The tone of The Hero—that is, the attitude which Windsor conveys to her audience about her themes—is almost unremittingly dark. Dale must struggle with demons both within (his searing telepathic nightmares) and without (the evil Dr. Airman), to the point that he feels cut off from all potential sources of empathy and help. Windsor, perhaps reacting against the escapist tradition in books for young audiences, portrays Dale's descent into despair with unflinching and pitiless accuracy; for example, there is not even a hint of sentimentality in her depiction of Dale's arid home life. But her consistency of vision may prompt the reader to long for at least a few happy oases within the bleak and limitless desert that is Dale's life. In sum, there are precious few upbeat moments in The Hero.

However, the novel's characters, even when they are not pleasant...