I would like to thank the editors for an advance copy of this anthology in exchange for a fair and honest review

Publisher – Kristell Ink

Published – Out Now

Price - £9.99 paperback £4.60 Kindle eBook

We all know what happens when the hero saves the day, but what about their sidekicks?

Too often the hero is held high and celebrated whilst their sidekicks and comrades are brushed to the side; their own battles forgotten, and their actions airbrushed to nothingness from the tales of victory.

These are the stories of the ones who aren’t remembered; the ones who helped save the day, and got cast aside; the ones who don’t want the applause, and the ones who deserved the applause and never received it.

These stories didn't make the headlines - but they happened, and they're glorious.

I think how you perceive the role of the sidekick changes as you age. When I was very young, and this was more on TV watching Robin fight with Batman or The Doctor’s companions ask questions and be rescued; then this role looks like a lot fun standing in the adventure but always being protected by the hero. As a teenager …well who wants to be the sidekick when you can dream of the starring role? And now in my more adult life both seeing culture’s growing desire in culture to ensure sidekicks get equal levels of character development but also realising that sometimes not being super powered or the smartest person in the room means the sidekick needs even more courage to head into danger – plus they can create cool songs. In the new anthology Forgotten Sidekicks the editors Steven Poore and Peter Sutton has assembled a fine collection of stories examining exactly what is a sidekick?

In this collection we have

The Bardic Guide to Disobedience by Courtney M Privett – The opening story is wonderfully unpredictable as tk where it is heading. We look at the relationship between Verity the Bard and Wilfred the Pristine the Hero. Balancing excerpts of rules from the 47th edition of the Bardic Instruction Manual with a desperate adventure where Wilfred gets seriously wounded and Verity is left all alone. It looks at love, accepting who you are and knowing when to leave the stage and when to fight. Both a delicious story and a wonderful emotional tug as we want this pairing to survive. Loved this one!

The Dilettante and Leonard by Desmond Warzel – our story moves to New York 2042 where we get the first ever interview with the retired sidekick of the world’s only (and now deceased) superhero the very PR friendly The Dilettante. Well told primarily in a faux interview format it’s a look at those who would choose to become a superhero’s sidekick; has a smart look at the inequalities of the rich and the poor but then strikes a sombre tone that reminds us with an unexpected reveal that’s sometimes when everything is on the line even the unlikeliest hero may step up.

The Hour of the Rat by Donald Jacob Uitvlugt – very different style story here with a trip to 18th century Japan as Nezumi creeps into a nobleman’s estate in order to retrieve her mother’s heirlooms. But a simple midnight theft ends up escalating with an unexpected encounter with the notorious ninja the Grey Ghost and a battle of dark magic against an extremely dangerous opponent. More traditional in tone this adventure is well told with lots of action and still makes the reader unsure as to what is going on until the last few scenes.

Saving Simon by Allen Stroud – We now move to the UK of today and a really interesting premise. We meet two ex-soldiers Simon and Alison; the latter has been playing sidekick to Simon’s late-night attempts to help bring peace to his local area using his abilities. Alison has retreated a little from this life (reluctantly) but she gets called back in for an unexpected rescue mission for her secret employer. This story looks at the motivations of what would make someone become a superhero and a sidekick. Stroud mixes a daring tough hand to hand battle in a dark warehouse with an interesting question as to whether deciding to be a hero is actually the wisest choice of action.

A Harlequin in the Shadows by Su Haddrell – This tale moves to a fascinating fantasy realm where humans fae and various magical creatures reside – but not always peacefully! The local human nobles are being terrorised by a cocky magical highwayman known as the Harlequin who we find is really a half human half Chinari man known as Cole partnered with his more stoic sister Evie. They’re only just tolerated by their community and their crimes appear to put them at risk of final capture when Evie gets a chance to save her people from attack. Lots of action; a fascinating world and an adventure that suggest a world I ended up really wanting to find out more about in other adventures!

Henchman by Chrissey Harrison – this story reminds us that sidekicks sometimes work for the bad guy (albeit in this case unwittingly and just for a paycheck). We meet Jack a retired veteran amputee who has finally found some work guarding an industrial complex. Then he sees that his neighbour; an intrepid journalist has been captured by his bosses. We meet the very traditional Captain Awesome who gets into trouble, so Jack has to decide whose side he really is on. Lots of fun and good to see a disabled character get the focus of a story.

Charioteer by John Houlihan – this is a very interesting story where countries have decided to fight for resources with a simple battle between two champions using chariots piloted by another and fighting to the death. The story focuses on the land of Albun and the deadly but incredibly arrogant Nique and his disabled sister Soola who races the chariot but also designs weapons and tactics. The story interrogates this sibling relationship and the strains within it really well – it also has a few unexpected Brexit jokes!

Just Like Goldfinger, Right? By Ian Hunter – five would be superhero sidekicks are recruited by a mysterious man in black and put through their paces. It balances a very traditional danger room set up with squabbling ambitious teens and a dawning suspicion that something isn’t quite right. An interesting puzzle and reminder people can get in waters a little too deep.

Well-suited by Steve Dillon – In an age of superheroes a journalist meets one of the greatest - Aych, who recounts their adventures and what led to their retirement. This tale has a Watchman-like feel as it matches the myth of the superhero with the prejudices of the time where people have had to live in secret about who they were behind their masks. The ending is sombre, smart and thoughtful – my favourite in the collection.

Sidekicks Anonymous by Jim Horlock – the final tale in the collection is also one of my favourites as we find a recovery group for sidekicks who get pulled into an adventure for which there are no heroes or chosen ones in writing to save the world. As well as making a smart point about how the sidekicks often have to be as good as the main act, I’m sure it’s pure coincidence that some characters may resemble members of other well known stories but it does makes some wonderful points on those type of characters.

Altogether a very smart well-rounded set of stories that bring adventure, humour, sadness and respect for the sidekick. Don’t forget next time to toss them a coin too!