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Editorial Reviews:

Product Description
Strange things are happening in Vintage City, and high school goth boy Eric seems to be right in the middle of them. Theres a new villain in town, one with super powers, and hes wreaking havoc on the town, and on Erics life. The new super hero who springs up to defend Vintage City is almost as bad, making Eric all hot and bothered, enough so that he almost misses the love thats right under his nose. Peter is Erics best friend, and even if he does seem to be hiding something most of the time, he finds a way to show Eric how he feels in between attacks on trains and banks and malls. The two boys decide to start dating, much to the chagrin of their other best buddy, Althea, who has a terrible crush on Peter, and a secret or two of her own to keep. As the fight between the villain, known as the Devils Trill, and superhero Magnifiman picks up, Erics relationship with Peter almost ends before it begins when Eric finds out about Peters special talents, which might just rank Peter as a superhero in his own right. When the Trill takes an interest in Eric, too, Peter and Althea, along with Magnifiman and Erics normal, middle-class family all have to work together to keep Eric, and their city, safe. Can they figure out the super villains plan in time?

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars

Masks: Rise of Heroes by Hayden Thorne November 15, 2008

I had this book in my reading list since a bit but I was never in the right mood. I was expecting a superhero type of book, and it's not really my cup of tea. Then tonight I decided to give it a try and it surprised me: the story is more "normal" than expected. It's in a way a very classical coming of age novel, and I like it in that way.

Eric is an emo kid, a 16 years old like a lot of other boys of that age, with a quite supportive family. He is out with his parents and sister and they accepted him, blue bangs covering his eyes and strange eating habit. For once, being gay is not an issue for this teen and all in all he has not serious problem in his life. Then one day he is rescued by a train accident by a flying superhero, a Superman style of hero, complete of spandex uniform and bulging muscles... and for a teenager with ranging hormones, the sight is almost too much: Eric develops a desperate crush on this masked hero.

But having a crush on a superhero doesn't change too much Eric's ordinary life; on the contrary, he continues to hang out with his friends, the girl Anthea and the guy Peter. Suddenly something changes: maybe since Eric is paying attention to another potential even if impossible love interest, Peter is staking is claim; the usually shy and introverse guy is all over Eric, kissing him and asking him out on a date... and simple like that, Eric turns from bestfriend to boyfriend, and now he has to be more careful around Peter, since everything he does and says has a new all meaning for Peter.

It's rather interesting to see how the "superhero" problem is processed in almost an ordinary way in Eric's mind, no more important than his trouble with his new boyfriend Peter, or with his strange family. When Eric is involved in some trouble due to the superhero war between Magnifiman and the villain, he comes back home upset in the same way he is when he has lover quarrels with Peter. In his teen perspective, Eric considers at the same way a problem that involves his little personal world than something of bigger proportion and worst consequences.

Another interesting thing that explains how Eric's mind works, is that, since he is gay and out with his family and friends, he doesn't consider it a problem, and so for him is more problematic and freak being a superhero than being gay... gay is normal, superhero is freak...

There is also a little romance between Eric and Peter, with some kisses and a bit of making out in a car back seats, and all is sweet and tender, but not too much detailed. Eric talks a lot about his ranging hormones, and about his daydreams, but actually he didn't do much.

4 out of 5 stars

Good start to what looks to be a great trilogy June 28, 2008
I fell in love with superheroes in college, and no storyline is more endearing to me than the "coming out" or "coming of age" arc when the hero realizes the potential in his powers and struggles to come to terms with them. Most stories of that type center on the superhero himself, and all the angst associated with realizing he's some sort of freak shunned by the society he aims to protect.

One of the things that makes "Masks: Rise of Heroes" so different in this genre is that the main character is not the superhero ~ he's not even the sidekick. He's just your average teenage boy with raging hormones who constantly seems to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Eric Plath is sixteen, precocious, and lusts over the new superhero in town, who seems to have an uncanny knack for saving his hide.

I really liked Eric ~ his voice, dialogue, and actions rang very true to life. As the story progresses, he learns more about his best friends, Peter and Althea, and his emotions also hit the mark. I also loved spunky Althea, who seems destined to play the role of fag hag for the rest of her life (get used to it, honey, is all I'm saying; take it from someone who knows). And Peter quickly grew from the nerdy "best friend" in the wings into a character of his own right, the perfect foil for Eric: level-headed, weighed down with responsibility, and so very much head over heels in love.

The story takes place in a very somber setting ~ Vintage City. The author's use of language to describe the atmosphere really helped set the mood, and contrasted nicely with Eric's internal landscape. Lines I particularly liked were:

"... rain that seemed to be made of liquid metal."

"Understated jewelry sprouted like sparkling lichen on her arms and neck."

"The wild, manic expressions on the horses' faces and the wide-eyed, watchful looks with which wooden cherubs regarded carnival visitors had that distinct glamour of madness to them. I couldn't help but stare back."

There is a lot of humor infused in the story, as well. The author's turn of phrase sometimes made me laugh out loud ~ Eric has a quick, sardonic wit that I thoroughly enjoyed, particularly in his internal dialogue:

"My glasses clung to my head by one temple with a death grip around my right ear."

"He had a cleft in his chin. God help me, he had a cleft in his chin."

There is also a very strong love element throughout the story. While Eric is already out with his family before the book starts, and is very comfortable with his sexuality, the relationship that grows between himself and Peter is his first true romance. And while the story is YA or "young adult," the boy is sixteen. There are quite a few places where the author subtly reminds the reader of that fact, in such wonderful phrases as:

"Then I dreamed of him 'arresting' me and taking me into custody. Not once did I demand to see my lawyer, and yes, I came willingly."

The reason behind Magnifiman's superpowers is nicely explained, though we don't learn much about the Devil's Trill. The plot involving his interest in Eric comes up in the final half of the book, bringing all elements of the story together to a satisfying ~ if rushed ~ conclusion, but there are still many questions left unanswered. "Masks" ends abruptly, until you realize this is the first in a trilogy, and I hope that the other two books will fill in the bits readers are left wondering about in Book 1.

For a story about caped superheroes and maniacal villains, the human element shines through, a realistic thread that makes the tale believable. What makes super powered heroes so irresistible to us isn't so much the desire to be rescued from our own devices or mundane lives, but rather to know that beneath those rippling muscles, somewhere within that super-smart brain, lies the very same heart, the same emotions and thoughts, hopes and dreams ~ the same soul ~ that lies within us all.

I found myself drawn into the story almost immediately, and couldn't stop turning the pages to get to the end. This book is a great start to what looks to be a fun series about superheroes among us. I can't wait for the next part.

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