| Title | : | Sidekicks! |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 1939840015 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9781939840011 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 358 |
| Publication | : | First published March 2, 2013 |
Sidekicks: We know them, and we ignore them. They sit courtside, they wait in the shadows, they ride on the coattails. They have nothing to offer.
Or do they?
Heroes and heroines perform world shaking deeds, but sidekicks? Sidekicks are the unseen glue holding those powerhouses together. They are the backbones. They are the voices of reason.
It's long past time for them to shine.
Here, the fangirls, the trusted associates, the loyal assistants, and the imperiled wards have their moment in the spotlight. Join them as they shake up the world in unexpected and understated ways.
Let the heroes sit this one out. Celebrate the Sidekick!
Sidekicks! Reviews
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Basic Premise: 20 Short stories about sidekicks in all their forms, not necessarily just superheroes.
Well, color me impressed. I've always been a bit leery of independent publishing. I felt that if they can't get published by a "real" book company, how good could it be? Well, apparently I was a book snob and am now beginning to embrace my inner hipster in order to give a shot to independent publishers like Alliteration Ink.
There wasn't a stinker in the whole batch, and all stories stayed on theme. That's more than I can say for some of the other short story anthologies I've read over the years, and by "real" publishers. Some of the stories were more serious, some more humorous, but all focused in on the sidekick-the person who does the grunt work while the hero gets the credit. The power behind the power. Black, white, gay, straight, super, and not-so-super sidekicks are all addressed in this volume. With 20 different stories in the anthology, there's a lot of variety in genre and characters.
I actually bought the physical book (it's also available as an e-book), and found it to be a worthy expenditure of funds. It didn't change my life or anything, but the stories were clearly vetted by an expert editor and were thus of good quality. It was well worth the reading time, too, as all of the stories could be easily read in a single sitting. Kudos to to Alliteration Ink for winning a convert to the side of indie publishing! I'll never sneer again. -
(disclaimer - the editor is a friend of mine)
Sidekicks, deputies, lab assistants, henchmen...Every hero needs them. But what's in it for them? This collection of short stories in a variety of genres takes a look at the loyalty, ambition, moral sense, common sense and sometimes just sheer stubbornness that drives these "second bananas". Some of them talk openly about why they prefer to stay in what seems like a "subordinate" position. Each one is a very different person with very different motivations for what they do. With very few exceptions, I really found these characters really interesting. I enjoyed finding out what made them tick.
Like any group of short stories, there were some that I liked and some I didn't - so three stars for that. The fourth star is for the concept. Sure, some of the stories were a bit predictable, and I think the first story is the strongest, but there were only 2-3 I ended up skimming through. For an anthology, especially one from a small independent press, that's not a bad percentage. -
A great anthology of sidekick stories in many settings: fantasy, science fiction, supers, modern crime, etc. Any anthology is going to have some stories strike better chords than others, and probably the stories that resonated most with me won't be the same for other readers. But I enjoyed the diversity of the stories, the innovative thread that tied them together, and the ones that did strike the best chords with me made the anthology at the price rate five stars.
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Full disclosure: I purchased this book because one of my closest friends is a contributing author. That being said, I was excited to get it, as it looked like something I would generally enjoy anyway! It was all that I wanted, and more- the wide array of "sidekicks" portrayed in this anthology was truly impressive. I expected basically all superhero stuff, but no- not at all. From political revolutions to out-of-work sidekicks to shapeshifters, this really ran the gamut of what to expect from a sidekick. Stories exciting, heartbreaking, and filled with intrigue populate this anthology- and I enjoyed pretty much every single one!
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As I've said before, there should be two tiers to the ratings: How much I liked it and How well it was written.
Each story in SIDEKICKS! was well written, with a wide range of tones and a variety of definitions of "sidekick". Anyone who enjoys action heroes and comics/graphic novels will be particularly pleased with this collection.
I bought the book for a variety of reasons, and I wasn't disappointed. I liked it, I just didn't way like it. -
A really clever and broad ranging collection of short stories. I like that they spread the definition of sidekick a little, and explored different aspects/methods of sidekicking (from romance to the evil/good divide to sidekicking for sidekicks). Very cool, very enjoyable.
