Hero Killer, by Paul Tassi: Review
Image from Amazon.com
I originally found Paul Tassi by reading his Forbes Magazine articles on Destiny content, but I’ve also known for some time that he was an established sci-fi author. So when I saw that he’d recently published a new book, Hero Killer, I decided to give it a whirl.
Hero Killer is set in the near future (2035-ish, if I recall correctly), and revolves around protagonist Mark Wei. Mark is an ex-spy who, after helping the United States to win the Second Cold War against China,, has descended into a life of alcoholism and depression as the country around him spirals into degeneracy. Most of the shows on TV are straight up pornography, but the mysterious billionaire Cameron Crayton has thought of a new way to capture the eyes of American audiences — by creating the Crucible, a Gladiator-style gameshow where participants fight to the death for the chance to win ten billion dollars. However Mark is contacted by his ex-handler, who thinks that Crayton may be working on behalf of a more insidious master. So Mark agrees to come out of retirement, and enters the Crucible in order to bring Crayton down, once and for all.
The Hunger Games meets The Running Man may be an accurate enough description of Hero Killer, but it certainly doesn’t do it justice. For one thing, Tassi’s writing is impeccable, with extremely well crafted characters. Mark is an anti-hero in the mold of John Reese from Person of Interest, or Detective Sebastian Castellanos from The Evil Within 2 — meaning he’s lost his family/lover and has severe psychological scars after going through an extremely traumatic event and is busy trying to drink himself to death. Suddenly, he has to come out of retirement to complete some mission. That’s not to say that Mark Wei is an unoriginal, or poorly-written, character. He’s not just a carbon copy, but a person with his own thoughts and desires. All authors use archetypes to a certain extent, and Tassi has used it well. The side-characters in his novel also feel well rounded and original. Our bad guy, Cameron Crayton, isn’t some mindless psychopath either. He’s not a relatable villain bay any means, but he still has motivations that are more complex than “I’m the bad guy so I wanna kill people!” All of the characters in Hero Killer seem ready to leap off the page.
The world of Hero Killer is extremely well thought out, portraying an America where automation has taken over practically every industry. This has lead to everyday, out-of-work Americans looking for any way to get ahead, and any way to fill the increasingly monotonous hours. They indulge in Panem et Circuses in the style of ancient Rome - hence the 24/7 porn on TV and the bloodletting of Crayton’s Crucible. Tassi is also keenly aware of how people are influenced by media, and makes that a central part of the novel. Throughout the book, we get glimpses of how information is manipulated as actors behind the scene try to win the public over to their narrative. Tassi also repeatedly brings up the abandonment of veterans, an issue that’s increasingly prominent in today’s society. However, I feel like this is a theme that is a little bit under-explored. The mistreatment and abandonment of those who served is brought up repeatedly, but I don’t feel like it actually went anywhere.
Alright, I’m going into mild spoiler territory for the next bit because I really want to talk about the ending here. I won’t divulge any major details, but if you want to go into Hero Killer absolutely spoiler free (which I do recommend), skip to the next paragraph, where you’ll find my final recommendation. Hero Killer has a big twist towards the end of the novel, and normally, it would be the kind of twist that I despise. The motivation of several characters are suddenly revealed to be completely different than what they had been portrayed as just as the final act closes. Now, as I said, I normally hate this kind of twist because more often than not it ruins a perfectly good plot and serves no purpose other than to make the author feel extremely clever at the reader’s expense. But that’s not the case here. I genuinely felt like the twist made for a more interesting read, and changed the plot in a way that accentuated some of the novel’s themes as opposed simply doing away with them.
In conclusion, Hero Killer is a throughly enjoyable read, with well crafted characters in a well-crafted world. It is, however a bit pricey, at $16.00 USD. While I certainly don’t regret spending the money, I do feel that a dollar or two less would have been more appropriate. Still, it’s more than worth the investment. If you’re into near-future sci-fi and gladiator films, then go out and get Hero Killer now.
5/5 Stars