What Makes a Hero?

Superheroes have super-powers. Magical heroes have mystical skills. Human heroes stand tall in the face of impossible odds. Canine and feline heroes tackle mysteries and monsters. Life coaching heroes coach great lives. Famous authors pen novels that change lives. And readers read.

I'm not sure what would constitute a heroic reader, but I'm wondering, after reading books with titles like "Heroes of the Earth," "Bloodline," and "Magician's Workshop," just what makes a hero.

Masters of magic in the Magician's Workshop create gloriously entertaining productions... like a mystical Disney perhaps--there's surely more, and many heroes in the coming-of-age celebrations that haunt young lives). I can't wait to read more...

Then the cat in "Bloodline" proves to be a hero out to save the girl. When Heroes of the Earth introduces a great cat too, I have to ask, are cats just natural heroes? But I'm not a cat. And I want to be a hero too.

I've no desire to leap tall buildings, though I dreamed of leaping them when I was small. I dreamed, and decided a long boring life would give me time to live lots of exciting lives through stories and books. And I do. I read a lot (to wit, these reviews). But I also want to write so readers will believe tall buildings and walls are no obstacle, cats and monsters no threat, and real life is well worth living. I want to pen novels that change real lives for the better. Sadly, I suspect, to be a hero, I'd have to have them published and read as well, a task I feel I have no control over. Ah well.

Are you a hero?
What makes a hero for you?

And what kind of coffee will you brew when you read these reviews?

Starting with Heroes of Earth by Martin Berman-Gorvine, a cool novel for middle grade and up, with alternate histories, a mystical cat, and plenty of thought-provoking real-world facts. It's good old-fashioned science fiction in the very best sense of the word--fiction that makes the reader think, fantasy that brings the real world into focus, and science that's believable if slightly beyond the scope of modern knowledge. Add history, bullying, racial profiling and more--it's food for thought and entertainment at its best. Enjoy with some well-balanced, full-flavored three-star coffee.

The Magician’s Workshop Volume 1 by Christopher Hansen and JR. Fehr, closely followed by Volume 2, breaks the mold of teen dystopian coming-of-age novels, combining the breadth and world-building of Harry Potter with the trials of Divergent. I can't wait to read more of these teens as they learn their powers, break their rules, and maybe end the power structure born of color. Enjoy with some elegant complex four-star coffee.

Bloodline: A Witch Cat Mystery Book One by Vicki Vass is aimed at older readers and builds an intricate world on top of our own, blending Appalachian herbs, Eastern crystals, ancient goddesses and more into a new mythology of witches, covens and familiars. The protagonist has a uniquely intriguing point of view, and the blend of Salem's past with almost cozy modern mystery is clever and cool. Enjoy with some dark five-star coffee.

Then there are human heroes. Jimmy Perez in Ann Cleeves' Blue Lightning, last of the Shetland Quartet, is surely a hero in his beloved's eyes, and in the eyes of those relying on him to find a murderer. His father might once have been a hero in his eyes too. But human heroes fail as this conclusion to the quartet proves so powerfully. Dark, haunting mystery and location, characters and relationships, and more, it's a book to enjoy with another dark five-star coffee.

Deadly Legacy by Daniella Bernett takes the reader to London's coolly civilized streets rather than Scotland's wilds, and offers a mysterious hero courting his heroine through a web of intrigue. It reminds me of a much-loved TV series of my youth--The Saint. An apt reminder on the death of Roger Moore I guess. Enjoy this smooth scary mystery with some well-balanced full-flavored three-star coffee.

Thinking of TV series, The State of Wyoming Episode 1 by Gillian Will is the first episode of an episodic novel that  succeeds in having a storyline per half-hour read. I'm not sure the hero is terribly heroic, but the situations have cool political satire--the Office crossed with West Wing perhaps. Enjoy with some easy-drinking two-star coffee.

Finally, Good Enough by Pamela Gossiaux offers a flawed heroine who learns to believe and to teach that we really are good enough, warts, mistakes and all. It's a pleasantly uplifting book, filled with coincidences that are easily excused. Romantic comedy and life lessons all in one! Enjoy with some more easy-drinking two-star coffee.

I think my favorite heroes from these are the magic-weavers of the Magician's Workshop. And my dream is still to be a heroic writer, making heroes of my own. What about you?






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