverness that we've known in the previous books of the series, but here it's an everything goes in the multi-verse type thing. Basically, Phipps brings in characters from other book series he's written that are completely unrelated to this story and lets them play here. It works so well that now I want to get my ears on the Agent G and Jane Doe series. (A were-deer. Seriously? Turns out she's cool!)
Jeffrey Kafer's performance was as great as ever. He's a hard-working narrator with lots of titles I've enjoyed. Some of my favorite voices of his are Cindy's and Diabloman's. Even though he's got a vast audiography, he excels with scifi/fantasy titles.
Bottom line: A good story to start fresh with Gary/Merciless, but I do recommend going back to the beginning. The other books are just fun. For those who love their leads witty and snarky and who don't mind their bad guys doing good. This is why Gary is the best anti-villain.
Looking forward to book 6.
April 25, 2020
Oh joy, my most hated Anime trope. The tournament. Bleeeeeeeeeeeh. Had some funny parts, but I was mostly just really annoyed at the whole tournament thing. It is the one thing that can consistently bring any anime's plot to a screeching halt for, sometimes, dozens of episodes. Fuck tournament arcs!!! This is a trope that DESPERATELY needs to die off.
March 26, 2019
Even though I have fun and enjoy the quick quips, jokes, and references, there's a serious side to Gary too. Gary has a lot going on with his family and friends. Gary takes it all in and goes with it as best he can, but he cares for them deeply. I enjoy seeing him react to the family he's made around him.
****FULL REVIEW TO FOLLOW****
****FULL REVIEW TO FOLLOW****
January 8, 2019
Good, not great
TBH while I enjoyed this book, it definitely needs a copy editor. Hopefully it’ll get one and be re-released; there were a bunch of typos, missing words, etc. But I enjoyed the story...
TBH while I enjoyed this book, it definitely needs a copy editor. Hopefully it’ll get one and be re-released; there were a bunch of typos, missing words, etc. But I enjoyed the story...
March 17, 2019
Liked the family oriented MC.. and a really interesting ending!
January 24, 2019
Review coming soon
January 21, 2019
Damn.
Tons of pop culture and geeky references...if you can stay up with them all, well done you. I'm any case, read the whole series! CT Phipps is a lot of fun!!!
Tons of pop culture and geeky references...if you can stay up with them all, well done you. I'm any case, read the whole series! CT Phipps is a lot of fun!!!
June 14, 2019
This was such a fun addition to this series. I feel that this book has given the series a fresh coat of paint. The crossover characters from other Phipps works are big part of that. While this would be an entertaining book if you haven’t read his other series, I found extra humor in the tale with Agent G, Jane Doe, and Cassius Mass. There’s always been a few nods here and there throughout Phipps works to other series (like the whole Supervillainy series is a comic book series in Jane Doe’s tales), but this takes it to the next level.
Once again, Gary is at the center of everything. He’s got to save the universe and his only way to do that is to go through this tournament. There’s few to no rules, depending on how evil organizer sees it. People die, unexpected characters pop in for an assist, and Gary has to make some tough choices.
Gary missed the orientation, which had all sorts of great info about the tournament and their venue, like how to get into your hotel room. For some reason, Cindy (Gary’s girlfriend and baby momma) knows the answer to that and it involves a panda. Ha! Cindy cracks me up because she is casual evil and not ashamed of it. She breaks rules all the time just because they are there, not because she’s malicious… not always…. And I love her comments about sexuality and her outfit. At one point, another female character tells her she’s embarrassing their gender, yanking it down into the 1950s or such, and Cindy doesn’t care.
Wise cracks, pop culture references, and action all compete for your attention in this book, in balanced doses. I love all the pop culture references even if I haven’t played Mortal Combat. I especially liked the reference to Mechani-Cal, a character from another superhero/supervillain series by Jim Bernheimer. Yay!
By the end, we finally have some answers about Mandy (Gary’s wife who now is a vampire). This has been a little bit of mystery to me and I was glad to see we got some solid resolution on that. It was also great to have a cameo of Gizmo (aka Leia – Gary and Cindy’s daughter). She’s still a bit young to join in a Tournament of Evil (or is she? being the braniac she is). The end leaves us with a hint of what may come for the series. 5/5 stars.
The Narration: Jeffrey Kafer continues to be one of my favorite narrators and he doesn’t disappoint here. His accent for Cindy is perfect (because it so matches her sass). I also like his voices for Jane Doe (who takes everything in stride). Kafer has distinct voices for all the characters, delivers the humor with perfect timing, and you can tell he enjoys narrating this series. 5/5 stars.
I received a complimentary review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are truly my own.
Once again, Gary is at the center of everything. He’s got to save the universe and his only way to do that is to go through this tournament. There’s few to no rules, depending on how evil organizer sees it. People die, unexpected characters pop in for an assist, and Gary has to make some tough choices.
Gary missed the orientation, which had all sorts of great info about the tournament and their venue, like how to get into your hotel room. For some reason, Cindy (Gary’s girlfriend and baby momma) knows the answer to that and it involves a panda. Ha! Cindy cracks me up because she is casual evil and not ashamed of it. She breaks rules all the time just because they are there, not because she’s malicious… not always…. And I love her comments about sexuality and her outfit. At one point, another female character tells her she’s embarrassing their gender, yanking it down into the 1950s or such, and Cindy doesn’t care.
Wise cracks, pop culture references, and action all compete for your attention in this book, in balanced doses. I love all the pop culture references even if I haven’t played Mortal Combat. I especially liked the reference to Mechani-Cal, a character from another superhero/supervillain series by Jim Bernheimer. Yay!
By the end, we finally have some answers about Mandy (Gary’s wife who now is a vampire). This has been a little bit of mystery to me and I was glad to see we got some solid resolution on that. It was also great to have a cameo of Gizmo (aka Leia – Gary and Cindy’s daughter). She’s still a bit young to join in a Tournament of Evil (or is she? being the braniac she is). The end leaves us with a hint of what may come for the series. 5/5 stars.
The Narration: Jeffrey Kafer continues to be one of my favorite narrators and he doesn’t disappoint here. His accent for Cindy is perfect (because it so matches her sass). I also like his voices for Jane Doe (who takes everything in stride). Kafer has distinct voices for all the characters, delivers the humor with perfect timing, and you can tell he enjoys narrating this series. 5/5 stars.
I received a complimentary review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are truly my own.
March 23, 2019
4.5 stars
Review originally posted at BooksOfMyHeart.net.
So, it’s been a while since I’ve listened to a book in the Supervillainy Saga series, but I’m excited to be back in the world of Gary Karkofsky, aka Merciless. The Tournament of Supervillany is a bit different as Gary and the gang are put into a tournament, which is an interesting new challenge for Gary.
The author continues to follow several superhero tropes, while thumbing his nose at the tropes too. He also combines his universes with guest to Gary’s world. I loved seeing Agent G from Agent G series and Jane Doe from Bright Falls Mysteries series (the weredeer, whose family has a thing for puns). There is also Cassius Mass from Lucifer’s Star, which is one of two series I haven’t read by Phipps. If you haven’t read these other series, that’s okay, but you will want to read the earlier books in this series.
So Death puts Gary into this tournament with Jane, Agent G and Cassius (new to this series) along with his normal sidekicks. The person who wins the tournament gets an orb that will give you one wish, with no rules. Needless to say, everyone wants this orb. Death doesn’t want the other side to have it, because the other side wants to end the world with it. Hence, Gary saving the world once again.
Phipps also includes his trademark snark and cultural references. There is a comment in the book about having a PhD in Nerd, well, you don’t actually need a PhD, but a Master’s wouldn’t be bad. There are references to all the different superhero comics, not to mention a lot of Star Wars (and boy, did Phipps not like The Last Jedi), Buffy, and even Harry Dresden is referenced. I’m sure there are some jokes I didn’t get, because I just wasn’t familiar, but that’s okay. There are so many jokes, you’ll get enough of them.
This is a fun series. If you’re looking for a fun series with a supervillain who can’t help but save the world, this is a series you should really try.
Narration
Jeffrey Kafer does an amazing job narrating this series. He’s great with male and female voices (and there’s a lot of different voices in this series), not to mention Gary’s daughter Leia. Kafer is also great at bringing out the snark in a series. He even does writes a second forward to this book. Kafer is a great narrator. If you haven’t tried him yet, you really must.
**I like to thank the author for providing me with a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.
Review originally posted at BooksOfMyHeart.net.
So, it’s been a while since I’ve listened to a book in the Supervillainy Saga series, but I’m excited to be back in the world of Gary Karkofsky, aka Merciless. The Tournament of Supervillany is a bit different as Gary and the gang are put into a tournament, which is an interesting new challenge for Gary.
The author continues to follow several superhero tropes, while thumbing his nose at the tropes too. He also combines his universes with guest to Gary’s world. I loved seeing Agent G from Agent G series and Jane Doe from Bright Falls Mysteries series (the weredeer, whose family has a thing for puns). There is also Cassius Mass from Lucifer’s Star, which is one of two series I haven’t read by Phipps. If you haven’t read these other series, that’s okay, but you will want to read the earlier books in this series.
So Death puts Gary into this tournament with Jane, Agent G and Cassius (new to this series) along with his normal sidekicks. The person who wins the tournament gets an orb that will give you one wish, with no rules. Needless to say, everyone wants this orb. Death doesn’t want the other side to have it, because the other side wants to end the world with it. Hence, Gary saving the world once again.
Phipps also includes his trademark snark and cultural references. There is a comment in the book about having a PhD in Nerd, well, you don’t actually need a PhD, but a Master’s wouldn’t be bad. There are references to all the different superhero comics, not to mention a lot of Star Wars (and boy, did Phipps not like The Last Jedi), Buffy, and even Harry Dresden is referenced. I’m sure there are some jokes I didn’t get, because I just wasn’t familiar, but that’s okay. There are so many jokes, you’ll get enough of them.
This is a fun series. If you’re looking for a fun series with a supervillain who can’t help but save the world, this is a series you should really try.
Narration
Jeffrey Kafer does an amazing job narrating this series. He’s great with male and female voices (and there’s a lot of different voices in this series), not to mention Gary’s daughter Leia. Kafer is also great at bringing out the snark in a series. He even does writes a second forward to this book. Kafer is a great narrator. If you haven’t tried him yet, you really must.
**I like to thank the author for providing me with a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.
October 30, 2020
Oh wow! Just when you think the series might be coming to an end the author throws a twist at you and leaves you on a cliff hanger, I think this is just to see if you are still awake, as if anybody wouldn't be have listening this this book. I loved it and am off to start the next book. The reason I loved it is because of the characters and with this book you get plenty of those, including characters from the authors other series. I have listened to one but not the other but that doesn't matter with the enjoyment of this book, unless it makes you want to see what the other series are like (arh a dastardly plan there worthy of Merciless). There is plenty of action, film references (not being a geek I didn't always get them) and wit that keeps you listening until the end and I hope there is still a lot books for Merciless and the gang, if any one is left.
Gary Aka Merciless is asked by death to be her champion in a Primal fighting tournament. The prize is the ultimate wish. The down side is, it is to the death and with the tournament master making up the rules to suit himself, Gary will have to go up against gods , super hero's and super villains stronger than himself. He also faces the prospect that he isn't a very good super villain, will he survive long enough to become a super hero? He has saved the world a number of times now it's time to save the megaverse.
I author is excellent, he captures the wit of this series perfectly and makes you forget that just one person is reading it.
I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
Gary Aka Merciless is asked by death to be her champion in a Primal fighting tournament. The prize is the ultimate wish. The down side is, it is to the death and with the tournament master making up the rules to suit himself, Gary will have to go up against gods , super hero's and super villains stronger than himself. He also faces the prospect that he isn't a very good super villain, will he survive long enough to become a super hero? He has saved the world a number of times now it's time to save the megaverse.
I author is excellent, he captures the wit of this series perfectly and makes you forget that just one person is reading it.
I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
December 23, 2018
Tournament of Supervillainy is Gary at his finest. With characters from multiple CT Phipps Universes meeting to battle, the Fourth Wall is just a memory as one person's dime store hero is another reality's living breathing protagonist.
Gary aka Merciless is still a supervillain. Even if he habitually saves the world and isn't actually evil. Snarky and quick witted, Gary is never at a loss for something to say...much to chagrin to those around him. But when pop-culture references won't save the day, he is always ready to lay everything on the line to win. However, it is his friends and companions that make Merciless such a fun read. To make silly jokes you need a straight man to be exasperated...and Merciless has that in spades.
As Death's champion, Gary has to save the Multiverse from a hard reboot by the avatar of Destruction. A being of hate and death that only wants existence to end. With his wife, Mandy...and girlfriends, Cindy and Ultragoddess, (yeah...his love life is very complicated), they have to work together to save all realities.
As a die-hard comic fan, I loved this book! The comic book tropes mix with pop culture references that made me laugh out loud while still delivering comic book style beat-downs. And most importantly of all...I never knew what would happen next. A constant surprise, sometimes hilarious and sometimes heartfelt, but always fun and well written.
Gary aka Merciless is still a supervillain. Even if he habitually saves the world and isn't actually evil. Snarky and quick witted, Gary is never at a loss for something to say...much to chagrin to those around him. But when pop-culture references won't save the day, he is always ready to lay everything on the line to win. However, it is his friends and companions that make Merciless such a fun read. To make silly jokes you need a straight man to be exasperated...and Merciless has that in spades.
As Death's champion, Gary has to save the Multiverse from a hard reboot by the avatar of Destruction. A being of hate and death that only wants existence to end. With his wife, Mandy...and girlfriends, Cindy and Ultragoddess, (yeah...his love life is very complicated), they have to work together to save all realities.
As a die-hard comic fan, I loved this book! The comic book tropes mix with pop culture references that made me laugh out loud while still delivering comic book style beat-downs. And most importantly of all...I never knew what would happen next. A constant surprise, sometimes hilarious and sometimes heartfelt, but always fun and well written.
March 21, 2019
From a storytelling standpoint, the first Supervillainy book is still my favorite. But this series is about more than just great characters and engaging plots. It's a strange mixture of homage and parody that fulfills every geek's dream. You can see the culture influences almost on every page. Some are hidden. Others are obvious. And then there are those so in your face that the characters actually take pleasure in calling them out. To make matters even more interesting, Phipps has taken the bold step of throwing characters from his other series into the ring. Readers that aren't fans of his work might miss the inside jokes, but they do sweeten the pot just enough to give this book the 5 stars it deserves. I don't know how many more adventures Gary has in him, but it doesn't appear that he needs to slow down any time soon (despite how much he wants to).
September 18, 2022
Phipps takes a sidestep away from satirizing the superhero genre to poke some fun at fight games (and movies) like Street Fighter. Champions from across the multiverse are gathered to fight it out to see who is top dog with the prize being ultimate power. Unfortunately, this didn’t work as well for me as the other books did. I never really felt like Gary was in this power league. Gary is great for a one liner and he often thinks of very clever things to do, but this came down to a raw power match and that really isn’t Merciless—except that somehow he keeps finding the raw power to win.
The best part of this story is actually the introduction into this series of Jane Doe from Phipps other series that starts with I Was a Teenage Weredeer. I absolutely love that series and it was nice to see her again. Write some more Bright Falls Mysteries Mr. Phipps.
The best part of this story is actually the introduction into this series of Jane Doe from Phipps other series that starts with I Was a Teenage Weredeer. I absolutely love that series and it was nice to see her again. Write some more Bright Falls Mysteries Mr. Phipps.
February 10, 2023
I love the characters that Phipps creates and especially, their dialogue. For that reason, I really enjoy the audio version. How the characters interact with each other is hysterical but, along with the humor, you will also find their dark undertones.
Reminds me of the TV series, The Boyz. Frequently the story and characters are way over the top (my favorite part about them) but their strange and bizarre super powers, and how they use them to inflict real damage on each others, keeps these fantasy stories from Phipps out of the unicorn and rainbow world.
Reminds me of the TV series, The Boyz. Frequently the story and characters are way over the top (my favorite part about them) but their strange and bizarre super powers, and how they use them to inflict real damage on each others, keeps these fantasy stories from Phipps out of the unicorn and rainbow world.
February 9, 2021
Ripped from the pages of the classic comic book era, Gary is an old fashioned kind of supervillain in a town that makes DC's Gotham look like Sunnydale Farm. Author CT Phipps takes us on a romp through the tropes of superheroes and villains in his Supervillainy series, pulling no punches and sparing no genre. He concusses the crap out of everything from adventure novels to zombies, adult films to G-rated fluff. No franchise or fandom is safe! Sit back and enjoy every BAM, POW, and SPLAT.
February 1, 2023
If your idea of a good time is a welter of pop culture references and goofy superhero soap opera, this series might be for you. Supervillain Merciless, Gary Karkofsky to his friends, is stuck debating whether or not to become a superhero, but gets sidetracked into a multiversal combat tournament. The battles to the death take a back seat to the personal calamities and family discussions. Often pretty funny, though Phipps does rely too much on references to our dull old world.
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