Forging Hephaestus

Forging Hephaestus is a fantastic book about a tenuous treaty between superheroes and villains in a four-color world.

Hephaestus AKA Tori Rivas is a new supervillain and is learning the ropes from the most powerful one of them all, Fornax. Fornax is a lot nicer guy than you'd expect from the most terrifying of all villains, which shows this world is a lot more complicated than it seems.

I love the complexity, deep characterization, and thickness of this book. It’s over six hundred pages and full of fantastic details about a complicated but believable superhero world. By the end, I… show more.

Here we follow Tori as she’s scooped up by the Villain’s Guild and given two choices: apprentice or die. And so Tori finds herself apprenticed out, forced to work in corporate America, plan heists on the side, and dodge the Heroes intent on nabbing her. Drew Hayes is a master of world-building. His dry sense of humor coupled with his expansive imagination on powers, super or magic or mutant, blows my mind. I love pretty much all the characters—how complex and authentic they read. I also love how Hayes’ writing often gets you to examine your own inherent prejudices. Who… show more.

Another one where you're probably looking at me skeptically. Superpowers—no, supervillains—are supposed to help with that Tamora Pierce craving? Strong female characters are Pierce's calling card and Drew Hayes delivers. Tori is mouthy, stubborn, and clever enough to get herself into a ton of trouble. I found myself holding my breath when she did and thinking through problems with her. Her fierce desire to prove herself echoed my own drive and reignited some ambitions I'd nearly given up on. I didn't go into this novel expecting this kind of depth, but I couldn't get enough! After I… show more.