Resenting the Hero by Moira J. Moore
Sometimes, a fantasy story comes along that simply isn’t meant to be taken seriously. This is one of them.
Not to say that that’s a bad thing. On the contrary, it’s wonderful. Resenting the Hero happily mocks a number of fantasy standards, yet manages to avoid completely sacrificing its own story to do so. The plot is not mindblowing or anything, far from it, but it is well suited to the humorous type of story that Resenting the Hero is.
Moira J Moore definitely has the ability to write something completely serious. You can see that in her world, which has some very interesting aspects to it. And it would be nice in the future to see what else she can do, but hopefully NOT with this series. The satirical tone is priceless, and I’d hate to see the sense of humor disappear.
The characters are amusing mixes of the extreme characteristics seen in a lot of modern day fantasy novels. Karish is good-looking, charming, admired by everyone, and he doesn’t like it one bit. Which we’ve all seen. But he isn’t a complete moody fop, either, as said character-types tend to turn out to be, and channels some of the traits of your typical arrogant, sleeps-with-everyone male character. An entertaining mix. The same goes for Lee. She might be very intelligent, and her first instinct is (almost) always right, but she shares the typical flat-chested, plain-faced physical traits of a classic anti-Mary Sue.
If you’re really snobby about your fantasy, you probably won’t enjoy Resenting the Hero. Which is really too bad, because it’s one of the funniest comic fantasies I’ve ever read. Definitely worth a look if you like that sort of thing.
The Hero Series — (2006-2013) Publisher: In a realm beset by natural disasters, only the bonded Pairs — Source and Shield — make the land habitable and keep the citizenry safe. But can Dunleavy Mallorough and Lord Shintaro Karish put aside their differences to defeat something even more unnatural than their reluctant affections for each other?
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