Green Lantern: Hero's Quest

by Dennis O'Neil

Book Overview

With his new superhuman abilities due to an encounter with an alien and a powerful weapon, Kyle Rayner is transformed into the Green Lantern and becomes a member of the Justice League, with his first mission taking him to the edge of space.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0743417127
• ISBN13: 9780743417129
• Release Date: March 2005
• Publisher: Pocket Star Books
• Length: 342 Pages
• Weight: 0.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 4.3" x 6.8"

Customer Reviews

Suprisingly Enjoyed this...

I knew coming into this book that the origin of Kyle Rayner was not going to be the exact same one that we saw in the comic books. I normally don't like it when characters origins are messed with, but I decided to give this book a try anyways. I actually really enjoyed this book and thought that it was one of the best stories out of the JLA series thus far. The story flowed very well and it held my interest so that I couldn't barely put it down. Sure it wasn't the perfect representation of the Green Lantern Corps but it was a great read. I do recommend this book.

JLA books are the best!! (NOT a graphic novel)

This was a really cool book! Im a huge comic book fan and I have almost everyone made. I still lack a few however and they are pretty hard to find. The best books that i have read have been the JLA series. I highly recommend them to any comic book fan. This book has a little bit of all the green lanterns. Hal Jordan is the Spectre, Kyle Rayner is the main character, Alan Scott, the original green lantern is Kyle's girlfriend's father. I am not going to tell you the plot other than it involves Sinestro. It is a very good book. Can't wait for the next one. By the way the other JLA books are Batman: Stone King, Superman: Neverending Battle, Wonder Woman: Mythos, JLA: Exterminators, Flash: Stop Motion . All are very very good!!

Storyline contradictions notwithstanding, a solid read

Well, I was anxious to get this book... in 2003 when it was supposed to be released. A lengthy couple of years and my enthusiasm turned slightly into dread that it would never come out. Finally, it made it past whatever hurdles had so delayed it. I confess that I was a fan of Green Lantern in my youth, and I am woefully ignorant of the current setting. Thus, while some other reviewers have noted the severe divergences from the comic story, I cannot provide that (much like how some people love movies based on books when they haven't read them, but the people who have read the book are outraged at alterations -- I am typically among the latter by the way). The book does a fairly good job of telling the story of how a young man inexplicably and randomly ends up with a Green Lantern ring and the immense power it gives its wearer. Kyle is a down and out artist with no confidence and no luck. He gets the ring in a back alley after losing out on pursuing a girl, and life takes a big turn from there. He gradually learns how to use the ring somewhat subconsciously or from the ring itself, or so it would seem (the actual mechanism is a bit iffier but is explained). He meets up with the Justice League and pretty quickly falls into their poor graces by being a typical flaky young man with personal concerns and no desire to be a hero. When the Justice League disappears mysteriously, save for Kyle and Batman, Kyle is tasked with the quest to recover them. What follows is some outlandish coincidences that affects the very nature of reality and all the beings living in it, which only Kyle and a couple alien helpers to save. The characterization is good, and the book flies by. I was left wanting a bit more, as Kyle essentially becomes a new man after his hero quest. While this is not the best of the JLA books, it is a decent read, at least for those like me who have not kept up with the comics for over a decade.

not as bad as expected

I usually don't leave reviews, but I feel I have to for this novel just because it's gotten panned so badly. I really have no idea what everybody else is talking about -- the novel is extremely character driven. Because it is written from the first person, we get a very detailed account of who Kyle is. The other characters are also presented in very clear detail. Batman, in particular, is very sharply defined considering how often he's around. Yes, Kyle's origin has been rewritten - but it's made clear that this is an alternate reality. It won't change your life, but it's not so terrible it deserves to be obliterated. I myself am a huge Kyle fan and found it very entertaining. It was great to see a novelization of his character, and I enjoyed it despite his new background story. The only major con I found was the fact that there is so much science talk being thrown around. It can get a bit confusing. But I also found Kyle's quirky and geek boy first person narration made it bearable. I would definitely consider it worth the cover price.

A Unique Take On An Established Superhero

HERO'S QUEST is an extremely character driven story. Told from the POV of hapless artist Kyle Rayner, the novel is laced with the intricacies, quirks, and nuances of Kyle's speech habits, education level, and thought-process. For me, this made the book a real treat; a big fan of Mr. Rayner, I was delighted to find that he was not only in-character, he remained that way for the course of the entire story. Yes, the origin story has changed; but if you'll read the entire novel, it actually explains why in a unique, unexpected way. In fact, the best way to approach this book is as an alternate universe to standard DC continuity. You could possibly even think of it as a movie adaptation; the origin story is stream-lined, and while the tale is a little convoluted, it packs quite a few punches. My only real concern was how techy it got near the end. Poor Kyle barely understood what was going on, and frankly, neither did I. Even this is explained away pretty well, but I finished the book feeling like I had missed a little too much. Still, if you're looking for a unique superhero book with a charming, distinct lead, you should definitely consider HERO'S QUEST. If you're a stickler for continuity, and don't like the Lanterns, Kyle, or the quirky musings of a nerdy member of Generation X in the first place, you'll want to stay far, far away. Either way, be sure you take it for what it is.