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Hero Adjacent
Not yet published
Expected 11 May 27A reluctant old wizard. A chinchilla(ish) sidekick. A busboy with the voice of an angel and the fingers of a pickpocket. Of course they’ll save the world! If only they could figure out what to fight, and where…
A life-affirming and humorous fantasy debut, perfect for fans of TJ Klune, Travis Baldree, and Terry Pratchett.
When the Chosen One rejects your call, you might need to choose…another one.
After years of drudgery, Athragast the wizard is ready to retire. But the world needs saving in under two weeks, and when the Prince rejects Athie’s big “destiny” speech, he isn’t left with many options. A thieving busboy, a cigar-eating rodent that goes peep, and some troubled sellswords might be the best he can scrounge up on a budget.
Then Athie’s furry familiar steals the wrong warlock’s cigar, and things get a whole lot worse. A brooding villain flings the Runes of Destiny across the land, and Athie must get them back in time to figure out where the world-ending battle is taking place. The crew must séance with druids, party with goblins, and charm rhyming sages right out of their couplets. Along the way, Athie might just learn what it means to be a hero—at any age.
This whimsical, witty hug of a book is calling all lovers of fantasy, found family, crackling fires, and cozy socks. Stand up and face your destiny. Think of the children! Be a hero, or at least, be hero-adjacent.
A life-affirming and humorous fantasy debut, perfect for fans of TJ Klune, Travis Baldree, and Terry Pratchett.
When the Chosen One rejects your call, you might need to choose…another one.
After years of drudgery, Athragast the wizard is ready to retire. But the world needs saving in under two weeks, and when the Prince rejects Athie’s big “destiny” speech, he isn’t left with many options. A thieving busboy, a cigar-eating rodent that goes peep, and some troubled sellswords might be the best he can scrounge up on a budget.
Then Athie’s furry familiar steals the wrong warlock’s cigar, and things get a whole lot worse. A brooding villain flings the Runes of Destiny across the land, and Athie must get them back in time to figure out where the world-ending battle is taking place. The crew must séance with druids, party with goblins, and charm rhyming sages right out of their couplets. Along the way, Athie might just learn what it means to be a hero—at any age.
This whimsical, witty hug of a book is calling all lovers of fantasy, found family, crackling fires, and cozy socks. Stand up and face your destiny. Think of the children! Be a hero, or at least, be hero-adjacent.
ebook
Expected publication May 11, 2027
About the author
Alexis Veenendaal
2 books4 followersAlexis Veenendaal was born and raised in rural Canada and now lives in Wales with her husband, daughter, and cat. She's the author of several Fantasy and Sci-Fi short stories, as well as the debut Comedic, Cozy Fantasy novel HERO ADJACENT. When she's not writing, you'll find her with a cup of coffee or a pint, crocheting, painting, drawing fantasy maps, bookbinding, or travelling the world.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
A ready to retire wizard, a charismatic busboy and an emotional support chinchilla(ish) sidekick walk into a tavern… shenanigans ensue; because what happens when the world needs saving and destiny’s “chosen” tells you to take a hike? Well you might need to find another ‘Chosen One’ or a few actually.
Hero Adjacent by Alexis Veenendaal, tells the story of Athragast, an average wizard, who is sent on a final mission before he can retire, but things don’t go according to plan and he’s got to scrounge up a new hero quick because the world is ending in 15 days! What results is a group of oddballs becoming allies as they go on a journey to who knows where, to stop what you may ask, well your guess is as good as mine; and they might find love along the way because what hero doesn’t deserve their happily ever after.
The quest is to save the world, but they’ve got to decode the where and the what all while dealing with warlocks out for blood, goblins, druids, sages, creatures that may or may not exist and the wizarding academy being unhelpful and bureaucratic.
The novel is whimsical and funny in an on the nose type of way that will make you shake your head at the antics our band of heroes get up to. The story is an upending of the traditional hero’s journey, like imagine if Gandalf was just done with everything and found himself isekai'd into Tal'Dorei and he had to wrangle the members of Vox Machina.
While the adventuring party is definitely dysfunctional there is an emotional depth that is evident despite the humour. The story is of adventure and friendship, it is about working together and finding people who will back you despite your age or quirks or side hobbies. The novel throws the concept of what is a hero on its head, makes fun of typical fantasy tropes and proves that if you want it enough and you’ve got the support then you can succeed, chosen or not.
Veenendaal incorporates connection, friendship, found family, otherness, aging and queer themes alongside silly, emotional and teachable moments. If you enjoy cozy fantasy that is 100% satire, chaotic, hilarious, character driven and wholesome with a furry little “pocketchilla” along for the ride, then give this book a try.
Thanks to NetGalley and DAW, for this free arc/copy of Hero Adjacent by Alexis Veenendaal; all opinions are my own and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Hero Adjacent by Alexis Veenendaal, tells the story of Athragast, an average wizard, who is sent on a final mission before he can retire, but things don’t go according to plan and he’s got to scrounge up a new hero quick because the world is ending in 15 days! What results is a group of oddballs becoming allies as they go on a journey to who knows where, to stop what you may ask, well your guess is as good as mine; and they might find love along the way because what hero doesn’t deserve their happily ever after.
The quest is to save the world, but they’ve got to decode the where and the what all while dealing with warlocks out for blood, goblins, druids, sages, creatures that may or may not exist and the wizarding academy being unhelpful and bureaucratic.
The novel is whimsical and funny in an on the nose type of way that will make you shake your head at the antics our band of heroes get up to. The story is an upending of the traditional hero’s journey, like imagine if Gandalf was just done with everything and found himself isekai'd into Tal'Dorei and he had to wrangle the members of Vox Machina.
While the adventuring party is definitely dysfunctional there is an emotional depth that is evident despite the humour. The story is of adventure and friendship, it is about working together and finding people who will back you despite your age or quirks or side hobbies. The novel throws the concept of what is a hero on its head, makes fun of typical fantasy tropes and proves that if you want it enough and you’ve got the support then you can succeed, chosen or not.
Veenendaal incorporates connection, friendship, found family, otherness, aging and queer themes alongside silly, emotional and teachable moments. If you enjoy cozy fantasy that is 100% satire, chaotic, hilarious, character driven and wholesome with a furry little “pocketchilla” along for the ride, then give this book a try.
Thanks to NetGalley and DAW, for this free arc/copy of Hero Adjacent by Alexis Veenendaal; all opinions are my own and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
The failure mode of "funny" fantasy is just relying on silly names, pratfalls and parodying the most low-hanging fruit in the trope orchard, while writing a story that's mostly just a series of stupid incidents, and characters who never get any depth beyond a combination of an archetype and a plot role.
I'm happy to report that this book avoids those common pitfalls. Each of the characters we follow throughout the book has at least one extra quirk on top of their archetype and plot role, and the central character has significantly more depth than that. He's a grumpy, disillusioned middle-aged wizard who has been part of the Academy's system of Chosen Ones his whole working life, functioning as a mentor and guide for good-looking teenagers with a Destiny. (These are remarkably common.) What he would love is to be able to contribute something more to the saving of the world, and this time, he finally gets to do so. Along the way, he's forced to question all of his assumptions about Chosen Ones, the Academy, magic, wizardry, goblins, warlocks, the Hero's Journey, destiny and himself. It's amusing, rather than hilarious, but on the upside, it doesn't try too hard to be funny and fail.
He's believably flawed, as are his companions, and things look dire on many occasions, but they finally manage to learn to trust each other enough to pull off their world-saving feat. Side quests develop their abilities and their bonds, and encourage the wizard to re-evaluate what he'd always believed.
It's not, of course, as good as mid-career Terry Pratchett, but what is? Certainly not early-career Terry Pratchett, which it more closely resembles. I look forward to seeing this author develop further.
I had a pre-publication version from Netgalley for review, and the commas are mostly in the right places (apart from the usual excess ones between adjectives occasionally - very few authors avoid that trap). The apostrophes are occasionally not in the right places when the noun is plural, and there are some minor vocabulary glitches as well, which I'll report to the publisher in the hopes that they'll be fixed before publication. But overall, it's cleaner than average in editing, as well as being above average in other respects.
I'm happy to report that this book avoids those common pitfalls. Each of the characters we follow throughout the book has at least one extra quirk on top of their archetype and plot role, and the central character has significantly more depth than that. He's a grumpy, disillusioned middle-aged wizard who has been part of the Academy's system of Chosen Ones his whole working life, functioning as a mentor and guide for good-looking teenagers with a Destiny. (These are remarkably common.) What he would love is to be able to contribute something more to the saving of the world, and this time, he finally gets to do so. Along the way, he's forced to question all of his assumptions about Chosen Ones, the Academy, magic, wizardry, goblins, warlocks, the Hero's Journey, destiny and himself. It's amusing, rather than hilarious, but on the upside, it doesn't try too hard to be funny and fail.
He's believably flawed, as are his companions, and things look dire on many occasions, but they finally manage to learn to trust each other enough to pull off their world-saving feat. Side quests develop their abilities and their bonds, and encourage the wizard to re-evaluate what he'd always believed.
It's not, of course, as good as mid-career Terry Pratchett, but what is? Certainly not early-career Terry Pratchett, which it more closely resembles. I look forward to seeing this author develop further.
I had a pre-publication version from Netgalley for review, and the commas are mostly in the right places (apart from the usual excess ones between adjectives occasionally - very few authors avoid that trap). The apostrophes are occasionally not in the right places when the noun is plural, and there are some minor vocabulary glitches as well, which I'll report to the publisher in the hopes that they'll be fixed before publication. But overall, it's cleaner than average in editing, as well as being above average in other respects.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I do have a soft spot for fantasy books that are perfectly happy making fun of their own genre (I mean, aren't all Comedy/Satire Fantasy like this though?), and Hero Adjacent takes that assignment VERY seriously. Athragast has spent years guiding Chosen Ones toward their grand destinies, only for his latest candidate to reject the job entirely. With retirement practically within reach and the world ending in less than two weeks, he has to assemble whatever passes for a heroic party on a budget. The poor man deserves a vacation.
So my favorite character was EASILY Peeper, a chinchilla-ish (emphasis on ISH) creature with a taste for cigars is already a ridiculous concept, and the fact that his appetite helps escalate the whole disaster made me love him even more. I also enjoyed how much of the adventure involves dealing with the absurdities of established fantasy institutions. The Academy's bureaucracy is particularly funny when you consider how spectacularly unhelpful it is during an impending apocalypse.
There's something about Athragast himself that's so refreshing, and it's probably really just the fact that he's an older protagonist who's spent his career facilitating other people's heroism and is finally being forced to question everything he thought he knew about destiny. The found-family aspect grew on me as the unlikely companions gradually learned to rely on one another.
The humor occasionally feels a little too eager to remind you how ridiculous everything is, and some of the detours could have been tighter. Still, I had a great time with the rhyming sages and the increasingly questionable quest management. There's a definite Pratchett influence here (and as someone else has pointed out, using the god of Comedy Fantasy as a baseline is unfair), particularly in the affectionate treatment of fantasy conventions. I'm curious to see how Veenendaal develops that voice, and I'm just happy to see another debut author (whom I'm guessing is Dutch?) writing in this genre. Truly underrated and underrepresented in the whole Fantasy umbrella.
Thank you to NetGalley and DAW for the advance copy!
So my favorite character was EASILY Peeper, a chinchilla-ish (emphasis on ISH) creature with a taste for cigars is already a ridiculous concept, and the fact that his appetite helps escalate the whole disaster made me love him even more. I also enjoyed how much of the adventure involves dealing with the absurdities of established fantasy institutions. The Academy's bureaucracy is particularly funny when you consider how spectacularly unhelpful it is during an impending apocalypse.
There's something about Athragast himself that's so refreshing, and it's probably really just the fact that he's an older protagonist who's spent his career facilitating other people's heroism and is finally being forced to question everything he thought he knew about destiny. The found-family aspect grew on me as the unlikely companions gradually learned to rely on one another.
The humor occasionally feels a little too eager to remind you how ridiculous everything is, and some of the detours could have been tighter. Still, I had a great time with the rhyming sages and the increasingly questionable quest management. There's a definite Pratchett influence here (and as someone else has pointed out, using the god of Comedy Fantasy as a baseline is unfair), particularly in the affectionate treatment of fantasy conventions. I'm curious to see how Veenendaal develops that voice, and I'm just happy to see another debut author (whom I'm guessing is Dutch?) writing in this genre. Truly underrated and underrepresented in the whole Fantasy umbrella.
Thank you to NetGalley and DAW for the advance copy!
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
What if the hero's journey were just another corporate project with a checklist, questionable leadership decisions, and a very overworked mentor who is counting down the days to retirement? 😂
Hero Adjacent is a cosy fantasy adventure about the sidekicks who help heroes save the world, because apparently even chosen ones need supervision.
Athragast, our grumpy, experienced wizard, has had enough. After a long career of hero management, he's ready to retire and is treating his potentially final assignment like any other work project. Do the tasks, tick the boxes, collect the pension. Unfortunately, destiny has other plans, and this time the stakes are just a little higher than usual.
I absolutely loved the parallels between wizardry and corporate life. From leaders making baffling decisions to ageism and jumping on trends just to appease stakeholders, the satire was hilarious and occasionally a little too real. Add magical encounters, familiars, multiple POVs, and a crew that delivers the loveliest found-family vibes, and you've got a thoroughly delightful adventure.
The world felt rich, the humour landed, and the story managed to be both cosy and high-stakes. It wraps up like a standalone, but I'd happily return to this world.
An amazing debut! If you like found family, clever fantasy satire, and a good laugh, put this on your TBR.
Thank you Netgalley and DAW for the eARC! 💚 This review reflects my own honest opinions.
Hero Adjacent is a cosy fantasy adventure about the sidekicks who help heroes save the world, because apparently even chosen ones need supervision.
Athragast, our grumpy, experienced wizard, has had enough. After a long career of hero management, he's ready to retire and is treating his potentially final assignment like any other work project. Do the tasks, tick the boxes, collect the pension. Unfortunately, destiny has other plans, and this time the stakes are just a little higher than usual.
I absolutely loved the parallels between wizardry and corporate life. From leaders making baffling decisions to ageism and jumping on trends just to appease stakeholders, the satire was hilarious and occasionally a little too real. Add magical encounters, familiars, multiple POVs, and a crew that delivers the loveliest found-family vibes, and you've got a thoroughly delightful adventure.
The world felt rich, the humour landed, and the story managed to be both cosy and high-stakes. It wraps up like a standalone, but I'd happily return to this world.
An amazing debut! If you like found family, clever fantasy satire, and a good laugh, put this on your TBR.
Thank you Netgalley and DAW for the eARC! 💚 This review reflects my own honest opinions.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
This book is an amazing take on the typical heros journey, with all cliches being ridiculed but also followed beautifully. Athie is a great protagonist that is extremely fun to follow and the colourful cast of idiots he collects in his journey is very entertaining as well. A very light, cozy read, that does not shy away from still exploring some serious topics of self vs destiny. The book also has some really fun magic and potential for more stories set in this universe should the author decide to write them. Id certainly read them! Thank you for letting me read this as an ARC!
October 11, 2026
Thank you to NetGalley, DAW and Alexis Veenendaal for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
This was exactly what I expected it to be based on the summary and therefore was very enjoyable. If you like satirical whimsy, humour, found family and lessons learned along the way, you’ll like this one!
Great debut, and hoping the author decides to do more in the future!
This was exactly what I expected it to be based on the summary and therefore was very enjoyable. If you like satirical whimsy, humour, found family and lessons learned along the way, you’ll like this one!
Great debut, and hoping the author decides to do more in the future!
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews