I received this book for free from the author in exchange for an honest review.
Robert Hamilton was abandoned as a child. He believes it's because of his unnatural abilities. His foster parents help him to use his talents to help others, instead of hiding from them. While aiding people in Pakistan, Rob meets a teenaged boy named Arif Ali. Arif was tormented and forced down a dark path, but with Rob's help, may be able to rebuild his life. Then there's Kim Baker, an American intelligence agent. Kim holds a dark grudge deep in her heart. This grudge may make her Rob's and Arif's best friend - or worst enemy. These three people will face trials like never before in their lives and make hard decisions that decide the fate of a life. But will each person be able to overcome their challenges and personal demons? Or will they be broken underneath the pressure of becoming a hero?
I didn't understand the title of this story until I was about three-quarters of the way through it. It is Nobody's Hero, as I'd originally assumed; just with a Scottish accent. This is because Rob was born and raised in Scotland and thus had this accent. The story begins with just Rob. I hadn't read the summary of this book, so I assumed that, like with most books, there would be only one main character. Instead, the point of view switched between several different people. It wasn't even just Rob, Arif and Kim; there were also other characters that added to the plot and gave the reader knowledge the other characters didn't have. Rob, Arif and Kim are the main characters, though. I found the cover of this book to be very interesting. Before I began the book, I assumed it was supposed to be the same person, through the years. But once I got into the story and could recognize the characters, I realized that, from smallest to largest, the people on the cover are Arif, Kim, and Rob. Normally, I don't like having multiple main characters. At the beginning of this book, I still didn't. I found it distracting, three storylines all happening at once. But once the characters' paths collided and they interacted with each other, the story became much easier to keep up with and I didn't mind the different views as much.
I really enjoyed the fact that although Rob had these impossible powers, Mark Wilson made them seem almost plausible, by adding in facts and scientific measurements that made them seem less like they come from someone's imagination and more like they're part of his genetic code. I found all of Rob's powers, when explained in these terms, much more realistic - except for one. Laser beams from his eyes? Never going to happen. The super-strength and speed, sure. But whenever the laser beams were mentioned, I almost cracked up. I didn't like this one power. The others can be explained, but the unbelievability of these beams always brought me back down to earth; not a good thing. I hate being reminded, when I'm reading and really into the book, that the plot isn't truly happening. I want to be able to believe the story, and this fact took away from that.
I found that a lot of traveling happens in this story. Rob (since he can fly) makes his way around the whole world, finding people he can supply with help. Although this would normally excite me, this book didn't have that factor. I would like to live vicariously through the characters, seeing everything they see. Rob saw a lot, but not much was commented on. I would have enjoyed it more if Wilson had put more geography descriptions into this story. Although some authors go over the top with these, I found that Naebody's Hero was lacking. I think the excitement factor would have been there for me if I'd gotten to see, not just hear or know about, each of these countries Rob was fortunate enough to visit. There's a reason books are written: the entertainment factor. Everyone would like to escape their own life for a little while and live someone else's through the written word. When I escape my life, I want to be enticed by the landscape so I can really feel away from home.
This was a good book, although I wouldn't say great. I did like the fact that it changed 9/11 so it never happened and Rob was able to save just about everyone. That's another piece of the vicarious living I was referring to before; changing history. However, I wish Rob hadn't basically been Superman; I would have appreciated some more original powers that could still help people in the same way. I would rate this book three stars. Anyone looking for friendship, superpowers, or twist endings would enjoy this book.
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