All My Friends are Superheroes
by Andrew Kaufman

This is a novella about overcoming traps that other people set.

The author has fun with superhero tropes and conventions. The powers are more mundane than special, and sometimes downright awful.

There’s not much world building. The focus is entirely on characters. As a shorter read, I found the most entertainment value from unpredictably wacky concepts and ideas. How the characters accept things as the way they are, that the superheroes aren’t venerated or worshipped, makes it funnier. It’s different from the conventional comic book portrayal of superheros as being a part of a higher echelon of society.

The prose style is very direct and brief. It reminded me of a script, which is explained by Kaufman’s background as a radio producer and filmmaker. I didn’t particularly enjoy it, and I felt it was the weakest part. However, the novelty value makes up for it.

If you want a story with heartwarming moments, and you want to finish it in a couple of sittings, try All My Friends Are Superheroes.

Fun Stats

Word Count: 16348
Average Readability (US Grade Level): 5.75
Percent dialogue: 0.07%