A 2018 novel by S.R.MacColl about a man named Samson MacDale who lived an ordinary and boring life. Until one day a mugging gone wrong reveals that he has super powers. While this may seem like a bonus and a plus it leads Sam down a road of peril and danger as he meets similar super powered people (Known in universe as Glitchers), finds out there are monsters out to kill him and that there is a rogue Glitcher who's targeting current glitchers.
What could go wrong?
This book provides examples of the following:
- Action Duo: Sam and Benjamin. They fight together against the anti-virus program and then later team up again to retrieve the book from the Good Gracious host.
- Action Girl: Gloria, she's the mansion's go to fighting instructor rather than the larger Winston.
- Almighty Janitor: Molly is the Mansion's keeper and due to the nature of the place she can't leave but ohhhh is she powerful within there.
- Aloof Ally: Rose, she doesn't talk much and doesn't really seem that interested in getting to know or talk to Sam.
- And I Must Scream: What Winston does to Sam when he traps him in his hidden subspace.
- Animalistic Abomination: The virus swarm and the literal bug both found within the Good Gracious Host.
- Authority Equals Asskicking: Benjamin, leader of the Vanishing Mansion crew. He steps up and kicks arse along with Sam and isn't afraid to get his hands dirty.
- Badass Adorable: Amy. She's been 10 for 30 years but can never leave the Mansion due to the fear are powers could cause.
- Badass Crew: The Vanishing Mansion crew in general. All have powers and some are very very old!
- Bound and Gagged: Sam gets bound and gagged by Adam.
- Breaking the Bonds: Sam ends up breaking to sets of bonds. The first when physically bound by Adam and then later breaks the bonds of Winston's subspace.
- Combat Pragmatist: Gloria in her training sessions tries to teach Sam to be this. Everything is a weapon if you know how to use it.
- Defrosting Ice Queen: Gloria definitely starts as this. Before she gets memory wiped there is a touching scene between her and Sam.
- Eldritch Location: The Vanishing Mansion and The Good Gracious hosts both count. The Vanishing Mansion even exploits this feature with non-sequential corridors and deliberately encased design.
- Fallen Hero: Adam use to be a member for the Vanishing Mansion and Gloria's boyfriend before something happened that he faked his own death and turned serial killer sociopath.
- Face–Heel Turn: Benjamin suspected a traitor within the Vanishing Mansion but no one expected it to be Winston.
- Fate Worse than Death: Adam can wipe people's memories and it's treated in the novel with the pants terrifyingly gratvas it deserves.
- The residents is the Good Gracious Host can also count, if they are like the Vanishing Mansion they won't age while inside the Good Gracious Host and they are trapped in there unable to leave with twisted copies of themselves.
- Godzilla Threshold: Adam pushes at Benjamin to the point where he makes a deal with whoever, or more likely whatever, that person in the converted church is.
- Gone Horribly Wrong: The Good Gracious Host. Once a sub-space just like the Vanishing Mansion something went horribly wrong and now it's residents can't leave, there is a swarm of killer viruses on the loose, a literal monster bug and a mad men.
- Greater-Scope Villain: [[Spoiler: There is a shadowy organisation backing Adam. Who they are is never really touched on but they consider Adam a helpful distraction to throw at the heroes.]]
- Heroic BSoD: Sam takes electric shocks and waterboarding and keeps on fighting. But when Adam starts to take his memories he can only give up and cry.
- Humanoid Abomination: Whatever those things in the library are. They seem to be copies of the residents of the Good Gracious Host but gone twisted and horribly wrong. The person in the convert church could also count but all Sam sees of him is a mummified hand.
- Humans Are the Real Monsters: It stands out in a novel with a monster anti-virus, a killer swarm and a monster bug that the most chilling person in the book is Adam.
- I Have Your Wife: Adam invokes this when he captures Gloria and Winston.
- I Need a Freaking Drink: Sam and Winston invoke this after Sam's first visit to the Mansion.
- Infinite Supplies: Played with by the Mansion. Molly can create items for the hero to take out with them but there seems to be a limited of either how much can be taken out or how long it lasts for outside the mansion. This may possibly be the same for the Good Gracious Host as well.
- Insidea Computer System: Where the story is set apparently. Though other than a throwaway comment at the start of the novel and a promise by Sam to investigate at the end of the book the concept isn't really explored.
- Karma Houdini: The person Winston makes a deal with in the church is implied to be responsible for the situation in the Good Gracious Host but seems to avoid any kind of punishment.
- Kick the Dog: Adam gets a few, mainly in at Sam's expense but the nastiest comes when he kisses a newly mind-wiped Gloria
- Killed Off for Real:[[Spoiler: Winston]] gets obliterated by Amy.
- Lack of Empathy: Adam, whatever happened to him he does not care one bit for the pain or suffering of anyone and seems to actively revel in it.
- Monstrous Humanoid: The creatures in the library count. They look like hideous twisted copies of the residents of the Good Gracious Host.
- Nebulous Evil Organisation: The greater scope villain supporting Adam. What their goals are, what resources and just exactly what they know is not made clear.
- Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: Winston, Gloria and Sam may have just inadvertently used their powers so much when trying to free Sam from Adam that they cause the simulation to create an anti-virus program.
- Noodle Incident: There's a few in the novel.
- Whatever happened to the Good Gracious Host.
- Why Adam decided to fake his own death and betray the Vanishing Mansion.
- The incident when team took in Amy.
- Not Using the "Z" Word: It's not an undead Zombie. It's a computer anti-virus program named after a Norse myth.
- Ragtag Bunch of Misfits: The Vanishing Mansion Crew definitely count.
- Sentient Cosmic Force: The AI that supposedly runs the simulation seems to be able to know when powers are getting used too much and is even stated as doing a cost/benefit calculation when deciding wither or not to create an anti-virus program and just how powerful to make it.
- Sequel Hook: The novel ends on the POV changing to the newly mind wiped Gloria whose powers activate showing a sister she didn't even know she had in danger.
- Serial Killer: Glithcer's have been going missing never to be found again. It's heavily implied that Adam simply kills them when he is done with hem.
- Ship Tease: Sam and Gloria. At the end of the novel a mind wiped Gloria even states that she is developping a crush on a Glasgow boy.
- Sole Survivor: Amy is the sole survivor of her first noodle incident.
- Team Dad: Edmond counts. He seems genuinely protective and nurturing of both Sam and Gloria.
- Tome of Eldritch Lore: While it's never read from by a main character the book from the library within the Good Gracious Host counts. It's under guard, both the residents and the mysterious man in the church want it.
- The Mole: Revealed to be Winston, along with a face-heel turn.
- The Reveal: a few.
- That the world is a computer simulation is a downplayed one.
- That Adam is an ex-member of the Vanishing Mansion team.
- Winston's betrayal and face-heel turn.
- The Sociopath: Adam through and through.
- There Is No Kill Like Overkill: When Sam kills Adam he makes sure to load his entire gun clip into him. Given the setting it's probably a smart move.
- Violence Is Disturbing: Zig-zagged. The actions scenes are played pretty typical for the series but the scenene where Adam has Sam captive are this Trope in play.
- Villain of Another Story: The man that Benjamin make's a deal with in the convert church. it's implied he's responsible for the state of affairs in the Good Gracious Host to boot.
- Would Hit a Girl: Invoked. During their training sessions Gloria tries to get Sam to hit her. He fails miserably.
