Dreadnought

April Daniels

Jan 2016 · Nemesis Book 1 · Diversion Books

About this ebook

A trans teen is transformed into a superhero in this action-packed series-starter perfect for fans of The Heroine Complex and Not Your Sidekick.

Danny Tozer has a problem: she just inherited the powers of Dreadnought, the world’s greatest superhero. Until Dreadnought fell out of the sky and died right in front of her, Danny was trying to keep people from finding out she’s transgender. But before he expired, Dreadnought passed his mantle to her, and those secondhand superpowers transformed Danny’s body into what she’s always thought it should be. Now there’s no hiding that she’s a girl.

It should be the happiest time of her life, but Danny’s first weeks finally living in a body that fits her are more difficult and complicated than she could have imagined. Between her father’s dangerous obsession with “curing” her girlhood, her best friend suddenly acting like he’s entitled to date her, and her fellow superheroes arguing over her place in their ranks, Danny feels like she’s in over her head.

She doesn’t have time to adjust. Dreadnought’s murderer—a cyborg named Utopia—still haunts the streets of New Port City, threatening destruction. If Danny can’t sort through the confusion of coming out, master her powers, and stop Utopia in time, humanity faces extinction.

“I didn’t know how much I needed this brave, thrilling book until it rocked my world. Dreadnought is the superhero adventure we all need right now.”—Charlie Jane Anders, author of All the Birds in the Sky

“A thoroughly enjoyable, emotionally rich, action-packed story with the most exciting new superheroes in decades. Unmissable.”—Kirkus Reviews

Ratings and reviews

I discovered this book on January 15th. It is now the 23rd, and I have read and reread it for the 8th time today. It's that good. The storyline is superficially a basic superhero formula (there is one villain with henchmen, and there are family and personal issues resulting from the )- but the writing is indescribably brilliant, as is the pacing and the emphasis of the characters. The development of several characters could have been expanded- but that's what the sequel is for, so this book definitely gets 5 stars

Absolutely phenomenal. I had no idea how much this book would make me happy. A great story with plenty of super drama and regular drama as well, Dreadnought 1 doesn't fail to deliver the feels and the great moments, including the 'come from behind' moment that makes all super hero stories great. I got this book Friday afternoon and finished it Sunday at 4 am. I can't wait to start the second book.

Im not more than 20 pages in, and already I feel more connection to this main character and their plight than almost any character Ive had the pleasure of reading. I was expecting something fun and interesting with a relatable main character, only to find a little bit of myself staring back at me. I find myself filled with hope on how good this book could be.

About the author

April Daniels graduated from UC Santa Cruz with a degree in literature. She completed her first manuscript by scribbling a few sentences at a time between calls while working in the customer support department for a well-known video game console. She has a number of hobbies, most of which are boring and predictable. As nostalgia for the 1990s comes into its full bloom, she has become ever more convinced that she was born two or three years too late and missed all the good stuff the first time around.