Heroes are often born from an unlikely mold. From four ordinary children walking into a wardrobe, to two hobbits carrying an item of great evil, to the emergence of a certain orphan with a scar: these literary figures have proven one thing. Heroes are made, not born.

It is then the given task, destined for you, that ultimately changes you. Great tasks beget great heroes. It is this very essence that allows a person to strive to be more than they already are, to go beyond their limits. Joseph Campbell said that a hero is someone who has done something beyond the normal range of achievement. And what greater achievement to create a heroic figure than to save a world? That is The search Few have been chosen to begin with. And one of them is Ethan Feld.

Ethan was one of those guys who called themselves a flop at the baseball plate. But when his father is kidnapped and the Four Worlds are threatened by a cunning ancient figure, he is asked to stop the end of the world. And he does it by playing baseball.

Without a doubt, Summerland would have fit perfectly into the typical recipe for an archetypal quest: get the chosen one, the chosen one gathers a group of companions, the chosen one and the crew meet the bad guy, defeat him and save the world. If it weren’t for this significant element, baseball. Ethan and his crew (ranging from a small giant to an even smaller Indian) make their way through the worlds, overcoming obstacles with their bats and gloves.

However, Summerland is more than just a fantasy tale about this game. It is a great Tree of stories whose multitude of branches embrace the myths of all time. Summerland is peppered with mythical allusions and archetypes that soon became memorable and unique characters in their own way. Chabon has created a rich tapestry of mythology that stands on its own. At the end of the story, as Ethan and his motley crew fight to save the Great Tree of Life, they realize they’ve gained something equally valuable along the way: finding true strength within themselves.