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A Hero By Any Other Name by Mr. Michael A. Stackpole
What does a sidekick do after retirement? What does a super villain do when he meets an evil greater than himself? Is it power that defines a hero, or something else? All of these questions and more are answered in A Hero By Any Other Name, a collection of stories by some of today's best-known science-fiction and fantasy authors. This collection of riveting adventures delves into the lives of some not-so-conventional superheroes, sidekicks, and villains. This isn't all tights-and-fights, but a look at heroes that will forever alter your perspective on those who chose to live behind a mask. Featuring stories Aaron Allston, Michael Stackpole, Maxwell Alexander Drake, Janine Spendlove, Bryan Young, and many others!
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First published May 21, 2013
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About the author
Jean Rabe
220 books155 followersWhen I am not writing, I toss tennis balls to my cadre of dogs. My house is filled with books and dogs, you can smell both when you walk in the front door. It's a good smell.
I have 36 published novels and am currently writing in the mystery genre. My latest mystery, The Dead of Winter, was a finalist for the Claymore Award and is the first in the Piper Blackwell series.
I live in a tiny town in the middle of Illinois that has a Dollar General, a pizza place with exceedingly slow service, a veterinarian (good thing, eh?), and train tracks...lots of train tracks.
I have 36 published novels and am currently writing in the mystery genre. My latest mystery, The Dead of Winter, was a finalist for the Claymore Award and is the first in the Piper Blackwell series.
I live in a tiny town in the middle of Illinois that has a Dollar General, a pizza place with exceedingly slow service, a veterinarian (good thing, eh?), and train tracks...lots of train tracks.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
September 8, 2020
individual story ratings:
★★☆☆☆ Retreads by Aaron Allston [DNF]
★★☆☆☆ Need to Know by Michael A. Stackpole [DNF]
★★☆☆☆ The Kid by Maxwell Alexander Drake
★★☆☆☆ All-Star by R.T. Kaelin
★★☆☆☆ Hero Today, Gone Tomorrow by Ron Garner
★★★☆☆ Stupendous Sparkle by Janine K. Spendlove
★★★☆☆ Changing the Game by Bryan Young
★★★☆☆ A Marvelous New World by Maggie Allen
★★★☆☆ Mortar's Ovation by Jean Rabe
actual rating: 2.4
Five or six years ago I backed an anthology by this publisher on Kickstarter and picked the option that gave me all of their anthologies at that time and have been struggling with the cost sunk fallacy of it all ever since. Finally picked this one up because I needed a Y author for a challenge and this fit the bill.
Overall the stories are nothing special and many of them are downright confusing without the context of the wider universe in which they take place. They aren't awful but with only a few exceptions they don't do much to break the mold or try to come at the superhero genre from a new or exciting angle.
If you're just really into anthologies you might still enjoy this but overall I think there are better ones out there. The two that I DNFed were not necessarily any worse than the rest of them but they were much longer and I just don't have the attention span right now to give any of these stories more than 10-15 minutes of my time.
★★☆☆☆ Retreads by Aaron Allston [DNF]
★★☆☆☆ Need to Know by Michael A. Stackpole [DNF]
★★☆☆☆ The Kid by Maxwell Alexander Drake
★★☆☆☆ All-Star by R.T. Kaelin
★★☆☆☆ Hero Today, Gone Tomorrow by Ron Garner
★★★☆☆ Stupendous Sparkle by Janine K. Spendlove
★★★☆☆ Changing the Game by Bryan Young
★★★☆☆ A Marvelous New World by Maggie Allen
★★★☆☆ Mortar's Ovation by Jean Rabe
actual rating: 2.4
Five or six years ago I backed an anthology by this publisher on Kickstarter and picked the option that gave me all of their anthologies at that time and have been struggling with the cost sunk fallacy of it all ever since. Finally picked this one up because I needed a Y author for a challenge and this fit the bill.
Overall the stories are nothing special and many of them are downright confusing without the context of the wider universe in which they take place. They aren't awful but with only a few exceptions they don't do much to break the mold or try to come at the superhero genre from a new or exciting angle.
If you're just really into anthologies you might still enjoy this but overall I think there are better ones out there. The two that I DNFed were not necessarily any worse than the rest of them but they were much longer and I just don't have the attention span right now to give any of these stories more than 10-15 minutes of my time.
September 21, 2013
As with most anthologies, some unevenness in the caliber of the writers and stories exists. The first of the nine stories "Retreads" (by Aaron Allston) is 60 pages long and represents 25% of the book and is an excellent story. If you like hero stories in prose, this particular gem is worth the entrance price.
The stories about someone other than the "main" hero - the sidekick, the villain, someone nearly ready to be a hero, someone retired from heroing. The best of the stories are those with mystery and thriller overtones: the aforementioned Retread and "Mortar's Ovation" (by Jean Rabe). The comic book geek in me loved "A Marvelous New World" (by Maggie Allen) where con-geeks prevent an alien invasion - and "Stupendous Sparkle" (by Janine K. Spendlove) a surface superhero story which is also a very good character study in the difference between people who change the world and people who will follow others. Of the 259 pages, I really, really enjoyed 128 - so about half.
The other five stories had various things I didn't like about them. "The Kid" (by Maxwell Alexander Drake) and "Changing the Game" (by Bryan Young) both had endings offending my American pre-disposition to happily-ever-after - doesn't make them bad stories - and maybe having them included made the short stories when the good guys win all the better, because sometimes they don't win. "Need to Know" (by Michael A. Stackpole) was derivative - I think it was either a homage to vintage stories or a sarcastic commentary. I didn't get it in either vein; I think many people would like this story. "All-Star" (by R. T. Kaelin) and "Hero Today, Gone Tomorrow" (by Ron Garner) were okay, but neither was thought-provoking like the thrillers or amusing like the geek nods.
Overall, a solid anthology with some excellent stories. The Con-geeks stopping the alien invasion, a sidekick who follows a true hero, the steam-punk era detective investigating a transvestite murder (yes, really!), and an invulnerable, but broken hero, soldiering on. These stories should find a place on your shelf if you like heroes by any other name.
The stories about someone other than the "main" hero - the sidekick, the villain, someone nearly ready to be a hero, someone retired from heroing. The best of the stories are those with mystery and thriller overtones: the aforementioned Retread and "Mortar's Ovation" (by Jean Rabe). The comic book geek in me loved "A Marvelous New World" (by Maggie Allen) where con-geeks prevent an alien invasion - and "Stupendous Sparkle" (by Janine K. Spendlove) a surface superhero story which is also a very good character study in the difference between people who change the world and people who will follow others. Of the 259 pages, I really, really enjoyed 128 - so about half.
The other five stories had various things I didn't like about them. "The Kid" (by Maxwell Alexander Drake) and "Changing the Game" (by Bryan Young) both had endings offending my American pre-disposition to happily-ever-after - doesn't make them bad stories - and maybe having them included made the short stories when the good guys win all the better, because sometimes they don't win. "Need to Know" (by Michael A. Stackpole) was derivative - I think it was either a homage to vintage stories or a sarcastic commentary. I didn't get it in either vein; I think many people would like this story. "All-Star" (by R. T. Kaelin) and "Hero Today, Gone Tomorrow" (by Ron Garner) were okay, but neither was thought-provoking like the thrillers or amusing like the geek nods.
Overall, a solid anthology with some excellent stories. The Con-geeks stopping the alien invasion, a sidekick who follows a true hero, the steam-punk era detective investigating a transvestite murder (yes, really!), and an invulnerable, but broken hero, soldiering on. These stories should find a place on your shelf if you like heroes by any other name.
November 5, 2013
An excellent anthology of short stories about "lesser" superheroes. A companion volume to "Heroes" containing many stories by the same authors. I loved almost all of the stories. A very good variety of different aspects of a universe with superpowers. And unlike many scifi anthologies, there wasn't any gratuitous content to turn away the more discerning reader. Highly recommended.
September 21, 2013
Interesting twists on the superhero genre. Lots of fun.
July 18, 2020
A fantastic collection of heroic short stories. Each is richly realized and full of vibrant characters. Even the dark one.
December 26, 2013
In the interest of full disclosure, I have a short story in this anthology. I recently had a chance to sit down and read the whole thing cover to cover. It was fun to finally read what my fellow authors had written. I'd read a few of the stories in rough draft as a beta reader, and the others I hadn't read at all. There's definitely a mix of tone here, from humorous to serious, and also a variety in the types of stories told. In other words, I think there is something here for everyone to like. My personal tastes run towards enjoying the more lighthearted and humorous stories. To that end, I liked both Ron Garner and Janine Spendlove's stories in particular because I thought the stories carried weight while still being amusing. Also, the more I read of his writing, the more I think Aaron Allston is a genius.
December 12, 2013
Excellent stories with good twists.
January 29, 2015
More like a scrapbook compilation, not many good stories here. Many stories are sequels or prequels (ugh) to ones in "Heroes!" anthologies (either one).
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews