Customer Reviews

Devil's Cape (Discoveries)

5 star:		(29)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Devil's Cape is the first novel from author Rob Rogers. It is set in a world where super heroes exist and are an accepted part of life- as in flying around in spandex suits with capes and having names like The Grey Ghost, Argonaut, and Bedlam. But unlike the comic books, the world of Devil's Cape is grim and deadly, with a high body count of both heroes and villains.
The city of Devil's Cape Louisiana is a few miles from its more famous sister New Orleans. Founded by a pirate as a smugglers haven, Devil's Cape has never shed its legacy of danger and corruption. In fact, at times it's as if the residents and the city itself revel in their dark past. The story revolves around several residents of the city who discover their powers and are motivated for different reasons to join forces and confront the villainous crime-lord known as "The Robber Baron" who runs the city.
At the beginning of the book the author takes a trip back in time several years as he builds the foundation of the story, it's a long but interesting build, and the reader will realize its necessity when they reach the present day and the story begins to unfold. The characters are well thought out and interesting. I became invested in them, and even with detailed set up there were times I wished I knew more about them, but for the story at hand what the author gives suffices. The story builds as the various threads are pulled together snugly. The action in Devil's Cape is quick, intense and deadly. For example, one of the heroes in the story gets taken out by a head shot from a sniper with a high powered rifle followed by a bunch of guys with sledge hammers to finish the job. Brutal.
By the end of the story I was savoring every page. Rogers wraps the story up nicely and leaves open the opportunity for more adventure in the Devil's Cape universe. As I finished the last pages I was ready to dive into the next adventure, and that's the best recommendation I can give it.

I couldn't agree with the first reviewer more. This is a fantastic book. The writing is very sharp and immersive, the action sequences are very well done, and the characters are believable and interesting. This is a great book whether you like Superheroes or not, and it's easily one of the best superhero novels ever written. In fact, out of the many superhero novels I've read, only Other People's Heroes could even compete with it for the top spot.

This is a serious book with real suspense and intrigue. I found it hard to put down, and for the first time in a long time I found myself saying "just one more chapter" when I knew I needed to get some sleep. I read a lot, and I enjoy a lot of what I read, but it's been a long time since I've enjoyed a book this much.

If you like action, suspense, sci-fi, fantasy, or superheroes, you should not miss this book. Great stuff. Great fun. Fast paced (yet detailed,) believable, and very well written.

This book deserves to sell well, and if this novel is any indication of the authors future writing, he deserves a long, prosperous career.

Devil's Cape is a superhero novel, yes, but it's more than that. It's a novel with a real sense of place; careful, exacting detail is given to every inch of real estate and every word of history in and about the city of Devil's Cape. Ordinarily, this would not be a good thing for me, as my eyes tend to glaze over as writers spend page after page describing every little thing about the world they've been building in their notebooks since junior high. Rogers gives you all the detail, without any of the tedious minutiae. A master class in world-building.

It's also firmly rooted in the American South, as 'southern' as Faulkner and O'Connor. Destiny, Legacy, Family -- all of the big Capital Letter themes of Southern Lit are tackled here, and tackled well.

Oh, yeah, and there's superheroes. And pirates. And circus freaks.

Great book - can't wait for Rogers' next.

"Devil's Cape" is a hugely satisfying, truly mature, profoundly good book, which just happens to revolve around the lives of super-powered individuals. I can't recommend it highly enough.

I've never liked book reviews that spend ninety percent of their time telling you the plot, so I am not going to do that. Suffice it to say that "Devil's Cape" tells the story of how a new group of super-powered people come to fight for their crime-ridden city, and you're good to go.

"Devil's Cape" has a full cast of fascinating characters with awesome powers, and Rogers thankfully lets them take center stage. I never feel the ghostly hand of the author calling attention to himself, announcing with purple prose "A Mighty Writer Be Here". I read a lot of science fiction and fantasy, and I can't tell you how often I am disappointed in that regard.

Rogers' writing is solid, deep, and completely immersive. The storytelling is fast-paced, yet full of rich and engaging detail. You never lose the sense that these are real people in a real city living real lives, and the fact that I can say that while talking about fire-breathing, rubber-limbed, demon-faced, shrinking, and winged individuals ought to give you some sense of just how good a writer Rogers is.

Despite the fantastic setting, the fabulous powers, and the innate silliness of the super-hero genre, I completely bought in to the whole deal -- the world, the setting, the city, the characters, the powers, all of it. The ability to transport the reader so convincingly into the story is the hallmark of a truly great storyteller, and Rogers has definitely achieved it with "Devil's Cape".

If you like crime novels, or pulp fiction, or super hero comics, you're going to love this book. But to hell with that, the fact is that if you just like good writing and good stories about realistic characters living complete, believable lives in trying times, this is a novel you owe it to yourself to read.

No fancy fanfare, or high powered reviews for this title. This book slipped in quietly under the radar and thoroughly blew me away. Devil's Cape is a story about super heroes, and villains. A thoroughly well written introduction into a wonderful new universe that Marvel or DC would be proud to own. The story is simple, a new villain comes to the richly detailed New Orleans inspired city of Devil's Cape. The book spans over 30 years with about half the book detailing at various stages the world we are reading about and the origins of the heroes and villains who populate this story.

While the term superhero will make you think of men in tights and spandex, corny villains and laughable dialogue. Do not let that deter you from this fine work of fiction. Rob Rogers takes novel idea and populates it with some of the richest characters you will find. This is a great idea and I would really like to see other authors try their hand at doing something similar. And I look forward to more from Mr Rogers.

What a great read. This book was recommended to me by a friend and I LOVED it. While reading I could visualize, the town, the characters, everything. All I can say is, "when can I expect the next one?" The ending was so good that I can't wait for the sequel. I would recommend this book to anyone, even if not a fan of super heroes, which I was not.

"Devil's Cape" is the superhero book for those who love well-written stories, fully-developed ORIGINAL characters, intriguing locales and just enough cliche to keep you hooked without letting you in on the ending. More importantly, "Devil's Cape" is the sort of story that would work in any genre--western, modern day, fantasy, sci-fi. The fact that it's a superhero novel (set in an original world with original characters) is almost incidental, and yet that one characteristic is what sets it apart from its contemporaries. In short, it's a damn fine read.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves the superhero genre, and indeed to anyone who loves a good tale. Be warned, though--this isn't the sort of book I'd recommend to anyone looking for a "quick fix" superhero read. If that's what you're looking for you should check out any Marvel or DC novelization.

I fervently hope to revisit Devil's Cape in a future novel, and I similarly hope that this book might herald a new age of superhero novels that do not rely on the major comic publishers for inspiration or direction.

Devil's Cape is a great book whether the reader is a fan of the "super hero" or not! I have never had any interest in reading anything from the science fiction or fantasy genre at all, so when the book was recommended to me, I was a bit apprehensive. Rob Rogers has taken the time to create characters and settings that are so believable that the reader has no choice but to be swept up in their story. His genius in describing characters and places makes it very easy for the reader to visualize them, but more importantly, to actually believe in them. I must admit that I became so engrossed in the story that all of my preconceived notions of "science fiction" and "fantasy" vanished. This fantastic novel, where the main characters just happen to be "super heroes", holds your interest from start to finish, and I was actually sad to have it end. I highly recommend Devil's Cape to everyone, and I can't wait for the next one!

As an avid fan of comics - I have long hoped for two things. First - new origonal heroes, new origonal villains, as well as new settings. Second - I have wanted to see a super heroe story play out in novel form and have its primary outlet there as well. All of the major comic outlets out there (DC, Marvel, DH, etc) have failed miserably on both counts but with "Devil's Cape" I have at long last had both of my wishes granted. On top of that they were granted in a well written book by an author who knows his genre and knows how to write well.

If you are tired of the same old super heros but love the genre then this book is for you! After the frustration of Marvel's "A Brand New Day" crippling of Spider Man finding this book was a real blessing.

It was a genuine page turner - I actually lost sleep on this book (which is rare for me) - and I am anxiously awaiting future books by Rogers set in Devil's Cape. I like his writing style so much that I will probably read anything else he writes in the future as well.

I actually bought this book almost three years ago from Mr. Rogers when he was at an event in Dallas. I finally got around to reading it this week and I'm kicking myself for waiting so long.

Mr. Rogers has created a living, breathing world in Devil's Cape. He gives a rich history to the town, the heroes, the villains, and the day to day people. His writing is so descriptive that I could almost feel the heat, humidity, and grittiness of the city. The book captured me, and made it difficult to put down.

In the world of superheroes there's not a lot of new ingredients. But a good writer can take all those familiar ingredients and weave a tale that almost seems like an entirely new take on the genre. That's what happens here.

I don't know what Mr. Rogers plans are, but I'm hoping for a return soon to Devil's Cape.