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The Hero Strikes Back Mass Market Paperback – August 29, 2006

by Moira J. Moore (Author)
4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 102 ratings
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In a realm beset by natural disasters, only the magical abilities of the bonded Pairs—Source and Shield—make the land habitable and keep the citizenry safe. The ties that bind them are far beyond the relationships between lovers or kin—and last their entire lives…

Whether they like it or not.

The weather in the city of High Scape is off the charts. It’s snowing in the middle of summer, and the townsfolk are desperate for Shield Lee Mallorough and Source Shintaro Karish to fix it—which they can’t do. But try explaining that to an angry mob…

Meanwhile, there’s a crazed killer targeting aristocrats. Karish has forfeited the Dukedom of Westsea to continue working as a Source, but Lee fears that technicality won’t matter to the murderer. It certainly doesn’t matter to Karish’s mother, who’s bound and determined that he take the title.

Only by working together will Lee and Karish be able to figure out the weather, catch the killer before it’s too late, and most importantly…get rid of Karish’s mother.

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Previous page
  1. Book 2 of 7
    Hero
  2. Print length
    308 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publisher
    Ace
  5. Publication date
    August 29, 2006
  6. Dimensions
    4.16 x 0.82 x 6.8 inches
  7. ISBN-10
    0441014402
  8. ISBN-13
    978-0441014408
  9. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Moira J. Moore is a Canadian author whose works include Resenting the Hero, The Hero Strikes Back, Heroes Adrift, Heroes at Risk, Heroes Return, Heroes at Odds, Heroes’ Reward. She studied at Carleton University and Queen’s College. When not writing fantasy and adventure fiction, she practices law. 

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

With a mother like this…;

 Karish was never meant to be the Duke. His older brother had had the title, and from what I learned had been thrilled to indulge in the aristocratic lifestyle, but he’d ruined everyone’s expectations by dying before marrying or having children. That left it to his mother, the Dowager Duchess, to choose the new titleholder. For some reason, she’d chosen her second son, the Source she’d been happy to send away to the academy, the son who’d never had a moment of training in the duties of being a titleholder and a landlord, when there were several more qualified cousins clambering to take the title.
 Karish hadn’t wanted the title, for which I’d be forever grateful. He couldn’t be both a Source and a Duke, with all the Duke’s responsibilities. If he had taken the title, he wouldn’t have been able to work as a Source, which would mean he’d have no use for me. Bonded to him, I wouldn’t be able to work with any other Source. I would have been left with nothing to do.
 Karish pulled back and straightened his shoulders. “The Empress obviously misunderstands the gravity of the situation and merely needs instruction.”
 “And the fact that pursuing the title could get you hanged, what about that?”
 “That’s just the law. What is the law to her?”
 Marvelous. The blasted woman was going to get us both killed.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Ace (August 29, 2006)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Mass Market Paperback ‏ : ‎ 308 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0441014402
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0441014408
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 6.6 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 4.16 x 0.82 x 6.8 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 102 ratings

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Customer reviews

4.1 out of 5 stars
4.1 out of 5
102 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Kitty
5.0 out of 5 stars Heroes and their Mothers
Reviewed in the United States on March 11, 2011
Everyone has a family, and our two heroes too. . . and not for the best. After a first book to settle the characters and the world they live in, we discover Karish's awful mother and Lee's nice one. If their presence is a disaster, it doesn't mean that the real natural disasters will stop so easily . . .

"The weather in the city of High Scape is off the charts. It's snowing in the middle of summer, and the townsfolk are desperate for Shield Lee Mallorough and Source Shintaro Karish to fix it--which they can't do. But try explaining that to an angry mob. . .
Meanwhile, there's a crazed killer targeting aristocrats. Karish has forfeited the Dukedom of Westsea to continue working as a Source, but Lee fears that technically won't matter to the murderer. It certainly doesn't matter to Karish's mother, who's bound and determine that he take the title.
Only by working together will Lee and Karish be able to figure out the weather, catch the killer before it's too late, and most importantly. . . get rid of Karish's mother."

This time, the problem with the weather is not the fault of a crazy Source, and every citizen of the city seems to be used to cast spells . . . The Sources and Shields of High Scape just don't know what to do, but the people just don't believe them. On top of that, you put Karish's mother, a woman you'll just want to slap after a few pages, and you have the plot of this sequel. Oops, I forgot the unnatural death of aristocrats in the country . . .
Lee starts to see Karish as he is: a caring man, and not the womanizer--and man-eater-- she thought he was. I like Moore's books, because she doesn't give an explanation for everything that happens, and the story is fluent and realistic. If Karish wants to sleep with men and women, no need to tell he's bi, it just happens. It's so easy there's no highlight on these details.

The romance between Lee and Karish progresses slowly. And Lee, who doesn't see anything, deserves a good shaking to clear her thoughts. But at least, this time, she doesn't hate the sight of him . . .

As good as the first one, in this one you will meet new people, hear about spells and cults, want to hurt/kill Karish's mother, and you won't want to be in high Scape with an unpredictable weather. I wouldn't, neither!

All my reviews on the French website Mythologica(.net)!
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Cathy L.
4.0 out of 5 stars Sequel to Resenting the Hero
Reviewed in the United States on December 27, 2011
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This book continues the misadventures of Lee and Taro, who have a more functional relationship this go round. This time they're dealing with an extended period of very unusual weather that the Pairs can't do anything about (or can they?) but they get blamed for it anyway. Meanwhile someone's killing off nobles, and Lee is worried about Taro being the next victim. He may have renounced his title in the previous book (See? Nice guy), but the murderer may not know that, and he's still of noble blood. Add some meddling mamas--Lee's, the standard "Are you really happy? / What about settling down?" and Taro's, an absolute viper of a woman who's determined that he will take his duchy back--and you have a recipe once again for a light, fun summer read that isn't at all intellectually taxing. The cover designer should be fired, however, or advised to actually read the books.
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jrnedraw
3.0 out of 5 stars Ok Book
Reviewed in the United States on February 27, 2007
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This is an ok book, if you like reading something from only one person's outlook. It would have been better if the author had included some viewpoints from other people in book.
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Marshall Lord
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent sequel to "Resenting the Hero"
Reviewed in the United States on September 17, 2006
In which Lee and Shintaro have to content with every embarrassment and disaster from unseasonal weather and interfering mothers to treason and plots ...

This will give most pleasure to those who have read the first book in the series, "Resenting the Hero."

Both books are set hundred of years in the future on a colony planet where the population can only be protected against frequent natural disasters by the special talents of two groups of people - "Sources" and "Shields".

Sources can "channel" natural forces and dispel coming disasters: Shields protect the Sources and stop them dying or going insane while they do so. In principle any source can work with any shield, but in practice most sources form a spontaneous natural bond with one particular shield. The bond is involuntary, neither partner having any choice about who they form a pair with, and once formed it lasts for the rest of the life of both partners - it is so strong that the death of either partner causes the demise of the other.

Most pairs form a friendly and professional relationship, some ignore the advice of their training college by becoming lovers, and others find themselves tied for life to someone they can't stand.

Shintaro Karish, who renounced the title of Duke of Westsea in the previous book, is a Source. He is heroic, brave, virile, talented, charming, disgustingly handsome, and apart from being something of a rake, far too good to be true. Every young shield, expecially the female ones, wanted to bond with him, except for the narrator of the stories, Dunleavy Mallorough (Lee), a practical merchant's daughter who wants to work with someone calm, steady, and reliable. So guess who she got stuck with.

In the first book Shintaro and Lee got off to a pretty bad start but by the start of this one they have developed what appears on the surface as a very strong professional relationship and a firm friendship. The author obviously intends you to conclude from the story that Lee is desperately in love with Shintaro but hasn't admitted the fact to herself.

The city where they are posted is no longer experiencing the extreme disasters which Sources and Shields are trained to cope with, but instead is suffering from very unusual weather patterns such as snow in midsummer, which are wrecking the livelihoods of local people. Shintaro and Lee are under strong pressure to find a way to do something about this. At the same time, someone is murdering aristocrats in the area, and Lee is frightened that Shintaro might be their next victim. And both their mothers descend on the pair to promote their plans for their offspring. Lee's mother is trying to find her a husband, which is bad enough, but the Dowager Duchess of Westsea is not merely annoying but downright dangerous. Furious at her son renouncing the title, she is intriguing to get this decision reversed - and as the Empress had made Shintaro promise if he was allowed to renounce the Dukedom he would not seek to change his mind, such intrigues are very hazardous for everyone involved.

Funny, entertaining, and charming, I very strongly recommend this book.
14 people found this helpful
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ladymegedwards
4.0 out of 5 stars Strong Continuation of Series
Reviewed in the United States on December 28, 2016
I quite enjoyed the continuation of the series. I found that Lee was growing and developing as a person, beginning to learn of the great, wide world around her that she truly knows nothing of. Her expanding knowledge and growth was refreshing; frustrating at times, as it took Lee several chapters to catch on to the plot at hand. The plot never slows, it moves on at a good pace, which makes up for the short length of the novels over all.
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Top reviews from other countries

Qué2013
5.0 out of 5 stars An entertaining read sprinkled with humorous commentary and plot twists ...
Reviewed in Canada on August 9, 2015
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An entertaining read sprinkled with humorous commentary and plot twists. At the end, the reader feels compelled to pick up the next novel to see what adventures await our two heroes.
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Helen Hancox
5.0 out of 5 stars Great follow up
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 5, 2007
Verified Purchase
This book is the follow up to the hugely enjoyable 'Resenting The Hero' by the same author and it very much helps to have read the first book before embarking on this one. With the same two central characters, Dunleavy Mallorough and Shintaro Karish, this time the Source and Shield find themselves in a rather different situation. Rather than having to face a great number of natural disasters to avert using their combined powers, when this story takes place the city of High Scape has settled down and they haven't had to do anything for ages. When the weather starts behaving rather oddly - something they can't change - the Source and Shield Pairs begin to find that their talents aren't appreciated by the local population.

Both Dunleavy's and Shintaro's mothers make an appearance in this book, both displaying how one's parents don't always get it right. In the case of Dunleavy's mother, her difficulties are very clear to the reader - Lee is a strange daughter, self-possessed and not needing anyone else's help, and living in a completely different world to that of the rest of her family; Shintaro's mother's behaviour is quite amazingly appalling and in this book we learn a great deal more about his past and why he's become such a charming and engaging chap.

At the end of the last book Taro had managed to abjure his title as Duke of Westsea but in this book he finds it coming back to trouble him. He not only has to head off his mother's demands for him to take the title, supported by the Prince, and the problems in the local population with the weather, as well as Lee's insistence that he carries out healings and tries to deflect the weather, but he also is at risk from a crazed killer who is targetting aristocrats, as well as the weird religion that tries to sacrifice the High Landed people to appease their god and prevent natural disasters.

There are many different aspects drawn together in this book and it was always really enjoyable. There didn't seem to be as much going on in this story as the previous one, part of the situation for the Pairs is that the natural disasters seem to have stopped and therefore they're not really doing anything, but in the lulls in action we learn more about Taro, and to some extent Lee, and it's very interesting. The potential romance doesn't move much further forward, although there are further hints that Taro's life isn't quite the carousing one that Lee believes, and Lee also finds a potential love interest (other than Taro) at the end, but it's a satisfying read with some great characters, particularly Taro and his mother, and an interesting world on which the story is based.
4 people found this helpful
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Michele Murphy
1.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 2, 2017
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Cover is creased and book is grubby although described as "very good " condition.
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Harried Grandmother
1.0 out of 5 stars Not for Me
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 6, 2013
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Had a look at this book but soon decided it wasn't for me, the title was for me misleading so gave it a miss.
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