Perry Moore’s Hero

This was a great story.

First, you should understand that I like stories about superheroes. I like superheroes. However, I abhor flawless heroes. I can’t stand the “I can fly, I have super speed, you can’t shoot me, I’m super strong” hero that can whip anything into shape and has no problems at all. I’m looking at you, Supes.

Thom Creed doesn’t have that problem. His father, a hero, was kicked out of the Legion and is a pariah. He (Thom) has some great powers, but can’t really control them yet, and they trigger epileptic seizures (of the flashy grand mal variety). Oh, and he’s gay, and like all teenagers, he longs to be in love. And his mother left his father when he was younger.

This kid has some major problems in his life. To help him overcome them, he meets up with some also challenging friends. Scarlett, whose fiery temper (and power) are a mask for a serious problem. Ruth, in her words, a “tough old broad” who can see the future.

There are two kissing scenes in the story. One of them is mildly integral to the storyline and the other is the payoff for the love interest. I’ve read some romances, but never read a romance with less kissing. The kissing didn’t bother my 11 year old. But if two guys kissing offends you, then you should probably avoid this book. Also, non-pc means to describe gay guys are in the book; I consider one of the words used to be a cussword (it begins with f and can also mean a bundle of sticks for a fire).

What was more offensive to me was the smoking; it felt like a lot. On one hand, Ruth is a smoker. But she can see the future and knows that she won’t die because of smoking. The cigarettes are kind of integral to her character sketch. She’s the kind of tough old bird that won’t stop smoking, won’t wear her seatbelt, favors her middle finger, has a rough tongue and tells the truth. And yet she has a heart of gold. Another character that smokes … she could not have smoked but it would have made Ruth stand out as different more. And her smoking shows some changes in her that if I go into very deeply will reveal the character. Finally, Scarlett smokes once or twice, but it seems to be part of her tough girl image.

However, the smokers aside, I really, really liked this book.

The characters are well rounded, and the real characters are for the most part not too stereotypical. Except for Ruth, but everyone needs a golden hearted crone. The unreal characters; Justice, Uberman — they are the kinds of heroes I hate. But they’re really only peripherally in this story, and I can overlook their superiority. In fact, most of the “A-list heroes” are shown to be flawed and are poster kids for “sometimes super-human is less-than-human.”

Thom’s teenage angst is portrayed well and in expected boundaries. His planning to run away from home is spot on and I have to say probably what I would have done in the same circumstances. There are some unknowns; I didn’t know who “Dark Hero” was until late in the story. There were three options who stood out in my mind (I was making the assumption that Dark Hero’s civilian identity was already in the book). The pacing of the book is excellent.

With the smoking and the kissing, it’s probably not a book for a younger kid. But if your kid can read romances and her world isn’t shattered by two guys kissing, I recommend this book.