The Trouble With Heroes [Mass Market Paperback]

Denise Little (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 3, 2009

These 22 all-new tales pay tribute to the true heroes—the people who enable and put up with heroes. From what it’s like to be Hercules’ wife (complete with an appearance by Hercules in drag) to the trials of H.P. Lovecraft’s housekeeper, from the perils of being King Kong’s girlfriend to the downside of dating a shapeshifter, this anthology turns heroism on its head, revealing the behind-the-scenes drama, as opposed to glorious rescues. From the Pied Piper’s power trip to David acting like a giant you-know-what after slaying Goliath, these stories show heroes in all their ignominy and shine a light on the unsung faithful standing in their shadows.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Denise Little worked for Barnes & Noble/B. Dalton Bookseller for many years, first as a bookstore manager, then as their national book buyer for romance, science fiction, and fantasy fiction. She then joined Kensington Publishing, where she edited her own line of romance, Denise Little Presents. She's currently executive editor at Tekno Books.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Mass Market Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: DAW (November 3, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0756405793
• ISBN-13: 978-0756405793
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #219,738 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Ahh, the life of a sidekick..., April 12, 2010

By 

H. Grove "Errant Dreams Reviews" (Maryland, USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Trouble With Heroes (Mass Market Paperback)

This anthology's topic is the all-too-unknown down-side of heroes. We see them as mythical, wonderful figures. But what do their loved ones and helpers see them as? Who gets to see them when they're cranky, or do their laundry because they're always off saving the world? And what happens when a hero's PR makes him out to be something rather different than he really is? This is a theme both hilarious and poignant, as the tales in this book reveal.

The Trouble With Heroes includes 22 stories by such wonderful authors as Jean Rabe, Laura Resnick, and Kristine Kathryn Rusch. A few don't delve very far beyond the hilarious or the most simplistic aspects of their topic, and those are my least favorites (although they're still fun!) as they're a bit shallow and unmemorable. I think the best stories hit the funny-bone but still manage to touch on something a little deeper or more lasting.

Jean Rabe's Merry Maid was one of my favorite offerings in this book. Maid Marian takes on a most unexpected role in the legend of Robin Hood, and Robin turns out to be something rather different as well. I wouldn't dream of spoiling it for you, but I'll just say that I was quite surprised and thought Rabe carried out her take on Marian quite beautifully! Robert T. Jeschonek's Ballad of the Groupie Everlasting is right up there with Rabe's work, exploring the life and work of the muse Terpsichore and the tale of the Pied Piper of Hamlin. My other favorite work from this anthology is Kristine Kathryn Rusch's Clay Feet, a tale in which a museum curator faces off against a god over the provenance and proper destination of his statue!

As always, while there were a few stories that didn't resonate very strongly with me, there were some that blew me away. And overall the quality is quite good--even the stories that didn't stick with me were ones I enjoyed at the time. Certainly this is an unusual topic with a wealth of material, and many of these authors mined it to great results.



[NOTE: review book provided by Penguin Group]

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars spinning tales of the everyday hero, December 30, 2009

By 

Heather Lobdell "Heather's Reviews" (Nebraska) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Trouble With Heroes (Mass Market Paperback)

Comedic outlook on the real life drama of our well loved heroes. Wonderful stories that really spin the life of the hero.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Heroes aren't supposed to be mundane..., December 27, 2009

By 

Deborah Sutherland "Never too many books!" (Ventura, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: The Trouble With Heroes (Mass Market Paperback)

but even heroes need to eat, sleep, work, and have an occasional bad day. The stories herein are (mostly) imaginative vignettes, not of the heroes themselves, but of those who love them or who must otherwise abide them. It may not be easy to be a hero, but it's a helluva lot harder to have to deal with them on a day to day basis. The women in this collection are the true heroes.