Hero, Second Class: The Hero Complex Book 1
by Mitchell Bonds
Published by Marcher Lord Press
Reviewed by Alex McGilvery
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).
Review reprinted with permission of Armchair Interviews. Visit their site today at www.ArmchairInterviews.com
by Mitchell Bonds
Published by Marcher Lord Press
Reviewed by Alex McGilvery
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).
Review reprinted with permission of Armchair Interviews. Visit their site today at www.ArmchairInterviews.com
Previous Interviews with MLP
Marcher Lord Press:
One-of-a-Kind Christian
Publishing Company Interview I
Marcher Lord Press Presents
Christian Speculative Fiction:
Publisher Jeff Gerke Speaks
Out Interview II
Marcher Lord Press:
One-of-a-Kind Christian
Publishing Company Interview I
Marcher Lord Press Presents
Christian Speculative Fiction:
Publisher Jeff Gerke Speaks
Out Interview II
In previous newsletters I featured interviews with Marcher Lord Press' publisher, Jeff Gerke
(see sidebar for links). This issue I'd like to give people a taste of the three books published
by MLP with reviews from:
(see sidebar for links). This issue I'd like to give people a taste of the three books published
by MLP with reviews from:
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