In The Hero, young Dale Fither wrestles not only with the evil Dr. Airman but also with his own sense of isolation from family and friends. The psychic talents which set Dale apart may be unique and fantastic; but many specially-gifted young people must feel similarly estranged from peers who seem to them to be "ordinary" and, therefore, fortunate. More than anything else, Dale longs to live an uncomplicated and humanly warm life, but instead confronts complexity and hostility everywhere.

Windsor's major characters in this novel are sharply-drawn. Dale's father (Dale refers to him only as "the man") is emotionally icy, aloof, self-righteous, and hypocritical. Dale's mother, mastered by her husband's personality, is weak, weepy, and fearful; she is unable to give her son the parental love which he so desperately needs. Dr. Airman is a fairly stock caricature of the "mad scientist" of...