Fid’s Crusade by David H. Reiss

Rage, grief and guilt have fueled Doctor Fid’s endless quest to punish the unworthy and he has left a long trail of blood and misery in his wake. For more than two decades, the sight of the villain’s powered armor has struck fear into the hearts of hero and civilian alike! But when a personal tragedy motivates Doctor Fid to investigate a crime, he uncovers a plot so heinous that even he is taken aback.

Haunted by painful memories and profound guilt, the veteran supervillain must race against time if he is to have any hope of confronting the approaching threat. Every battle takes its toll…but the stakes are too high for retreat to be an option.

In the end, it may take a villain to save the world from those entrusted with the world’s protection.

Winner of the “Science-Fiction / Fantasy / Horror” category in the 2018 Publishers Weekly BookLife Prize, and IndieBRAG medallion honoree
Alternate cover edition.

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David H. Reiss writes a very good book about the antihero… A super villain who wants to expose the truth about the heroes and the corrosive culture of worship they leave in their wake… His goal: embarrass and disgrace his enemies. Fid!

Most of my interaction with superheroes comes from the pages of comic books and the big screen. These plot usually follow pretty time-tested formula: opening fight, regroup, hone in on the big bad guy, find way to beat the big baddie, mega ending fight scene, curtain drops. Fid’s Crusade spins that formula around a couple times, then turns it on its head.

Fid is smart and witty, and finds that good balance between the angry, the vengeful and the just plain mean. And being a superhero novel allows for a bit more depth in motivation and description of all things evil and shrewd. Lex, Magneto, Doc Doom… for the most part, I’ve seen these guys are one-dimensional, but Reiss does a good job humanizing his character. Does he care about his fellow man? Yes… just watch him try to save the earth!

My only criticism lies in the layout of the exposition. A lot had to be explained about Fid’s alter-ego or “ego” in the real world, and his enemies and the way the world works… I felt like the pace slowed a bit… and a big but, the dashing fight scenes are pretty darn epic. Reiss does an excellent job of playing off the many impressions I and most people have of typical superhero fights.

Fid’s Crusade is a good spin on the superhero, the antihero, and the genre in general. Pick this one up for some fun that fortunately won’t put you in the middle of some evil genius’s plot.

4 out of 5 stars.

Thank you to the author for providing a copy for review.