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Superhero books aren't something I normally pick up, so this was a "noticed it at the library, realized I would probably need it for bingo" choice.
"The Meister of Decimen City" is a lot like Hench, minus utilitarianism, plus dinosaurs. Also, like Light Years From Home and Wildings, it's about screwed-up fraternal twin relationships. (It's an even better match for "Light Years" because in addition to the twins, there's an older sister involved in family trauma.)
In a world where superheroes and -villains are normal, Rex is a supergenius who has her own lairs complete with AI and genetically engineered dinosaurs; the dinosaurs' intelligence is evolving throughout the book. This sets up a bunch of comedy.
It's possible that if I hadn't read Hench this would feel more fresh, but as it is, there's a lot of mood whiplash; one minute people are being very earnest-millennial talking about asexuality and trauma, and the next, dinosaurs are saving the day. Maybe that's the point, but I found it jarring. (Rex cured cancer in her spare time, between experiments that tried to help Sam, but nobody gives her credit for this anymore, it's old hat.)
For a book called "The Meister of Decimen City" we get very little context about what or where Decimen City is--mentions of New York, Seattle, etc. rule those out, and towards the end they start talking about Colorado a couple times; is it alt-universe Denver? I don't think so, but...? Also, the plot convolutions get a little over-the-top, because a lot of the conflict boils down to "Rex is testing out superpower hoods either to give to Sam or to use when fighting him, she's not sure which ones will work," and so there are a couple cases of "okay, remember, the blue hood is here, the red one is there, the yellow one is with the dinosaurs..." and then a chapter later wires have been crossed behind the scenes and that plan fell apart anyway. It's not a big deal, just kind of annoying.
Bingo: Title with a Title, Superheroes (obviously), Published in 2023. Could possibly count as featuring robots (the AI is a recurring character) or Multiverse/Alternate Realities (Rex and Viv have an emotional conversation while trapped in the "Cat Dimension" by Cat Man).
"The Meister of Decimen City" is a lot like Hench, minus utilitarianism, plus dinosaurs. Also, like Light Years From Home and Wildings, it's about screwed-up fraternal twin relationships. (It's an even better match for "Light Years" because in addition to the twins, there's an older sister involved in family trauma.)
In a world where superheroes and -villains are normal, Rex is a supergenius who has her own lairs complete with AI and genetically engineered dinosaurs; the dinosaurs' intelligence is evolving throughout the book. This sets up a bunch of comedy.
"This might not be a good time," one of the techs said behind her, "but some of the dinosaurs have become ashamed of their nakedness and are fashioning clothes out of leaves."
...
"Clearly you need more structure in your lives. I'm putting you all in sports. I don't care what sport--you're all going to participate and you're going to learn about teamwork and discipline and working hard to achieve your dreams."
Unfortunately, Rex's twin brother Sam and their older sister Vivian are also superpowered, which is indirectly due to some of Rex's childhood experimentation gone wrong; Vivian is telekinetic, and Sam reads people's thoughts, which is more a villainous origin story than a useful power. Viv is the leader of a team of superheroes known as the "Protectors of the World," who have all the flair and over-the-top silliness you'd hope for from a hero team....
"Clearly you need more structure in your lives. I'm putting you all in sports. I don't care what sport--you're all going to participate and you're going to learn about teamwork and discipline and working hard to achieve your dreams."
"Manta Man operates in Seattle, not New Orleans," Gorgeous cut in kindly.
Rex blinked a few times, derailed. "Then who am I thinking of?"
"You're probably thinking of Mantis Man. He's active in New Orleans."
"Oh, right." Rex tried to think. "Powers of a praying mantis?"
"No. Manta Man has the powers of a manta ray; Mantis Man emulates a praying mantis."
Rex internally groaned as she remembered the details. "Oh, wait--he's one of those gray-morality superheroes with the especially disturbing backstories, isn't he?"
Rex blinked a few times, derailed. "Then who am I thinking of?"
"You're probably thinking of Mantis Man. He's active in New Orleans."
"Oh, right." Rex tried to think. "Powers of a praying mantis?"
"No. Manta Man has the powers of a manta ray; Mantis Man emulates a praying mantis."
Rex internally groaned as she remembered the details. "Oh, wait--he's one of those gray-morality superheroes with the especially disturbing backstories, isn't he?"
When the dinosaurs get out of hand, Rex is assigned governmental "oversight" to protect her, and she has to put up with interfering civilians in her life. Most are annoying, but a couple actually become good friends. After she breaks up with her boyfriend, one of them helps her realize that maybe the reason her relationships haven't worked out so far is because she's ace, and so this becomes a long-running plot thread about earnestly researching her identity and realizing "hmm, maybe this is me." It also comes with increasingly heavy-handed metaphors about her tastes in food.
"No, thanks. I don't like cheese."
The shuffle of Pixie turning around on a couch caught Rex's attention, and she stopped short at the hero's look of distress. "That's so sad! Cheese is one of the best things in life."
Don Conjure offered, "There are many kinds of cheese. Perhaps you merely have not found the variety to suit your taste."
"Sounds like you're scared of it," Undertaker said as Cat Man stretched languidly across her to spear a piece of pepperoni on his claw.
"You should try it again," Manta Man said. "Cheese improves with experience."
"In my time, all who refused to share cheese with their king were burned as witches," King George announced.
The Jester sneered as he piled pizza on his plate. "She's just looking for attention. No one doesn't like cheese."
"I can't imagine not liking cheese," Pixie said mournfully. You should see a doctor."
Very much like Anna in Hench, Rex is frustrated by society's easy categorization of "heroes" and "villains," and the way people ignore the collateral damage that the "heroes" cause. And she (with help from her AI) inadvertently starts a social media discussion about the phenomenon, while working through her own trauma with trusted friends. I'm not sure if she's meant to be read as neurodiverse beyond the ace stuff, there's a mention of her attending special schools to provide her enrichment/intellectual stimulation as a kid, but she has a lawyer/BFF who helps her with PR stuff and it kind of feels like she's there to be "emotional support neurotypical," like, what is she getting out of this relationship?The shuffle of Pixie turning around on a couch caught Rex's attention, and she stopped short at the hero's look of distress. "That's so sad! Cheese is one of the best things in life."
Don Conjure offered, "There are many kinds of cheese. Perhaps you merely have not found the variety to suit your taste."
"Sounds like you're scared of it," Undertaker said as Cat Man stretched languidly across her to spear a piece of pepperoni on his claw.
"You should try it again," Manta Man said. "Cheese improves with experience."
"In my time, all who refused to share cheese with their king were burned as witches," King George announced.
The Jester sneered as he piled pizza on his plate. "She's just looking for attention. No one doesn't like cheese."
"I can't imagine not liking cheese," Pixie said mournfully. You should see a doctor."
It's possible that if I hadn't read Hench this would feel more fresh, but as it is, there's a lot of mood whiplash; one minute people are being very earnest-millennial talking about asexuality and trauma, and the next, dinosaurs are saving the day. Maybe that's the point, but I found it jarring. (Rex cured cancer in her spare time, between experiments that tried to help Sam, but nobody gives her credit for this anymore, it's old hat.)
For a book called "The Meister of Decimen City" we get very little context about what or where Decimen City is--mentions of New York, Seattle, etc. rule those out, and towards the end they start talking about Colorado a couple times; is it alt-universe Denver? I don't think so, but...? Also, the plot convolutions get a little over-the-top, because a lot of the conflict boils down to "Rex is testing out superpower hoods either to give to Sam or to use when fighting him, she's not sure which ones will work," and so there are a couple cases of "okay, remember, the blue hood is here, the red one is there, the yellow one is with the dinosaurs..." and then a chapter later wires have been crossed behind the scenes and that plan fell apart anyway. It's not a big deal, just kind of annoying.
Bingo: Title with a Title, Superheroes (obviously), Published in 2023. Could possibly count as featuring robots (the AI is a recurring character) or Multiverse/Alternate Realities (Rex and Viv have an emotional conversation while trapped in the "Cat Dimension" by Cat Man).
