Hero

By: Perry Moore

Narrated by: Michael Urie

Length: 11 hrs and 13 mins

Publisher's summary

In the story comic book legend Stan Lee calls "spellbinding" and "totally original," Thom Creed has secrets. For one, like his father, he has super powers. Also, he's been asked to join the League—the very organization of superheroes that spurned his dad. Then there s the secret Thom can barely face himself: he's gay.

But becoming a member of the League opens up a new world to Thom. There, he connects with a misfit group of aspiring heroes, including Scarlett, who can control fire but not her anger; Typhoid Larry, who can make anyone sick with his touch; and Ruth, a wise old broad who can see the future. Like Thom, these heroes have things to hide; but they will have to learn to trust one another when they uncover a deadly conspiracy within the League.

To survive, Thom will face challenges he never imagined. To find happiness, he'll have to come to terms with his father's past, and discover the kind of hero he really wants to be.

Timely and inspiring, Hero tackles love, friendship, and the struggle to come to terms with who we really are in a sincere and suspenseful way.

This audiobook includes an exclusive introduction written and read by Stan Lee himself.

©2007 Perry Moore (P)2010 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Moore's casting of a gay teen hero in a high-concept fantasy marks an significant expansion of GLBTQ literature into genres that reflect teens' diverse reading interests; given the mainstream popularity of comics-inspired tales, the average, ordinary, gay teen superhero who comes out and saves the world will raise cheers from within the GLBTQ community and beyond." (Booklist)

AMAZING

THIS BOOK IS SERIOUSLY AMAZING. I WAS HAVING A SEIZURE AMD FOAMING AT THE MOUTH MYSELF AT THE ENDING.

As good as they say

Really, the story is exceedingly well done. the characters feel like real people in real situations.

The homosexuality is never used as some gimmicky main plot point, just one aspect of a complex character.

My only gripe is the obvious analogues to comic book heroes. "Warrior Woman"? Really?

But truthfully this is meant as a commentary on the superhero genre as a whole but does so in a way that it is also a gripping story.

unexpected

great story . lots of twists and turns, that you would not expect . kept me listening!

Delightful Superhero Story

This was a great story and had all of the elements of a classic hero story with some twists and turns that made it exciting and enjoyable.
I've recommended this to my friends as a fun, easy listening book with a relatable main character set in a world where being yourself comes with consequences. Not all who are bad are villains and not all who are good are heroes.

Great Characters, But a Bit Predictable

What did you love best about Hero?

I really enjoyed the characters. I like how the main character was a young man who made a lot of mistakes, jumped to a lot of incorrect conclusions, and had to learn a lot of life lessons. I like the portrayal of the League as a somewhat flawed organization.

My biggest problem was that I predicted every single one of the reveals significantly before it was unveiled. Although that detracted from the story somewhat, I'd still like to see more stories in this world.

What about Michael Urie’s performance did you like?

He gave a distinct voice to each character, and I could always tell them apart.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Boy meets boy, with superpowers

Perry Moore, Not Alan Moore

While the title of this review might seem like a dig, I actually did like "Hero". I applaud the novel for its candor on the subject of being a gay male teen. Though there have been a few instances of gay super heros, the super hero genre (both in comic books and novels) has largely avoided the subject of homosexuality, which is strange for a genre that embraces "gritty realism", or whatever phrase the DC fanboys are using to describe the current incarnation of the DCU.

My problems with the novel are this:

While I love a little silver age pastiche as much as the next comic geek, there is too much of it in this novel. Most of the supporting characters are obvious takes on existing super heros, hence Warrior Woman (almost no variation from Wonder Woman at all), Golden Boy (an a**hole version of Kid Flash), Uberman (a hollwo, brainless take on Superman), and Justice (who comes equipped with an origin story pretty much identical to Superman's). All the pastiche makes it seem a bit like Perry Moore decided to take the easy route in evoking images of a silver age version of New York, as opposed to engaging in the practice of world-building that is so integral to fantasy novels (which super hero novels technically are). However, I must admit that I enjoyed the little touches that related the world of the novel to our modern day world. I think they were very much necessary to make the story relevant to the audience of young adult readers the novel is aimed toward.

Second criticism: not enough backstory on Goron. If he's supposed to be the love interest in the novel, shouldn't we have seen a bit more of him, and learned a bit more about why he is who he is? I feel like way too much of the book was devoted to perpetuating the ridiculously obvious (***SPOILER ALERT***) "secret" that Goron and Dark Hero were one and the same. It was a big misuse of what should have been a much more important character.

Mostly, what was offputting about the novel was the prose, which could have been described as "atrocious" at times, and "sufficient" at other times, but never "great" or "engaging". I'm a bit of a word nerd and I feel like the words being used to tell a story are always as important as the story itself, if not more important. Novels aren't movies; you can't have Michael Bay come in, do a bunch of crane shots, blow some sh*t up, and expect people to love it. It takes hard work, and I feel like Moore should have worked harder on refining his prose.

Complaints noted, I did like the novel and I'd be willing to give its rumored sequel(s) a try.

Fantastic!

Would you listen to Hero again? Why?

Absolutely. The characters are both interesting and believable. It manages to be a teen coming of age story - of a young gay man, at that - without any of the "oh, dear Lord, who could be that stupid and angsty?" problems that most books like this have.

The narrator is perfect. The delivery is dead on, and the range of both character and emotions he juggles, he does effortlessly.

And even the characters were brilliant - which can be hard with superheroes, when we already know so many. Particularly fun that we kind of sort of know who many of the A-List heroes are, because they are fun-house mirror versions of more popular mainstream heroes we know, but taken apart and rearranged into new combinations, and then seen from the up close perspective of a young hero-in-training.

Would the Justice League be giving autographs and doing book tours? Would the Avengers have PR problems, even after they save the world? Would you train heroes on how and when to save the bystanders - and when not to? What happens when heroes get old or have health issues? Just what does insurance cover? What do you wear to your audition as a super-hero?

What was one of the most memorable moments of Hero?

Spoilers. Unfair to give any details.
When Thom finds the photos. Why Ruth wore the fancy dress. The poster that Thom knew he couldn't hang in his room. The need for dry cleaning. Dark Hero.

Which scene was your favorite?

The first major training exercise was pretty awesome. That's one way to take out a villain!

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

I don't think it's giving anything away to say that in a book about heroes trying to avert the end of the world, and new untrained heroes being forced into serious battles before they are fully trained, let's just say it doesn't always go well for everyone.

The author and the narrator struck just the right notes when it was time to deal with such things.

Any additional comments?

The loss of the author to a premature death was a loss in so many ways. Not being able to have this be the first of a series of books is only one of them. I hope that someone else is willing and able to pick up the series and go on with it.

Excellent Book

It's clear we seek heroes because they seem rare when we need them. We look for them in capes when they sometimes are within ourselves. "Hero" is a story about understanding who heroes are, where they come from, and what happens when they fall. It's the story of a special boy with secrets and powers and a society that often misunderstands justice. The prose is clean and crisp. And, while this is young adult fiction, it feels adult.

Fantastic story

Such an entertaining story! Perry Moore does a perfect job at capturing the angst and anxiety of being a teenager. The narrator is only okay - everyone but the main character comes off sounding nasally. Other than that, a thoroughly engaging read.

Great premise and a good time

this was a surprisingly good book. It was slow to start but I found myself towards the end totally absorbed into what was happening.