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Hench cover art

Hench

By: Natalie Zina Walschots
Narrated by: Alex McKenna
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Publisher's Summary

“This book is fast, furious, compelling, and angry as hell." (Seanan McGuire, New York Times best-selling author) 

The Boys meets My Year of Rest and Relaxation in this smart, imaginative, and evocative novel of love, betrayal, revenge, and redemption, told with razor-sharp wit and affection, in which a young woman discovers the greatest superpower - for good or ill - is a properly executed spreadsheet.

Anna does boring things for terrible people because even criminals need office help and she needs a job. Working for a monster lurking beneath the surface of the world isn’t glamorous. But is it really worse than working for an oil conglomerate or an insurance company? In this economy? 

As a temp, she’s just a cog in the machine. But when she finally gets a promising assignment, everything goes very wrong, and an encounter with the so-called “hero” leaves her badly injured. And, to her horror, compared to the other bodies strewn about, she’s the lucky one. So, of course, then she gets laid off. 

With no money and no mobility, with only her anger and internet research acumen, she discovers her suffering at the hands of a hero is far from unique. When people start listening to the story that her data tells, she realizes she might not be as powerless as she thinks. 

Because the key to everything is data: knowing how to collate it, how to manipulate it, and how to weaponize it. By tallying up the human cost these caped forces of nature wreak upon the world, she discovers that the line between good and evil is mostly marketing. And with social media and viral videos, she can control that appearance. 

It’s not too long before she’s employed once more, this time by one of the worst villains on earth. As she becomes an increasingly valuable lieutenant, she might just save the world. 

A sharp, witty, modern debut, Hench explores the individual cost of justice through a fascinating mix of millennial office politics, heroism measured through data science, body horror, and a profound misunderstanding of quantum mechanics. 

©2019 Natalie Zina Walschots (P)2020 HarperCollins Publishers

What listeners say about Hench

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  • Overall
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Great unusual take

Unusual take on superhero tropes with the deal and world building to back it up.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Data is data no matter which side you're on

In an alternate reality where teenagers are routinely screened for 'enhanced abilities' and recruited by The Draft to become superheroes, some are bound to end up being villains. And those villains need henches just like any other organisation needs office workers. Someone to man the reception desk at their high security compound, crunch numbers, enter data, monitor social media trends...

This is where Anna comes in. To Anna data is just data, no matter which side needs it. And if someone is going to pay her to enter in a system from the safety of her home, then she will take the job. Until the job is not so safe that is.

After being injured in the wake of a Superhero's rescue of the victim of a routine kidnapping, Anna starts crunching different numbers. How much damage do Superheroes actually cause? And is it worth it?

Natalie Zina Walschots explores some of those questions that are usually ignored by Superhero pop culture. What happens to the people whose homes/offices/cars are destroyed? What about the people who are just trying to make a living and lose their job when a villain is foiled? Why is a hero's life and loved ones worth more than the ordinary person on the street?

A little long winded at times, but generally humorous Hench is worth a listen* for any comic fan regardless of which side of the DC/Marvel paradigm you sit.

*Note: Be prepared for a limited range of character voices - apparently all females except for Anna have the same nasal twinge and pretty much all guys sound like a prepubescent cartoon character. I guess it kind fits the genre but was a little annoying at times. Also, a fierce Maori woman with traditional face tattoos is unlikely to have an upperclass English accent...

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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The Boys but good

Interesting read for anyone sick if the MCU. Bit of a slow start but hard to put down once it gets going. Knocking one star off the performance for that terrible New Zealand accent.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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fresh, fun and engaging

A refreshing new take on the super hero genre, I enjoyed this book a lot.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

A lot of fun.

Loved the evil office politics and bringing the heroes down one annoyance at a time, looking forward to the sequel.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Unique and gripping!

Do u cheer for Vader? Did u want Mr Glass to win? Would u champion Victor Von Doom? Do u get behind Butcher and the Boys?

This will be your jam.

As an antagonist..the ‘hero’ is pure twisted idealism. As the central character the ‘villain’ is essentially a fallen pawn who did nothing wrong. This was an amazingly well executed concept and the characters were so relatable and fresh. It’s got powers, it’s got tech and robotics, it’s got politics and government issues, it’s even got humour..dark AF humour!
Well worth the time, would have benefitted from other voices, sounds or even some music but no matter. Great book!!!!

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