Would you want to live in a world fully at peace? It’s an interesting question that’s been explored by better books (not to mention the movie Serenity). As much as I enjoyed the first few books in this author’s Preternatural Chronicles (which hilariously answers the question: what if Vlad was a beefy, couch surfing oaf?), this book fell completely flat for me.

There were endless monologues by good guys, bad guys, and politicians about whether peace is worth it if freedom is denied. There were heavy handed comments about today’s world going to pot with social media, capitalism, and a host of modern day issues. And, there were constant bits where characters pointed out which TV or movie episode was like the scene they were currently experiencing. While an occasional gag landed well, most of the others just came off like telling rather than showing a superhero object lesson. This was long, and muddled, and dull. The only colorful parts were the descriptions of exploding bodies.

Want a better, funnier story about who is the real hero or bad guy? Watch Megamind

What I wouldn’t give for this book to have the question of peace vs freedom put to Cersei:

I can just hear her choosing violence.