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The Last American Hero
In the aftermath of the accident that revealed his identity, famous superhero Captain Hart has gone missing. His best friend Bruce waits anxiously for any sign of him, any clue as to where Leo Hart might have gone—even though he knows full well he's not the only one looking, and that it might be best for Leo to stay gone.
Then Leo returns, and Bruce starts to wonder whether it will be the good thing he expected it to be.
Then Leo returns, and Bruce starts to wonder whether it will be the good thing he expected it to be.
- GenresLGBTAsexualSuperheroes
132 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 15, 2017
About the author
Nicole Field
22 books155 followersNicole has been writing since they were handed a floppy disc and told how many Word documents could fit on it. They write across the spectrum of sexuality and gender identity in multiple genres, and live in Melbourne with their husband, two cats and a whole lot of books. Probably drinking right now from a bottomless cup of tea.
They can be found on Bluesky: @faerywhimsy and Wordpress: nicolefieldwrites.wordpress.com.
Their books are available on: Amazon | Publisher | B&N | Smashwords | Netgalley
They can be found on Bluesky: @faerywhimsy and Wordpress: nicolefieldwrites.wordpress.com.
Their books are available on: Amazon | Publisher | B&N | Smashwords | Netgalley
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
March 19, 2019
aahhhhh this is such a good book!!
(WARNING: I never write reviews so I will be rambling)
As a trans asexual guy, I related a lot to both Leo and Bruce, and it's just so amazing to see queer rep in books that discuss some of the same issues I've experienced in my own life. And it's SFF! Love me some queer SFF. The plot was interesting, and it was more of a story dealing with the aftermath of Leo's big alien encounter rather than the lead up to it, and I think it's a nice change. It keeps some of those SFF elements without being too overwhelming or taking away from the subplots around Leo's gender and Bruce's sexuality. It's also a pretty quick read (would have finished it in a day if I had more time to read that day), and once I got into it, I didn't want to stop reading it. It had a wholesome ending, which made me soft, and you should definitely check it out.
(WARNING: I never write reviews so I will be rambling)
As a trans asexual guy, I related a lot to both Leo and Bruce, and it's just so amazing to see queer rep in books that discuss some of the same issues I've experienced in my own life. And it's SFF! Love me some queer SFF. The plot was interesting, and it was more of a story dealing with the aftermath of Leo's big alien encounter rather than the lead up to it, and I think it's a nice change. It keeps some of those SFF elements without being too overwhelming or taking away from the subplots around Leo's gender and Bruce's sexuality. It's also a pretty quick read (would have finished it in a day if I had more time to read that day), and once I got into it, I didn't want to stop reading it. It had a wholesome ending, which made me soft, and you should definitely check it out.
February 16, 2017
I saw The Last American Hero on NetGalley, and I liked Nicole Field’s The Shock of Survival, so I figured I’d check this one out. I wasn’t disappointed. More than one review has compared this story to April Daniel’s Dreadnought, and I’d go one step further and liken the two stories to being cousins. They both have trans protagonists. I’ve been trying to diversify my reading in the past year or so, and it’s so wonderful to read these touching stories that I may not have been exposed to otherwise.
The Last American Hero is just a good story. It provides us a small glimpse into the life of a trans person and allows us to empathize. We also see thoughts and opinions on the nature of being heroic, and how perception can deify or demonize those that are different. Most of all, though, we get a fun story about what happens after a superhero thwarts an alien invasion.
Like, The Shock of Survival, Nicole tells the story we all want to hear after the villain is vanquished. For every story that you’ve finished, and wondered, “what happens next?” Nicole starts at that point, and we see what we’ve often wondered. The Last American Hero is a fun, fast read, and easily 4+ stars. And just so Nicole knows, #TeamCap.
The Last American Hero is just a good story. It provides us a small glimpse into the life of a trans person and allows us to empathize. We also see thoughts and opinions on the nature of being heroic, and how perception can deify or demonize those that are different. Most of all, though, we get a fun story about what happens after a superhero thwarts an alien invasion.
Like, The Shock of Survival, Nicole tells the story we all want to hear after the villain is vanquished. For every story that you’ve finished, and wondered, “what happens next?” Nicole starts at that point, and we see what we’ve often wondered. The Last American Hero is a fun, fast read, and easily 4+ stars. And just so Nicole knows, #TeamCap.
February 13, 2017
I received this book via Netgalley.
The last book I read about a transgender superhero was Dreadnought. If trans superheroes is becoming a trend, it is definitely a trend that I'm invested in.
While this was short, it was also sweet- and sometimes, that's all you need, especially in between hard and heavy-hitting books and in times like this. In this story, Leo Hart's superhero origin is not being bitten by a radioactive spider, but it's close enough. He's granted powers, and quickly goes on to defeat an alien invasion. (This was also handled well- since this is a novella, I hadn't been expecting the circumstances behind Leo's transformation into a hero to be handled with much depth, but they were.) Of course, he disappears for a month after said alien invasion, and his best friend, Bruce, is left worried. Leo returns, but with all the expected fallout that comes from being the Last American Hero, I guess. And hence, the story...
Which I won't spoil. But if you're interested in heroes, and LGBT representation, this is definitely something you should check out.
The last book I read about a transgender superhero was Dreadnought. If trans superheroes is becoming a trend, it is definitely a trend that I'm invested in.
While this was short, it was also sweet- and sometimes, that's all you need, especially in between hard and heavy-hitting books and in times like this. In this story, Leo Hart's superhero origin is not being bitten by a radioactive spider, but it's close enough. He's granted powers, and quickly goes on to defeat an alien invasion. (This was also handled well- since this is a novella, I hadn't been expecting the circumstances behind Leo's transformation into a hero to be handled with much depth, but they were.) Of course, he disappears for a month after said alien invasion, and his best friend, Bruce, is left worried. Leo returns, but with all the expected fallout that comes from being the Last American Hero, I guess. And hence, the story...
Which I won't spoil. But if you're interested in heroes, and LGBT representation, this is definitely something you should check out.
August 13, 2017
2/5 stars
"This book skimmed so much that I just didn’t give a damn about its flat, unlikeable characters, its rushed wish-fulfilment ending that honestly felt insulting to what trans men have to go through, or its endless errors with its own subject matter." - Matt
"I felt like they had never heard of the inviolability of autonomy and bodily integrity before. Or learned how to respect another person as an individual human being with the right to their own decisions and personal feelings!" - Maria
Find our full reviews on our blog here.
"This book skimmed so much that I just didn’t give a damn about its flat, unlikeable characters, its rushed wish-fulfilment ending that honestly felt insulting to what trans men have to go through, or its endless errors with its own subject matter." - Matt
"I felt like they had never heard of the inviolability of autonomy and bodily integrity before. Or learned how to respect another person as an individual human being with the right to their own decisions and personal feelings!" - Maria
Find our full reviews on our blog here.
February 12, 2017
ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
3.5/5
This was the fourth LGBT superhero novel I read in less than two months, and I love it.
I genuinely need more and more stories about trans superheroes, because every transgender person is a superhero in my opinion. A hero in fighting for the right of being themselves and to help others reach the basic human right of being who they are and being comfortable with their bodies.
Said that, it was a nice book which explored the soft and delicate relationship between Leo, who finally reach the body he wanted through his superpowers -and which it reminded me of Dreadnought by April Daniels, here my review- and the responsibilities they come and the consequences we face when we uphold those responsibilities, and Bruce, his roommate, best friend and something more, who honestly, needs a cup of hot chocolate and to be happy. They both deserve to be happy
As an asexual person myself, I'm always constantly happy and warm to see more representation in media, keep going!
The book itself was interesting and a fun reading on a Sunday morning, to explore more and more views about LGBT superheroes. I will definitely read more of this author!
PS: .... Team Iron Man, seriously? Shame on you. #TeamCap
3.5/5
This was the fourth LGBT superhero novel I read in less than two months, and I love it.
I genuinely need more and more stories about trans superheroes, because every transgender person is a superhero in my opinion. A hero in fighting for the right of being themselves and to help others reach the basic human right of being who they are and being comfortable with their bodies.
Said that, it was a nice book which explored the soft and delicate relationship between Leo, who finally reach the body he wanted through his superpowers -and which it reminded me of Dreadnought by April Daniels, here my review- and the responsibilities they come and the consequences we face when we uphold those responsibilities, and Bruce, his roommate, best friend and something more, who honestly, needs a cup of hot chocolate and to be happy. They both deserve to be happy
As an asexual person myself, I'm always constantly happy and warm to see more representation in media, keep going!
The book itself was interesting and a fun reading on a Sunday morning, to explore more and more views about LGBT superheroes. I will definitely read more of this author!
PS: .... Team Iron Man, seriously? Shame on you. #TeamCap
May 4, 2017
I feel like I need to add an extra disclaimer to my review on this book; beside my usual that I picked up this book off ReadingAlley for review and that this is my honest opinion, I feel that I should say that I am neither trans nor asexual, and that therefore I am not qualified to comment about how accurately, or otherwise, the story represents persons from those communities.
Yes, The Last American Hero is a story about a trans superhero, but make no mistake, there are two major protagonists in this book. Bruce, the sidekick who doesn't want to be a sidekick, is asexual but not aromantic, and there is a non-sexual romantic relationship explored in the book. As far as I can tell, this is handled delicately and with open honesty.
While I'm not really qualified to comment on those issues, I DO think I'm qualified to comment on superhero stories. I'm a major Marvel fangirl (#TeamLeaveWandaAlone) and a writer of fanfiction which, if I do say so myself, is pretty popular in the Marvel-centric parts of Tumblr and Ao3.
And this is where this book falls down a bit, for me, because it's not really a superhero story. That part of the story is sort of the side plot and frankly feels tagged on to the gender and sexuality exploration themes of the rest of the book.
It's a book that can't quite decide what it wants to be; having spent a lot of time on Tumblr and seen some of the more extreme social activism on the site, it feels like the author wrote a story and then asked Tumblr to beta-read it for political correctness. Which they did, but unfortunately they managed to take all the fun out of it at the same time. It reads like a story written by the Morality Police to teach people How To Behave In A Socially Acceptable Way Towards Minorities. And in doing so, it comes across as really heavy-handed.
And incidentally, for a book that's so keen on representation? Not one character clearly described as a person of colour, AND it fails to pass the Bechdel test.
Superheroes are supposed to be fun, they are supposed to deliver snappy one-liners while saving the world and their love interest at the same time. All The Last American Hero manages to deliver is a heavy load of angst and as such it was more Batman vs. Superman than The Avengers. If BvS was your jam, more power to you, but as I said before, I'm a Marvel fangirl.
I didn't hate it, and it's good to see better representation of minority genders and sexualities in ANY fiction. Even so, I can't give it more than three stars because I didn't really enjoy it either.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book for review through ReadingAlley.
Yes, The Last American Hero is a story about a trans superhero, but make no mistake, there are two major protagonists in this book. Bruce, the sidekick who doesn't want to be a sidekick, is asexual but not aromantic, and there is a non-sexual romantic relationship explored in the book. As far as I can tell, this is handled delicately and with open honesty.
While I'm not really qualified to comment on those issues, I DO think I'm qualified to comment on superhero stories. I'm a major Marvel fangirl (#TeamLeaveWandaAlone) and a writer of fanfiction which, if I do say so myself, is pretty popular in the Marvel-centric parts of Tumblr and Ao3.
And this is where this book falls down a bit, for me, because it's not really a superhero story. That part of the story is sort of the side plot and frankly feels tagged on to the gender and sexuality exploration themes of the rest of the book.
It's a book that can't quite decide what it wants to be; having spent a lot of time on Tumblr and seen some of the more extreme social activism on the site, it feels like the author wrote a story and then asked Tumblr to beta-read it for political correctness. Which they did, but unfortunately they managed to take all the fun out of it at the same time. It reads like a story written by the Morality Police to teach people How To Behave In A Socially Acceptable Way Towards Minorities. And in doing so, it comes across as really heavy-handed.
And incidentally, for a book that's so keen on representation? Not one character clearly described as a person of colour, AND it fails to pass the Bechdel test.
Superheroes are supposed to be fun, they are supposed to deliver snappy one-liners while saving the world and their love interest at the same time. All The Last American Hero manages to deliver is a heavy load of angst and as such it was more Batman vs. Superman than The Avengers. If BvS was your jam, more power to you, but as I said before, I'm a Marvel fangirl.
I didn't hate it, and it's good to see better representation of minority genders and sexualities in ANY fiction. Even so, I can't give it more than three stars because I didn't really enjoy it either.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book for review through ReadingAlley.
March 6, 2017
"You're going to change the world ... You're not even going to need a cape to do it."
I LOVE last lines in books, and I loved this one. And the whole book! It was short, but it showed the dynamic and the relationship between two people figuring out who they were to the world and to themselves in an unfamiliar situation.
I adore the characters in this, especially Madame President and Leo (bless him). I would have liked to see some more of MP, but I also feel like I wouldn't have liked her as much as I do if I did.
Leo and Bruce aren't a perfect match at the start, but once they start to open up about what's actually happening, they fit really well together. I love that it was Bruce that figured out that it was the Kath'lar's virus that was making Leo aggressive, not the emotional and physical changes of becoming a man. Bruce pointed out all the things that Leo didn't want to face, and Leo brought out a different side in Bruce.
I think that maybe there could have been more description of the Kath'lars, and I really should write down things I think of during the book, because I can never remember any of them once I'm finished. The story really centred around the relationship between Leo and Bruce, and I would have liked to have a bit more information about what was happening around them, but they're relationship WAS the story, which makes sense that it was mainly focused on the two of them and how they perceived and regarded and acted around each other.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this. This book is sweet, stubborn, persistent, and once I actually settled down to read it, I couldn't get enough!
I LOVE last lines in books, and I loved this one. And the whole book! It was short, but it showed the dynamic and the relationship between two people figuring out who they were to the world and to themselves in an unfamiliar situation.
I adore the characters in this, especially Madame President and Leo (bless him). I would have liked to see some more of MP, but I also feel like I wouldn't have liked her as much as I do if I did.
Leo and Bruce aren't a perfect match at the start, but once they start to open up about what's actually happening, they fit really well together. I love that it was Bruce that figured out that it was the Kath'lar's virus that was making Leo aggressive, not the emotional and physical changes of becoming a man. Bruce pointed out all the things that Leo didn't want to face, and Leo brought out a different side in Bruce.
I think that maybe there could have been more description of the Kath'lars, and I really should write down things I think of during the book, because I can never remember any of them once I'm finished. The story really centred around the relationship between Leo and Bruce, and I would have liked to have a bit more information about what was happening around them, but they're relationship WAS the story, which makes sense that it was mainly focused on the two of them and how they perceived and regarded and acted around each other.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this. This book is sweet, stubborn, persistent, and once I actually settled down to read it, I couldn't get enough!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 3, 2017
Was not a fan at all. Felt the transgender community wasn't represented right in this book. Submitted review to prism book alliance
December 14, 2024
* I won this in a giveaway from the author. That doesn't change my view of the book*
TW: discussion of murder of an alien race, kidnapping, transphobia, de-transitioning
I feel like this didn't... click for me. I'm not sure. It wasn't bad, by any means, it was okay.
This novella answers the question "what happens after the movie?" It discusses the fall out from saving the world from aliens. This made the book angsty-er than expected.
Representation wise, Leo Hart is a trans man, Bruce is asexual. Both are said explicitly on page and are discussed in depth
TW: discussion of murder of an alien race, kidnapping, transphobia, de-transitioning
I feel like this didn't... click for me. I'm not sure. It wasn't bad, by any means, it was okay.
This novella answers the question "what happens after the movie?" It discusses the fall out from saving the world from aliens. This made the book angsty-er than expected.
Representation wise, Leo Hart is a trans man, Bruce is asexual. Both are said explicitly on page and are discussed in depth
Read
December 10, 2016I may have realised halfway through writing this novella that this wasn't necessarily just a trans superhero story. It's also a story of how people are viewed in the public eye.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews