The 23rd Hero
A novel
by Rebecca Anne Nguyen
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Pub Date 13 Aug 2024 | Archive Date 30 Sep 2024
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Description
"Breathtakingly original." — Melodie Winawer, critically acclaimed author of The Scribe of Siena and Anticipation
"A thrilling, escapist ride through time." — Mandy Berman, author of The Learning Curve and Perennials
“Nguyen’s razor-sharp humor, gorgeous prose, and lush world-building had me turning the pages late into the night.” — Jessica Pearce Rotondi, author of What We Inherit
"Intriguing time travel settings with satisfyingly original dilemmas and outcomes. Libraries will find it easy to recommend The 23rd Hero."
— Midwest Book Review
In a world ravaged by climate change, a mysterious time travel agency known as the Program sends carefully selected Heroes back in time on missions to reverse the course of history, preventing environmental damage before it happens.
Sloane Burrows secretly longs to be a Hero and restore the natural world of her childhood, when gulls still soared above Coal Harbor and fish still swam in the sea. It’s a world she can envision with absolute clarity because of her superpower memory, which makes her exactly what the Program is looking for in a Hero. But her white father raised mixed-race Sloane to believe her “freak memory” is a shameful flaw that should be hidden from the world.
Sloane stuffs her dream of being a Hero and conceals her memory to the point of making herself sick. Her only respite from the constant nausea and shame is the recurring dream she’s been having for nearly a decade. In the dream, a breathtakingly beautiful man makes her feel accepted and loved in a way she never has in waking life—not despite her memory, but because of it.
But when the man in the dream shows up in real life, Sloane’s world is turned upside down. Not only is Bastian a flesh-and-blood person, but he’s from the Program, and he wants her to do the one thing that will shatter her chances of ever winning her dad’s love: become a Hero, travel back in time to sixteenth-century France, and use her superpower memory to save the world.
Fans of the survival themes in Micaiah Johnson’s The Space Between Worlds will love Sloane’s journey to overcome impossible odds in the near future and the distant past, while the passion and humor that bind Sloane to Bastian across the centuries will excite fans of Outlander and The Princess Bride.
Advance Praise
"Rebecca Nguyen’s novel THE 23RD HERO is a breathtakingly original and gripping story of one apparently ordinary woman’s struggle to reverse climate change by revisiting the errors of history. Seamlessly bringing together modern Vancouver and 16th Century France, Nguyen weaves a beautiful and compelling narrative that is ultimately about our universal search for identity and connection—even across the centuries. I stayed up late reading, utterly captivated by this surprising and magical combination of dystopian science fiction, call to environmental action, and passionate love story. A fabulous debut!"
— Melodie Winawer, critically acclaimed author of The Scribe of Siena and Anticipation
"The 23rd Hero is a thrilling, escapist ride through time, an old-fashioned romance, a modern parable about climate change, and, most importantly, the story of a woman finding her purpose. This is a delightful page-turner by an exciting new voice in fiction. Do yourself a favor and get lost in this story; you’ll return feeling a little more hopeful about everything."
— Mandy Berman, author of The Learning Curve and Perennials
“A love story that transcends time with a hero the reader will never forget. This compulsively-readable debut will transport you from a dystopian future to the idyll of 16th century France, all on the wings of a love story for the ages. Nguyen’s razor-sharp humor, gorgeous prose, and lush world building had me turning the pages late into the night. A writer to watch.”
— Jessica Pearce Rotondi, author of What We Inherit: A Secret War and a Family’s Search for Answers
"The passion Rebecca Anne Nguyen captures between the two [lovers] is equaled by the challenge to their psyches...as the story evolves. Readers who look for intriguing time travel settings will find the tale steeped in unusual connections. The romance component pairs well with the sense of adventure and conundrums. The result will appeal to both romance readers and time-travel enthusiasts with...satisfyingly original dilemmas and outcomes. Libraries will find it easy to recommend The 23rd Hero to patrons interested in out-of-the-box thinking about time travel and [romance]."
— Midwest Book Review
Marketing Plan
Cover reveal and pre-orders live: Tues, May 14, 2024
Title available on Ingram: July 4, 2024
Official pub day: Tues, August 13, 2024
Cover reveal and pre-orders live: Tues, May 14, 2024
Title available on Ingram: July 4, 2024
Official pub day: Tues, August 13, 2024
Available Editions
| EDITION | Paperback |
| ISBN | 9798989593415 |
| PRICE | |
Available on NetGalley
Featured Reviews
Mikia M, Reviewer
You've been dreaming of the same man that you've never met for 10 years and then one day he shows up, in person, at your work. Set in a future world where climate change is making Earth uninhabitable, a secretive group has developed time travel and is looking for the next person to send back in time to help reshape major climate decision points. Our FMC finds herself in the unlikely position of being one of their candidates and agrees to participate if only to learn more about the man she's been dreaming of.
The 23rd Hero is a love story that breaks free of the boundaries of time set against the backdrop of a dying planet. Writing about time travel can be a tricky thing, but Nguyen does an admirable job. The story takes us through complicated and painful family dynamics, the healing power of love, and the emotional struggle of making sacrifices for the greater good that will keep readers invested.
Rating 4-stars because the book ended up having a strong and unexpected religious element that didn't land for me.
