A review by topdragon
Heroes Die by Matthew Woodring Stover

4.0

Rarely have I seen such a well-written mash-up of science-fiction and fantasy. This is the first book in a series where actors in the real world take the parts of heroes in a fantasy world, ostensibly for entertainment purposes but really for power of those that pull the strings. The author describes this book as "...a piece of violent entertainment that is a meditation on violent entertainment." This is not a fantasy novel where you find the proverbial pig farmer's son who happens to be the long lost prince that rises up to become the world's most powerful magician and saves the day. It's an interesting and original concept, filled with violence and profanity as well as thought-provoking takes on the nature of power and ethics and political machinations. I think it can be read on several different levels and no doubt, different readers will come away with different experiences.

This one's been on my TBR list for quite some time as representative of fantasy's "new bread" authors (although not so new anymore). Methinks with authors like Rothfuss, Abercrombie, Sanderson, Lynch, Stover, and many others, we fantasy readers will be in fine shape for years to come.