Soon I Will Be Invincible
US cover of Soon I Will Be Invincible
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| Author | Austin Grossman |
|---|---|
| Cover artist | Geoff Spear Chip Kidd Bryan Hitch |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Superhero fiction |
| Publisher | Pantheon Books |
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Publication date
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June 5, 2007 |
| Media type | Print (hardcover) Audiobook |
| Pages | 288 |
| ISBN | |
Soon I Will Be Invincible is a novel by Austin Grossman, published by Pantheon Books and released on June 5, 2007. The novel uses two alternating first person narratives—the first told from the point of view of Fatale, a female cyborg recruited by the superhero group The New Champions as they investigate the disappearance of a superhero named CoreFire. The other narrative is told from the point of view of Dr. Impossible, a supervillain possessing super-human strength and intellect who suffers from Malign Hypercognition Disorder ("evil genius" syndrome). The plot follows Impossible's thirteenth attempt to take over the world after escaping from prison.
The novel—Grossman's first—was written during his tenure as a video game designer. The book uses characters, settings, and storylines generally associated with comic books and superhero fiction, but is written entirely in prose. The story explores how superheroes cope with their powers and interact with one another. The potential motivations and perspectives of supervillains are also examined. Grossman's book has been variously described as clever, engaging, and fun—but overstuffed with comic book tropes. An audiobook was released along with the hardcover edition, while a movie has been in development since 2008.
The novel Soon I Will Be Invincible is the first novel by Austin Grossman, an established video games designer. Grossman had come from a literary family, son of Judith and Allen Grossman and brother of Lev Grossman, which had fostered his ambition to write his own novel. Instead, Grossman accepted a job working in the video game medium which he credited with teaching him to realistically portray creative characters and situations. He always had an interest in the superhero genre, citing Alan Moore and Frank Miller as literary influences. In the mid-1990s, the idea behind what would become his first novel came to him in the form of a supervillain's voice. Grossman spent the next few years casually developing the character that would become Dr. Impossible, adding supporting characters, and writing short stories. By 2006, Penguin's imprint Michael Joseph purchased the publishing rights for the UK, as did Rizzoli for an Italian version. By the time, the book was being published Grossman was 37 years old and had entered the University of California-Berkeley's doctoral program studying English Literature, specializing in Romantic and Victorian literature.
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