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Hero of the Day
E.K. Fox was born to become the perfect man. But what does that perfection mean when the world around him is decaying? E.K sets out from a path laden with opportunity, in order to save a dying Midwestern city, hoping that it can bring him the inner peace his perfection never could. Alongside a pack of veteran crime fighters in masks, he seeks to restore sanctuary to the City of Fountains. But standing in the Keepers' way is an evil rooted so deep in the city, it almost seems to be an impossible task. Can E.K. and the Keepers defeat the three personifications of evil that plagues the city, or will they fall victim, just like so many have before?
472 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 2013
13 people want to read
About the author
Tommy McMahon
1 book12 followersTommy McMahon lives in the City of Fountains with his two kittens, Phoenix & Sphinx, and spends the long nights battling his demons alongside the transcendent words of magicians posing as writers.
He wishes he could be a keeper of the burden of writing about the beautifully afflicting trials of life, but realizes it's a hope he couldn't stand to bear.
Author of Hero of the Day, an epic, a terrifyingly tragic tale that follows a beacon of light into the abyss. A saga, a myth, a fantastical, fear-filled fable that ends in the only way it could.
He wishes he could be a keeper of the burden of writing about the beautifully afflicting trials of life, but realizes it's a hope he couldn't stand to bear.
Author of Hero of the Day, an epic, a terrifyingly tragic tale that follows a beacon of light into the abyss. A saga, a myth, a fantastical, fear-filled fable that ends in the only way it could.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
March 28, 2015
This is my review of Hero of the Day by Tommy McMahon. Some insight first: I know Tommy and he gave me a copy of this book for free. I also got to see the book grow from his original musings on social media to what it is now. That considering, I still can say objectively that this is a fun book.
A brief description: The story follows E.K. Fox, an all-american golden boy who wishes he could do more to help a world that is falling apart. He leaves his loving girlfriend, his wonderful family and his bright future in order to try and physically do something about the world. He moves to Kansas City which is in an intense state of decay, and there he teams up with five other men who have the same intentions as him. Standing in the way of their objective is three personifications of evil.
Now, the book reads incredibly well. It's fun, fast-paced and never feels bogged down, even though it spends the first chunk of the story on E.K's home life in Emporia. As soon as he leaves and starts to fight crime the story grows and grows in both scale and intensity. E.K. grows up out of his self-caused pain from leaving home, and starts to make a difference on the city.
Soon, he joins up with Francis Wayne, Brandon Erdos, Marcus Caesar, Preston Monroe, and someone else who has ties to E.K's past. They form what the city--personified by four important characters in E.K's life--calls the Keepers, a team of masked heroes. But as they progress further and further along bringing back this once great city, they're tasked with facing heavier and more dangerous threats. Ultimately, this reads like a standard adventure/hero's tale, but with an extended ending that morphs it into a tragedy.
Tommy clearly has a flair for writing, but sometimes he gets caught trying to impose what he thinks, as an author, into a character's head or in their dialogue without any explanation. He also seems to make some illogical jumps to help move the story. They're small, such as why E.K. is allowed to rent an apartment with no history or credit check, etc. One last major complaint is that some really minor characters, characters that only interact with the heroes to give them exposition are incredibly obvious.
That aside, the main characters are wonderful. E.K.'s internal anguish really drives him to do what he does. You really get an insight as to what makes him tick and his values are constantly being challenged. He's a strong character. The rest of the heroes are well-done archetypes--the strong, wise leader, the quiet muscle, the wise-cracking best friend--but they are done really well. None of them feel out of place and all of them serve purpose, both to E.K. and to the story.
There are a few surprises, one that is hinted at pretty heavily until it's revealed, and another that makes this book extremely interesting, and that involves the narrator. I won't give it away but I find it incredibly fascinating, even if sometimes the narrator interjects too frequently.
Again, I think it's written fairly well, but I know Tommy would impress that it should've been written better, but he's always wanted perfection for this book. The ideas in this book are strong, maybe sometimes too large for the story, but overall the story does well to drive home the themes and morals it is trying to.
Seeing as Tommy is only 23 and this is his first book, I could give it 5 stars based off of that, but objectively I see it as a low 4 star book. There are parts where you see his youth as an author, but so many more instances of me being wowed.
I hope Tommy continues to write and I hope more people get to enjoy the fun, if not harrowing, ride that Hero of the Day is.
A brief description: The story follows E.K. Fox, an all-american golden boy who wishes he could do more to help a world that is falling apart. He leaves his loving girlfriend, his wonderful family and his bright future in order to try and physically do something about the world. He moves to Kansas City which is in an intense state of decay, and there he teams up with five other men who have the same intentions as him. Standing in the way of their objective is three personifications of evil.
Now, the book reads incredibly well. It's fun, fast-paced and never feels bogged down, even though it spends the first chunk of the story on E.K's home life in Emporia. As soon as he leaves and starts to fight crime the story grows and grows in both scale and intensity. E.K. grows up out of his self-caused pain from leaving home, and starts to make a difference on the city.
Soon, he joins up with Francis Wayne, Brandon Erdos, Marcus Caesar, Preston Monroe, and someone else who has ties to E.K's past. They form what the city--personified by four important characters in E.K's life--calls the Keepers, a team of masked heroes. But as they progress further and further along bringing back this once great city, they're tasked with facing heavier and more dangerous threats. Ultimately, this reads like a standard adventure/hero's tale, but with an extended ending that morphs it into a tragedy.
Tommy clearly has a flair for writing, but sometimes he gets caught trying to impose what he thinks, as an author, into a character's head or in their dialogue without any explanation. He also seems to make some illogical jumps to help move the story. They're small, such as why E.K. is allowed to rent an apartment with no history or credit check, etc. One last major complaint is that some really minor characters, characters that only interact with the heroes to give them exposition are incredibly obvious.
That aside, the main characters are wonderful. E.K.'s internal anguish really drives him to do what he does. You really get an insight as to what makes him tick and his values are constantly being challenged. He's a strong character. The rest of the heroes are well-done archetypes--the strong, wise leader, the quiet muscle, the wise-cracking best friend--but they are done really well. None of them feel out of place and all of them serve purpose, both to E.K. and to the story.
There are a few surprises, one that is hinted at pretty heavily until it's revealed, and another that makes this book extremely interesting, and that involves the narrator. I won't give it away but I find it incredibly fascinating, even if sometimes the narrator interjects too frequently.
Again, I think it's written fairly well, but I know Tommy would impress that it should've been written better, but he's always wanted perfection for this book. The ideas in this book are strong, maybe sometimes too large for the story, but overall the story does well to drive home the themes and morals it is trying to.
Seeing as Tommy is only 23 and this is his first book, I could give it 5 stars based off of that, but objectively I see it as a low 4 star book. There are parts where you see his youth as an author, but so many more instances of me being wowed.
I hope Tommy continues to write and I hope more people get to enjoy the fun, if not harrowing, ride that Hero of the Day is.
February 4, 2014
I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I had a hard time reading this, and a hard time deciding what to say about it. I think there is a really great concept here, a lot of potential. But at the same time, I don't see the potential fully realized.
Now I love comic book heroes. I've read the X-men comics, and I'm always up for seeing another movie about superheroes, whether the story line is comic or tragic. Tommy skirts the line between these two in this tale in a way that is almost like Greek tragedy. Character flaws lead to mistakes lead to an inevitable ending. I liked that concept and that structure. The devil is in the details.
First, I think this book needs a hard copy editing. The book is far wordier than it needs to be, and I think that creates a barrier between the story and the reader. The language is pretentious (and I'll go into why in a moment) and that as well threw me out of the book more times than I can count. Why is the "Sun" capitalized? It's consistently presented so, but never explained. The first few chapters have WAY too much detail that is neither important nor interesting. Things get moving the day E.K. leaves home.
The other thing that I didn't like was the point of view/narrator. Tommy chose to tell his tale from a particular character, and I believe that's why it sounds so pretentious at times. The narrator also continually breaks the fourth wall, speaking directly to the reader, which I found annoying. The point of view was omniscient, which also bugged me, because unless the character was psychic, I want to know how he knows what all the characters are thinking, dreaming, hallucinating, etc. I didn't really understand why the point of view needed to be in that character. A limited third person would've done just fine, and with some scenes of the character to allow him to express his viewpoints, everything could have remained intact without that other layer being driven between story and reader. That's why I found it hard to read.
All in all, a decent story, and an okay book. As I said, I see a lot of potential, both for this book and for the writer, as this is only his first novel. My biggest advice is not to be so in love with the language or words. Be in love with the story.
If you like superheroes but with a big mixture of classic literature and essays on human civilization, you'll like this. I have to say that making regular humans into crime fighting vigilantes makes for an intriguing scenario. I loved Sabre's original outfit, by the way. Battling evil with a baseball bat. Gotta love it.
I had a hard time reading this, and a hard time deciding what to say about it. I think there is a really great concept here, a lot of potential. But at the same time, I don't see the potential fully realized.
Now I love comic book heroes. I've read the X-men comics, and I'm always up for seeing another movie about superheroes, whether the story line is comic or tragic. Tommy skirts the line between these two in this tale in a way that is almost like Greek tragedy. Character flaws lead to mistakes lead to an inevitable ending. I liked that concept and that structure. The devil is in the details.
First, I think this book needs a hard copy editing. The book is far wordier than it needs to be, and I think that creates a barrier between the story and the reader. The language is pretentious (and I'll go into why in a moment) and that as well threw me out of the book more times than I can count. Why is the "Sun" capitalized? It's consistently presented so, but never explained. The first few chapters have WAY too much detail that is neither important nor interesting. Things get moving the day E.K. leaves home.
The other thing that I didn't like was the point of view/narrator. Tommy chose to tell his tale from a particular character, and I believe that's why it sounds so pretentious at times. The narrator also continually breaks the fourth wall, speaking directly to the reader, which I found annoying. The point of view was omniscient, which also bugged me, because unless the character was psychic, I want to know how he knows what all the characters are thinking, dreaming, hallucinating, etc. I didn't really understand why the point of view needed to be in that character. A limited third person would've done just fine, and with some scenes of the character to allow him to express his viewpoints, everything could have remained intact without that other layer being driven between story and reader. That's why I found it hard to read.
All in all, a decent story, and an okay book. As I said, I see a lot of potential, both for this book and for the writer, as this is only his first novel. My biggest advice is not to be so in love with the language or words. Be in love with the story.
If you like superheroes but with a big mixture of classic literature and essays on human civilization, you'll like this. I have to say that making regular humans into crime fighting vigilantes makes for an intriguing scenario. I loved Sabre's original outfit, by the way. Battling evil with a baseball bat. Gotta love it.
March 28, 2015
From the very start, Hero of the Day is a captivating read. When action and suspense aren’t holding the reader’s interest, character development and heartfelt moments help move the plotline forward. E.K. is an instantly likeable character. Being such a renaissance man, I believe I won’t be the only one who found him to be relatable; everyone can see a little of themselves in E.K.
The general theme/moral of the story is unique and thought provoking: if evil will always exist in the world, is it really worth fighting just for the sake of fighting? This theme is hinted at throughout, e.g., when the narrator chastises E.K. for leaving the love of his life to fight evil; something others might see as a valiant move. Later, the theme is expressed more explicitly, when the narrator describes his experiences in the war and when E.K. and Francis visit the war memorial. This theme might be my favorite part about the book; it is an idea very few people express. Is it really better to live your own life to the fullest rather than get involved in other people’s issues? You’ve got me questioning myself, which in my opinion, is the sign of a good book.
If you can’t tell already, I truly did enjoy your book; however, I do have some problems: Being a superhero story, not everything needs to be completely realistic. For example, I’m fine with the crew’s flying ship, incredible feats of strength, the crew’s fighting abilities, and even E.K.’s force field sword. A few things, however, struck me as being unbelievable: E.K. fell onto a car out of a 10-story building (even if it was from the 5th floor) and lived; E.K. broke his arm from that same fight and was fine three weeks later; and of all the people in Kansas City, Ellie was apparently randomly held hostage by the jigsaw puzzle gang (if this was meant to be orchestrated by Godric, some mention of it later should be made). I also understand that Godric’s omniscience and immortality are necessary to drive home the point that evil is more powerful than good, but some explanation for those two aspects would help satisfy the reader.
Those concerns aside, I was extremely satisfied with this book. The characters, especially E.K. and Harvey, are excellent; the theme is unique; the ending is shocking, even though it had been alluded to; and the writing style is unique and enjoyable. You’ve got a good book here, and I wish you the best of luck!
The general theme/moral of the story is unique and thought provoking: if evil will always exist in the world, is it really worth fighting just for the sake of fighting? This theme is hinted at throughout, e.g., when the narrator chastises E.K. for leaving the love of his life to fight evil; something others might see as a valiant move. Later, the theme is expressed more explicitly, when the narrator describes his experiences in the war and when E.K. and Francis visit the war memorial. This theme might be my favorite part about the book; it is an idea very few people express. Is it really better to live your own life to the fullest rather than get involved in other people’s issues? You’ve got me questioning myself, which in my opinion, is the sign of a good book.
If you can’t tell already, I truly did enjoy your book; however, I do have some problems: Being a superhero story, not everything needs to be completely realistic. For example, I’m fine with the crew’s flying ship, incredible feats of strength, the crew’s fighting abilities, and even E.K.’s force field sword. A few things, however, struck me as being unbelievable: E.K. fell onto a car out of a 10-story building (even if it was from the 5th floor) and lived; E.K. broke his arm from that same fight and was fine three weeks later; and of all the people in Kansas City, Ellie was apparently randomly held hostage by the jigsaw puzzle gang (if this was meant to be orchestrated by Godric, some mention of it later should be made). I also understand that Godric’s omniscience and immortality are necessary to drive home the point that evil is more powerful than good, but some explanation for those two aspects would help satisfy the reader.
Those concerns aside, I was extremely satisfied with this book. The characters, especially E.K. and Harvey, are excellent; the theme is unique; the ending is shocking, even though it had been alluded to; and the writing style is unique and enjoyable. You’ve got a good book here, and I wish you the best of luck!
April 12, 2015
There's a lot to say about this book. It's so good in some places and just fine in others, and sometimes it's more than mediocre.
Good: Fun, fast paced, a lot of cool fight scenes, a lot of cool gadgets, some strong characters, the supporting characters. Harvey was awesome, and so was Francis, Erdos and Caesar. It was written well. A lot of good moments where Tommy flashed his brilliance and his love for words.
Bad: People have mentioned this before but the narrator spends a lot of time on minuscule details. I don't know if they're supposed to have importance and I missed it, or he was just trying to fit as many mundane things into the story as possible. I also didn't like E.K., the main character. I just feel that he's kind of going with the flow and not really making a stand, like some of the other characters. But maybe I just find him weak.
The best: The uniqueness of the story. Not only does it end differently than you'd expect, but the way it's told is new. It feels like another book I've read: The Book Thief. If you've read that you know who the narrator is so it's very similar to that in that the narrator is kind of disconnected from the story. Sometimes it's annoying, but I get it. The narrator is the only reason the story is being told. It's like having a friend describe something that he only kind of had a hand in. It's self-involved.
Overall I'd give this 4 stars just because it was so fun and an easy read and did have moments of brilliance. He could've made things smoother and probably done more with the story at hand. In a way it feels too brief. But maybe that's just me wanting more.
Monte
Good: Fun, fast paced, a lot of cool fight scenes, a lot of cool gadgets, some strong characters, the supporting characters. Harvey was awesome, and so was Francis, Erdos and Caesar. It was written well. A lot of good moments where Tommy flashed his brilliance and his love for words.
Bad: People have mentioned this before but the narrator spends a lot of time on minuscule details. I don't know if they're supposed to have importance and I missed it, or he was just trying to fit as many mundane things into the story as possible. I also didn't like E.K., the main character. I just feel that he's kind of going with the flow and not really making a stand, like some of the other characters. But maybe I just find him weak.
The best: The uniqueness of the story. Not only does it end differently than you'd expect, but the way it's told is new. It feels like another book I've read: The Book Thief. If you've read that you know who the narrator is so it's very similar to that in that the narrator is kind of disconnected from the story. Sometimes it's annoying, but I get it. The narrator is the only reason the story is being told. It's like having a friend describe something that he only kind of had a hand in. It's self-involved.
Overall I'd give this 4 stars just because it was so fun and an easy read and did have moments of brilliance. He could've made things smoother and probably done more with the story at hand. In a way it feels too brief. But maybe that's just me wanting more.
Monte
December 6, 2013
Rating: 3.4
I would first like to say that this review is my opinion and is my take on this book. It should not be looked at as a reason not to pick up this book, but just a synopsis on some things you should understand before reading it. That being said I actually enjoyed this book a lot. I am a fan of military history and this author referenced it quite a bit. It was fun seeing names I've come to admire like Patton. The ending, which I won't spoil, is definitely original and could almost open up this book up for a sequel.
There weren't a whole lot of things I disliked, but they were things that definitely effected my star rating. The main thing was the beginning. I felt like I needed some more back story which is given later but after I had formed an opinion. The author references a few characters that I know nothing about and so it's tough to really get in touch with E.K. and understand the things that are happening. Reading this book sent me on a quest to find the series it was attached to. It has all the makings of a wonderful middle book in a series, however it is a stand alone.
Finally, I'll end on a high note by saying that this author truly immersed himself in the "City of Fountains" and deeply enjoys this story. To me, it seemed like he wrote because it was something he couldn't find in other books and that's what matters most to me.
I would first like to say that this review is my opinion and is my take on this book. It should not be looked at as a reason not to pick up this book, but just a synopsis on some things you should understand before reading it. That being said I actually enjoyed this book a lot. I am a fan of military history and this author referenced it quite a bit. It was fun seeing names I've come to admire like Patton. The ending, which I won't spoil, is definitely original and could almost open up this book up for a sequel.
There weren't a whole lot of things I disliked, but they were things that definitely effected my star rating. The main thing was the beginning. I felt like I needed some more back story which is given later but after I had formed an opinion. The author references a few characters that I know nothing about and so it's tough to really get in touch with E.K. and understand the things that are happening. Reading this book sent me on a quest to find the series it was attached to. It has all the makings of a wonderful middle book in a series, however it is a stand alone.
Finally, I'll end on a high note by saying that this author truly immersed himself in the "City of Fountains" and deeply enjoys this story. To me, it seemed like he wrote because it was something he couldn't find in other books and that's what matters most to me.
September 2, 2016
Let me start off by saying that the synopsis for this book instantly caught my attention. When I started reading the narrator and point of view made me feel disconnected from the story and the characters. I really wish it was written from a different point of view. I found myself rolling my eyes a lot because of all the unnecessary extra details and wording throughout the book. The book has a lot of potential, but in my opinion it would benefit from more editing.
May 12, 2015
Whether you want to admit it or not, everyone wants to be a hero. You want to be able to swoop in and save the damsel in distress and rid your city of a villain that is ready to decimate the entire population without blinking an eye. I believe this is the driving force of Tommy McMahon’s engaging novel ‘Hero of the Day’.
E.K Fox, the novel’s protagonist, is like an amalgam of every titular hero that’s graced the inquiring minds of popular fiction. He has the traits of a modern day spiderman without the webs annoyingly spewing out of his wrists. He is like Dracula with his quest for perfection and for living life to its fullest, sometimes regardless of how his decisions may directly or directly impact other characters.
I think it’s interesting that McMahon describes his work as a comic book novel because that perfectly and succinctly capture the uniqueness of the book. Like a comic books ornate and sometimes graphic images, the words of ‘Hero’ act as a visual guides for the viewer. It encourages imagination and the suspension of belief from the reader, resulting in a thoroughly engaging narrative that I found entertaining and original.
I’ll be the first to say I am not usually a big fan of comic related stories, but Tommy McMahon’s novel is a refreshing and groundbreaking turn at turning an overplayed dead horse of a genre into a new style that will undoubtedly find much success. I can even see ‘Hero’ helping to usher in a hybrid of narratives that appeals to many demographics, me included.
E.K Fox, the novel’s protagonist, is like an amalgam of every titular hero that’s graced the inquiring minds of popular fiction. He has the traits of a modern day spiderman without the webs annoyingly spewing out of his wrists. He is like Dracula with his quest for perfection and for living life to its fullest, sometimes regardless of how his decisions may directly or directly impact other characters.
I think it’s interesting that McMahon describes his work as a comic book novel because that perfectly and succinctly capture the uniqueness of the book. Like a comic books ornate and sometimes graphic images, the words of ‘Hero’ act as a visual guides for the viewer. It encourages imagination and the suspension of belief from the reader, resulting in a thoroughly engaging narrative that I found entertaining and original.
I’ll be the first to say I am not usually a big fan of comic related stories, but Tommy McMahon’s novel is a refreshing and groundbreaking turn at turning an overplayed dead horse of a genre into a new style that will undoubtedly find much success. I can even see ‘Hero’ helping to usher in a hybrid of narratives that appeals to many demographics, me included.
July 17, 2015
FTC Disclosure: I received this book free from Goodreads hoping I would review it.
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