This is a gem of a novella! It's clever, sly, funny, and insightful, and trust me when I say it deserves a moment of your time to properly delve into its unique and entertaining setup.

Picture this: superheroes and supervillains with the most ridiculous names and the quirkiest superpowers. We've got "Origami Man," "Bemused Girl," and even "Chesty Cough Girl." They face the same everyday struggles as any of us, like finding the perfect lair, paying for their fission reactor and destructo beams, and, of course, keeping the noise down to avoid irritating the neighbors. It's hilarious, no doubt, although others have explored this humor before. But let me tell you, the real delight lies elsewhere.

Amidst this superhero chaos, we encounter cats. But not your ordinary feline companions. These cats are the guardians of all the tropes, memes, and conventions of the comic book and superhero genres. They ensure that the narrative laws are upheld. Take, for instance, Continuity Leopard, who ensures that the story's continuity is never compromised. When our heroes find themselves on the first floor of a building, attempting a daring escape through a back window that mysteriously sits fifteen stories above the ground, Continuity Leopard simply shrugs and brings the window down to ground level, preserving the continuity of the tale.

The brilliance lies in the cats' presence throughout the story, not as characters, but as shepherds guiding the narrative. There's Correct Punctuation Lion, who, as the name suggests, ensures that proper punctuation is maintained. Tangent Tiger keeps track of sub-plots, while Narrative Pace Cougar nudges the heroes forward if the action starts to lose momentum. And let's not forget the sad house cat responsible for the most obscure references imaginable, a task that proves impossible since readers either resent them for being too obscure or they're no longer obscure enough if too many people get them.

Now, the plot itself isn't groundbreaking. It's your classic hero versus villain scenario. But the plot serves as a canvas for the characters to truly shine. The interactions between these characters, aware that they exist within the confines of a book, are captivating. They engage with the cats, who ever so diligently oversee the story's progression. At one point, they even question whether they can trust the author's competence to properly execute the writing project.

This book is a hilarious and clever take on superhero fiction. It features funny names, powers, and witty commentary. If you enjoy playful stories, this is a must-read. (Disclaimer: I received a free copy and my review is unbiased.)

DNF'd

While I can see it's appeal for people who love spoof-comedies and parodies, this wasn't for me. I went in expecting a semi-serious story, with a plot and interesting characters, but I felt that it relied too heavily on the "humour" and lacked any real plotting/characterisation/setting.

A very interesting book, loved and really enjoyed the reading. Strongly recommend the book if you are into page turning books.

Not for me, I'm afraid - I liked the idea, but didn't manage to get going at all.

This sounds like a job for ... Technicality Man?

When Alchemisto, an old-school villain, turns all water into blood and the world doesn't go back to normal after the elaborately choreographed fight sequence, it's up to Technicality Man to save the world. I don't know if anyone is more surprised than Technicality Man when he actually does save the world.

After this unlikely triumph, Technicality Man decides he can't go back to mediocrity so he interviews potential sidekicks to put together his own team, Contractually Obliged Multi-Powered Superentities Combating Imperativeness, or COMPSCI.

Can superheroes and supervillains unite against a common enemy set to destroy the Laws of Narrative Practice? Who's catnapping all of the cats? Who's playing that ominous background music? Oh, and what time is my interview for a place on a super team?

What Scream did for horror movies, The Adventures of Technicality Man does for superheroes and supervillains. I loved this book! Jessica Meats has taken the Mickey out of every superhero/villain cliché you can think of and more! It's a quick and easy read, but it's so funny and clever. I just wish I'd thought of the concept first as this book would have been just as much fun to write as it was to read.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley (thank you so much to NetGalley for the opportunity) in exchange for honest feedback. This is a super spoof and should be in the hands of super fans, young and not so young, everywhere. Just don't mention Superm...!

I love superheroes.

And I love superhero stories.

Superheroes have been written so long that the parodies have parodies. So I really love creative superhero stories where the writer is able to come up with fresh, new superhero ideas with fresh, new plots.

And these superheroes are creative. They are often very meta. This book is almost a study of superhero tropes woven into a story narrative.

I love the fact that the villains attempt to deconstruct the basic superhero story - because without doing that, the superheroes always win, right?

Really funny and interesting, albeit a little bit all over the place. I love how it breaks all the fourth wall and a satire towards the popular superhero genre movies. I wish we got longer pages, so everything can be more fleshed out instead of not fully resolved. I also feel like it would work better in graphic novels, seeing the characters costume and expression would add extra depth into the story.

This was a lot of fun but there just wasn't quite enough depth to it. I absolutely love superhero parodies and fourth-wall-breaking - I mean I'm a Deadpool fan, it kind of comes with the territory - so I really enjoyed the concept here. But I felt like, as with so many short stories, the whole thing was a bit rushed. Still it was a really clever idea and a very short read so I would definitely recommend it. I loved the different cats like Continuity Leopard that keep the stories going and I liked all the ridiculous superpowers that the characters had. The fact that Bemused Girl's superpower is basically forcing people to waste time mansplaining things to her is absolutely amazing.

I have to admit this isn’t a book for everyone, I feel it might be a love it or loathe it kind of deal. I personally loved it. It took the mickey out of all those superhero cliches, including how no matter what how the villain want to end the world, they are always defeated and everything goes back to normal (if only that was the case in real life!).
I found myself laughing out loud reading this book, with characters like Origami Man (who can created almost anything out of paper), Bemused Girl (who asks questions which you always have to answer), Chesty Cough Girl (who can clear a room with a single cough) and Technicality Man himself (with super powered pedantry) how could I not?
Also there is cast of cats (yes you read that right cats) who’s job it is to keep the superhero stories on track like the Continuity Leopard, the Correct Punctuation Lion and the Narrative Pace Cougar and many more!
It’s only a short book with only fourteen chapters and an epilogue perfect for a boring commute or long bus ride.
I would love to see more adventures from technicality man or perhaps even a comic.
If you’re looking for a book that’s a bit of lighthearted fun, this is definitely for you.

Such a funny story!! Be prepared to chill out with a hitchhiker's guide-like vibe, with all the usual superhero tropes (with a spin). Read it in one sitting. Highly recommended.

Ehhhhh..... I finished it, so it wasn't absolutely horrible. Did not hold my attention very well, a bit hard to follow. Thank you for the opportunity to read it though!

This was an interesting read that I was not expecting. At first I really enjoyed the puns that were throughout this book. It was unlike anything I have ever read. The book is playing with the conventions of stories and is really parodying the way many people write or in this case superhero stories. Some of the names are quite enjoyable such as Good for Nothing Boy (a sidekick character), Tangent Tiger (there are some writers that need to get rid of this guy), Alchemisto, Alchemistress, Origami Man, etc.

When a group of villains start to go against the natural order of the stories, Technicality Man has to join forces with the other good guys and some villains to get the stories back in order. It was quite funny to see the author play with these conventions. For instance big cats are the guardians of the stories and are the ones that control what is happening. There is a punctuation cat that controls punctuation throughout stories. When this cat is stolen the punctuation starts to mess up.

I think that this was a creative idea though there were times that I lost interest while reading. The ending was great and funny. All together this was a story that I am glad that I read. I love stories that play with the conventions of stories and break the fourth wall.

In a word full of superheroes, it’s important not to neglect the literary ones. Technicality Man might not be the equivalent of Superman—or even Aquaman—but he’s got Continuity Leopard on his side, and sometimes that’s enough. And then there’s times like this story, when there’s a menace so large even the bad guys join the right side.
This is a silly story, but it’s meant to be silly; anyone who takes it seriously has totally missed the point. This is a cute fun indulgence on a lazy afternoon. There should be a new word for the level of meta this went to, like ultra-meta or such.
Now I’m gonna go lie down and think of some ridiculous superhero names. . .
3.5 pushed up to 4/5

Considering my love of meta/satirical scifi ( as evidenced by my love of How To Live Safely In A Science Fictional Universe and Redshirts) its no surprise I loved this little novella about the very meta Technicality man and his team saving the very fabric of stories. It is well aware of the tropes in scifi and action stories and uses them vey well - I liked the cats as well, who control the stories continuity and punctuation. Its a very funny, meta story thats great for scifi nerds. The characters and world is surprisingly fleshed out, and the story is well paced and hilarious (throw away reference to gay sex fanfic and everything).
I loved this.

I was sucked in right away, and lost interest nearly as fast. It's funny, and some people might love it all the way through. It's a satirical look and superhero stories, along with the super-villains. It just didn't hold me.

What a hoot! I loved this book from the first sentence to the last. Well, that's a lie, the title already got me hooked. If it doesn't elecit a chuckle or at the very least a curious smile from you, this book is probably not for you.
It is a rather short read and I very much wished for a longer version when it was over, but there is not a line too much in this small volume, which might make it even funnier than it might otherwise have been as the puns come quick and hilarious.
However, I now demand a sequel. The Laws of Narrative Practice surely must require at least one... The author gets all available thumbs up from me, great read. Very happy to have found this through Netgalley, thank you!

Well bless it's heart. I did start off really enjoy this one – despite there being many, many superhero spoofs out there it came up with some original and funny gags – but it felt like the joke went on too long, and nothing kills comedy like padding.

Perhaps I'm the problem, though. Terry Pratchett was the king of this sort of comic genre literature and I've always had a love/hate relationship with his work; the impressive world-building and genuine insight are always at odds with the tendency to overextend a gag or for the comedy to undermine the tension and plot – all criticisms I could level at this book.

Were it not for the sex references I'd have said it was a great book for kids; whatever its faults, the book's got a winning joi de vivre that I think kids would get into. I'd love to read a children's book by the same author.

"The Adventures of Technicality Man" is a weak novella that would have made a terrific short story. The cover is gorgeous though.

Ah, The Adventures of Technicality Man, a book I picked up on NetGalley due to the comic bookish cover and the satirical and corny description.

It was pretty much what I expected, but also not completely so, basically a play on comic book heroes and stories in general. The good guys and the bad guys play their parts, all with clever and highly descriptive names: Technicality Man, Origami Man, Chesty Cough Girl, to name a few. And yeah, their powers are exactly what their names imply. The girl is hilarious, her superpower is to appear highly contagious, which scares off guards and minions.

The other characters, besides the named heroes and villains, are several named cats who are responsible for all normal story conventions. Their names, of course, have everything to do with the elements of the story they control. I thought they were a bit clever and got a kick out of how the heroes knew when one was around or, in one case, summoned one to help them.

It’s not a terribly deep story, but it is amusing. I got through it in a few days, so there’s enough to entertain, but it is short enough to finish in a sitting in an afternoon. Good for a laugh or two if you’re familiar with comic book or hero stories and are game for a laugh or two at their expense.

Overall, I liked the story. It was amusing, clever in places, and light. I’d recommend it to folks who enjoy stories that poke fun at common themes by using those themes in the most obvious of ways. Good stuff.

I received the review copy of this book from NetGalley. This review was written for my blog, I read too much!