Hench

Bookseller recommendation

“In a world where super heroes and super villains are commonplace, there are some very interesting opportunities for employment. For example: henching, or signing on to handle basic (and usually boring) tasks for your local villain—think data entry. But when Anna's employer is brought down by the hero Supercollider and she's badly hurt in the process, she starts to wonder what the difference is between the good guys and the bad guys. If you've ever watched a superhero movie and wondered who's going to pay for all the damage after the baddies are beaten, this is a book you will enjoy. Anna's dry humor and astute understanding of human nature makes her a delightful narrator--and Alex McKenna, who performs the audiobook, does a superb job of bringing her to life.”

— Caitlin • Brilliant Books Audio

Bookseller recommendation

“Even supervillains need a good temp, and Anna is just fine at vaguely villainous data entry. On one job she is asked to point some sort of device at the mayor’s kid’s head, putting her directly in the path of the superhero SuperCollider. During her recovery, she begins to tally up the damage, human and monetary, that superheroes cause. Hench explores how we excuse the cost of what is ‘right’. This is an excellent book about what “the end justifies the means” can look like.”

— Izzy • Off the Beaten Path

Bookseller recommendation

“How can I describe a book so compelling that I couldn't put it down and so engrossing that I screamed out loud? Natalie Zina Walschots has taken many of the tropes of the superhero genre and twisted them to look at the real human cost of those actions. HENCH asks what separates a villian from a hero and how much are we willing to sacrifice in the quest for "justice". Her characters are flawed in exquisite ways, and real enough that even if they are villains the reader still wants to spend time with them. I loved HENCH and cannot wait to see what she does next. Content warnings: assault, gaslighting, violence, body horror.”

— Faith • Page 158 Books

Bookseller recommendation

“Super witty, super charged, and super villainous! Anna is a normal temp hench, working for ho-hum villains to make rent. But when she finally steps out from behind her desk, she's severely injured by a superhero. The pain and unpaid time off leads her to start running the numbers on the damage to humans and material objects caused by the so-called good guys. Burning with revenge and hatred, Anna soon captures the attention of the online world and a true villain- Leviathan. Soon Anna is using her gifts with numbers and burning passion to ruin superheroes to use, but when the chance to get more than even against the hero who hurt her appears, it might just be her own fall she's engineering. Absolutely recommending this book, especially on audio. It's narrated by Alex McKenna, who brings the large cast to life. McKenna captures Anna's snark, Leviathan's otherness, and Supercollider's pompous entitlement perfectly! ”

— Kate • Fountain Bookstore

Bookseller recommendation

“This smart, funny, and thought-provoking novel follows Anna, a hench-for-hire. She has the same concerns that we all do: paying the bills, finding love, avoiding getting killed by superheroes. But when she gets caught in the crossfire during a showdown between a supervillain and a hero, she is gravely injured in both body and soul. As she recovers from her wounds, she begins to uncover the true cost of heroism, setting her on a path that will change her life, and the relationship between heroes and villains, forever. Perfect for fans of The Boys and The Incredibles, Hench manages to be delightfully original while drawing heavily on the works that inspired it.”

— Emily • Inklings Bookshop

Bookseller recommendation

“Hench is absolutely terrific! Walschots has found a fresh, original, feminist angle on the tropes of superheroes and supervillains in this smart, lively novel. Anna is barely subsisting from temp job to temp job — even supervillains need someone to do their data entry — when she becomes collateral damage in a superhero’s intervention. Injured and jobless, she fights back by collecting data on the negative effects caused by superheroes. As Anna’s research goes viral, she’s tapped for a new job with the supervillain, giving her an opportunity to use her skills to fight back against the so-called forces of good. Very highly recommended!”

— Carol Schneck Varner • Schuler Books (Okemos)