Customer Reviews

Standard Hero Behavior

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I couldn't put this book down! Witty, humorous non-stop action about a young boy on a quest for finding heroes and his father kept me glued to every page. The satirical undertones of the novel poked fun at the fantasy genre, keeping the book light, while deeper themes of losing father figures, finding one's self and learning the true meaning of heroism gave the book a true poignancy. I recommend this to any fan of the fantasy/science fiction genre, especially young adults!

Light-hearted and moving, irreverent and honest... this book will by my Christmas gift to all the teens and tweens in my family. With an arrow slinging young woman, a kind witch, a warrior poet and his childhood best friend, SHB ranks right up there with the Chronicles of Narnia. It is light enough for kids, yet deep enough for adults to appreciate. The characters are engaging and the story is fast-paced and satisfying. This book has everything.... action, quests and friendship, humor and surprise, dragons and family. Take a good look at true heroes!

Standard Hero Behavior is a thoroughly enjoyable read for tweens, teens and adults alike. This story deals humorously with the cliche hero types of standard fantasy fiction. In the process it shows that everyone has a hero inside. SHB also deals with the theme of broken families, and does so with a light but honest touch. Overall a very well crafted tale. This is John David Anderson's first book, but SHB stands comfortably alongside the giants of young adult fiction. Here's to John David Anderson for a very promising start to what will surely be a great future!

Author John David Anderson is America's answer to J.K. Rowling. Extraordinarily well-crafted, Standard Hero Behavior reeled me in with irony, humor, surprises, and vividness. Anderson's skill and imagination take a young man's expedition of discovery to many unexpected, astonishing, and inspiring levels. Every chapter became my next favorite. The satisfying ending had me cheering, laughing, and sobbing--and ready to heed the heroes among us.

I enjoyed it cover to cover. I can imagine young adults, who are struggling to figure out who they are, also enjoying the humorous way YA issues are addressed.

Even though it is listed as reading level ages 9-12 I would suggest a higher age range due to content. It is a good addition to a high school, or even a middle school library. But some of the language prohibits me from putting it into the elementary library with good conscience.

SHB is an excellent fantasy satire along the lines of Terry Pratchett's works for the younger set, such as The Wee Free Men. As a Young Adult Librarian, I highly recommend this work as a quick and humorous read. I look forward to the author's next work!

Standard Hero Behavior begins with...well, a tale. A young bard named Mason Quayle attempts to glamorize and create heroics out of an otherwise laughable situation, and this is a thing he does often in order to make ends meet at home, taking responsibility for the missing income that should have added to his and his mother's contributions. When just a boy, Mason's father, dubbed as a hero in a town that once housed many, walked out the door and never returned. This was an event that has left a deep impact on Mason. He often thinks of his father in a negative light, seeing not the hero, but the father who abandoned him and his mother. Disenchanted with life, feeling less than excited about his position as a bard, especially in a town without any heroes but one (the duke), and faced with bills he cannot pay, Mason does the unthinkable: he propositions the enemy for a job position and discovers something he didn't quite bargain for...

This mysterious 'something' shall remain unnamed, but, suffice it to say that it leads to Mason and his best friend, Cowel, leaving on a journey that just might answer all the questions Mason has ever had about his father and just might fix all that's been broken.

I really enjoyed this book. If anyone has read the inside of the dust cover (of the hardback), the book is just about as funny (and this was the very thing that prompted my purchase). Character dialogue is occasionally hilarious, main characters are multi-dimensional (this doesn't quite include third parties, but it isn't a huge issue), and the book stands out for being different from other fantasy based reads.

Of course, this one has the standard cliche quest, but the outcome isn't quite as expected. Likewise, the characters roles aren't as one might think upon inspecting the little plot summary. While having moments of comedy, some especially nice banter between the two main characters (who bicker like an old married couple), Standard Hero Behavior also covers some surprising territory. Yes, a lot of fantasies explore the main character discovering his/her place in life (as this one does as well), but this one manages to be a fantasy with more of a realistic feel. Not everything ends perfectly. Some revelations are not as light hearted as one might expect, and not everyone is hero material (but in certain circumstances and cases, there are those who know this and accept it without argument).

This isn't a lengthy book, and the cover might lead some to thinking it's mainly aimed at kids, a point I would have to disagree with. While this doesn't have any overly mature content, there is a fair amount of language, which makes me pin this one as a read more suitable for teens. For those looking for character driven stories, a nice fantasy to pick up, or even a good laugh, I highly recommend Standard Hero Behavior. This is John David Anderson's debut, and, based on this reading experience, I would happily pick up another book by this author.

Like the others here that reviewed this book, I absolutely LOVED it!!! I am 39, and enjoy well written juvenile fiction. This book is really head and shoulders above the pack. There is not one thing I would change about it. It will appeal to young and old alike, and has action, humor, fantasy (though not too much, because I don't care for fantasy books much), a little romance, but above all Hero Behavior. This author is VERY talented and I hope he has a long career. There is no attempt in the book to be "cool" and "hip" and try to connect with young readers with slang, etc. What it is, is just a very well thought out and well written piece of work that reminds me of the classics such as Tom Sawyer and the like. Thank you for such a good book!!!

John David Anderson's first novel ranks high above many of the efforts of much more experience writers (i'm looking at you, James Patterson). Ostensibly a YA-level novel, this book has many layers and can be appreciated by young people of all ages.

Anderson deftly weaves satire and sincerity with an artist's touch. As other reviewers have noted, he pokes fun at fantasy-genre tropes, but this is no mere parody. Much of the humor is aimed squarely at the "real world" -- one of my first big laughs came from the Duke's yellow/orange/red "threat level" boards for orcs, goblins, and dragons.

For a first novel, the book has a well-paced plot with enough foreshadowing to keep a child's interest and enough subtle trickery to surprise any adult. Anderson also touches on more serious issues, such as the loss of a parent and what it means to be a hero. A sword is not enough, it seems: you've gotta have heart. And this book certainly does.

Like the Harry Potter books, here is a tale so well-crafted, smart, and fun to read that adults will love it as much as tweens. Anderson creates an intricate and believable world and populates it with a horde of engaging characters. The plot is unpredictable and the outcome satisfying. Best of all, there's plenty of truly twisted wit and wisdom along the way. I'm ready for the sequel!