Generally, Windsor handles the trials and torments undergone by Dale and his fellow juvenile psychics with care and sensitivity. However, there are a few aspects of The Hero that could worry some readers. For example, the novel's dialogue is occasionally sprinkled with common adolescent vulgarisms. Further, the details of Dale's psychic visions—most notably, one imagining the accidental amputation of a hand—are fully intended to shock; indeed, not a few passages in the book might well betray the squeamish. And finally, nearly all of Dale's relationships with authority figures—whether at school, at home, or within the vaguely medical context of Airman's institute—are viewed negatively, even with outright hostility. Parents and teachers of readers in search of sunnier, more optimistic, and less controversial fare might therefore hesitate before recommending this volume.