Playing for Keeps

"Playing for Keeps" celebrates the superhero genre with its mighty chisel-chinned heroes and diabolical villains -- and then tosses the most-familiar elements of that setup on its head. The result is a delightful salute (and send up) to comic books; a world in which the good guys aren't as good as their propaganda posters proclaim ... and the villains' mission garners more sympathy than you might expect. The book's Seventh City setting brims with super-folk, many of whom are like Keepsie, the story's lead protagonist. Sporting a power deemed too "passive" to be useful for official crimefighting by the local hero academy, Keepsie is mostly content to run her pub and scowl at the sycophantic TV reports about the city's caped crusaders. But when Seventh City's villains target her as the linchpin in a new conspiracy, Keepsie finds herself in an ethical quandary: she must either help the heroes who rejected her, or cave to the villains' whims... ...or does she? Keepsie and her pals create a third option, which forces them to stick together, stand against heroes and villains, and scrap for their lives. It's a fun, funny and exciting romp, and author Lafferty executes the story brilliantly, crafting a city and denizens so well-defined, you'd think they were pulled from a top-selling four-color comic. Lafferty also deftly explores the ethics of superheroing, and the interpersonal conflicts that arise when blessed with such powers. Perhaps best of all, "Playing for Keeps" reminds us that we can all be heroes -- a relevant and hopeful message for not just fans of the genre, but any reader. Highly recommended.

What makes someone a hero? What are a hero's responsibilities? Heroes are good, right? Who decides who gets to be a hero and who has to stand on the sidelines? Why do they always have super cool powers? Or do they? What do you do when you find yourself on the wrong side of the law? You'll ask yourself these questions and more. I used the podcast version of Playing for Keeps with my Advance English Language Conversation class at a women's university in Seoul, Korea. My students loved the story and found themselves questioning their assumptions about what makes a hero.

The destruction of the myth that superhero stories aren't suited for prose fiction continues with Mur Lafferty's Playing For Keeps. The book, which centers on people who have powers, but not powers that would exactly guarantee them membership in the JLA or the Avengers, combines the humor and humanity of Mystery Men with the superhero deconstruction of Watchmen.

PERSPECTIVE: sci-fi, fantasy, and comic book fan This, Mur Lafferty's first published novel, takes the tropes of comic book-style superheroes and villains, and brilliantly upends them to explore what lies underneath. The world of Playing for Keeps not only contains the previously mentioned costumed characters, but also a group of relatively normal folk - "third wavers" - who have special abilities too esoteric and underpowered to be useful for daring or mischief... or so it seems. What follows is a story that explores the complexities behind what it truly means to be a "hero," even when society has deemed that you are not. Playing for Keeps is at turns epic and human, with everyday, flawed characters that are forced to contend with extraordinary challenges in which there is often no "right answer." Mur's prose is deft and evocative, making this a compelling, engrossing read to the very end. FINAL WORD: A HIGH five of five stars, and a must read not only for fans of genre fiction, but anyone who enjoys an excellent tale. Highest recommendation.

Playing For Keeps Mur Lafferty's first novel is is a super-hero book with a twist. It's not the ones with the capes and masks you'll root for, it's the everyday heroes who are not quite super enough to join the officially sanctioned vigilantes. In Seventh City, the Third Wave of metahumans are mostly working class stiffs like you and me... except that they might be able to call elevators at will, or cook a perfect cheeseburger, or perfectly balance a tray of drinks. These also-rans resent the colorful, photogenic superheroes... and the powerful Academy that sanctions them. When the feisty owner of a local Third Wave watering hole finds herself in the middle of a grudge match between superheroes and their nemeses, Keepsie Branson and her friends discover there's more to Seventh City... and themselves... than they ever imagined. Lafferty has fun with comic book tropes while crafting a truly rousing tale of friendship, sacrifice, and commitment. I was literally cheering out loud by the end.