Tieshaunn
In a world, where superheroes and -villains have been fighting since the twenties, a world whose present is so very unlike our own, a young gadgeteer, Basil Blake, seeks both the thrills of a hero’s life as well as the chance to do some good.
The world is haunted by an invincible woman out to destroy all she sees; by a hundred-year-old villain who sees all as a mere game, moving all the pieces under his sway for his own amusement; by twisted abominations born of a single man’s spite towards all; by six madmen out to spread their madness; by an overlord who wants to subjugate all and by a great advantage in numbers for the villains.
Yet, there are heroes who seek to better the world, lead by the original superheroine, Lady Light.
Basil, under the name of Brennus, agrees with these points of light in the darkness of the world and joins the fight – in his own way.
Tieshaunn isn't Worm. It is worse it every single way. It does wish it were Worm, through, and tries its hardest. The writing is exposition heavy to the point of ludicrousnesses in the early parts. In the later parts, when the plot starts moving, things get a lot better but I tend to find it a touch confusing. Despite its flaws I really like this story,
Book 1 (the fist and so far only book) follows Brennus, who is a Gadgeteer. This means he can create super tech that really works, as opposed to tech that only works because the inventor thinks it should. (And yes, this bit does seem to be straight from Whateley). It starts with him realising he has powers, telling his sister (who turns out to be a super villain but loves all the same) and going out to start fighting crime.
As the story progresses the world builds up. We find out the 'Sovjet Union' is still about. We're told of Desolation-in-Light, a super powerful metahuman come force of nature. We learn of the origin of meta human and a sinister group called the Companions of the Future working to brining about its fate. And tying it all back to Brennus is a slowly expanding story that hints that there's a lot more to Brennus and his history than we (or indeed he) knows.
I'd recommend people give it a try and stick with it through the first few painful chapters.