Hermione Granger and the Deathly Hallows

In Hermione, Joanne Rowling undermines all of the clichés that we have come to expect in our mythic heroes. It’s easy to imagine Hermione’s origin story as some warmed-over Star Wars claptrap, with tragically missing parents and unsatisfying parental substitutes and a realization that she belongs to a hidden order, with wondrous (and unsettlingly genetic) gifts. But, no: Hermione’s normal parents are her normal parents. She just so happens to be gifted. Being special, Rowling tells us, isn’t about where you come from; it’s about what you can do, if you put your mind to it.

Alternative universes: providing satire and social commentary since that Star Trek episode with the black and white faces. This is one of the better ones.