J. Conrad Robinson

The best in the series

Revisado: 07-10-22

I’ve listened to all three Striker books & while my personal favorite is the vignette collection of book 2, I think book 3 is the strongest of Vidmar’s published work.

Without providing spoilers, the over arching themes of this work are death & memory—both memories of the dead as well as memories of those who pass through our lives & who we may forget.

While Vidmar explores memory and loss of memory through a variety of different characters, his most interesting way od doing so is via a fascinating thought experiment--a superpowered individual whose power is to make people forget that they were ever there.

While the humor and charm of the previous two books is still here in spades, this is by far the most thematically rewarding and I would suspect for many this could end up being their favorite in the series.

Patrick Boylan continues to be superb narrator providing distinct cadences and tones to almost of the characters & it's actually rather fun to hear him voice Colonel Ray again after she was primarily voiced by Adrianna Gentile in book two. The fact that Gentile is not Boylan's reading companion like she was for the second audiobook is rather unfortunate, but Boylan is capable of carrying the cast on his own (just as he did soo with Book I).

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A superior installment in an on going series

Revisado: 01-26-22

I've already listened to the first book in the Striker series "Elements of Change"--performed by Patrick Boylan alone--& while I enjoyed that work, I think Vidmar's second book is superior to his first.

While the first book in the Striker series is an action super hero story primarily from the viewpoint of eponymous Striker, Vidmar's second work is a collection of vignettes from the viewpoints of several different superheroes (& ordinary people) in several different genres (high fantasy, detective, & slice-of-life drama all get their due). While this means that book two is not quite as funny as book one--I find Striker's sarcasm most enjoyable--I rate it as a superior work.

This audiobook also benefits from the addition of a second reader, Adrianna Gentile, who does a very fine job with each of the characters.

Finally I will note that while listening to the first audiobook would help in one's appreciation of the stories in this audiobook, it is not actually necessary. Vidmar displays a deft enough hand at world building & characterization & Boylan & Gentile are skilled enough readers that listening to the first book is not necessary so if you prefer audiobooks with multiple readers to audiobooks with a single reader, Vidmar's second book has you covered.

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Strong start to a series

Revisado: 09-11-21

I think this is a very impressive first work by an author & heartily recommend it to anyone who is a fan of the superhero genre. If you are fan of the 'Justice League Unlimited' animated series or the manga 'My Hero Academia,' this is a book for you.

The central plot is a bit of a comic cliché--noble superhero who deals with the toll of his profession & confronts a powerful threat who is really a person with a traumatic past, but what makes this book truly enjoyable is not the plot. The main characters in "Elements of Changes," the hero Striker V, his sidekick Tykie, his friend/enemy Erica, & boss Ray are all three dimensional, interesting characters. They are also really funny (or at least first three--Ray tends to be serious).

The book is first person from Striker V's perspective & Vidmar's hero has an absolutely wonderful sense of humor. Jokes are well nigh constant from both Striker V & his companions & I found that most of them landed quite well (Striker V's sarcasm might not appeal to all listeners, but I quite liked it).

The above said, it would be a mistake to interpret this novel as merely a comedy. Vidmar's novel is also about trauma & about work life balance--in a story beat that is both funny as well as genuinely political apropos of 21st century America, one of the heroes in the novel essentially engages in union organizing for better conditions for heroes. For all the sarcasm of Striker V & the world-weariness of Ray, the book is anything but bitter or cynical--the main characters are genuinely concerned with making the world better & the novel affirms that this is possible.

The only substantial criticism I have is that sometimes truly vital character information about the main character, information that is actually vital to fully understanding Striker V, is not made known to the reader until well into the novel. However, this genuine deficit will be removed upon a second listening--something I would recommend.

As to the performance of Patrick Boylan I have almost nothing but praise. Boylan succeeds in making all of the major characters & most of the minor characters come alive in ways unique to each.

Finally, I will note that this is the only superhero audiobook I am aware of whose central hero is LGBT. It is fortunate that such a first is actually an audiobook that is worth listening to both in terms of story & in terms of performance.

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