A Hero at the End of the World

Sixteen year-old Ewan Mao knows one thing for certain: according to prophecy, it's his destiny to kill the evil tyrant whose dark reign has terrorized Britain for as long as he can remember. Although he's just a normal boy, deep down Ewan is confident that he has exactly what it takes to be a hero. But when Ewan's big moment comes and his best friend, the clever and talented Oliver Abrams, defeats the villain for him, Ewan's bright future crumbles before his eyes.

Five years later, while Ewan is living at home and working a minimum wage job, Oliver has a job as an Unusual in the government's Serious Magical Crimes Agency, the life he and Ewan always dreamed of. A routine investigation leads him and his partner, Sophie Stuart, to uncover a dangerous and powerful cult... one that seems to have drawn his former best friend into a plot to end the world.

A deftly plotted, hysterically funny journey through magical London and beyond, A Hero at the End of the World expertly walks the fine line between satire and sincerity. Its sensitive depiction of a broken friendship and wry takedown of unfairly great expectations will appeal to all readers of modern fantasy.

Praise for A Hero at the End of the World

"Absurdly funny and insightful, the trials and tribulations of Ewan Mao - a guy whose destiny just hasn't worked out so well for him - will keep you totally engaged until the very last page." - Amber Benson, actress and author of The Witches of Echo Park

"If you like your paranormal to be metareferential, and take your magical urban epics with a dollop of amiable self-satire - not to mention giant chickens, disco balls of doom, and a Ravager named "Ralph" - then the daffy, earnest and engaging A Hero at the End of the World is the book for you!" - Javier Grillo-Marxuach, writer/producer of Lost, creator of The Middleman

"With a mix of sharp, witty dialogue and a detailed, engrossing fantasy world, Hero at the End of the World reads like a Harry Potter novel written by Douglas Adams. A wonderfully imaginative, hilarious debut novel for geeks of all ages." - Eric Smith, author of Inked and The Geek's Guide to Dating

Erin Claiborne has lived in the US, Canada, and South Korea, but she considers Britain her home. Before this, she was busy traveling the world and getting a Masters degree in Medieval History from a Well-Known UK Institution. Her interest in fantasy and science fiction started from a young age, when her mother forced her to read books like The Hobbit, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, and Dune (thanks, Mom).

When not sitting in a pub, she can be found looking longingly at puppies in parks and taking pictures of buildings.