A ready to retire wizard, a charismatic busboy and an emotional support chinchilla(ish) sidekick walk into a tavern… shenanigans ensue; because what happens when the world needs saving and destiny’s “chosen” tells you to take a hike? Well you might need to find another ‘Chosen One’ or a few actually.

Hero Adjacent by Alexis Veenendaal, tells the story of Athragast, an average wizard, who is sent on a final mission before he can retire, but things don’t go according to plan and he’s got to scrounge up a new hero quick because the world is ending in 15 days! What results is a group of oddballs becoming allies as they go on a journey to who knows where, to stop what you may ask, well your guess is as good as mine; and they might find love along the way because what hero doesn’t deserve their happily ever after.

The quest is to save the world, but they’ve got to decode the where and the what all while dealing with warlocks out for blood, goblins, druids, sages, creatures that may or may not exist and the wizarding academy being unhelpful and bureaucratic.

The novel is whimsical and funny in an on the nose type of way that will make you shake your head at the antics our band of heroes get up to. The story is an upending of the traditional hero’s journey, like imagine if Gandalf was just done with everything and found himself isekai'd into Tal'Dorei and he had to wrangle the members of Vox Machina.

While the adventuring party is definitely dysfunctional there is an emotional depth that is evident despite the humour. The story is of adventure and friendship, it is about working together and finding people who will back you despite your age or quirks or side hobbies. The novel throws the concept of what is a hero on its head, makes fun of typical fantasy tropes and proves that if you want it enough and you’ve got the support then you can succeed, chosen or not.

Veenendaal incorporates connection, friendship, found family, otherness, aging and queer themes alongside silly, emotional and teachable moments. If you enjoy cozy fantasy that is 100% satire, chaotic, hilarious, character driven and wholesome with a furry little “pocketchilla” along for the ride, then give this book a try.

Thanks to NetGalley and DAW, for this free arc/copy of Hero Adjacent by Alexis Veenendaal; all opinions are my own and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This was everything that I was looking for and enjoyed in this type of book. I was invested in Athragast the wizard and his sidekick, the characters felt like they belonged in this world and enjoyed getting into this storyline. The overall writing style worked well together with the characters and thought it had that element of magic that I was hoping for from the description. Alexis Veenendaal does a fantastic job in writing this book and had that overall feel that I wanted and enjoyed getting to read this, I hope there is more in this world and from Alexis Veenendaal.

A super fun, satirical read in the vein of Terry Prachett! We need more older main characters in the fantasy genre honestly. It was so refreshing about ready-to-retire Athragast and the motley crew of “heroes” he assembled to save the world. This is the sort of whimsical fun and emotionally resonant experience that cozy books should aspire to be. I will be keeping an eye on this author’s future works.

A classic story about a chosen one and his party saving the world... with a few twists.

The story follows Athragast, a wizard, who is tasked with helping one of the many chosen ones save the world, but of course, things go wrong. I love the characters, and it is awesome to see how the change throughout the story, while making new friends. The story is funny, with weird and unexpected things happening, and the author does a great job of slowly introducing backstory and new plot points into the novel. Overall, I really enjoyed this novel.

Thank you to NetGalley for this free arc of Hero Adjacent; all opinions are my own and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

What if the hero's journey were just another corporate project with a checklist, questionable leadership decisions, and a very overworked mentor who is counting down the days to retirement? 😂

Hero Adjacent is a cosy fantasy adventure about the sidekicks who help heroes save the world, because apparently even chosen ones need supervision.

Athragast, our grumpy, experienced wizard, has had enough. After a long career of hero management, he's ready to retire and is treating his potentially final assignment like any other work project. Do the tasks, tick the boxes, collect the pension. Unfortunately, destiny has other plans, and this time the stakes are just a little higher than usual.

I absolutely loved the parallels between wizardry and corporate life. From leaders making baffling decisions to ageism and jumping on trends just to appease stakeholders, the satire was hilarious and occasionally a little too real. Add magical encounters, familiars, multiple POVs, and a crew that delivers the loveliest found-family vibes, and you've got a thoroughly delightful adventure.

The world felt rich, the humour landed, and the story managed to be both cosy and high-stakes. It wraps up like a standalone, but I'd happily return to this world.

An amazing debut! If you like found family, clever fantasy satire, and a good laugh, put this on your TBR.

Thank you Netgalley and DAW for the eARC! 💚 This review reflects my own honest opinions.

Thank you to NetGalley, DAW and Alexis Veenendaal for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

This was exactly what I expected it to be based on the summary and therefore was very enjoyable. If you like satirical whimsy, humour, found family and lessons learned along the way, you’ll like this one!

Great debut, and hoping the author decides to do more in the future!

4.5/5

I received a copy of this from NetGalley, thank you to them and to the publisher!

The conventions of a hero’s journey is extremely familiar to anyone who reads adventure fantasy, and this is a fun lampshade on that— it’s very obvious, and also very committed. Delightfully fun time, with a solid cast of characters that are all sort of twists on classic fantasy cutouts, but they carry the story well.

Casually queer as well, which is always fun to see, and I CAN be swayed by the style of jokes you get in a game of DnD about the goblins unionizing, or the big bad being named Jim or Loraine.

This was an absolute delight! It reminded me of Terry Pratchett in its wackiness and sweetness. I was rooting for this group of misfits and did not want it to end. For fans of Six of Crows who want their adventures a little cozier.