The Austen Avenger

By Tara O'Donnell

Andy was just a mild mannered clerk more familiar with comic book superheroes than Jane Austen heroines. That all changed when a Regency style lady of mystery entered his life to introduce him to the girl of his dreams and so much more.

As he watched her battle the forces of social evil such as retail rage and a proud author with prejudiced views,Andy felt called to action and became determined to discover the source of power behind this wonder woman of sense and sensibility.

From the author of The Hench Woman's Handbook and The Chronicles of Copper Boom comes the tale of The Austen Avenger,a champion of universal truth,polite justice and the Austen way.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tara O'Donnell
• Release date: Nov 30, 2012
• ISBN: 9781301699629

Tara O'Donnell

I'm a pop culture blogger who covers books,film and TV,plus other trends at Living Read Girl. I was once an independent bookseller who hopes to become a published author someday.

Book preview

The Austen Avenger By Tara O’Donnell

Cover Art by Stephanie O'Donnell

Smashwords Edition 2012

To begin with, I wasn’t exactly the biggest Jane Austen fan in the world. Like most guys, I got into comic books when I was a kid and never quite outgrew them. While collecting every issue of my favorite series or hitting the convention circuit no longer became a major priority once high school (and most of community college) was said and done, it was still fun to check out the latest superhero movies and to occasionally argue with my friends over who would win in a fight, Superman or Batman?

I always rooted for Superman but not for the reasons that I gave during these debates. Truth be told, the superheroes that I admired the most weren’t the dark brooding types but the ones that seem to be more upbeat and full of purpose in their pursuit of justice. Sure, Batman and Wolverine are great to have as your back-up but I bet that hanging out with them after the bad guys were hauled off to jail wasn’t a pleasant experience. More like a good time to make an excuse to get home early.

Those guys never seemed to enjoy having their special abilities or saving the day and their free time was devoted to preparing for the worst. Superman might be a little stiff during his Clark Kent mode but less likely to depress you over dinner and Spiderman would definitely have a few great one liners to share while standing in line at the multiplex, even if he was having a bad day.

Female superheroes were cool with me as well, and not just for their looks. What I really admired about them was their combo of smart and strong, being fast on their feet and quick with the comeback even in secret identity mode.

What does all of this have to do with Jane Austen? Well, like any origin story, it was an unexpected encounter that changed my outlook

Reviews for The Austen Avenger

[lynnoconnacht · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

 Cute! It's got a reasonable amount of formatting issues and I'd have liked to have seen the plot tightened a little more strongly, but it was good fun. If you like (comic book) geekery and Jane Austen, I suspect you might well enjoy this. It's a short little romp that made me laugh.The premise is that there are, ah, superheroes based on classic books, so there /is/ a little morality teaching going on, but it doesn't really come across as preachy. Just as plain fun. It's a neat idea and enjoyed it a fair bit.