The first Rules of Supervillainy reviews are in

Here's a collection of some of my favorite reviews about the book so far.

The Bookie Monster's review

I was so nervous to read this book. I know Charles Phipps. He’s read my own books and has made it no secret that he’s a superfan of the Time of Death series (much appreciated Charles!). This is first book I’ve ever read in the superhero genre. To say that it’s way out of my comfort zone would be an understatement. So, I was apprehensive going into the read that I would not be an appropriate target audience for the content. I underestimated Charles’s ability to spin an entertaining tale, and for that, I’m a bit ashamed of my original apprehension.

Sharon Stevenson's Blog

I thought this was a cool idea and I loved the cover so when I got the chance at an ARC I grabbed it! The story is fast paced and sets up the premise and main characters well for future books in the series. There were a lot of characters introduced but the main few were well developed. I liked the sense of humour and the plot was impossible to predict which made for a very entertaining read. I look forward to the second book in the series and am keen to see what this author comes up with next.
Overall this is an excellent read; fast-paced, entertaining and original. I highly recommend this book to fans of urban fantasy and anti-heroes!

Goodreads

In The Rules of Supervillainy, Mr. Phipps takes an unlikable character and somehow makes the reader endeared to him. I say unlikable, because honestly, Merciless (aka Gary Karkofsky) is a self-admitted sociopath who has some very odd rules of engagement. The story is told in first person, so we have the pleasure of being inside the head of our protagonist for the duration. I rather enjoyed this twist in what is the norm for comic book style stories. I kept expecting him to grow a 'normal' conscious and end up falling within the parameters of what is acceptable superhero behavior. At the risk of giving too much away, I will refrain from saying what DOES happen...but it's not what you expect. Which is a good thing when it comes to storytelling.

Goodreads 

The protagonist, Merciless, is charmingly morally bent. He doesn't aim to kill or hurt people, but has no problem taking out people in his path and, in one memorable incident, has a bystander's leg broken for cheering on the antihero who's trying to kill him. He believes that the most villains (including himself) are just out for a score or for thrills, that the worst of the worst should be taken out with extreme prejudice, and that some of the worst villains are that top 1% of the wealthy who don't wield deathrays, but nonetheless create pain and loss in their wake (and there's heavy implications, if not outright statement, those most of these amoral millionaires got where they are via diabolic aid). 

I'm really liking people's response so far!

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