For this task, I think I'm going with some of the great classics that helped establish the hero / villain dichotomy ... as well as its recently most successful reincarnation:

1. Sherlock Holmes vs. Dr. Moriarty (and in pastiches, vs. everybody from Jack the Ripper to Count Dracula ... as well as ... really just everything, including boredom, as BT just reminded us)

2. The Four Musketeers vs. Cardinal Richelieu and Milady

3. Edmond Dantès aka The Count of Monte Cristo vs. the conspirators Mondego, Villefort and Danglars

4. The Hobbits, Gandalf and The Fellowship of the Ring vs. The One Ring, Sauron and Saruman

5. Harry Potter and his friends vs. Lord Voldemort and the Deatheaters

I'm not really sure where to start with this, to tell you the truth. Tara R has put a lot of effort into this, there's clearly an ambitious story she's wanting to tell. Sadly, she's not the kind of writer (yet?) who can pull it off.

She has a hard enough time pulling off basic grammar, punctuation and vocabulary, much less a consistent voice and created culture. I'd given up on this thing by the end of chapter three, but was willing (and eager) for her to win me back -- it's been done before. It's been done in the last week, but this novel just isn't capable of it.

I'd try to describe the book a little, but I'm not sure I can -- it's a dystopian fantasy, a world full of despots using their subjects as cannon fodder. There's magic, to a degree, there's widespread suffering and abuse, there's an idealistic revolutionary or two -- but no golden age to hearken back to. Just an idea (with no observable origin) that the world could be better. But there's no one on this world that's ever seen a better world, so why they'd think there is one is beyond me.

That said, various people -- royalty and commoners both, have senses of humor, moments of joy and joking, and even non-royals get dressed in tuxedos (because what epic fantasy doesn't have guys in tuxes?). In fact, for a dytopian world, it frequently doesn't seem that bad -- except for the people talking about how horrible it is all the time. Again, there's no basis for them to think so given that this is the way the world has always worked.

The various governmental entities, secret societies, and would-be insurrections just don't make sense. Their operation isn't coherent (nor do they fit the setting), their goals are confusing -- and then you get the totally out of the blue and bizarre lecture on DNA and I just gave up. This is a barely educated society, and sure, our protagonist is founding secret schools all over the place, but it's a mighty big leap to go from an agrarian-based culture in a near-constant state of war with only underground schools to people casually discussing genetic manipulation.

Could I have tried harder to understand everything? Maybe -- but I was really searching for something to hold on to, I tried pretty hard. But other than curiosity, there was no reason to -- there's not a single character interesting enough to keep you going, to make you care whether they live, die, or are never mentioned again in any way by the author.

It is simply, and perhaps too bluntly, a disappointing mess.

I'm giving it two stars because I didn't actively hate it. Also, I do think that there's something buried deep down here that's worth looking at, and I really do think that in Tara R's mind, this all makes sense -- she's clearly put the time and thought into it. But she just did not get that to the page. If you're willing to put in the work, you might find the nuggets. But I wouldn't recommend spending your time on it, it's just not worth it.

<i><b>Disclaimer:</b> I was provided with a copy of this by the author in exchange for an honest review, she hopefully doesn't regret that exchange too much.

I was so thrilled that my library has this. I had to wait a while before it came in, but by and large, it was worth the wait. This story is so twisty. The established 'norm' of the Suicide Squad is totally disrupted, and Amanda Waller is forced to call in the Squad to protect her from enemies within the prison. I think that if you didn't get the idea that these folks are not the good guys already, you will get a wakeup call in this volume. Yeah, they are all killers and criminals, and it's not a case of them being a little bit morally compromised, but instead it's how far over the line they really are.

I think this volume was the most creepy to me. Part of it is that sense of paranoia about not knowing who you can trust (yeah, if you're going to trust any of these people, including Waller), but also the fact that Waller is locked in the prison with lots of people who want her dead, and she's not in control of the situation anymore. And one of the few people in her corner is an extremely intelligent psychotic who's semi-obsessed with her.

Waller isn't a nice woman. She's very manipulative and opportunistic, but I kind of felt afraid for her. Yeah, I'm a soft touch.

I really hope this series continues! Can't wait to see what happens next.

A mixed bag of a book.

First, if fanfic is a turnoff for you, be warned there are two stories in here which are basically fanfic, one with the serial numbers filed off and one which relied on the serial numbers to make its point. Maybe it's weird of me, but if I want fanfic, I'll wander the internet. I expect more creativity from a book I paid for.

Now the stories themselves, some I loved, some I enjoyed and immediately forgot, and some had me flipping pages in an effort to get to the next tale. So I'm not going to go story by story and offer my thoughts, since that would take longer than I really want to spend on this one.

I really enjoyed the Hellboy story (which, being by Mignola, is NOT fanfic!) even though I wasn't really sure why it was a Hellboy story - it felt like you could have put any number of characters in his role and the story would not have appreciably changed. But the mood was great and I liked the ending.

Faces of Gemeni might have been my favorite part of the book. It felt just like reading a superhero comic, whereas so many prose superhero stories try to distinguish their style and divorce somewhat from that base. I really felt for the characters and would love more about them and their world.

Manna-Man was hilarious and really sweet at the same time, and The Biggest was a little more comical and a little tragic but still enjoyable.

The book ended strong, as Carrie Vaughn's "Just Cause" set a pace and dragged me happily along. The Rangergirl short made me want to read more of her exploits because I love the aesthetic of a western and this one captured it perfectly. The Pentecostal Home for Flying Children was weird, but weird in a good, quirky way and was the only one in the collection I reread. And Pinktastic and the End of the World was another strong entry that I just really enjoyed.

Overall, it might be worth checking out if you're really into superheroes, but I understand a lot of these stories have appeared in other collections previously, and there's not enough strong and unique here for me to urge you out to buy it.

This felt different from the last books, but then the writer is different. Still loving this series. Still lots of craziness, and violence. Not too gratuitous, thankfully. Some thoughtful stories, one with Deadshot as a young man who is driven by revenge, and another with Harley Quinn reflecting on her life. Both come to realize that they need the Suicide Squad to give them balance. For Harley, it keeps her off the edge of chaos, and for Deadshot, it's a challenge that means more than getting paid.

I am indifferent toward Cheetah as a member. She adds nothing to the team. The Unknown Soldier comes off as a bit of a Waller toady. The addition of Commissioner Gordon's serial killer son is intriguing. He's developed a fixation on Miss Waller.

As usual, you don't get all the story or all the answers. It makes me eager to read the next volume.

My favorites are still Harley Quinn and Deadshot, both conflicted characters who leave you feeling sympathetic, but also kind of guilty that you like them so much.