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Longlisted for the 2020 Epigram Books Fiction Prize

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The Good Guys is a tale of failure and redemption. Set in Singapore in the not-so-distant future, superheroes, born from a worldwide conflict called War of the Long Winter, save the day. But who will save them when they break? The Good Guys is Darren Chen, a third-year law undergraduate’s first novel.

Deep beneath the Singapore General Hospital is The Vault—a hidden sanctuary for broken superheroes in need of a little time-out. Away from the eyes of the worshipping public, they take the sofa and have a dose of therapy. But when a death occurs, the facility is immediately locked down. Small-time superhero, Landslide, finds himself in a whodunnit, and realises that being cooped up underground amongst unstable superheroes with immense power is not the best place to be…
"Mysterious, engaging and pleasantly philosophical, The Good Guys offers a refreshing perspective on the superhero genre."
—Teo Xue Shen, author of Children of the Ark and 18 Walls

"I haven’t seen a superhero movie in a long while, let alone read a book about superheroes. I wasn’t expecting much, so imagine my surprise when Chen’s debut novel captured my full attention.

The tale is fast-paced yet easy to follow ... as it descends into a thrilling whodunnit, and concludes with an epic battle scene. In the end, the end is fitting and even stereotypical but will leave you cheering and feeling exultant. An engaging, imaginative spectacle with lots of heart - I enjoyed this book and I think you will too."
—Joy Fang, @mylifeoftext
Darren Chen is a third-year undergraduate with the National University of Singapore’s Faculty of Law. Before matriculating, he served as a Lieutenant with the Republic of Singapore Navy, and prior to that, he graduated from the Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) in 2015.

He started writing short-form prose when he joined the Ministry of Education’s Creative Arts Programme back in Secondary School. Up until that point, his usual avenues of artistic expression were drawing and painting. Realising that he had some capacity for creative writing allowed him to escape from the mundane routine of student life and build worlds beyond of the classroom.

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The Good Guys