GUEST POST: "Annihilation Day" by Alex Flynn

While The Misshapes: The Coming Storm, and The Misshapes: Annihilation Day, may be part one and two of a three-part trilogy, the writing process between the two books couldn't have been more different. The Coming Storm had a long process to wrestle with the divine flash of inspiration, the initial charge of realizing that you can create a whole weird world from scratch, the wonderful feeling that you can make jokes and have thrills even when you're playing around with the idea of "What if you're not the chosen one?"

Annihilation Day, on the other hand, had a different road. We were able to write it with the knowledge that it would get published, which was a big comfort. However, in the time we had to write it, we had a series of unfortunate events in our lives: moving, a broken leg, a death in the family. We had to carve out the space to write and focus on The Misshapes during this epoch of our lives. If the first book had the luxury of time, of writing and discussing and rewriting, this book needed discipline. Before we ever put a word on the page, we laid out the whole book. There was brainstorming, giant notepads, outlines, and chapter sketches. The process behind this book felt more akin to being in a writing room for a TV show as opposed to what may be a normal novel-writing process.

The most exciting part about writing Annihilation Day was the fact that we had already set up the world of Sarah and The Misshapes. We're committed to writing an anti-chosen one story, and we had laid out a difficult task in the first book: telling the reader about the protagonist's world, even though, thanks to various twists, this world was lived-in and normal for Sarah. In book two, we had a different path. Doolittle Falls was already built. It had Heroes, Supervillains, Misshapes, and (the much ignored) "Normals" (you know, the powerless). PeriGenomics was twisting its mustache, and we got write about a universe that was far less simple. No more black and white, good and evil; now it was time for shades of grey, for moral choices.

In the history of trilogies, the second book is where the author (singular or, um, plural, in this case) gets a chance to dive deeper into the world, and to go darker. Much of the time, the second book is the villain's book. It's a chance to explore the motives behind the antagonist and a chance to see our heroes not as "the chosen one," but more so as people who are choosing to act in a heroic fashion. Perhaps the ne plus ultra of the second in a series is The Empire Strikes Back, our favorite Star Wars movie. Evil wins in that film. Darkness falls over the empire. The heroes (or Misshapes, in this case) are losing.

For The Misshapes, Annihilation Day means that there's some growing up ahead. Alliances change. Struggles emerge. And our central character, Sarah Robertson, explores the mystery that's shaped much of her life: is her mother -- a former Hero turned Supervillain -- really a force of evil? Is the narrative around Lady Oblivion the truth, or is it a cover-up? 

If The Coming Storm was about a young girl learning about her power, no matter how silly or useless it seems to be, then Annihilation Day is about an older, wiser Sarah using that power to become a superhero. Her path may be knottier and weirder than the average touched-by-powers teen, but the result is funny and heartbreaking in equal measures. It's as if the resulting book echoed our strange process of writing it.

But one thing we can guarantee from Annihilation Day is this: there's weirder weather ahead, including the debut of the fire tornado.

Alex Flynn is the pseudonym for the writing team of Stuart Sherman and Elisabeth Donnelly. They met at a clandestine book club in Boston, where they broke into a fortified tower in order to discuss literature. They like garrulous Irish writers, Pushing Daisies, and anything involving The Tick, from the comic book to the short-lived series with Patrick Warburton. Their secret lair is currently in a hollowed out volcano in Brooklyn.

Click here to see them face the 7 Questions.

Click here to read my review of The Misshapes

Book Review: THE MISSHAPES by Alex Flynn

First Paragraph: I don’t remember how old I was the first time I saw a man fly. I was very small; I remember that much. My arms were tightly locked around my dad’s neck. He was giving me a piggyback ride through our perfectly ordinary town center. It was a crisp and cold fall day. Our heads craned upward as we tried to name the various clouds in the sky, giving them shapes, personalities, and identities. Mom still lived with us. I didn’t know about her abilities yet.

Quick Note: I don't think this YA book quite qualifies for the big red warning I throw up when I review hardcore cannibals-eating-and-raping-everybody-Mike-Mullin-style YA, but despite being kid-friendly, The Misshapes is not middle grade. There's some language and adult themes, but if a child sat through The Dark Knight (and they should, or their parents have failed them), they should have no trouble with The Misshapes. 

Do you love superheroes, Esteemed Reader? Unless this is your first time reading this blog, you know I do. Writing a superhero novel is one of the top items on my bucket list (Banneker Bones has no super powers, alas), and whatever the story, if a character has superpowers, I'm interested. 

The trick in writing about characters with superpowers is the same as writing about magic or zombies or any other subject. First, invest the reader in the character, then you can put them in whatever compelling situation you choose and pages will be turned. That's what I love about The Misshapes and particularly the paragraph above, which is one of the best opening paragraphs I've ever read.

Alex Flynn first hooks us with the situation in sentence one: this is a world in which people can fly--or we'd be hearing about the time Sarah saw a man fly rather than just the first time. As a comic book junkie, I'm hooked at least enough to read to the end of the first chapter, but then Flynn sets the hook with the last sentence. Mom is apparently gone--not dead, but gone--and she also has abilities. Things just got personal. I'm interested in the world of the story and I'm now interested in our protagonist, Sarah Robertson, whose mother has left her and who may have inherited superpowers. 

16-year-old Sarah Robertson does indeed have superpowers, She's pretty much teenage Storm:

I flipped the switch on the humidifier. The plastic mechanism inside it whirred. A warm skein of moist air poured out of the nozzle. I waved my hand through it a couple of times and tried to focus my emotions on the jet. With a small dark thought and a little tension in my muscles, I was able to shepherd the rising moisture and form a small cloud. It looked like a floating pile of marshmallows.

How much fun is that? If you're like me, Esteemed Reader, you're hooked already and there's no need for you to read the rest of this review. Go ahead and buy your copy of The Misshapes. You can always come back and read this later:) And you'll be glad you did. The Misshapes is a fun book with a lot of heart and some truly interesting characters. 

Sarah lives in a world where superheros and villains are an everyday thing. Rather than concocting a scheme in which everyone in the town of Doolittle Falls is bitten by a radioactive spider, Alex Flynn has a much simpler explanation:

Mom said that Heroes have been around since the dawn of time. Throughout the ages, people have held them in high esteem and great disdain, depending on whether they’re fighting in a war or trying to rule a country.

Some of the national celebrities wear their capes around town, like Freedom Man, but almost everyone else Clark Kents it. Mom explained it like this: Everyone is born without powers, but as they grow older, they develop. And once puberty hits, boom, you’re a full-on one-person crime-fighting machine. Or, in some cases, crime-causing. But until that point, you’re in limbo, with some traces of powers to come. Some may find that they can control the elements, like turning rocks into liquid. Others may just be able to fly, although very few can without some assisted propulsion.

She tried to explain how superpowers happened once. They’re the result of a small rogue chromosome that broke off from the rest of the genes thousands of years ago. That was all well and good, but when some virus interacted with this chromosome, it transformed it into a source of potential superpowers. That’s how Heroes came into existence, and that’s how they marry other Heroes and they pass down powerful powers from kid to kid. The process of finding out who was going to have awesome powers, the right kind of powers, was similar to finding a prima ballerina. Prima ballerinas are discovered when they’re young, when experts check the make of their feet and their legs to determine whether they’ll develop into sylphs that you can throw around.

So there you have it. We've got a town full of superheros and you just know that sooner or later some villains are going to present themselves. There's some dark threats on the horizon that will likely follow Sarah into the sequels, assuming there will be some (don't worry-there's no cliffhanger ending, just room for more story if readers want it).

Comparisons to Harry Potter are inevitable to most middle grade and young adult books written A.R. (After Rowling). I'm not about to tell you The Misshapes is basically Harry Potter with superheroes instead of wizards, nor is it the book version of Sky High. It's its own thing. Oh sure, the superheroes play a game that very much reminded me of quidditch, but more complicated and without brooms. But in some ways, Sarah Robertson is kind of the anti-Harry Potter, or Bizzaro Harry, if you will:)

Why do I say this? Well, Sarah's parents weren't killed by a super-villain. Sort of the opposite (or bizzaro-site):

I was rudely awoken by the sound of Megan’s whiskey-tinged drawl. “Well, well, well, if it isn’t the Bane of Innsmouth’s little daughter. Oh, and let’s not forget, the sister of Stupor Man.” She lowered her sunglasses and glared at me. “You know no one wants you here. Half their parents tried to kill your mom, and with your brother drunk all the time your family doesn’t have the best rep.” It was a rude awakening, to say the least.

That's a coincidence, you say? Could be. But then Sarah gets a letter (true, it's not delivered by an owl) from the superhero Hogwarts uninviting her to attend. She actually gets it at a superhero party and is shamed in front of the group she most wants to be part of rather than triumphing over the family that's done her wrong. Doomed to never become a proper superhero (or is she...), Sarah becomes a Misshape.

I don't know if this Harry Potter stuff really holds up, so I'll drop it. Just struck me as interesting as all.

The Misshapes is a hilarious book perfect for fans of The Tick and other humorous superhero stories. Some of the powers, such as one boy's ability to conjure back-up singers, kept me chuckling and turning pages to the end. And there's plenty of social satire and a metaphorical discussion on class--lots of those going around now that America is at peak inequality. I had a good time making my way through this book and you will too.

As always, I'll leave you with some of my favorite passages from The Misshapes:


Even though there are a lot of Heroes in this town, parents are still pretty mistrusting of strangers. A town with Heroes can draw villains out of the woodwork.

Luke yelled after us as we made our way to the stands, “You should come to my place after the game. I mean, my parents’ place. They’re not home and …” He stopped and started again. “I’m having an after-party. You should come.” 
“Can my friends come or is this a party of two, Luke?” said Christie. 
He turned bright red. “No. I mean yes. Of course they can.” 
She smiled at him and he melted to the floor. Not literally though. That power would be gross.

The more I looked at her, the more I realized that even though she was a Normal, she totally had superpowers—she was super hot, she was super rich, and she lived in this super neighborhood.

Professor Cyclopso is so creepy. He always stares at the girls with his one eye.


STANDARD DISCLAIMER: All reviews here will be written to highlight a book’s positive qualities. It is my policy that if I don’t have something nice to say online, I won’t say anything at all (usually). I’ll leave you to discover the negative qualities of each week’s book on your own. 

7 Questions For: Author(s) Alex Flynn

Alex Flynn is the pseudonym for the writing team of Stuart Sherman and Elisabeth Donnelly. They met at a clandestine book club in Boston, where they broke into a fortified tower in order to discuss literature. They like garrulous Irish writers, Pushing Daisies, and anything involving The Tick, from the comic book to the short-lived series with Patrick Warburton. Their secret lair is currently in a hollowed out volcano in Brooklyn.

Their book, The Misshapes, launches in print today! Pick up a copy at Barnes and Noble or Indie Bound. 

And now Alex Flynn faces the 7 Questions:



Question Seven: What are your top three favorite books?

Only three, that’s unpossible! We moved recently and our books were taking all of the room. But if we have to choose 3 between the two of us, let’s pick Housekeeping by Marilynne Robinson, The White Boy Shuffle by Paul Beatty, and James Joyce's Ulysses.

Question Six: How much time do you spend each week writing? Reading?

Depends on the week. We also both write a lot of non-fiction stuff for work (Elisabeth is an editor at Flavowire and Stu is the director of a bioethics Task Force), so probably another 25 hours on top of that. We usually try to spend at least an hour a day writing fiction and 2-3 a day on weekends, so 11 hours or so, which includes editing. That's average, some are much more and some are much less. We probably each read a book or two a week, tomes, and a huge amount of essays and articles. Maybe 40 hours or more a week reading. 

Question Five: What was the path that led you to publication?

Circuitous to say the least. We went through the agent roundelay after 100 or so queries we got a lot of interest but no bites. We were considering self-publishing when I saw Jason post that he was starting Polis Books. We sent a query and some sample chapters and that's what started the ball rolling. Originally it was going to be an e-book, but there was enough interest to put it in print, which we’re absolutely thrilled about!

Question Four: Do you believe writers are born, taught or both? Which was true for you?

Hmm, probably a little of both. Bio-psycho-social if you will. Stu’s grand theory is that storytellers are born and writers are taught. There are just some people who are natural storytellers, without having to understand plot structure or how the engage a reader, you can just listen to them for hours. They are often old Irishmen, too. Writing is more of a craft and requires patience, practice, and good teachers (although reading is the best teacher). You can learn to be a good storyteller, but there's something innate about the level of creativity and imagination that can't be taught.  What makes a good storyteller is someone who is naturally curious. If you have curiosity, and you can make the audience curious, you can tell a good story. If you are dedicated enough and put in the time, you can become a good writer. 

Question Three: What is your favorite thing about writing? What is your least favorite thing?

It’s great to create new worlds and concepts and explore ideas through narratives. Writing is a job, a fun one, and hopefully the resulting stories are fun to read.

For me, Stu, I'm a pretty crappy copyeditor. I was in special education classes until 5th grade because of learning disabilities, which was probably ADHD, but they didn't know it at the time (I wasn't hyper) and chalked some of it up to being diabetic and blood sugars. In reality not classifying me probably helped because I didn't feel confined by something, I just thought (and still do) that I think differently than everyone else, and I eventually learned to compensate in my own. Anyways, I make terribly stupid mistakes in first drafts and feel awful about them. If you ever read a first draft of mine you'd think I'm just learning English and not learning it fast. 

Question Two: What one bit of wisdom would you impart to an aspiring writer? (feel free to include as many other bits of wisdom as you like)

Only do it if you love the process. No one gets famous or rich writing, despite the fact that there’s an ethically dubious industry out there of people telling you that they know all the secrets and how to do it right. Even if you do hit it Stephen King big, it's just you and a keyboard most of the time. And go do stuff that’s interesting in the world. Take weird jobs, learn about all sorts of people in the world, get a perspective on things that isn’t your own. Stay curious!

Question One: If you could have lunch with any writer, living or dead, who would it be? Why?

It's a tricky question because some of the greatest writers are probably terrible companions for a meal. I don't speak early Florentine Italian so anything Dante said would be wasted on me. And I'd be worried F. Scott Fitgerald would just get drunk and stick me with the bill. I think I'd like to speak with George Orwell. He was a great writer but also an astute social observer and critic, and I'd like to pick his brain about what's going on in the world today. George Orwell would be amazing. 

I, Elisabeth, would also love to talk with Tracy Kidder, your favorite nonfiction writer’s favorite writer, who’s able to take on topics mundane (a house) and great (the development of computers, genocide, human survival), and make them all pulse with relevance. He’s fantastic.

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