Genre
Audience
Author’s Worldview
Year Published
Themes
comedy
Reviewed by
Reporter and comic book fan Ron Engleson wakes up with superpowers! Determined to put his powers to good use helping others, his good intentions soon get him into trouble with the police. But Vern, the local dragon PI, takes him under his wing. Even half-trained, “Gapman” soon finds himself taking on not just gang fights and thieves, but murder-hornets and possessed geese. At least he might finally have a chance with his long-term colleague—and crush. But is she after Ron, Gapman, or just a story?
This superhero origin story is a rib-tickling blend of adventure and laughs.
Vern books are always dependably fun, but Gapman really breathes new life into the series. Ron/Gapman is a fantastic addition to the line-up of characters. He has already featured in the subsequent book, Magic, Mensa, & Mayhem, and will hopefully appear in many more.
What might be mistaken for the main plot does not progress that fast in this book, since the novel is primarily a sequence of (usually hilarious) incidents about Gapman’s attempts to get to grips with being the first superhero in the world. However,the book is an origin story rather than any other genre.
Ron is a charming character, naïve and well-intentioned. It’s satisfying to see his new superhero status allow him to really come into his own as a person. It’s also fun to see Vern’s mentoring side come to the fore. The ending to Ron’s romance was bizarrely satisfying, in a very non-standard sort of way. His mother is a fun character, a very gutsy, determined woman. However, some parents might wish to be aware that mention is made on more than one occasion of her having a pole-dancing past. On the whole, though, the book is appropriate for most teens, although some parents might wish to pre-read.
This book would be suitable for most readers, whether Catholic, Protestant, or secular, who like comic fantasy and/or superhero stories. There is a particularly fun encounter with a (dead) saint that Catholics and some Protestant readers will especially appreciate, along with a few reflections about whether God exists, but in the context of the story, a secular reader could choose to take these as an element of the fantasy world if they so wished.
Highly recommended.
