Hero (original 2007; edition 2007)

Almost every review I've read for this book applauds the subject matter (a gay teen superhero) but laments the sloppy writing. I'm going to add my voice to this choir.

The writing reminded me of problems I've had with some other YA novels. Everything is just a little too melodramatic, a little too overwritten, and a little too loud. The pacing is inconsistent; months will go by without much mention and yet events will be mentioned as if they just happened yesterday. There are countless contradictions within the text - I'd started off trying to remember some to mention as examples and quickly gave up. The main character's super power is healing, and yet he doesn't heal people close to him when the plot requires that they have an injury or ailment. There's a minor mystery involving murdered superheroes that never seems to be resolved, and then there's a surprise final villain that suffers from a lack of any foreshadowing that would make it believable. And then there's a complete lack of exploring themes that lend itself to the story - how about some musing on the parallels between an in-the-closet teen and a superhero with a secret identity?

2.5 stars is probably a more accurate rating, since I enjoyed it and it was a quick read, but the problems made me wince so many times and I was completely frustrated that a great opportunity had been squandered. ( )

Perry Moore's Hero was actually kind of disappointing. Quite a few people I know had fangirled about it, so maybe I just expected too much from it. It's not a bad story, and I have absolutely no objections to young adult lit with gay characters -- my thoughts are yes please on that score. Writing-wise, though, the book just isn't that good. To me, it went by very very fast, despite the four hundred pages, and it didn't give me all that much to grab onto. That was kind of good when it came to the action scenes, but... Stuff like Ruth's death almost slipped by me because the story hurtles along at breakneck speed. The casualness with which Scarlett announces she might be pregnant makes me wince. Serious, important things just get skipped over.

It wasn't all that original, really: all the superhero characters were basically the ones we all know, but with their names changed; I've read the same situations when it comes to coming out and being gay in a million stories online; and saving the world is saving the world is saving the world. The only really new thing was that Thom Creed is gay. That part actually kind of bothered me. Everyone in this book seems to know about Thom's sexuality even before he admits it aloud, and nearly everyone hates him for it. Neither of those things are even remotely realistic. I mean, I've known for five years at least that I'm bisexual, but in all that time, no one has ever just guessed my sexuality. It's not like we have it stencilled on our foreheads. And, strangely enough, not everyone in the world is homophobic. Okay, it's a book, it's fiction, it's not meant to be realistic, but... Perry Moore is gay himself, right? I can imagine that since he's openly so, he's had some of that experience, but I can't imagine that everyone in his world immediately condemned him because he's gay, because that's just not what happens.

It also kind of made me wince when Thom's mother said that her career didn't matter because she had the man she wanted, and also at the way she dismissed any idea that Hal might be biased in thinking that she should give up her career because she's the woman and "second rate". I have no idea if Perry Moore realised how that scene would come across, but ouch.

One thing I did like a lot was the relationship between Hal and Thom. I had no trouble believing in the way Hal treated his son and reacted to his various secrets, and I actually hurt for them both in a lot of their interactions.

All in all, though, I wasn't really impressed. It's fun enough to read, and I hope it sets a precedent for books about gay characters, but I really didn't enjoy it as much as I was hoping to. I'm giving it three stars ("liked it") on goodreads, but I don't think, if I was basing that purely on how good the book is, it should get that much. ( )

An action-packed superhero adventure told with humor and a very believable and likable gay hero. Parts of the story were bogged down with backstory, but Moore's writing is fast and fun and I tore through the climax. Plus, I was so thrilled the book was not focused on prejudice, but rather on teenage life, family, love, and what it means to be a hero. I wish there were more books out there like this, not just for gay teens, but for all readers. ( )

This book took on a little more than it could handle, perhaps, but I enjoyed it. I'd love to read more about the MCs though! ( )

The author of this lovely book died far too soon. The young hero is here coming-out in so many ways, making clear the parallels we've always known about with secret lives. ( )