The Perfect Run

What makes it funny?

Ryan has opinions about superhero branding, including a proposed name, “Clock Blocker,” that tells you how solemnly he treats the profession. His jokes include pop-culture references, corporate mockery and deliberately juvenile suggestions made in the middle of dangerous business.

The comedy at work

A choice between joining heroes and joining villains gives Ryan another route to test. Reversible death lets him approach terrible situations with a freedom his companions lack. The shifting alliances also let familiar people appear in different roles on successive attempts.

Try this if…

Readers who enjoy sarcastic superhero adventures and the puzzle of a time loop have a clear way in. The opening drops you into action before explaining much of the world, and changing timelines demand some attention to who is allied with whom.

Good to know

Maxime J. Durand also writes as Void Herald. This begins a completed trilogy; recurring death is built into its premise, and the jokey attitude accompanies an effort to save people.