This collects Seanan's Velveteen universe stories, which focuses on a future where superheroics were absorbed into corporations that low key control a lot of the world, one superhero who's getting out from under them and trying to get her life together, and all the wild and wacky multiverse happenings that happen because of this. Also sometimes you realize you're gay because your girlfriend from another universe busts into yours and ends up trying to save you. (You'll have to read to find out who.)

Velveteen Vs. The Early Adventures by Seanan McGuire


I love Seanan McGuire’s body of work. (Note: I review a bunch of her books so I am copying part of some of my other reviews here to save time.). She has quickly become my favorite living writer and I feel very lucky that she is so prolific. I was first introduced to her work when her book Parasite, written as Mira Grant, was nominated for a Hugo Award. I loved it and quickly devoured the Newsflesh series before I realized that Mira Grant and Seanan McGuire were the same person.

I started reading her works under her own name, starting with Sparrow Hill Road, which is amazing, but I picked it because I was intimidated by her long running October Daye series. But the Velveteen Vs. series holds a very special place in my heart.

When I was very sad and in a very rough place I needed a new audiobook to listen to, something to distract me from everything. And I found the first two Velveteen books on audible. They were perfect. They were exactly what I needed at exactly the right time. I loved the world Ms. McGuire had created where superheroes were a mix between reality tv stars and child actors. These were wonderfully developed characters that came alive and the fact that they had powers and domino masks didn’t make them feel any less real.

I was overjoyed when Subterranean Press and NetGalley awarded me an eARC of this volume (I had already preordered my hardcover edition). I am thrilled that more people will get to read and enjoy Vel’s story. And I am beyond ecstatic that another volume is coming and that Vel’s story will come to a natural endpoint, even as I hope beyond hope that there will be more stories beyond the currently in-progress long awaited fourth book.

This book is a gift. Enjoy it.

Former child superhero Velveteen is sucked back into the world of heroics when she discovers that the corporation that owns most heroes in North America is not what it appears to be. With new allies and old friends, she must decide whether she is going to allow herself to fall into obscurity or fight back and protect all future generations of superpowered children.

This is a combination of the previous two volumes of Velveteen's adventure; Velveteen vs The Junior Super Patriots and Velveteen vs The Multiverse. I hadn't heard of these stories by McGuire before, and I am so grateful for the opportunity to read them now! These were a fascinating look into a world where corporations own superheroes & all the capitalist horror that comes with that. I absolutely loved Veleveteen & all her friends, & the nods to superhero media made me laugh so much.

Thank you to both NetGalley and Subterranean Press for the opportunity to read this arc!

4 Stars

Reminiscent of the broad themes seen in X-Men and The Boys, this is a world whereby genetic mutations, radiation, exotic pathogen, or mad science manifests as the odd power that can be utilized for good or evil. These unique superhumans are supported and technically employed by Super Patriots Inc., a company who claims to have their best interests, and the safety of the public, in mind.

As this collection of short stories run their course, the reader follows intrepid heroine Velma “Velveteen” Martinez, toy animator extraordinaire, who was sold into the machine as a minor and because she didn’t neatly fit into Super Patriot’s agenda, her world was shattered. So, according to her, things are “fucked up times five billion” as Velveteen soon finds out, you’re either with the Super Patriots or you’re against them. They turn you against loved ones and loved ones against you, isolate you so you have no choice but to rely and depend upon their generosity and resources. They don’t take no for an answer, and they certainly don’t fight fair. Though Velveteen simply wants to be left alone and lead a normal life, the Super Patriots won’t let her go in peace, and her allies (and some who are not) have other plans for Velveteen instead.

Obviously, don’t let that cute cover fool you. Though this has moments of fun and whimsy, this is quite the angsty read and a pointed look at corporate greed, child abandonment and abuse, brainwashing, betrayal, and painful love. Toss in the multiverse, magic, Santa Claus (yes you read that right), and the real manifestations of the seasons, and you have a well rounded, extensive alternate reality where being superhuman just might get you killed.

Rest assured though, this is buoyed by really fantastic friends who make the bestest found family, and this book is full of hope with a message about doing what’s profoundly difficult but, deep down in your bones, right, all led by a likable (albeit cantankerous) heroine who stands up not only for herself but for many others as well!

I haven’t read much Seanan McGuire, but this is a sign to do more!

Thank you to the author and Subterranean Press via NetGalley for an e-copy to review honestly

Note that Velveteen is not a novel, but a series of interconnected short stories best meted out and savored.

Here we see McGuire doing what she does best: taking a story we know and turning it on its head.

McGuire takes a stick figure tree and pulls the reader close enough to smell the sap and feel the bark under your fingertips, close enough to make out the thousands of leaves comprising the big green canopy. Then she hands you a magnifying glass and points out the myriad lives interconnected to the tree that we’d taken for granted as a 🌳. And she makes it fun.

I am a huge Seanan McGuire fan and I have such a soft spot for superhero books (which is a surprisingly sparse genre). This book was everything I hoped for and more. There is biting commentary on large corporations and capitalism as well as the most complex relationships and heart tugging emotional moments. I had no idea where each episode would take me, but I loved every second.

The book is divided two books combined into one, and within each of those they are divided into mini episodes which are all self-contained standalones so it was nice to be able to drop in and out since it is a very large tome (544 pages).

The full table of contents from the publisher's website:

VELVETEEN VS. THE JUNIOR SUPER PATRIOTS
Velveteen vs. The Isley Crawfish Festival
Velveteen vs. The Midnight Coffee Society
Velveteen vs. The Flashback Sequence
Velveteen vs. The Old Flame
Velveteen vs. The Junior Super Patriots, West Coast Division
Velveteen vs. The Eternal Halloween
Velveteen vs. The Ordinary Day
Velveteen vs. Patrol
Velveteen vs. The Blind Date
APPENDIX A: Velveteen and Allies
APPENDIX B: Relevant Team Rosters

VELVETEEN VS. THE MULTIVERSE
Velveteen vs. Blacklight vs. Sin-Dee
Velveteen vs. The Holiday Special
Velveteen vs. The Secret Identity
Velveteen vs. Martinez and Martinez vs. Velveteen
Velveteen vs. The Alternate Timeline
Velveteen vs. The Retroactive Continuity
Velveteen Presents Victory Anna vs. All These Stupid Parallel Worlds
Velveteen vs. The Uncomfortable Conversation
Velveteen vs. Bacon
Velveteen vs. The Robot Armies of Dr. Walter Creelman, DDS
Velveteen vs. The Fright Night Sorority House Massacre Sleepover Camp
Velveteen vs. Vegas
Velveteen Presents Victory Anna vs. The Difficulties With Pan-Dimensional Courtship
Velveteen vs. Legal
Velveteen Presents Jackie Frost vs. Four Conversations and a Funeral
Velveteen vs. Jolly Roger
Velveteen vs. Everyone
Velveteen vs. The Epilogue
APPENDIX A: Velveteen and Allies
APPENDIX B: Relevant Team Rosters

The website says that there are plans for there to be another volume released, and I cannot wait for more. I just wish I could justify buying it for myself.

I was so excited to get my hands on this because I am a huge fan of Seanan Macguire's various pen names. This felt like it could potentially be too cutesy, but alas that was not to be with this series.

I expected for this to be a tad childish, but knew I could overlook it with some decent writing but that was not what happened in the end. This DOES write like a children's book, but one that the parents can enjoy as well. This reads very much like a comic book, but in novel format. I love the interesting new take on the superhero as I am always looking for a fresh take on tired tropes and topics.

Seanan Macguire's writing is impeccable, I would read her grocery lists. This is great for youngens but also for their parents, would be g great reading material to read aloud.

Thank you Netgalley and Subterranean Press for this arc.


Before I even started, I reminded myself that this is a Seanan McGuire book and thus it will probably head for the dark side. Yes, it did. Tucked into the story about superheroes are threads of too powerful corporations that care only for the bottom line rather than the employees who work for them, forcing public figures to allow themselves to be molded and changed for public consumption, hints of homophobia, mind control, the emotional abuse of children, parents who care more for what a child can bring them rather than the child, and the pain of losing people close to you.

Velveteen managed to escape from the All Powerful grip of The Super Patriots, Inc – a company supposedly devoted to nurturing children who have displayed super powers. The company has been given an almost ironclad free hand in controlling all Supers – for the good of the rest of humanity. Over the years, since the disappearance of the first three Supers, this control has been twisted and warped and almost broke Velma – Velveteen’s real name – before she said fuck it and left. Since then, she’s been fighting to just be left alone.

But once someone escapes the corporation, the corporation labels them a supervillain and drags them back – for “reeducation,” you know. If Velveteen can make it to Oregon, she’s free of them though. If she can gather some of her friends who aren’t controlled, she can stay free. But if a dear friend tries to flee and gets snatched back, Velveteen is going to muster an army of supers with grudges and show the corporation and those it controls which side is good and which is evil.

The amount of worldbuilding and thought that has been put into this world and these characters is insanely good. The names and power sets are inventive as well as (sometimes) hilarious. Yet the darkness of what Velveteen and her friends were put through is heartbreaking. As I read it, I kept thinking of real world problems that are in the story and, at times, wishing that we could have some supers to help with the messes of the world today.

As this book includes two full length books, it’s a long read. There is a lot of explanation that must sometimes be waded through which slowed sections for me but then the action would kick in and I’d zip through 60-80 pages. I will add that there are a lot of little but important details all along the way so my suggestion would be to split the reading as I didn’t do in order to get the review ready on time. As I said, I will be eagerly looking forward to the last installment. B

This is a collection of short stories from two older books combined for this edition. I own the first two books in hardback, but hadn't read them yet, so this only made sense to read in ebook as I won't mess up my books. Loved this collection. The first part introduces us to Velma Velveteen Martinez who as an adult fled her superhero world when she realized how corrupt and mind controlling the company was. She supports herself as a temp worker keeping a low profile to escape the company from finding her. Her goal is to get to Oregon, where the company has no say over her, it's quite the adventures to get her there.
The second part of the book, she is working as a superhero for Portland Oregon, with her goal to bring the company down. It is darker in how she works to bring about her goals.
Ultimately, it's a fast read for being such a large book because 1. It's very well written, 2. The main characters are fully developed. 3. You want to root for Velma to get a happy(?) Life by her own control. 4. The stories are short format, allowing the reader to go at their own pace. Thank you to subterranean press and NetGalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy.

I had an amazingly fun time reading this book!
We have a whole lot of short comic-like stories told in novel form, that chronicle Velveteen and her separation from the Junior Superhero League
I loved Velveteen! From start to finish her snarky personality, love for her friends, and asking for the toys permission before recruiting them all made me not want to put this down.
At over 500 pages, I thought it would take me a while to read all the stories, but they were all fast-paced and so interesting that I didn't want to put the book down even to go to bed. This made me awful tired the next morning, but it was totally worth it.
I will absolutely be reading all Velveteen Stories in the future!

I received this DRC from NetGalley.

This is a collection of short stories that, all together, end up telling a comprehensive story about Vel, who had to go on the run from her superhero past, and the various battles she has to fight along the way- leading up to the inevitable boss battle. Even though there were several characters, they were well-written and easy to sympathize with. The superheroes that just make cameos have fun names and varying power sets, so that was entertaining. There are a lot of creative ideas explored, not only with differing powers, but also with their origins. The stories at the beginning start out more lighthearted, and as you get to learn more about the awful things the characters have had to deal with, the stories take on a more serious tone and add urgency to the situation. The conclusion of it all was pretty satisfying, even though you know it's leading right into more adventures immediately.

This was a unique take on superheroes, and I'm definitely going to read more of the Velveteen stories. I'm invested in these characters now and need to know what happens next.

Thanks to Netgalley and Subterranean Press for the advanced copy of this serial collection. Below is my honest review.

Finally, a chance to catch up on Velveteen's adventures! I have hardcover copies of the first three collections, but they're rare and limited print, so they're packed up in protective covering with all of my special books. I didn't want to mess them up! So when I saw this on Netgalley, I knew I MUST have a copy to read. It's one of the few Seanan McGuire/Mira Grant works I haven't touched before now.

I really liked Velveteen, but some of the side characters really caught my fancy - especially Tag, Victory Anna, and the Princess. I really like the concepts behind so many of the power sets, and they were a lot of fun to read.

Looking forward to more!!

Recommended for fans of McGuire/Grant, superpowers, comic books, and serial stories.

I liked Velma and I’m a McGuire fan through and through, but this bind-up didn’t work for me. The constant jumping around in time and place, the frequent flashbacks to things that aren’t relevant to our major overarching “now” plot. It’s really obvious that most of this was originally a series of short stories/novellas and I think that’s how it should have stayed. It’s too long and it takes a long time to get a sense of “accomplishment”

Thank you to the publisher for the eARC! PLEASE add this omnibus title to Goodreads so it can be reviewed and shared!

These stories follow Vel Martinez, who can animate toys, as she tries to make a life for herself after leaving the controlling megacorporation Super Patriots, Inc, The universe is superficially similar to The Boys, in that it involves a more realistic and nuanced look at a world where superheroes are real, and examines themes of power dynamics, corporate control, trauma, but it explores it with a lot more empathy and whimsy (and less gore), without pulling emotional punches. The characters are well-rounded and the worldbuilding is solid, and although at times the dialogue and humor are a bit cliched, there is a lot of creative thought but into the superpowers and backstories of all the heroes.

The stories were originally published as a series of LiveJournal entries. I only learned this at the very end of the book, but it was pretty obvious based on the structure. The book is divided up into chapters that read more like short stories, and feel very much like single comic issues in tone. It fits the theme well, but I can't help buy think that these would have been better presented as comics. I've only ever read McGuire's Wayward Children books, but the Velveteen stories often suffer from a similar issues to those novellas which I will call "Recapitis". As much as I love her workk, the author isn't always one for subtlety, and concepts and emotions are writ large and repeated many times, just to make sure you understand things and are caught up on everything. It's like having a "Previously on..." at the beginning of every chapter. This is a perfectly fine thing to do between books in a series, but is a bit much in a serialized format, making many sentences, conversations, or even paragraphs in this book feel a bit repetitive. I could only roll my eyes after the third time Rankin/Bass was referenced to describe Jackie's aesthetic. We get it, she's blue!

As others have pointed out, the Appendices at the end of Velveteen vs. The Super Junior Patriots contains MAJOR spoilers for Velveteen vs. The Multiverse, and having it there in the middle of this book was a massive oversight that basically ruins one of the big reveals in the next part of the book. There were also a few obvious typos that, after being published previously, should have probably been caught by an editor.

Overall, it feels like the publisher just copy-pasted the LiveJournal entries into an omnibus and gave little consideration to polishing the work to make it better adapted to a single novel, which is disappointing because the stories and the author deserve better. The cover art for this book is polished enough, but doesn't really present any part of the world of the stories like the original cover art did so well, and IMO is a step down.

Despite some technical flaws, I thoroughly liked these stories, individually and collectively, and I definitely didn't expect to enjoy them as much as I did, as I'm not much of a superhero person. I had trouble putting the book down, despite being pretty long, and despite some disjointed plotlines and loose threads that never resolved, the end of the book came together really well. I'm definitely going to seek out Velveteen vs. The Seasons and continue reading this.

This book was a great ride from start to finish. The stories, which seem to have been originally published independently, are split into two parts in this book. The book also includes really fun appendices following each part. The final copy may contain changes, but in my copy the appendices following the first part contain major spoilers for the rest of the story, so I would definitely skip the first time around.
The episodic format of the stories really makes the book. I can really see this being adapted into a great TV show. The characters are interesting and unique takes on superheroes, with a nice balance between seriousness and edginess. It would have been really easy for this book to go too far in either direction, but I think it really pulls it off.
I also didn't realize how long this book would be when I picked it up, but I didn't end up feeling the length while reading it. The pacing is fairly quick, and the side characters keep things interesting outside of the main plot. The conclusion to the story felt very satisfying and ties together most loose threads nicely. The only negative to this is now I have to find the rest of the stories!

I'm so happy Velveteen is back in print! I read and loved some of these stories years ago but then couldn't track them down again or find the rest. Velma is an excellent and relatable protagonist, and her world is easy to fall into.

What do you do when you are a teen superhero and your life has been controlled by a megalithic business enterprise until you turn 18? In the case of our protagonist, known to the world as Velveteen Rabbit, you quit, try to work temp jobs until the corporation tries to drag you back in (for the rest of your likely shortened lifespan) and you need to flee for your life! This was an entertaining, imaginative , what-if look at what could happen if superhero’s with powers existed and saving the world was privatized as a business to be marketed and merchandised. Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for providing an ecopy in exchange for and honest review.

Velveteen cried havoc and let slip the dolls of war.

Part of me wants to leave my review there, but the rest of me realizes it would be fucked up times 8373 to do that for an ARC.

So. None of these are new stories. As the title states, these are the early adventures Velveteen, the most recent of which was published on McGuire's LiveJournal back in 2013. BUT, I only read a handful of them back then bc I had v smol and distracting children running around who caused me to forget many things, including things I really loved.

Which...I shouldn't have loved this as much as I did. I don't really LIKE most superhero stories (always preferred horror or science fiction comics), but there was just enough bureaucratic bullshit (my personal weakness) to keep me engaged.

A small nitpick would be the first set of Appendices toward the middle of the book, which kind of spoiled some future reveals and plotlines, but [shrug]. It's not enough to mark it down.

Really hoping McGuire is able to complete Velveteen's arc, and that there will be another omnibus from Subterranean in the not too distant future.

Thank you to NetGalley and Subterranean Press for the ARC!

I can't pick just one favorite thing about McGuire's work, but I feel like her imagination vies for that spot. Any work of McGuire's you pick up, and she has generously given us a plethora to choose from, you can tell she's thought a GREAT deal about what she's writing about.

Velveteen is no different. Imagine a world where super powers are real, and you can be recruited to specific teams to help you learn how to be a more effective hero. That's the world Velveteen lives in, and at the beginning of this collection, has just left. Velma "Velveteen" Martinez has left saving the world behind for a quieter life, but somehow trouble keeps finding her, and she finds ir hard to refuse the call.

The first part of this book feels a little more disjointed in the stories than the latter half, but those stories are important and set the back drop for the second half. And when you get to the second half, what was Velveteen vs the Multiverse, it is so engaging. The cast expands, the stakes are upped, and you find yourself admiring just how much THOUGHT McGuire put into the heroine that animates plushes.

I had trouble putting this down, I had dreams about these stories, and I have a pretty awful book hangover from this. I cannot recommend this book enough

I greatly enjoy Velveteen, and I was so excited to read this book! These are such fun stories, and I really love the world building of the heroes and the corporations. Seanan is a fantastic writer, and I am so happy to delve into more of her works!