NEW RELEASE
Author and Publisher: Kristoffer Gair
Cover Artist: Ed Murphy
Release Date: June 26, 2026
Tense/POV: Third person
Genres: Young Adult, Superhero, Comedy
Tropes: Reluctant Hero
Themes: Friendship
Heat Rating: No sexual content
Length: 84 000 words/ Approx 270 pages
It is a standalone story and does not end on a cliffhanger. There is the promise of possibly continuing.
Buy Links - Available in Kindle Unlimited
Not all heroes are adults.
Blurb
Not all heroes are adults.
Tragedy struck Gabriel Fletcher at the age of eight. Losing his parents felt catastrophic enough, but to be sent to live with his aunt and uncle who didn’t want him? Life couldn’t get much worse.
Sho Tashiro only ever wanted a best friend—someone to share adventures and play video games with—and who wouldn’t make fun of his heritage or treat him like a sidekick.
Little did they know their meeting and years of friendship that followed might be more than fate. What if every world in every universe had a Gabriel and a Sho? And what would happen if Earth was invaded by a creature that threatened to annihilate everything they loved?
One trained in martial arts + one with self-proclaimed superior Asian genetics = a friendship and adventure that feels like they jumped right out of their favorite science fiction TV shows and movies they watched as children!
The fate of the world is in the hands of two fifteen-year-old boys. What could go wrong?
Excerpt
“So”—Mike interrupted what might quickly turn into an even more awkward conversation—“are you and Sho—”
“No.” Gabriel realized why someone might think he and Sho were together. They certainly bickered like an old married couple.
“By Hachiman, the Shinto god of war, no.” Sho folded his arms. “The clueless Caucasian child here should be so lucky.”
Gabriel rolled his eyes. “If that’s what you call lucky.” They’d kill each other. Absolutely kill each other.
They continued toward B House at a leisurely pace.
“I am his type, though,” Sho continued.
Mike peered at Gabriel. “You have a type?”
“Don’t even think about it, Sho.”
“Myself?” Of course Sho would find a way to inject a bit of himself into his explanation. “I prefer blondes because gentlemen prefer blondes... or at least that’s a movie title I heard someone from the drama club mention. I like blonde girls, if you need me to be more specific. I like a little yin with my yang, a little light with my striking, dashing, and sophisticated dark.” The explanation was getting a bit thick, even for Sho. “Gabe here likes ‘ese’.”
Mike arched an eyebrow. “‘ese’?”
“Stop.” Gabriel knew what was coming, and that it was payback for mentioning Sho’s attempt at handling a sword.
“Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese—”
Gabriel cringed. “This is how rumors get started.”
“—Taiwanese, Burmese—”
“Please use your internal voice,” Gabriel pleaded and wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead.
“Shall I mention the Japanese actor on Kamen Rider Den-O who started you on your way through that minefield in a boy’s life known as puberty?” Sho asked matter-of-factly.
“I’d rather you didn’t.”
“Or the Chinese assistant instructor in that class you take after school you don’t like anybody knowing about?”
“What about him?”
Sho grinned. “You said one look in his eyes and he restored your faith in an afterlife and the concept of reincarnation.”
Gabriel desperately tried to think of a reason that sounded remotely plausible. “He brought out the deeper thoughts in my life.”
“Then there was his Vietnamese friend—”
“Sho—”
“—who you said made you experience multiple sarcasms while trying to show off how amusing you think you are every time he spoke to you. I’d be remiss, of course, if I didn’t remind you about the Taiwanese exchange student we had last year.”
“Quit exaggerating!” Gabriel wiped his forehead again before sweat dripped into his eyes.
“Procter & Gamble actually sent you a personalized Christmas card for single-handedly keeping the demand for Puffs Super Soft Tissues alive during those months.”
“I hate you.” Gabriel’s face raged like an inferno. “Don’t let Sho talking about being a samurai fool you, Mike, or any of the other words that fly out of his mouth because he wasn’t born with a filter. Sho’s actually one of the most down-to-earth people I know, and the smartest. I have to struggle to get decent grades, and they come easy to him. Sho doesn’t brag about his grades, but he does frequently use his powers for evil, usually when he’s giving me a hard time, like now.”
Mike laughed. “So, Sho isn’t one of those Asian stereotypes who plays the violin or piano, or takes karate lessons?”
They reached the stairs and headed up.
“No. Not at all. He has a phenomenal talent for drawing, though. You should see all the scrapbooks he keeps his sketches and ideas in. They’re amazing!”
“And don’t let Gabe here fool you either.” Sho added his two cents. “I may tease him from now until eternity, but he’s the one who took piano lessons—”
“Free lessons from a community center, thank you.” Gabriel rolled his eyes. The lessons hadn’t been anything fancy or above his means. Someone somewhere at the community center knew he was an orphan, the secretary there had called him with the offer, and he’d decided to give it a try. It got him out of an empty house.
“—and while he may let the bullies pick on him, he’s actually got a second degree—”
“Sho!” Gabriel snapped.
About the Author
Kristoffer Gair grew up in Fraser, MI and is a graduate of Grand Valley State University. He currently lives in a suburb of Detroit.
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