This was an almost frighteningly realistic view into the mind of a young archvillain-in-progress. Kyle is a super-smart, yet self-absorbed and misanthropic kid who likes to play pranks on people - mostly adults in authority - and is therefore very popular at school. However, when he's caught in a miniature plasma storm that delivers "Mike," a Superman-like alien to his hometown, he finds himself with comparable powers but without Mike's altruistic mindset. Mike ends up overshadowing Kyle, which Kyle just can't handle... and Kyle the archvillain (who is, up through the last page, still convinced that HE is the hero) is born. Highly recommended for fans of the superhero genre looking for something complex and different - and a bit darker. This was a sweet, fun little YA book -- pretty much what I'd expect from author Lyga. Kyle is the smartest middle schooler in the town of Bouring, and as such, he takes it upon himself to try to educate the masses in his hometown by performing elaborate pranks on them. (People need to learn that they take themselves too seriously, in Kyle's opinion.) Then Kyle gets caught in the energy/radiation backlash from what is most decidedly *not* a meteor storm, thank you very much -- and emerges with a whole new range of superpowers. Trouble is, he's not the only kid to appear out of the storm with superpowers. Mighty Mike's got them too -- and, to further complicate things, Kyle is the only one who knows that Mighty Mike is not all he appears to be ...You can't be a lifelong fan of comic books and DC and not understand that this book is the story of Superman, told from Lex Luthor's point of view -- with Supes and Lex both still in middle school. Kyle is a far more sympathetic character than Lex Luthor (mostly because, contrary to what the public thinks, Kyle really *is* just trying to good, at least most of the time). But the obvious comparison made for a fun mix-up of the usual hero/villain dynamic.My only complaint is that this book is apparently the first in a series (which I did not realize), so it doesn't have the strong resolution (or, really, ANY resolution) that I was hoping for. It's a fun, light, quick read, so I'll probably pick up the sequel, but I do hope I don't have to read a dozen more books before any real resolution or character change takes place!
What do You think about Archvillain (2010)?
I really expected to love this one, but the mc was so unsympathetic, I had a hard time.
—ngliana
A very fun read. Like a rack comic book, it went far too quickly.
—lex
Villains are so misunderstood, lol.Entertaining book.
—mookie
