Hench by Natalie Zina WalschotsMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Well, that was and wasn't what I was expecting. It has its funny moments, but it deals with many more serious issues than I expected. We meet Anna when she is a temp worker as a hench, scrambling for jobs to keep her from eviction and calculating carefully how to afford enough vegetables to avoid scurvy. I was a bit unclear on why she chose the role of hench. Perhaps it was that old “do what you love and you'll never work a day in your life” bullshit. At any rate, she is hired by the villain Electric Eel, not the best of employers, and when his latest caper attracts the attention of the hero Supercollider, Anna gets severely injured, collateral damage.
Walschotts manages a brilliant critique of the precarious gig economy and of businesses that are willing to dump employees who might require time to heal or otherwise regroup. Whether you're a hench or a mensch, being part of the precariot isn't fun. Anna becomes obsessed with the damage caused by superheroes and she asks the very relevant question: who gets to decide who are the good guys and who are the bad guys? There's a bit of a Watchmen vibe—superheroes maybe aren't the best role models. Anna starts a spreadsheet, which becomes a blog detailing all the harm that superheroes have done. Her project brings her to the attention of Supercollider's arch nemesis, Leviathan and Anna gets a job (with benefits) and a chance at revenge.
Things get serious fast at this point. Anna has real talent at plotting and planning. She rapidly becomes The Auditor, Leviathan‘s right hand woman.
I understand there may be a sequel in the works. I'd be interested if this actually happens. If you enjoyed this book, you might try Watchmen (quite dark) or James Alan Gardner’s Dark/Spark series (All Those Explosions Were Someone Else's Fault, They Promised Me The Gun Wasn't Loaded) for a more humorous take on the superhero gig.
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