Fid’s Crusade by David H. Reiss || Superhero Trope Flipped On Its Head

Fid's Crusade (The Chronicles of Fid #1)

Rage, grief and guilt have fueled Doctor Fid's endless quest to punish the unworthy and he has left a long trail of blood and misery in his wake. For more than two decades, the sight of the villain's powered armor has struck fear into the hearts of hero and civilian alike! But when a personal tragedy motivates Doctor Fid to investigate a crime, he uncovers a plot so heinous that even he is taken aback.

Haunted by painful memories and profound guilt, the veteran supervillain must race against time if he is to have any hope of confronting the approaching threat. Every battle takes its toll...but the stakes are too high for retreat to be an option.

In the end, it may take a villain to save the world from those entrusted with the world's protection.

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Perfect for readers who want:

• Superhero fiction for adults.
• Complicated, nuanced characters.
• Antiheroes and a complicated narrative about what makes heroes and villains.
• A subtle narrative on society and hero worship.

Many thanks to the author and TheWriteReads for a copy in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

I have been forever asking for more adult superhero books, so it felt almost like fate when this popped up in BBNYA last year! I kept crossing my fingers that I’d be able to read the full book in the finals. So I was excited to be able to do just that. BBNYA is a yearly competition where book bloggers from all over the world read and score books written by indie authors, and Fid’s Crusade actually placed in second place.

Fid’s Crusade takes the superhero trope and turns it on its head. It’s filled with relatable, nuanced characters, antiheroes, superpowers, and plenty of scenes that will tug your heartstrings.

There were some problems for me in reading this book, like the way the scenes jump in time, which made it hard to follow. I tend to struggle with non-linear timelines in general, though. I also really wanted more solid world-building to really shore up this world they live in. However, even with those little qualms, this book was just enjoyable. Best of all, it’s part of a series, which means there are more adult superhero books to check out (which I will definitely be doing … eventually).

If you are an author and wish to learn more about the 2021 BBNYA competition, you can visit the official website (https://www.bbnya.com/) or our Twitter account, @BBNYA_Official. If you would like to sign-up and enter your book, you can find the BBNYA 2021 AUTHOR SIGN UP FORM HERE. Please make sure to carefully read our terms and conditions before entering. 

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BBNYA is brought to you in association with the Folio Society (If you love beautiful books you NEED to check out their website!) And the book blogger support group TheWriteReads.

Fid’s Crusade is a superhero book meant for adults, and that shows in the subtlety and nuance from which the author approaches the subject.

Is Fid a supervillain … or a superhero? Well, the truth is he’s a little of both. This is by far my favorite thing about Fid’s Crusade. The line between superhero and supervillain is ridiculously thin and, in some places, doesn’t really even exist, does it? The different conversations that arise from this are absolutely *chef’s kiss*. Reiss manages to weave a compelling narrative into the story that will make you question everything you thought you knew about the line between right and wrong, and I absolutely love that in a book.

Fid is not a likable character, and he’s really not meant to be. He’s a villain and he knows it … but does a villain always have to do bad things? Can a villain never do the right thing just because they can? Does being a villain need to be a lonely endeavor for the friendless?

I mean … I actually tend to love unlikable characters, because I’m just that sort of broken, I suppose? So I may not be the most reliable person here. The truth is that Fid does bad things … but he also does good things. Because being human is complicated. Reiss does a fabulous job of capturing that nuance of character as well as all the different things that can influence one’s choices.

Even though the characters in this book make questionable moral decisions, readers will absolutely fall for them.

I’m not just saying that because I happen to like characters that are a hot mess, either. But okay, maybe a little of that, too. Fid isn’t necessarily a bad person … he’s just done bad things. He’s not pretending that he hasn’t or that he won’t do bad things again, which is sort of refreshing. Fid is remarkably self-aware in that sense.

It isn’t just Fid, though. There are plenty of other side characters who, unlike Fid, aren’t necessarily bad people. There’s this really weird juxtaposition of what society tells us a villain should be like and how Fid actually is that a lot of these side characters are forced to wrestle with, which is even more interesting.

Also, wait until you meet Whisper! No, really, just … wait. All I intend to tell you is that she is absolutely adorable (and maybe a little scary in her own right, but in a cute way). It is utterly impossible not to love Whisper, though. Prove me wrong!

There’s a little bit of something for everyone in terms of the superpowers that exist in this world. Of course, this makes all the fight scenes all the more interesting!

Fid himself is basically like Iron Man. Except, you know, better at keeping the secret in secret identities. His powers are based on technology, and it’s interesting to see what technology he’s able to come up with. What he’s able to do is very futuristic sci-fi, but it brings a fun element to the fight scenes. Plus, Fid is ridiculously smart (a genius, actually) and his powers of logic and deduction allow him to stage fights in different ways.

There are superheroes with honest-to-goodness powers, though. Fid just … happens to not be one of them? Which makes his character and role almost more interesting, because he inserted himself into this life. The different powers keep fight scenes dynamic and interesting, though, and it was fun seeing what would pop up next.

Fid’s Crusade doesn’t have a linear timeline. Instead, the narrative jumps back and forth between different times in order to tell the story with no real demarcation between them, which can be difficult to follow at times.

This really depends on you as a reader. If you’re good at following timelines, this won’t be an issue for you. It’s done well in terms of guarding its secrets and waiting until just the right time to reveal twists and surprises. For me personally, I tend to struggle with non-linear timelines in the best of times, but I found myself constantly lost as to when a scene was supposed to take place, and by the time I got my footing, we would jump time again. This made it a little difficult for me to keep in mind when everything happened and where we were in the story.

I really wanted a bit more world-building and fleshing out of the world so that new elements of it weren’t quite as much of a surprise when they came up.

Little things kept throwing me. I thought I knew the world (okay, superheroes, tech suit, got it!). However, more and more elements I wasn’t aware of would be introduced in ways that made it seem like the reader should already know this was a thing. Like aliens. Just casually dropped in there. Or different kinds of technology that are mentioned so casually that it’s almost like, well, duh, of course these exist here. Except I had no idea. I struggled to get a firm grasp on what exactly this world looks like and all the different facets of it.

About David H. Reiss

While growing up, David was that weird kid with his nose in a book and his head in the clouds. He was the table-top role-playing game geek, the comic-book nerd, the story-teller and dreamer. 

Fortunately, he hasn't changed much.

David is a software engineer by trade and a long-time sci-fi and fantasy devotee by passion, and he lives in Silicon Valley with his partner of twenty-eight years. Until recently, he also shared his life with a disturbingly spoiled cat named Freya.

(Farewell, little huntress. You were loved. You are missed.)

Fear not…Two new kittens have since crept into the household and are working tirelessly to repair the hole left in the author’s heart.

David's first trilogy, the Chronicles of Fid, has just recently been completed; these were his first novel-length projects, but they certainly won't be his last—he's having far too much fun!

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