Recent Reads: The Mad Scientist's Guide to World Domination ed. by John Joseph Adams

The Mad Scientist's Guide to World Domination: Original Short Fiction for the Modern Evil Genius ed. by John Joseph Adams
Publisher:  Tor Books
Publication Date:  February 19, 2013

 

Format: Paperback
Source: My Home Library - Bought

Rating:




 


Goodreads Synopsis: 

From Victor Frankenstein to Lex Luthor, from Dr. Moreau to Dr. Doom, readers have long been fascinated by insane plans for world domination and the madmen who devise them. Typically, we see these villains through the eyes of good guys. This anthology, however, explores the world of mad scientists and evil geniuses—from their own wonderfully twisted point of view.

An all-star roster of bestselling authors—including Diana Gabaldon, Daniel Wilson, Austin Grossman, Naomi Novik, and Seanan McGuire…twenty-two great storytellers all told—have produced a fabulous assortment of stories guaranteed to provide readers with hour after hour of high-octane entertainment born of the most megalomaniacal mayhem imaginable.

Everybody loves villains. They’re bad; they always stir the pot; they’re much more fun than the good guys, even if we want to see the good guys win. Their fiendish schemes, maniacal laughter, and limitless ambition are legendary, but what lies behind those crazy eyes and wicked grins? How—and why—do they commit these nefarious deeds? And why are they so set on taking over the world?

If you've ever asked yourself any of these questions, you’re in luck: It’s finally time for the madmen’s side of the story. 

 Review: 
Reading this book was a love/hate kind of relationship. I bought it back in 2013 and it has since been sitting on my bookshelf, luckily it was chosen as my March TBR book - which obviously I did not finish in March - and there are a lot of reasons for it.

I enjoyed only a handful of these short stories and maybe it is because I am not really a short story kind of girl - I want a good plot and mystery and a dramatic pause and then the sh*t hitting the fan and with shorts I feel like there is a lot of build up and then not enough of the crazy to keep me intrigued. I got through the book (finally) but after I finished I wasn't really sure how I felt. There were some pieces about the daughter of the evil geniuses, Lex Luthor, and really crazy weird science that really had me enraptured. And others, sadly the Gabaldon story and the last story of the book, that really fell short for me.

What I enjoyed about this book, is that the tales that I enjoyed - I will definitely be finding more by those authors, but for now I am just kind of eh....