Official Review: The Age of Heroes by Scott J Robinson

[Bluefirerose]

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Age of Heroes" by Scott J Robinson.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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What happens to a hero when they grow too old to be heroic? When there are no more monsters to fight and armies to conquer, what is a hero to do with his time? The Age of Heroes by Scott J Robinson gives a rare look at a hero when they aren’t being heroic. A hero really isn’t that different from anyone else, though it is usually hidden under strength or some other ability.

In this fantasy book, Rawk was once a great hero, but now the use of magic is forbidden and the monsters (referred to as exots) are either dead or in hiding thanks to Prince Weaver. There are still elves and dwarves, but they are considered harmless as long as they keep to themselves and do what is expected of them. Rawk must come to terms with life beyond his heroic deeds of old and face the question every person has had to deal with at least once; what do I do now?

This book actually has two themes running through it. The first theme is the all too obvious one of how different people handle getting older. Rawk spends most of the book trying to figure out if he should keep trying to find things to fight or to hang up his sword and be done with it. A few times he says he is done being a hero, but each time he does, someone calls for help and he can’t say no. I think that although he acts like it’s his duty, it seems to be more about his pride than anything else. Prince Weaver (who happens to be Rawk’s best friend) lives very much in the past and voices more than once a longing to go back.

There is another theme that I’m not sure was intentional, but is very intriguing nonetheless. As I mentioned before, there are dwarves and elves in this land. At the beginning of the book, Rawk makes it pretty clear that he doesn’t like or trust any of them. As the book continues, it is apparent that he is not alone in these feelings. The dwarves do all the hard labor and receive no thanks, only to go home at the end of each day to their side of the city. They created indoor plumbing, but the people in general are afraid to use it because the dwarves built it. Today’s world in general acts this way, even when it isn’t as obvious as it is in this book. This may be the author trying to show us that prejudices are not only ridiculous, but potentially detrimental to our growth as a society. Or, I could be reading too much into it.

In summation, if you enjoy a few good fights with giants and other fantasy creatures, you might enjoy this book. If you like a few good fights mixed in with cunning and a bit of humor, I think you will definitely enjoy this book. I give this book 4 out of 4 stars for showing a hidden yet understandable side of the glorified hero.

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The Age of Heroes
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[anonanemone]

This sounds interesting. I imagine if you've spent most of your life being a hero it is difficult to know how to be and do anything else. Thank you, bluefirerose.

[kimmyschemy06]

Great review! I'm into heroes, dwarves and elves, so I think I would love this book, and since I notice that you did not mention any downside of this book, I assume that you really really enjoy it. Congratulations to Scott J Robinson for such a wonderful book!