New!
articles • book quests • news • library
reviews • podcast • gifts • archives
Crew manifest Faith statement FAQs
All author resources Lorehaven Guild Subscribe for free

147. Why Can Christians Celebrate Stories about Merlin and King Arthur? | with Robert Treskillard
Fantastical Truth Podcast, Jan 31, 2023

A Crown of Chains
Reviews, Jan 27, 2023

The Magician’s Nephew Taught Me Christ’s Compassion in the Midst of Grief
Elijah David in Articles, Jan 26, 2023

Library

Find fantastical Christian novels

fantasy · sci-fi · and beyond
middle grade · young adult · grown-ups
All novels Search Add a novel
Silver Bounty, Victoria McCombs
A Sword for the Immerland King, F. W. Faller
Calor, J. J. Fisher
Once Upon A Ren Faire, A. C. Castillo
Exile, Loren G. Warnemuende
Aberration, Cathy McCrumb
The Truth Beyond the Lies, Kathleen Bird
Frost, Winter's Lonely Guardian, E. E. Rawls
Dream of Kings, Sharon Hinck
The Change, Bradley Caffee
Quest of Fire: Desperation, Brett Armstrong
Wishtress, Nadine Brandes
Flight, Kristen Young
The Deliverer, Jason William Karpf
Podcast

Get the Fantastical Truth podcast

Podcast sponsors | Subscribe links
Archives Feedback

147. Why Can Christians Celebrate Stories about Merlin and King Arthur? | with Robert Treskillard
Fantastical Truth, Jan 31, 2023

146. How Did Animators Adapt The Wingfeather Saga For Streaming TV? | with Keith Lango
Fantastical Truth, Jan 24, 2023

145. How Did Edmund Spenser’s ‘The Faerie Queene’ Shape Christian Fantasy? | with Rebecca K. Reynolds
Fantastical Truth, Jan 17, 2023

144. Which Top Six Fantasy Franchises Gave Fans Grief in 2022?
Fantastical Truth, Jan 10, 2023

143. Which Top Ten Lorehaven Stories Proved Most Popular in 2022?
Fantastical Truth, Jan 6, 2023

142. What Christmas Gift ‘Tools, Not Toys’ Helped You Grow As a Person?
Fantastical Truth, Dec 20, 2022

Quests

Join our monthly digital book quests.

Lorehaven Guild Faith statement FAQs

Rose Petals and Snowflakes
Book Quests, January 2023

Prince Caspian
Book Quests, January 2023

Dream of Kings
Book Quests, December 2022

On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness
Book Quests, November 2022

Reviews

Find fantastical Christian reviews

All reviews Request review

A Crown of Chains
“A Crown of Chains creatively retells a biblical tale to explore themes of providence, racism, faith, and fidelity.”
—Lorehaven on Jan 27, 2023

Lander’s Legacy
“Lander’s Legacy stacks modern thrills and complex characters on a foundation of biblical what-ifs.”
—Lorehaven on Jan 20, 2023

Prince Caspian
“Pacing starts slow but creature lore grows in C. S. Lewis’s sequel, introducing practical tyrants and talking-beast politics into a Narnian resistance.”
—Lorehaven on Jan 13, 2023

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
“New and returning readers of all ages would do well to seek deeper magic within C. S. Lewis’s faithful classic.”
—Lorehaven on Jan 13, 2023

Gifts

Find new gifts for Christian fans

Archives

The original SpecFaith: est. 2006

Speculative Faith | archives

Lorehaven issues (2018–2020)

Order back issues online!
About
Library
Reviews
Podcast
Gifts
Guild
Archives
SpecFaith
Lorehaven helps Christian fans explore fantastical stories for Christ’s glory: fantasy, science fiction, and beyond. Articles, the library, reviews, podcasts, gifts, and the Lorehaven Guild community help fans discern and enjoy the best Christian-made fantastical stories, applying their meanings to the real world Jesus Christ calls us to serve. Subscribe free to get any updates you choose and to access the Lorehaven Guild.
Subscribe free to Lorehaven
/ / Guest Reviews

‘Hero, Second Class’ Haves At Hackneyed Fantasies

I could offer humor critiques, but it’s too hard to kid this masterful kidder. “Hero, Second Class” is ultimately a unique and hilarious read.
E. Stephen Burnett · Jun 9, 2012 · No comments

You don’t see a lot of parody in Christian publishing. Or Christian fiction publishing. Or Christian fiction fantasy publishing. Leave it, then, to Marcher Lord Press to find the niche within the niche within the niche, and fill it with style and entertainment: ergo, the first of debut novelist Mitchell Bonds’ comic fantasy series, Hero, Second Class.

Author Mitchell Bonds.

First, a word about the author. I don’t know him. But I’m guessing that for attempting authors, Bonds will likely make you jealous, just because his picture on the back makes him look all of barely-into-high-school. Looks like a fun dude. He also wears a gray hat like Matt Drudge, in that photo; you might almost expect an old-movie-stereotypical little white tag reading PRESS sticking out the top. But of course, it’s the imagination in the comic story-world — it’s derived from fake roleplaying games with his friends, Bonds explains — that makes Hero, Second Class an extraordinarily amusing read.

The fun really starts with the presentation. Its cover is comical. The back description makes me chuckle — the same text we have at the book’s page on the Speculative Faith Library. Bonds knows his fantasy conventions well and can spoof/tribute them just as well, especially from popular fantasy, science fiction and space-opera movies. Those familiar with The Princess Bride, Monty Python (I am darn sure he included a Holy Grail copy/tribute) and even the hilarious cartoon superhero spoof The Tick will note some similarities. But he makes the comic style his own — in fact, sometimes to the point of not being sure what he exactly he is trying to spoof. Almost everything is up for grabs.

cover_herosecondclassYet for fantasy book conventions, the jokes seemed less prevalent. For example, I was sorely disappointed to find no jokes embedded in the requisite Fantasy World Map. That is a convention of fantasy-world books that is just crying out for parody. Maybe someone else has already done that. But you’d have my louder applause of you gave me a fantasy-world map that carries bizarrely unpronounceable names and descriptions of its population — such as a land made up entirely of Forlorn Underdog Orphans who turn out to be Long-Lost Children of Royalty about whom are made Mystical Prophecies.

But even without that, the book is already applaud-able. Even the bad jokes are so bad, they’re good. (“Destiny has decreed …” Groan/grin …) Bonds knows how to hit that sweet spot: he can crack wise with cleverness, or cliches, but either way with hilarity.

Here I must include my favorite part. This is from page 559:

Clad in full Villain gear, including black shirt and rose-red cape, stood Lydia Weatherblade — formerly the White Tiger. She stepped inside the tent. Her armor was an oddity. Though she wore normal greaves, no metal protected her torso, save for a shaped piece of metal across her bosom.

[Cutaway to an author explanation paragraph, prevalent throughout the story.]

Originating in the Eastern Islands, the Breastsplate is a singularly useless piece of armor. Indeed, it is good for nothing more than putting a female warrior’s décolletage on display. Despite its impracticality, it remains popular among Villains for its fashionable appearance and usefulness in distracting male Heroes.

This alone has convinced me to recommend HSC, and forever refer to ridiculous female “armor” on the front of pulp fantasy book covers, video games, etc., with that name.

By the way, for parents and leaders: that’s as edgy as the content gets. Bonds knows how to pull back from the tricky parts, even involving a (slight spoiler) love story between a human young man and a young cat-woman. His intentional pull-away from an intimate scene, for example, winks not at something prurient, but at those authors who do so wink.

At first, I spent time looking for any Overt Christian Messages to kick in. They arrived later in the story: standard fantasy allegory, really, with one Creator and an eternal plan somewhere above all the wackiness. But they almost seemed — to this lover of organic overt messages — to be foreign additives. Oddly enough in this case, I would not have been bothered if the serious more-direct-Christian stuff wasn’t there, but I can understand the need for it.

As an oft-attempted humorous-fiction writer myself, I could have a few suggestions for punching up the hilarity here and there. (Example: at least one character must be the serious Straight Man in a comedy story. Here I would have recommended the narrator fulfill this role, for I find dry narration of hilarious events even more hilarious.)

But that’s where my critiques must end. For me, it’s far too difficult to kid a kidder.

Hero, Second Class is ultimately an amusing and different read. It’s also blessedly thick.

Lorehaven may use referral links. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.
E. Stephen Burnett
E. Stephen Burnett creates sci-fi and fantasy novels as well as nonfiction, exploring fantastical stories for God’s glory as publisher of Lorehaven.com and cohost of the Fantastical Truth podcast. As the oldest of six, he enjoys connecting with his homeschool roots by speaking at conferences for Christian families and creators. Stephen is coauthor of The Pop Culture Parent: Helping Kids Engage Their World for Christ from New Growth Press (2020, with Ted Turnau and Dr. Jared Moore). Stephen and his wife, Lacy, live in the Austin area, where they help with foster parenting and serve as members of Southern Hills Baptist Church.
Website · Facebook · Instagram · Twitter

What do you think? Cancel reply

Lorehaven magazine, spring 2020

Wear the wonder:
Get exclusive shirts and beyond

Listen to Lorehaven’s podcast

Authors and publishers:
Reach new fans with Lorehaven

Lorehaven helps Christian fans explore fantastical stories for Christ’s glory: fantasy, science fiction, and beyond. Articles, the library, reviews, podcasts, gifts, and the Lorehaven Guild community help fans discern and enjoy the best Christian-made fantastical stories, applying their meanings to the real world Jesus Christ calls us to serve. Subscribe free to get any updates you choose and to access the Lorehaven Guild.
Website · Facebook · Instagram · Twitter