Hero, Second Class

By Mitchell Bonds

Have at You Cyrus Solburg is a young man who dreams of becoming a Hero in a fantasy world in which Heroes owe monthly dues and Villains are allowed only one eclipse per fiscal quarter. Cyrus becomes... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 098210491X
• ISBN13: 9780982104910
• Release Date: October 2008
• Publisher: Gilead Publishing
• Length: 616 Pages
• Weight: 1.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.5" x 1.4" x 5.5"

Customer Reviews

Fun story!

Can't wait for the follow up to come out. Great and classic fantasy adventure laced with a hefty dose of humor.

The Best Book Ever

This is the best book I have read in a long time, and that's saying something considering how many books I read. It's a delightful mix of romance, humor, and Lord of the Rings. I can't wait for the sequel!

A colorful novel with equally colorful characters

"Hero, Second Class" can be best described as a satirical fantasy with many, and more serious, spiritual elements. What is a Christian fantasy satire anyway? The Christian portion comes in when the main characters debate whether a Creator exists, and if so, why does he allow bad things to happen. Neither the author nor the characters answer this question. What's important is that they ask and seek the answer with an open mind. The fantasy is obvious. The book swims in memorable and colorful characters (with names such as Crimson Slash, Blue Shock and Purple Paladin for the Heroes), unpredictable magic, and a world most fantasy readers will discover as both familiar and strange. Mitchell Bonds adroitly satires the fantasy elements, the world we currently live in -- especially when it comes to dealing with bureaucracy -- and the existing rules of traditional publishing by violating said rules at multiple turns. One would think these intrusions would jar the reader, but Mitchell made it work. I laughed myself silly more than once. If you enjoy an action-packed story with memorable characters, and a book willing to make fun of itself, you need to read this book.

Yum-Yum Juice

Hi, my name is Eric. I'm a read-a-holic. And yes, my latest little vial of yum-yum juice happened to bear the label: "Hero, Second Class." In my years as a fiction lover, I've adored the rare discoveries of something fresh and distinctly different, something fun and well done. Mitchell Bonds' 600 page tome qualifies on all counts. Not only does it read quickly, it puts a smile on your face and makes you chuckle. Our Hero, Reginald, faces off with an Arch-Villain early in the story --don't skip the prologue, don't do it!--then later finds himself the mentor to a new recruit named Cyrus. This young trainee becomes increasingly aware of his own abilities, while also awakening to his feelings for Kris, a speaking cat-like creature. As the Hero, his trainee, the purr-machine, and a few others head off on separate Quests, they find themselves drawn back toward a cataclysmic clash with Voshtyr Demonkind and his acolytes. The story, on the surface, sounds somewhat routine, but that's where Bonds refuses to be pigeonholed. He pokes fun at the genre, at the staples of storytelling, and even at the English language. With a Hero who narrates his own battles, a beautiful cat with a knack for puns, and the author's brief interruptions (and one particularly funny and wise removal from the scene), "Hero, Second Class" refuses to take itself too seriously. Even in the midst of a prophetic poem, the Hero questions his own propensity for rhyme! Mixing the best elements of "The Princess Bride" and Monty Python, the story is entertaining, fast-paced, and delivered with a wry grin throughout. That isn't to say there aren't monsters, or sword fights, or gruesome decapitations. Oh, yes, there are plenty of the genre standbys. My only complaint is that the map and glossary are woefully inadequate at capturing the breadth of the characters and their domains. With this being book one in the Hero Complex, I can't wait to see what Bonds does with new and old Heroes, new brides, dastardly Villains, and hints of greater things. In its debut year, Marcher Lord Press has proven itself to be a dependable producer of speculative fiction, with more good titles to come.

Terrific 5-star novel from a new young writer of fantasy

Hero, Second Class is one of the first novels released by Marcher Lord Press, the Christian publishing house. It is penned by Mitchell Bonds. If the idea of reading Christian fiction puts you off, relax. Hero, Second Class is a romp through the fantasy world in the tradition of Terry Pratchet. The discussion of faith takes second place to the story itself. Here is a book that has heroes who narrate their battles as they fight, villains who belong to a Brotherhood who monitor the dastardly deeds of their members. Cyrus has always wanted to be a hero just like his father. He gets his chance and is apprenticed to the Crimson Slash, also know as Reg. As Cyrus is learning the ropes he meets a dragon and brother and sister Katheni, who are cat people. He gets involved in the battle against an arch-villain that has a grudge against his mentor and a determination to rule the world. (He is after all, a villain.) As it become clear that Voshtyr Demonkin is no ordinary arch-villain, there are also hints that Cyrus may not be an ordinary hero. The humor in Bonds' writing had me laughing out loud. He manages to poke fun at every convention of adventure writing. Between monologuing villains, narrating heroes, Capital Letters and Arbitrary Numbers, he tells a story of a young man who is coming to grips with a world that is a lot more complicated than he had thought. Many of the characters are deliberate caricatures, but they have enough extra foibles to make them real. The real story that takes place between the lines of the epic battle between good and evil is touching and true to life. Hero, Second Class is a first-class book, and I will be waiting eagerly for the next installment of mayhem. Armchair Interviews agrees-good job Mitchell Bonds (who is only 20).