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 On the surface, Hero appears to be another stereotypical, whiny tale about a young teenager’s journey developing his superpowers and uncovering secrets from his past that will change his life forever. It’s been done, buried and revived a thousand times and I can honestly say I was sceptical in reading yet another superhero’s story. But after reading the first few pages, I could instantly tell that Moore’s idea had depth and character, which makes it more engaging than any book I’ve read for a while.
I have a lot of sympathy for this book, mainly because of the protagonist Thom Creed. It’s hard enough being a gay teenager, hiding every aspect of yourself from your parents (the magazines, the porn on the computer – don’t lie, you’ve all done it!), but on top of that, he has to deal with a mother who has mysteriously disappeared, falling in love with a straight, perfect superhero and learning he can heal people with his hands. The story becomes even more complex as Thom’s father, Hal Creed, a disgraced superhero, hates all superheroes (who do actually have powers) and anything remotely gay. So, with all that on his plate, Thom should be set for therapy for the next twenty years! Instead, he is determined to disobey his father and join the world-renowned League, where he meets some, shall we say, ‘interesting’ characters that can immediately be recognised from famous comic books, for example, Captain Victory has strange similarities to Captain America, and Wonder Woman also makes an appearance! With all that in place, our young hero is set to save the world in this highly imaginative and gripping tale that never loses it page-turning spark. One of the many reasons why I would recommend this book is its huge range of interpretation; Moore deals with not only the difficulties of being gay, but also what it really is to feel different or an outsider in the world. He teaches that all these differences have the ability to empower rather than discourage you and that if all these qualities are embraced, they can make you very special. Now if that doesn’t give you the feel good factor then I don’t know what will! In my opinion, his quest in discovering his true gay identity was the most interesting issue in the book; it was thoughtful, realistic and humanist and it was refreshing to read something that can actually be used to help other gay youths in their own quest of their inner self. The book is very well written, and Moore’s characterisation of the different cast is superb. The fiery and vulnerable Scarlett and the quick-witted, wise broad Ruth all aid in the charm of this book. I find it very hard to find something negative and there are only a few things that I noticed. The final climatic twist at the end of the book is somehow lost as the mysterious identities of the true hero and the true super villain was apparent to me by the third chapter. This did not, however, lessen my enjoyment of the book, though I don’t think I received the big shock Moore was aiming for. Also, the description at times becomes over fantastical and therefore loses part of its realistic world (well, however real you can get when writing about a world of superheroes!) The fights and the situations are too grandiose, for example, Thom’s ‘coming out of the closet’ situation would have embarrassed anyone to death, yet he simply gets on with it. It seems that Moore ran away with his descriptions and even though they are vividly picturesque, they deserve to be in a Hollywood blockbuster. I’d like to go on forever with the endless lists of good qualities this book possesses, but I don’t want to give anything away. But I will say this; Perry Moore’s novel is a fun, fast paced, action filled, heart-warming and compelling read. So why haven’t you got a copy yet?
Reviewed by Romi Dasani Hero is published by Hyperion, priced $16.99 and is on sale now Only registered users can write comments.
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then 
then I was depressed that it was done. It was AMAZING!!! 
Would have made the book a whole lot better for me personally. 
