Author Crush: Superhero Books!

Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson (TN SAN) Is a fun, fast-paced, and futuristic series starter about a world in which superheroes use their newfound powers to gain control over humanity. These aptly named Epics control the lives of humans, who think them to be invincible, but sixteen year old David, whose father was murdered by one of the most powerful Epics, knows otherwise. He joins a renegade group of humans, called the Reckoners, that are intent on bringing down the Epics.

Looking for more corrupt superheroes? Check out Powerless by Tera Lynn Childs, which is about Kenna, who works in the Elite Superhero Lab and has complete faith in her superhero overlords until one night, a superhot supervillain tries to destroy the lab. He claims that the supervillains are the ones who are right, but Kenna, who has no powers, is torn between trusting the so-called villains or the superheroes that she once trusted. 

After a deadly fever has decimated the population of the country in Young Elites by Marie Lu (Jh LU), the survivors have been fundamentally changed. Adelina’s takeaway from the fever is silver hair and a missing eye, but there’s something else about her that’s changed too, along with the others who’ve survived: they gain magical powers. In a world full of the power-hungry upper class and a fever-ravaged lower class, Adelina and the other survivors, the Young Elites, must find ways to live with their new gifts and survive in this new world.

Descriptive, thought provoking, and action packed, Renegades by Marissa Meyer (Jh MEY) is a great superhero story that will keep you turning pages. The Renegades are the “good guy” superheroes, or so Nova believed until they swoop in to save the day, but her parents and younger sister are killed in the process. After that experience, her supervillain uncle takes her in and helps her to discover her own powers with one goal in mind - infiltrate and take down the Renegades.

The Dangerous Days of Daniel X by James Patterson (TN PAT) is an exciting and action packed story about fifteen year old Daniel follows his parents’ footsteps to become an Alien Hunter. He works to exterminate the beings on the list of Alien Outlaws on Terra Firma, but when he faces off against the first of the top ten outlaws, Earth and another planet are in danger.

Soon I Will Be Invincible by Austin Grossman (SF-F GRO) is one of my personal favorite superhero books - it’s told from the perspectives of supergenius and evil villain Doctor Impossible, and Fatale, a lonely cyborg who’s the newest hero to join a group of heroes called the Champions. Though he’s been under the radar for some time, Doctor Impossible sets in motion a plan to throw the earth out of orbit. Meanwhile, the leader of the Champions goes missing and Fatale must learn how to be a superhero. With new twists on classic superhero and villain tropes, this book is a fun, engaging, and action-packed story.