Charles PayseurResenhas

This was the first book I've read in this series, but it won't be my last. Really enjoyed the humor.

Enough of my favourite authors are included to take a chance on buying the whole lot.
Especially with a 30% off voucher :)

Amusing and adorable. Although all I could see when I thought of Rex was the Supervillain from Phineas and Ferb.

http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/736x/4b/79/24/4b7924fd5f97a92a99cd11e4c586749e...

Enough of my favourite authors are included to take a chance on buying the whole lot.
Especially with a 30% off voucher :)

Amusing and adorable. Although all I could see when I thought of Rex was the Supervillain from Phineas and Ferb.

http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/736x/4b/79/24/4b7924fd5f97a92a99cd11e4c586749e...

Superheroes have been around for a while, and of course they exist to fight villains and save the world, but stories from the point of view of the villains – and in this case a supervillain – are relatively new and fairly rare (at least as far as I know). I love the humor of a supervillain trying to do his job – destroying the world - and being regularly stopped by all kinds of superheroes. It’s the world as we know it seen upside down, and that makes for fun reading.

Rex is an accomplished supervillain with lots of creative ideas for causing mischief. His personal life is a disaster area though – none of his previous attempts at a longer-term relationship have survived because his Christmas presents were never right. His new boyfriend, Sanjay, seems so perfect that Rex is scared to lose him. And, based on Rex’s track record, that is what will happen. But as a supervillain, Rex has the perfect solution: all he needs to do is destroy Christmas.

Sanjay seems to know that Rex is a “bad guy” but he doesn’t care. His innocence, naiveness, and lack of any desire to “reform” Rex are as funny as his support is unstoppable. That is precisely what Rex needs in a boyfriend, and they do make a really cute couple. I loved Rex’s vulnerability and insecurity where his relationship with Sanjay is concerned – it made him almost human.

If you like superheroes but want to see the world from their enemies’ point of view for a change, if you think even supervillains deserve a merry Christmas, and if you’re looking for a read that is funny, entertaining, and has some very creative twists and turns, then you will probably like this short story as much as I do. I think it’s a very creative interpretation of what the Christmas spirit is all about.


NOTE: This book was provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews.

This is another excellent collection of winter holiday stories from Dreamspinner Press - they range from historical to contemporary to science fiction and even fantasy/paranormal, and while the majority focuses on Christmas, there are a few with other holidays sprinkled in for good measure.

I particularly enjoyed:
- All I Want for Christmas... Is No Christmas by Colton Aalto
- Bite Night by Clare London
- How the Supervillain Stole Christmas by Charles Payseur
- Krampus Hates Christmas by Andi Van
- Mele Kalikimaka by B.G. Thomas
- The Orpheum Miracle by Pat Henshaw
- Popcorn Garlands by Ariel Tachna
- Teddy Bears by Brandon Witt

But I liked all of them and am already looking forward to the 2017 event!


NOTE: These books were provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review.

Whenever some super-secret organization fighting for the good of anyone who is an underdog is mentioned, I sit up straight. Make it a paranormal or otherwise nonhuman group and I become all ears, leaning forward in my seat to make sure I don’t miss anything. So ‘Fieldwork’ pretty much had me at “CXO” – the Central Xenomorph Organization. Then there is Agent Ignacio who insists on doing a desk job and not just because he is great at tracking financial transactions – he keeps the kind of shifter he is top secret. Then pair him with the CXO’s most dangerous, successful, and utterly charming Agent Reed, a tiger shifter who is merciless in his dealings with terrorists and criminals, and you had me hooked before I read the first sentence of the story.

Ignacio lost his parents to the same criminals he is now helping to bring to justice. The one thing he refuses to do is fieldwork – his parents died during an assignment in the field, and Ignacio believes, due to the type of shifter he is, that he is not suited to working anywhere but in the safety of his office. So when he gets paired up with Reed by a boss who knows his issues, Ignacio is in shock. But his quiet courage, determination to overcome his fears, and mind-boggling ability to save the entire mission prove that appearances are not always the sole deciding factor in someone’s choice of profession.

Reed is self-confident to the point of arrogance, a top agent, and always works alone. His record is the stuff of legends, and he has the attitude to match. But in this case he needs Ignacio’s help –financial transactions and “computer stuff” are not in his arsenal of talents. He respects Ignacio not just because he thinks his fellow agent is a wolf, but when Ignacio has to reveal what his shifter animal is, Ignacio proves he is a bigger man than his somewhat shallow reputation led me to suspect. Absolutely perfect!

It is fair to say that my expectations were pretty high, but Charles Payseur managed to exceed them by far. The combination of a somewhat shy agent with one who could not be more outgoing is very well done, and not just based on Ignacio and Reed’s personalities. The way they think, the secrets they keep, and how they work together all add to the atmosphere of the story. The initial mystery around what Ignacio shifts into, if not a wolf, keeps up the tension until the second it is revealed – only to have the entire mission succeed based on Ignacio’s shifter nature. Very well played indeed!

If you like stories about secret agents and their missions, if you think that two men who could not be more different might just be perfect partners on and off the job, and if you’re looking for a read that is entertaining, full of mystery, suspenseful, and touching, then you will probably love this short story as much as I do. All I can say: more Ignacio and Reed, pretty please!


NOTE: This book was provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review.

FYI Review - This anthology contains the following short stories and original publications:
-"If You Take My Meaning" by Charlie Jane Anders (Tordotcom, February 26, 2020)
-"A Voyage to Queensthroat" by Anya Johanna DeNiro (Strange Horizons, August 2020)
-“Rat and Finch are Friends” by Innocent Chizaram Ilo (Strange Horizons, March 2020)
-“Salt and Iron” by Gem Isherwood (Podcastle, May 2020)
-"The Currant Dumas" by L.D. Lewis (Glitter + Ashes, edited by dave ring)
-“Everquest” by Naomi Kanakia (Lightspeed, October 2020)
-"Portrait of Three Women with an Owl" by Gwen C. Katz (The Future Fire, February 2020)
-“The Ashes of Vivian Firestrike” by Kristen Koopman (Glittership, May 2020)
-“To Balance the Weight of Khalem” by RB Lemberg (Beneath Ceaseless Skies, March 2020)
-“Thin Red Jellies” by Lina Rather (Gigonotosaurus, February 2020)
-“Body, Remember” by Nicasio Andres Reed (Fireside, November 2020)
-“Escaping Dr. Markoff” by Gabriela Santiago (The Dark, March 2020)
"The Last Good Time to Be Alive" by Waverly SM (Reckoning 4, edited by Danika Dinsmore and Arkady Martine)
-“Monsters Never Leave You” by Carlie St. George (Strange Horizons, June 2020)
-"The Wedding After The Bomb" by Brendan Williams-Childs (Catapult, April 2020)
-"8-Bit Free Will" by John Wiswell (Podcastle, November 2020)