Jan 12

Jan 12 The Greatest Guy in the World

Author: Ian K
Publisher: Self-published
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This book is self-published by the author. Click here to buy it and support his work.

Note: Trigger warnings are provided for those who need them at the bottom of this page. If you don’t need them and don’t want to risk spoilers, don’t scroll past the full review.

Cover Description

You help people, and they complain. They didn't ask for your help. You don't help people, and they complain. Where were you when they needed you? Everything hurts and life is ugly. What are you going to do now?

Excelsior is the world's greatest and oldest superhero leading the Group of Good, training the Junior League of Law, and of course, saving the world from the Phalanx of Fear. But when the world changes, will he be able to change with it?

TL;DR Review

The Greatest Guy in the World is a fun yet hard-hitting little novella that will squeeze your heart and make you think about what it means to be good.

For you if: You’re looking for a quick, impactful read. Also, you like super heroes.

Full Review

A hundred thanks to my friend Ian, the author of this big-hearted novella, for sending it my way. It brought me smiles, tugged at my heart, and made me think.

The Greatest Guy in the World is the story of super hero Excelsior, the last remaining member of the Group of Good. In their heyday, they were revered by the public as they defended the world from known and unknown dangers, including their nemeses, the Phalanx of Fear. They were good for good’s sake, because being the good guys is the right thing to do.

But now, with his friends gone or retired, it seems Excelsior can do no good. When he helps, the public tells him to butt out. When he doesn’t, they say where were you? Alone, depressed, and questioning his place in the universe, his therapist attempts to help him find his true reason for being.

This novella was SO much fun. The first chapter feels like the opening scene of The Incredibles, with villains and a bank robbery and a super hero and everything. We get some of that peppered throughout in flashbacks, too. The writing is very witty! It made me grin.

But it also packs a punch. What does it mean to be good? Can someone be good for good’s sake? Should they? Can people change? What do we do when our values shift? Who are our people, and what if they … aren’t anymore? Who does that make us?

This novella gives us so much to think about in so few words. I’m so glad to have read it.