book cover of Tough Guy
 

Tough Guy

(2021)
(The first book in the My Chemical Hero series)
A novel by

 
 
As if things couldn’t get any worse, Arthur is trying to survive yet another dreadful shift at the Hammy Burger when a supervillain barges in and takes him as a hostage. It’s clear, from the get-go, that this villain is a poor schmuck who just happened on a dose of ChemX, and then decided to get paid moments after he developed his superpower.

And so, in an attempt to save the poor bastard from the consequences of his foolish actions, Arthur tries to convince him to surrender. But when the caped cavalry arrives, something happens and Arthur is exposed to a leak of the mysterious chemical substance.

Soon, he finds himself unlocking his first superpower: extreme Toughness. Unfortunately, superpowers do not pay the rent, and he still has to juggle four jobs to make ends meet. Worse, as was explained to him by a superhero dispatched to the crime scene, his transformation is reversible, due to his method of exposure. And Arthur will be reversed to his former self if he doesn’t prove himself worthy of the gift.

To do that, he will have to take part in the famed Combine—aka the Meatgrinder. He will have to join the trials to be accepted in one of the most famous superhero guilds in Eon City: Heroes United. Success means he can keep his powers (on top of a hefty payday.) Failure means he’ll get dechemed and reverted back to his lousy and broke self.

If he is to have any kind of chance to prevail, Arthur must level up his skills and gain new abilities. But what is a rookie meta like him to do? As an unregistered hero, he doesn’t even have access to the law enforcement channels warning of villain attacks. And so he starts scouring the streets of Eon City, as a vigilante, with a ski mask to conceal his identity and his ability to endure the most extreme of punishments for sole help.


Genre: GameLit

Visitors also looked at these books


Used availability for Andrew Karevik's Tough Guy


About Fantastic Fiction       Information for Authors