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The Former Hero
When a train-wreck, single-mother wakes from an afternoon nap to find her little girl gone, she launches on a frantic search through the dark city streets to find her. Fearful that the girl has been abducted by the burgeoning sex trade, she solicits help and protection from an outcast loner on a Harley. But when they raise a clamor in the city offices seeking police aid, they draw the suspicion—and malice—of corrupt city barons. One sour veteran detective might help them, if they can just find him.
Meanwhile the superhero Omni-man lies in a hospital hoping that doctors can find a cure to restore his lost superpowers. But he soon realizes he will face life as an ordinary man. When he joins one last adventure to help find the missing girl ,the former superhero begins a psychological journey that leads him farther down the rabbit hole of self-discovery than he was prepared for.
Meanwhile the superhero Omni-man lies in a hospital hoping that doctors can find a cure to restore his lost superpowers. But he soon realizes he will face life as an ordinary man. When he joins one last adventure to help find the missing girl ,the former superhero begins a psychological journey that leads him farther down the rabbit hole of self-discovery than he was prepared for.
- GenresFiction
404 pages, Paperback
First published September 11, 2014
About the author
Jeffrey Allen Mays
1 book5 followersJeffrey is a book-lover and writer. His articles have appeared in Catapult/Topology, God and Nature, and Please See Me. His short story "Malefic" appeared in the 2013 eco-horror anthology Growing Concerns. His debut novel The Former Hero was published in 2014 by AEC Stellar Publishing, winner of the 2015 Texas Association of Authors Book Award for Suspense/Thriller and finalist with the Nation Indie Excellence Award. His short story "Concho Diary" won the 2017 Texas Authors award for contemporary fiction. He lives with his wife in Austin.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
October 4, 2014
The Former Hero, by Jeffrey Allen Mays, is a complex novel that I can foresee re-reading several times. I attended a launch party for the novel on Facebook and was fortunate enough to win a signed copy. After receiving it in the mail and reading the first few chapters, I went to my iPad and ordered the e-book from Amazon. Yes—I am the type of person that likes to save (or perhaps preserve) exceptional paperback and hardcover books. The Former Hero paperback will have a special place in my library.
*************Warning: Spoilers Ahead*************
Where to begin this book review is problematic for me because there are so many good aspects to the writing. The sense of place, the mythology of the hero, the concepts of good versus evil, the religious allegory, and the rich tapestry of characters created by the author are all stand-out aspects in the novel.
Sense of Place
When the story begins, it could be set in a modern suburban neighborhood where kids play outside during the summer, have tea parties with dolls, chase butterflies in nearby fields, and draw on the sidewalk with colored chalk. Quickly, though, Mays begins to add layers to this world that only appears ideal on the surface. Readers learn the police rarely, if ever, patrol the neighborhoods. Laws are simply not enforced. The Mayor, Robert Knox, corrupted the police force and employs madmen and costumed villains with names like “The Bombardier,” “Taser,” and “Viper” to keep the populace under control. The closer the characters get to the geographic center of the city, the worse the corruption grows. Children are kidnapped for the sex trade. Women are sold into forced marriages. People are murdered in the street. Good cops, like one of the main characters, Lt. McCarthy, are few and far between.
What gives story world an additional depth is the research that Lt. McCarthy conducts into the history of the town and the supervillain known as The Minstrel. This type of research is banned by the Mayor, but because of McCarthy’s connections in the police force, he is able to find documents about the earliest settlement in the area. Readers learn about the town from the first settlement days when the physical embodiment of evil, The Minstrel, pulled up to a wooden platform and disembarked from a stagecoach. How the townspeople first fell into corruption—how the Minstrel was able to work her brand of psychological destruction until the townspeople were stained by evil and despair—is slowly revealed through the first-hand accounts available in these historical documents.
Characters
Mays creates his characters with an impressive level of complexity. They are heroes and they are villains; they are flawed human beings and they are monsters; they are drifters, loners, detectives, hypocrites, and sometimes saviors. They might be imbued with mystical powers or they might be insane. Reading through the novel, which shifts section-by-section through various character points-of-view, lets the readers “see” each character from multiple perspectives. For example, readers are introduced to The Former Hero, John Common, through his own rather convoluted thoughts, through the experiences of Penny, a child whose cat he once rescued from a tree, through various reports of so-called health care professionals who work for the Mayor, through flashbacks, through interactions with villains, and through observations of other main characters like Lt. McCarthy.
Part of the enjoyment of the novel is siphoning through these observations to reach the “truth” of the characters. Is John Common the hero Omni-man who has been poisoned and trapped by the Mayor and his henchmen in a medical institution or is he simply a man with delusions of special abilities? Did he save a young man named Jimmy Noble by compassionately healing The Viper’s physical deformities, or did he murder Noble as The Viper claims? Did he really save the city over and over again, or is he mad?
*******Seriously—Major Spoilers Ahead!***********
Religious Allegory
Years ago when I first read A Light in August, by William Faulkner, my American Lit Professor made a comment that has stuck with me to this day. He said that authors take particular care in naming characters, and if an author uses a name with the initials of J.C., readers should look for an analogy to Jesus Christ. This struck me with the character of John Common in The Former Hero, whose super powers dealt with healing and helping people put past torments in perspective so they can move on and live a better life.
The super villain known as The Minstrel also has an analogy in the Christian religion. Much like the serpent in the Garden of Eden, she started the townspeople on the path to corruption. She is still there in the current day, literally worshiped by the Mayor and his people. As Lt. McCarthy learns through studying the town’s history, she began by sowing discord, and then managed to tempt the wife of one of the settlers, Eva Calhoun, who then tempted her husband, Adam. Instead of the gift of knowledge, though, The Minstrel offers the gift of beauty. It is a false gift and Mays’s description of the temptation, and the fall of Eva and Adam, is one of the most chilling and disturbing scenes in the novel. Adam’s father eventually catches The Minstrel and curses her so her skin changes and becomes scaly like a serpent. He does not disown Adam and Eva completely, but banishes them from their beautiful Eden-like farm in the countryside to live in the now-corrupt town.
The Former Hero, by Jeffrey Allen Mays, is not a novel to be read quickly; it is something to be enjoyed and savored; to be analyzed and discussed among friends. It has elements of a mystery, a gritty urban crime drama, a noir detective story, and a superhero comic book. It has a mixture of action, adventure, mythology, philosophy, and spine-tingling horror. It is a novel that readers will continue to re-visit in their own libraries for years to come.
*************Warning: Spoilers Ahead*************
Where to begin this book review is problematic for me because there are so many good aspects to the writing. The sense of place, the mythology of the hero, the concepts of good versus evil, the religious allegory, and the rich tapestry of characters created by the author are all stand-out aspects in the novel.
Sense of Place
When the story begins, it could be set in a modern suburban neighborhood where kids play outside during the summer, have tea parties with dolls, chase butterflies in nearby fields, and draw on the sidewalk with colored chalk. Quickly, though, Mays begins to add layers to this world that only appears ideal on the surface. Readers learn the police rarely, if ever, patrol the neighborhoods. Laws are simply not enforced. The Mayor, Robert Knox, corrupted the police force and employs madmen and costumed villains with names like “The Bombardier,” “Taser,” and “Viper” to keep the populace under control. The closer the characters get to the geographic center of the city, the worse the corruption grows. Children are kidnapped for the sex trade. Women are sold into forced marriages. People are murdered in the street. Good cops, like one of the main characters, Lt. McCarthy, are few and far between.
What gives story world an additional depth is the research that Lt. McCarthy conducts into the history of the town and the supervillain known as The Minstrel. This type of research is banned by the Mayor, but because of McCarthy’s connections in the police force, he is able to find documents about the earliest settlement in the area. Readers learn about the town from the first settlement days when the physical embodiment of evil, The Minstrel, pulled up to a wooden platform and disembarked from a stagecoach. How the townspeople first fell into corruption—how the Minstrel was able to work her brand of psychological destruction until the townspeople were stained by evil and despair—is slowly revealed through the first-hand accounts available in these historical documents.
Characters
Mays creates his characters with an impressive level of complexity. They are heroes and they are villains; they are flawed human beings and they are monsters; they are drifters, loners, detectives, hypocrites, and sometimes saviors. They might be imbued with mystical powers or they might be insane. Reading through the novel, which shifts section-by-section through various character points-of-view, lets the readers “see” each character from multiple perspectives. For example, readers are introduced to The Former Hero, John Common, through his own rather convoluted thoughts, through the experiences of Penny, a child whose cat he once rescued from a tree, through various reports of so-called health care professionals who work for the Mayor, through flashbacks, through interactions with villains, and through observations of other main characters like Lt. McCarthy.
Part of the enjoyment of the novel is siphoning through these observations to reach the “truth” of the characters. Is John Common the hero Omni-man who has been poisoned and trapped by the Mayor and his henchmen in a medical institution or is he simply a man with delusions of special abilities? Did he save a young man named Jimmy Noble by compassionately healing The Viper’s physical deformities, or did he murder Noble as The Viper claims? Did he really save the city over and over again, or is he mad?
*******Seriously—Major Spoilers Ahead!***********
Religious Allegory
Years ago when I first read A Light in August, by William Faulkner, my American Lit Professor made a comment that has stuck with me to this day. He said that authors take particular care in naming characters, and if an author uses a name with the initials of J.C., readers should look for an analogy to Jesus Christ. This struck me with the character of John Common in The Former Hero, whose super powers dealt with healing and helping people put past torments in perspective so they can move on and live a better life.
The super villain known as The Minstrel also has an analogy in the Christian religion. Much like the serpent in the Garden of Eden, she started the townspeople on the path to corruption. She is still there in the current day, literally worshiped by the Mayor and his people. As Lt. McCarthy learns through studying the town’s history, she began by sowing discord, and then managed to tempt the wife of one of the settlers, Eva Calhoun, who then tempted her husband, Adam. Instead of the gift of knowledge, though, The Minstrel offers the gift of beauty. It is a false gift and Mays’s description of the temptation, and the fall of Eva and Adam, is one of the most chilling and disturbing scenes in the novel. Adam’s father eventually catches The Minstrel and curses her so her skin changes and becomes scaly like a serpent. He does not disown Adam and Eva completely, but banishes them from their beautiful Eden-like farm in the countryside to live in the now-corrupt town.
The Former Hero, by Jeffrey Allen Mays, is not a novel to be read quickly; it is something to be enjoyed and savored; to be analyzed and discussed among friends. It has elements of a mystery, a gritty urban crime drama, a noir detective story, and a superhero comic book. It has a mixture of action, adventure, mythology, philosophy, and spine-tingling horror. It is a novel that readers will continue to re-visit in their own libraries for years to come.
November 26, 2014
Review written for and published by Portland Book Review on November 25th:
The Former Hero is an ambitious and philosophical novel that looks at the concept of a “hero” while following three protagonists are caught in an overwhelmingly corrupt city. Mary, mother of young Penny wakes up after an alcohol binge to discover that her daughter is missing. In desperation she takes to the streets, begrudgingly enlisting the biker Angus to help her. Lt. McCarthy is the final holdout of a corrupt institution. He spends his days digging through the old city records, believing that the root of the city’s corruption can be pieced together if only he can live long enough to find it. Omni-man, the once great defender of the city, languishes in a hospital desperately hoping the doctors can give him back the powers that were so cruelly ripped from him by Knox’s evil regime. These three characters find themselves drawn together, each one looking for a hero in terrible times.
Jeffrey Allen Mays did something different with The Former Hero by creating a bleak world where people long for a hero, but are instead overrun with villains. This allows for an extended study on why humans feel they need heroes, and what exactly that might mean. Much of the book is philosophical in nature as the characters wrestle with their past, and present circumstances, so readers interested in a quick, easy read might want to look elsewhere. For readers looking for a bit more depth to their novels, this book might be just up your alley.
The Former Hero is an ambitious and philosophical novel that looks at the concept of a “hero” while following three protagonists are caught in an overwhelmingly corrupt city. Mary, mother of young Penny wakes up after an alcohol binge to discover that her daughter is missing. In desperation she takes to the streets, begrudgingly enlisting the biker Angus to help her. Lt. McCarthy is the final holdout of a corrupt institution. He spends his days digging through the old city records, believing that the root of the city’s corruption can be pieced together if only he can live long enough to find it. Omni-man, the once great defender of the city, languishes in a hospital desperately hoping the doctors can give him back the powers that were so cruelly ripped from him by Knox’s evil regime. These three characters find themselves drawn together, each one looking for a hero in terrible times.
“What we need is a real, fantasy-style, comic book hero. But there isn’t one. The villains are certainly real. There is overwhelming evil, so strong and pervasive and ubiquitous, but no overwhelming good.”The Former Hero is a somewhat complicated novel. The three main story lines weave in and out, leading the reader to quickly learns that things aren’t necessarily as they seem, and that each of the characters are hiding something. The characters are well developed and are easy to care about, even though you may not like them. The narratives themselves roam from the present, to the past. This is particularly the case with Lt. McCarthy, as he pieces together the history from the early days of the town.
Jeffrey Allen Mays did something different with The Former Hero by creating a bleak world where people long for a hero, but are instead overrun with villains. This allows for an extended study on why humans feel they need heroes, and what exactly that might mean. Much of the book is philosophical in nature as the characters wrestle with their past, and present circumstances, so readers interested in a quick, easy read might want to look elsewhere. For readers looking for a bit more depth to their novels, this book might be just up your alley.
August 20, 2014
I have always been fond of stories with multiple protagonists and story lines, and Mays pulls this off beautifully, offering a fascinating (and moving) perspective on the nature of heroism. The book kept me reading from the first page to the last, and though there are some sobering moments, they are perfectly balanced with wit and humor. After reading this first novel from Mays, I'm thrilled to see what the author comes out with next.
December 22, 2014
Authentic and Gritty
Jeffrey Mays showed me what is in the art of the possible with his debut novel, The Former Hero. I hadn't read anything as good in the genre of experimental literature since the early '70s when Ishmael Reed wow'ed me with The Last Days of Louisiana Red. My appetite for classy writing is once again fulfilled.
Mays's work will transport readers with a strong sense of place and well-developed characters that bring authentic dialog to life.
When Moira Flax rouses from a substance-enhanced stupor, only to find her daughter missing, she immediately assumes the worst. Only luck would land her on the back of Angus's Harley, but it would take more than luck to save her and her daughter Penny from the corrupt and filthy world led by Mayor Robert Knox.
Former "good cop," Lt. McCarthy is hard wired to "do the right thing" and risks all, to rescue the city and its citizens from the depths of crime and violence controlled by Knox and his cohorts. The story takes place as the cold of a winter season casts a dark shadow over the decrepit city that could be anywhere USA. Mays created the perfect feel for readers who enjoy a noir-esque mystery.
The city has a history and Mays offers just enough awareness of the loose links that spring the city's tragic past, generations forward to the state of affairs at the story's clever conclusion.
The Former Hero is a novel that will provide readers with a lasting impression. I haven't stopped thinking about the plot or the characters since immersing myself in the first chapters. Each of the character's backstories is perfectly synchronized to keep any reader's interest. I hope Jeffrey Mays can crank out another masterpiece like this one soon.
Jeffrey Mays showed me what is in the art of the possible with his debut novel, The Former Hero. I hadn't read anything as good in the genre of experimental literature since the early '70s when Ishmael Reed wow'ed me with The Last Days of Louisiana Red. My appetite for classy writing is once again fulfilled.
Mays's work will transport readers with a strong sense of place and well-developed characters that bring authentic dialog to life.
When Moira Flax rouses from a substance-enhanced stupor, only to find her daughter missing, she immediately assumes the worst. Only luck would land her on the back of Angus's Harley, but it would take more than luck to save her and her daughter Penny from the corrupt and filthy world led by Mayor Robert Knox.
Former "good cop," Lt. McCarthy is hard wired to "do the right thing" and risks all, to rescue the city and its citizens from the depths of crime and violence controlled by Knox and his cohorts. The story takes place as the cold of a winter season casts a dark shadow over the decrepit city that could be anywhere USA. Mays created the perfect feel for readers who enjoy a noir-esque mystery.
The city has a history and Mays offers just enough awareness of the loose links that spring the city's tragic past, generations forward to the state of affairs at the story's clever conclusion.
The Former Hero is a novel that will provide readers with a lasting impression. I haven't stopped thinking about the plot or the characters since immersing myself in the first chapters. Each of the character's backstories is perfectly synchronized to keep any reader's interest. I hope Jeffrey Mays can crank out another masterpiece like this one soon.
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January 8, 2016I'm so proud of my friend Jeffrey for the commitment and passion he put into writing and publishing his first novel. I first really met Jeffrey by stumbling into him time and again in the coffee shop where he wrote a good amount of this book. I'm also proud of his wife Trina for supporting him so well in this endeavour. (We're also celebrating the 2015 Book Award for Suspense/Thriller from the Texas Association of Authors.)
Here's the book summary:
"When a train-wreck, single-mother wakes from an afternoon nap to find her little girl gone, she launches on a frantic search through the dark city streets to find her. Fearful that the girl has been abducted by the burgeoning sex trade, she solicits help and protection from an outcast loner on a Harley. But when they raise a clamor in the city offices seeking police aid, they draw the suspicion-and malice-of corrupt city barons. One sour veteran detective might help them, if they can just find him. Meanwhile the superhero Omni-man lies in a hospital hoping that doctors can find a cure to restore his lost superpowers. But he soon realizes he will face life as an ordinary man. When he joins one last adventure to help find the missing girl, the former superhero begins a psychological journey that leads him farther down the rabbit hole of self-discovery than he was prepared for."
You can purchase the book on Amazon (Kindle or Paperback) or through Jeffrey's website here.
Here's the book summary:
"When a train-wreck, single-mother wakes from an afternoon nap to find her little girl gone, she launches on a frantic search through the dark city streets to find her. Fearful that the girl has been abducted by the burgeoning sex trade, she solicits help and protection from an outcast loner on a Harley. But when they raise a clamor in the city offices seeking police aid, they draw the suspicion-and malice-of corrupt city barons. One sour veteran detective might help them, if they can just find him. Meanwhile the superhero Omni-man lies in a hospital hoping that doctors can find a cure to restore his lost superpowers. But he soon realizes he will face life as an ordinary man. When he joins one last adventure to help find the missing girl, the former superhero begins a psychological journey that leads him farther down the rabbit hole of self-discovery than he was prepared for."
You can purchase the book on Amazon (Kindle or Paperback) or through Jeffrey's website here.
November 14, 2014
The Former Hero by Jeffrey Allen Mays
A mother wakes up to find her young daughter missing. She fears her daughter has been taken and being used in sex trafficking. She seeks the help from an unlikely stranger. They don't have it easy finding help from the police, accept one detective. Also a man who believes he is the superhero Omni-man is in a hospital with the hopes of getting his "superpowers" back. While Omni-man struggles with his own reality, he may be the last hope in finding the missing girl.
Told in alternating chapters from different characters point of view, we get an inside view of each ones inner feelings. (Although to some) the story may appear to be complex, but it all ties together neatly. The story is gripping, the characters are original with their own self determination. A unique psychological suspense, that kept me up late into the night, just wanting to read one more chapter. I do believe that lovers of (psychological) thrillers will enjoy The Former Hero by Jeffrey Allen Mays.
A mother wakes up to find her young daughter missing. She fears her daughter has been taken and being used in sex trafficking. She seeks the help from an unlikely stranger. They don't have it easy finding help from the police, accept one detective. Also a man who believes he is the superhero Omni-man is in a hospital with the hopes of getting his "superpowers" back. While Omni-man struggles with his own reality, he may be the last hope in finding the missing girl.
Told in alternating chapters from different characters point of view, we get an inside view of each ones inner feelings. (Although to some) the story may appear to be complex, but it all ties together neatly. The story is gripping, the characters are original with their own self determination. A unique psychological suspense, that kept me up late into the night, just wanting to read one more chapter. I do believe that lovers of (psychological) thrillers will enjoy The Former Hero by Jeffrey Allen Mays.
June 23, 2015
This book was bizarre. Sometimes it read like a 1960's comic book. Sometimes like a detective story. Sometimes like an occult horror. I really can't decide whether I liked it or not. Certainly the characters were interesting enough, but the way the whole thing pulled together in the end left me feeling ... off balance, is the best way I can put it. This was one weird ride. I'm still not sure who or what Lucy really was. A demon? The Devil? Evil incarnate? I don't know. Nor can I figure out how her story had anything to do with the rest of the book except in the most abstract of ways. Everything was kind of disjointed and out of line. And yet, I have to say I would read a book all about her. She was the most intriguing character and the one I most wanted to know more about. But I was left with all these questions and no answers. All I have is this vague feeling of confusion. Maybe I missed the point of this story somehow, because I certainly can't say what it was.
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August 21, 2015Review posted on IndieReader.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews