Narbonic Perfect Collection Book 2 by Shaenon K. Garrity

Wow. Where Narbonic Perfect Collection Book 1 was a rollicking set of tales full of world building and character development, Book 2 is where the rubber meets the road. Shaenon K. Garrity knits the seemingly-random tales and events from the first book into a tale of Mad Scientist Creation Gone Mad, and by the end we’re not 100% sure who’s mad and who’s sane (and which we prefer!)

I wholly endorse finishing this one off with The Reactorside Reader, as it is an excellent wrap-up in text form to the tales presented in Book 1 and Book 2 of the Perfect Collection.

Narbonic Perfect Collection Volume 1, by Shaenon K. Garrity

Narbonic Perfect Collection Volume 1 is the first in a two volume series capturing all of the webcomics in Shaenon K. Garrity’s Narbonic series in print.

Helen Narbon is:

  • A strong female character not afraid to be ruthless or gentle when needed
  • A scientist (okay, a mad scientist) with skills in biology, physics, and many other areas of study</li
  • A loyal friend and occasional mischief maker
  • My personal definition of mad scientist.

Seriously, I imprinted on her like a duckling on a roomba.

Dave Davenport is the actual main character of the Narbonic series, as he is Helen’s sanest henchman (that’s not saying much, the other two are a college student and a gerbil with an IQ of 250) and the progenitor of the plot line. The story starts with Dave becoming Helen’s “IT guy” and proceeds through numerous adventures involving gender swapping, taking over the moon, battling Helen’s mother, taking on the secret society of Daves, and going to Helen’s 10th class reunion.

It’s, um, complicated working for Helen.

But oh heavens do I look up to her.