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)

A book to have for the rest of your live.

First, the greatest tragedy about this book is that there will be no more. Perry Moore died earlier this year, and while it is my understanding he had every intention of writing more about his main character Thom, there is no second book or even an outline.

Perry Moore did something here for young gay teens that very few other books have done. I was not a teen when I read this, I was in my early 20s, but I know if i would have read this book when i was a teen i would would have identified with many of the things that the Thom the main character is going through. The bulling and being picked on even by his own teammates, the lack of any real friends, and the fear of having your parents know or find out.

But this book is not about Thom being gay, yes it is a good size part of it, but the book is mostly about Thom's hope and dreams of being a superhero like his dad, and trying to live up to what his dad thinks he should be and balancing that with what he wants to be. Thom find fines friends on the way, and he also fined himself.

I really love superhero growing up, and never had a gay super hero to read about. So you can imagine my happiness when Stan Lee one of the charters of some of Marvel's greatest super-heros came on at the beginning to say how much he supported the work that Perry Moore was doing, and how much he liked the book.

This book just made me feel so good, and i reread it every now and then just to have that same feeling. I hope this help your to figure out if you want to listen to the this book. I do not normally rate books because I have a learning disability in english type subject and i do not spell or write well so i hope you can understand this, thank.

Great

This is a must read. It is not a "gay" book. It is a hero who happens to be gay.

Give it a listen!

Like the previous reviewer, I couldn't start listening once I started. I responded to the depth and honesty of many of the characters and found myself laughing out loud, groaning in consternation, and shouting at one character or another. Thom, the main character, is certainly likable, but also certainly flawed. I found myself frustrated with him and his actions (or inaction!) more than once throughout the narrative--like a good friend who just keeps making mistakes. The fantasy world of this novel is fun, with many somewhat darker connections to our own world. For me, the fantasy took a backseat to the excellent development of a whole stable of characters, as well as the heartfelt romantic element. This novel is fun, intelligent and meaningful without being cloying or overly concerned with pushing an agenda. The writing style is honest and straightforward with some whimsical touches. I am eagerly awaiting a sequel!

One-night "read"

This isn't the most original writing in the world of unconventional superhero novels...and, quite frankly, Mur Lafferty ("Playing for Keeps, among others), Matthew Wayne Selznick (Brave Men Run), and Jeffrey R. DeRego (Union Dues) have done it better. Nonetheless, there is something just so implicitly honest in the writing that makes it an extraordinarily compelling story. I started listening on a morning run, and finished around 4 in the morning. I haven't gone through a book (audio or print) that quickly in several years.

Of course, the content and conflict of this novel is now made especially pertinent by current events (gay teen suicide, the "It Gets Better" project, and Don't Ask Don't Tell). Undoubtedly, this went into Audible's decision to pick up the 2007 book now. What can I say...good timing.

Not enough stars...

There are not enough stars available to rate this book. I have had the book for several months and I have listened to it three times now and would have no problems listening to it again! The story of Thom and his adventures for self-acceptance is a great journey that anyone could relate to. Perry Moore's writing was engaging, enlightening, gut-wrenching, and soul solidifying. I laughed out loud. I cried uncontrollably. The story runs the gambit of emotions and takes you on a super adventure. Though I am a comic book junkie, don't let that disuade you from experiencing this tale. Michael Urie's narration was phenomenal. Seriously, I am having a hard time trying to express just how great this book is. Images, twists, and plots keep rushing in and I just want to tell you about Scarlett, Larry, Ruth, Justice, and so forth. I won't, but I will encourage to read or listen to this book if you want to embark on a spellbinding (as Stan Lee so eloquently states it) journey. I love this book!!

Wonderfully Original

I bought this book for our annual cross-country road trip to go see my in-laws. I stand back really pleased. The hardest thing about choosing a family book to listen to on road trips is making everyone in your car happy. This book had a bit of everything. My man loves super heros and all of those comic book type things and I adore a quirky protagonist with a lot to prove. Perry Moore's novel about a healing superboy who just also happens to be gay, hits all the spots.

I noticed another review talked about the masturbation scene that occurs within the first part of the novel. Okay people, this was NOT a graphic scene, and it was important for the book. As long as your kids are older than 12, they will be just fine listening to this book with you. And if not, listen to it on your own and appreciate the meaning of family and friendship, because those are the true themes behind this masterpiece.

Warning

I was really intrigued by this story about a young man just coming into his super powers.I was not prepared for the description of maturbation to gay porn. At that piont I stopped reading. If you don't mind that sort of thing, it is probably a good book. I just wish I had known before I spent my credit on it.

LOTS of Teen Drama!

I thought I would like Hero. However, the longer I listened to this story, the more I disliked it. Towards the end (and I did force myself to go all the way to the conclusion), I found myself hitting the fast-forward button to skip over a few minutes here and there.

You're inside the head of a teenager. You will be listening to a teenager's thoughts and feelings. For a teenage listener, this will probably be entertaining. For an adult listener, you may find this experience "uncomfortable."

I can find pleasure in reading a young adult novel or comic book story. I've enjoyed seeing The Avengers movies. But there were too many times during Hero that I had thoughts like "This conversation (with another character or with himself) is stupid." And there were fight sequences where the way heroes used their powers made no sense.

If you're a young adult, I think you'll probably like the story. If you've moved beyond the teenage years, you may not find the story or writing mature enough for you.

Fun Book

Glad I didn't listen to the haters. This is a really fun, well-written comic story. It basically takes us through a young man learning powers. The fantasy super-hero world does a nice job of mirroring his own experiences as a gay young man. There is really nothing objectionable subject-wise. Some reviews had me worried that it would be too raunchy. There is nothing raunchy about it. It seems very honest and is true to what a young teen would be feeling about love regardless of whether he or she is gay or not. It's about finding one's place in this world and giving what was given to you by your family to make yourself great.

Rehashed superheros and bad romance

The Audible reviewer Megan Volpert starts her review with "No one on earth has anything negative to say about this book", but I find that hard to believe. For one thing, the author should have invented more of his own superheros instead of re-hashing old favorites. He renamed them, but it's apparent that Superman, Aquaman, Wonder Woman, etc. are all there. The plot is pretty predictable and offers no real surprises.

Thom encounters a LOT of SUPER-negative reaction to his gayness which I suppose if you lived in deepest, darkest Biblebelt or else in the heart of Red-neck-land (often the same thing) you would probably still encounter. It's a little hard for me to go with it in this day and age, but then I live in a socially advanced city so maybe I'm not the best judge on that.

The premise is great, I love the idea of a gay superhero kid. I like his superhero talent, and that he has a great relationship with his Dad, and the story of his disappeared Mom. It's apparent that this is Moore's first novel, but for a first novel the writing is overall good enough. I hope that in future novels he develops his own line of superheros and makes them become classics rather than reusing other people's creations.

Moore writes romance very badly, and the story would have been a lot more interesting without it, gay or straight. It doesn't matter who is involved in a romance, if it's badly written it really grates and romance is well known for being one of the hardest things to write well. Our hero Thom thinks like the heroine in a cheesy romance novel whenever he starts contemplating his own gayness or love life. He jumps to silly conclusions that are obviously wrong, and reacts with equal silliness. Could have been done a lot better, or better yet left out. I dinged this story down to 2 stars instead of 3 for this.

Moore also leaves the open question, if Thom can heal everyone, why doesn't he heal everyone? There are sick people all around him, but he doesn't always fix them. I guess I agree with "David" who also reviewed this book saying: "Yay" for the message, "Meh" for the story".

The narrator did a great job. There are a handful of narrators who are my very favorite and I wouldn't say he falls into that category, but if I wanted another book and it was narrated by him it I'd consider that to be just fine. I didn't mind his voices or inflections at all, and I'm pretty picky about narration.