In addition to the drolly amusing main plot detailing Doctor Impossible's latest bid for global domination, and the mysterious disappearance of premier hero CoreFire, we get the low down on the all too human tensions among super people. The physical handicaps and mental hangups of superhero life are laid bare. In this world, Blackwolf, the equivalent of Batman, is divorced from Damsel, who is something like Wonder Woman crossed with Supergirl. Time is also found for a couple of delightful meanders into the distant past of two supporting characters. One, a retired superheroine named Regina, is revealed to have been the living inspiration for a successful series of children's novels called Four Children in Elfland. A series which Regina claims is based on what she and her siblings actually experienced. Similarly, but entirely separately, Grossman comes up trumps with a truly interesting character that has no definitive classic comic book analogue; Elphin, the last fairy left on Earth. Still not satisfied with this, the author keeps going right to the last page, with a witty appendix detailing the stats for every character mentioned throughout the story. This is where we find out that former Super Squadron member Go-Man, (the analogue of the Flash), is remembered by the epithet "Faster Than the Speed of Crime."

Taking a literary approach to superhero fiction has been done before, and done well. Path of the Bold by James Louder, and the marvelous Wild Card series edited by George R.R. Martin, trod similar ground. What Austin Grossman brings to the table is a tongue-in-cheek, always entertaining exploration of superhero and super-villain psychology and physiology. Stuff like the pros and cons of having a mini nuclear reactor where your womb used to be, and the burden of being the smartest man on the planet. This is the nitty-gritty of superhero life from the inside, sometimes quite literally. Very occasionally the plot falters, as a character goes into reminiscing mode at an awkward time, and some elements require a super-heroic suspension of disbelief. But the story still works, admirably. Grossman is also to be applauded for his method acting approach to research for this novel. He claims to have had his editor punch him in the jaw four or five times, in order to know what it felt like!