Prelude to a Hero by Jaime Buckley Review

Title: WANTED: HERO: Prelude to a Hero (Chronicles of a Hero)

Author: Jaime Buckley

Length: 35.8K words

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy

Book Type: ebook Review Copy

Publisher: On the Fly Publications

ASIN: B00538DUNI

Picture from Wanted Hero

From Goodreads: Wendell is a young man who learns what his potential is while on a strange, enchanted world with a funny old wizard and ugly troll to mentor and guide him. Prelude to a Hero, the debut book about how Wendell came to be the one expected to save an entire world. . . by accident.

*Edited 3/1/12 with the addition of a new cover image*
My Review: The cover for this book definitely doesn’t do it justice. Honestly, I debated including it because I thought it may deter some of you from giving this book a shot. However, I feel all covers need to be included. No picture, no fun. You know me, I’m a cover junkie. The more I stare at the little smiley face guy, the more he grows on me. He is cute. I love this new cover so much more! Totally sci-fi/fantasy-ish. Woo! Plus, these books started out as comic books... which is way cool.

This is a really fun, fantasy read. Right from the beginning, the book tells you that, “This story begins with a stranger. A self-proclaimed coward. A mere boy from a different world--who united the hearts of nations by accident.” (Location 52) This is a classic underdog story and I cannot wait to see where Wendell ends up. Wendell is actually a really funny character. He is self-deprecating, awkward, and some of his inner (and spoken) dialogue is hilarious. When he thinks something is about to eat him, the only comeback he can come up with is, “I...hope you get heartburn!” (Location 355) This is my kind of guy. He may think it was a lame retort, but I found it pretty funny. It shows his innocence and good-nature. If heartburn is the worst thing he can think of in a threatening situation, you know he must be pretty good. You can even find a “Lord of the Rings” reference from Wendell in this book.

The first chapter was slightly confusing, but once Wendell was introduced, I was hooked. There is even a nice little pronunciation guide in the back of the book. We don’t see a lot of the villain in this portion of the story, but we do learn a bit about him. He is very cunning and, “his influence grows in ways we can only measure by destruction and death.” (Location 135) Quite a picture, isn’t it? The villain is so elusive that you can only tell how powerful he is becoming from the amount of destruction and death around. 

Some of my favorite parts of this book were the beginning segments of each chapter. They stepped out of the story a bit and were somewhat aimed at teaching a lesson. They were presented in a narrator voice. Two of my favorites were about every gift having a price and the universe presenting everyone with an opportunity to rise to their potential. It’s kind of a nice thought, that even though the choice isn’t easy, everyone gets a chance. We all want to be important and Prelude to a Hero really showcases that. Wendell feels as if he has been overshadowed his entire life. I’m sure we can all relate to this. Who hasn’t felt under-appreciated at some point? I was definitely able to relate to the characters in this book. I really enjoyed it. A nice, quick read that had me interested in the sequel! 

Thanks to The Buckleys for this review copy!

What do you say, is this something you would be interested in reading? You can check out the website for the book--it has lots of fun content. Lets discuss in the comments!

*All location information is subject to change.