Heroes in Training

by Martin H. Greenberg

ORDINARY PEOPLE. EXTRAORDINARY HEROES... This all-new fantasy anthology features thirteen original stories about ordinary or inexperienced people learning to become extraordinary heroes. From the shape shifter Esen-alit-Quar who is forced unexpectedly into her first solo mission to the young man sworn to defeat a pack of lycanthropes, these heroes in training are thrown into exciting adventures that demand nothing short of all that is in them.

Genres: Fantasy, Short Stories, Anthologies, Fiction, Humor

320 pages, ebook

First published August 31, 2003

About the author

Martin Harry Greenberg was an American academic and speculative fiction anthologist. In all, he compiled 1,298 anthologies and commissioned over 8,200 original short stories. He founded Tekno Books, a packager of more than 2000 published books. In addition, he was a co-founder of the Sci-Fi Channel.

For the 1950s anthologist and publisher of Gnome Press, see Martin Greenberg.

Reviews

[Roger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heroes in Training was a delightful anthology-like fresh spring water on a hot day. Some good authors here: Esther Friesner, Robin Wayne Bailey, Peter David. Plus some writers I have never heard of whose entries here are just as charming. Julie Czerdna’s story is largely responsible for my four star rating. This is the only story here in which context is not enough-I needed more knowledge about the series characters she writes about to really enjoy her tale.

[Al Eden · Rating 3 out of 5]

Content varies a lot. From two stars to four.

[Kevin]

It wouldn't be fair to give a star rating for this one since I picked this book up solely for the Sir Apropos of Nothing story and it's the only story I've read as of now. So, my review can only really apply to that one story and does not speak for the quality of this anthology as a whole.

Having now read all of Sir Apropos of Nothing's stories, I have to say that the Adventure of the Receding Heir was a pretty good, if short installment in the series. There were quite a few times when a joke would catch me off-guard and I'd devolve into a fit of giggles, which is something that hasn't happened for me since the second book. It really felt like a nice return to form, and was at least on par with Pyramid Schemes. Overall I'd give this installment 4 stars.

[Thirza · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked up this book at a second hand store just because it seemed fun. And I definitely do not regret my purchase, what a great little treasure this is!

[Colleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have been nibbling away at Heroes in Training since I received it last weekend. It is a hefty collection of short stories about various apprentices, heirs, and other changings-of-rank in all settings. While the cover illustration implies fantasy, there is a sprinkling of science fiction in the books, most notably the opaque "A Touch of Bule: A Web Shifters Story" by Czerneda. The first story of the book, "Roomies," was cute and light and full of evil giggling girls. It set my expectations up so that I was feeling fluffier than the book's average contents. "Three Names of the Hidden God" was enjoyable for its mysticism and power, as well as the freedom that the ending granted the main character. "Giantkiller" was a smart but overly edited retelling of the Jack and beanstalk story that makes Jack out to be an undercover agent in the humans vs. giants war. The urban fantasy "The Children's Crusade" was the story with the strongest moral/message about our current state of world war, while the culmination of the book - "Sir Apropos of Nothing and The Adventure of the Receding Heir" - was both depressing and solidly conclusive about treachery and the blindness of both leaders and their led.

Like most anthologies, this one had both excellent and mediocre contributions. It was far meatier than I expected for its size or theme, and somewhat less satisfying at the same time. I suppose that could be due to the reward of accomplishment at the apprentice level being simply more hard work, rather than the laurels of recognition or retirement. There were only a couple of stories where the lack of knowledge about the world or the characters was made obvious to me as a outsider trying to read into that world. And the last story provided a solid ending.

[Rachel · Rating 2 out of 5]

In general I'm not a fan of short stories. I tend to like them a lot and want to read more about the characters and the world they inhabit, or there just isn't enough room for the author to really explain the world he has created. This book had both, and some stories that I liked and thought were just fine as short stories. A couple were rather too overtly political for my taste and one was rather confusing (the world and the characters were too alien for me to figure out in the brief description provided). There was a bit of everything; mostly fantasy, a couple science fiction (although the two genres can be closely related), some modern day, mostly historical, and a few on alien planets. I liked the first three stories, with one exception I thought the middle rather bland, and I like the last one.

[Eleanor With Cats · Rating 2 out of 5]

Contents:
Roomies - Esther M. Friesner
Three Names of the Hidden God - Vera Nazarian
The Princess, the Page, and the Master Cook's Son - Sherwood Smith
The Children's Crusade - Robin Wayne Bailey
The Apprentice - Catherine H. Shaffer
Beneath the Skin - James Lowder
Giantkiller - G. Scott Huggins
Drinker - Michael Jasper
King Harrowhelm - Ed Greenwood
Honor is a Game Mortals Play - Eugie Foster
The Wizard's Legacy - Michael A. Burstein
A Touch of Blue: A Web Shifters Story - Julie E. Czerneda
Sir Apropos of Nothing and the Adventure of the Receding Heir - Peter David

[Jim · Rating 3 out of 5]

A hit-and-miss short story collection. Some of the stories I enjoyed, others were pretty forgettable. My three favorites were actually the first three in the set ("Roomies," "The Three Names of the Hidden God," and "The Princess, the Page, and the Master Cook's Son"). Conversely, the last two ("Sir Apropos" and "A Touch of Blue") were the weakest, and I'm still not sure how the main characters of those two stories even qualified as "heroes in training" in the first place.

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some I liked, some I didn't, overall a good read. I enjoyed the first four stories a lot; Beneath the Skin I found rather creepy/disturbing. Giantkiller and The Wizard's Legacy weren't for me, either. Drinker and A Touch of Blue I thought were pretty interesting, but I didn't completely understand what was happening, especially so with A Touch of Blue. King Harrowhelm and the Apprentice were okay, and the rest of the stories I liked.

[Wealhtheow · Rating 1 out of 5]

A collection of bad fantasy short stories. I didn't like any of them. Unlike Hags, Sirens, and Other Bad Girls of Fantasy, which I also read this week, some of the ideas behind the stories are at least inovative. The follow-through is crap, and the endings are, without exception, terrible. I'm ashamed that this was published.

[Al Tarancón · Rating 2 out of 5]

Irregular stories. Some really good, others... The Apropos one was entertaining, but too short...
Historias irregulares. Algunas muy buenas, otras... La de Apropos era entretenida, pero muy corta...

[Kevin Connery · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good mix of short stories about some atypical heroes.

[Deidre · Rating 1 out of 5]

I liked a few of the stories, but ended up skipping over half of them. Didn't like the mix at all.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Has one of the great stories about the students in NM going to Hell. Several other good stories.

[Teena R. · Rating 1 out of 5]

1.5 stars with one star from Sir Apropos story. Even Sherwood Smith's one is a meh. *sigh*