Less Than Hero

The latest satire from Browne (Big Egos) wittily and winningly mixes commentary on the state of the pharmaceutical industry (and American healthcare in general) with a tale of C-level superheroes. Lloyd has been making a living by begging in parks and participating in prescription drug trials. Along with a group of fellow guinea pigs, he takes assorted drugs to help companies discover potential side effects. Recently, he's noticed that one of those common side effects, drowsiness, has not only increased, but seems to get broadcast, causing others around him to sleep. Comparing notes, the test subjects realize that they've all developed similar powers (inducing rashes or weight gain, etc.), and decide to band together to fight crime. Meanwhile, other New Yorkers seem to be committing misdeeds with similar powers, causing people to lose memories or hallucinate. While Browne's novel has the trappings of a superhero story (including a shout-out to cult film Mystery Men), it works equally as a critique of a broken and corrupt pharmaceutical industry, one in which medicines often exacerbate the problems they're designed to cure while introducing new ones. Agent: Michelle Brower, Folio Literary Management. (Mar.)