The battle is over. The heroes lower their weapons as the crowd cheers. The evil overlord has been defeated, and the hero’s people are free.
…what now?
That’s the question asked in Rebellion’s Song by J.E. Brand. Earlier this year, I posted about how much I love The Freedom Game, my sister’s first book. Now, the sequel is out, and I have to gush about how great it is, too.
The rebellion is over. The real fight has just begun… Continue reading Book Recommendation: Rebellion’s Song by J.E. Brand
Hey, guys. I’m busy editing/revising Kill Them All, which is part of the reason I haven’t been posting as frequently lately. But while I don’t have a new book out personally, I have something even better:
A book by my sister.
Three years ago, the impossible happened: Ethlynn’s role in life changed from an ordinary slave to an all-powerful sorcerer. Now, she’s seeking to become the apprentice of the very person whom she used to call ‘master’. Why? Her brother and sister’s lives are still on the line. Continue reading Book Recommendation: The Freedom Game by J.E. Brand
If you have a Spotify account, check out this superhero-themed playlist made by Damien Benoit-Ledoux for his novel Guardians. Listen to it while reading—or if you ever find yourself actually saving the world and need a soundtrack. 😉
I’ve been seeing a lot of great buzz for Lee Blauersouth’s debut YA novel, Secondhand Origin Stories. You can read a review of it at Spines in a Line, which includes links to excerpts and other reviews on the book’s blog tour.
Nicholas Ahlhelm has the details on The Good Fight 4: Homefront, the latest anthology of superhero short stories from the authors of The Pen & Cape Society. I read the first volume of The Good Fight (which is FREE on Amazon) and enjoyed it, so I’m looking forward to seeing what these authors do next.
Superhero romance fans may find this review of Dusk by Jessica Florence of interest. Charli at Rad Babes Read says its her favorite in Florence’s Hero Society series yet.
ETA: I just saw this cover reveal of the awesome-sounding Superheroes Suck by Jamie Zakian. You can enter a giveaway at the bottom for a free copy of the book and a Starbucks gift card.
Any news I missed? What superhero fiction are you currently reading? Let me know in the comments!
Turn Back the Pages is a biweekly feature where I spotlight a comic that is not fresh and new. It may have come out a few months ago or even a few years ago. Maybe it was hyped and popular, or maybe it was an underappreciated gem. Whatever the case, it’ll be a great comic that’s well worth a read.
Life is rough.
I get it. There are bills piling up, work deadlines to meet, and God only knows what’s going on in politics. Sometimes, you just need a break. Sometimes, you need something silly and fun to distract you. Sometimes, you need Squirrel Girl.
I feel like if Marvel had tried to make Squirrel Girl relevant a decade ago, they would have given her a grim and gritty reboot complete with a traumatic backstory and skimpy costume. But that’s not the case with The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl by Ryan North and Erica Henderson. It doesn’t just take the silliness of her premise and run with it—it straps on rocket-powered boots and blasts off with it at supersonic speeds. Continue reading Turn Back the Pages: The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl
Turn Back the Pages is a biweekly feature where I spotlight a comic that is not fresh and new. It may have come out a few months ago or even a few years ago. Maybe it was hyped and popular, or maybe it was an underappreciated gem. Whatever the case, it’ll be a great comic that’s well worth a read.
Superheroes save the world. Thanks goodness they’re around, or we’d all be dead, right? But the thing is, sometimes superheroes save us from a threat they created in the first place, and if it weren’t for the hero, we’d all be fine.
Think Avengers: Age of Ultron. Nice job inventing a killer robot, Iron Man.
This is what kicks off the plot in Young Avengers: Style > Substance. Billy Kaplan, formerly the teen hero Wiccan, uses his incredibly strong yet untrained magical powers to bring his boyfriend Teddy’s mother back from the dead, and he pulls it off with no negative consequences whatsoever.
Just kidding. There are awful, horrifying consequences. As Kid Loki puts it, it’s “terribad.” Continue reading Turn Back the Pages: Young Avengers
Author Mackenzi Lee is writing an official YA novel starring everyone’s favorite Marvel villain, Loki. Honestly, I’m surprised Marvel didn’t start putting out books about him years ago. Talk about leaving money on the table.
Smart Bitches Trashy Books gave Not Your Villain by C.B. Lee a “B” in this insightful review.
R.J. Ross is getting into the holiday spirit with the Cape High Advent Calendar 2017, a web serial set in her Cape High universe that’s updating everyday in December on her blog.
Rec-It Rachel has a good list of recommended superhero novels as part of her holiday book-gifting guide.
Any news I missed? What superhero fiction are you currently reading? Let me know in the comments!
Benjamin Medrano has posted recipes for the meals cooked by the main character of his superhero novel Born a Queen, which I think is a super cool idea (pun intended).
Hello Giggles has an excellent interview entitled “Sarah Kuhn’s superhero books are a beacon for women of color seeking community” that’s worth a read.
SuperheroNovels reviewed At the Table of Wolves by Kay Kenyon, a cool-sounding book about a woman with unique powers in the days leading up to WWII.
Renegades by Marissa Meyer came out last week, which I’m excited about because I adored her series The Lunar Chronicles. Her blog features her book tour schedule, cool character pages, and a neat little quiz to find out your superpower. I got water powers, which I’m perfectly happy with.
I was offline most of last week, so any news I missed? Got any recommended superhero novels? Let me know in the comments!
Karen Diem revealed the cover for Power, the third book in her Arca series, and it’s sooooo awesome.
Daily Camera has a detailed and great review of Transference by Kate Jonuska, if you’ve been thinking about checking that book out. The more reviews of it I read, the better it sounds.
C.B. Lee had a launch party on the 8th for her YA superhero novel, Not Your Villain, and I wish I could’ve gone, because it looks like it was so much fun. Fortunately, there are more upcoming events that you should attend if you’re in the area—if for no other reason than a chance to eat these adorable Not Your Villain cupcakes. (The book cover is edible!) And if the cupcakes don’t make you want to read Not Your Villain, then maybe The Illustrated Page’s interview with C.B. Lee will.
If you’re in the Southwest, Super Powered author Drew Hayes will be at Phoenix Fan Fest and Austin Comic Con in November. You can see his events schedule here.
Mad Scientist Journal has a good review of Serpent’s Sacrifice by Trish Heinrich, which I’m about halfway through and am loving so far.
Any news I missed? What superhero fiction are you currently reading? Let me know in the comments!
Obviously, my big news from September is that Almost Invincible finally came out, and my book is in good company, since September hosted the releases of a whole bunch of superhero novels. A few authors even put out two or more books during the month, (Seriously, how do you people write so fast? TELL ME YOUR SECRETS.) giving you even more options. As always, I haven’t personally read every one of these books, so please check out the samples and reviews before purchasing.
by Bryan Cohen and Casey Lane
To end an inter-dimensional war, a superhero will need an army…
Ted Finley is back on Earth, but humanity has lost control of the place he called home. With a world rendered unrecognizable by the power-hungry General, Ted and Erica have no choice but to look for reinforcements. But will the other conquered civilizations left in the dark souls’ wake be enough to fight back?
As the General continues to spread his evil across the Earth, there may only be one person who can keep him from taking over. Powerless and inexplicably alive, Dhiraj Patel remains unharmed behind enemy lines. Can he use his surprising influence to gain the upper hand?
Ted and his team must rely on new friends and old enemies to gather the forces necessary in the battle for humanity…
The Rebellion is the sixth book in the action-packed Viral Superhero Series. If you like teenage heroes, bloodthirsty villains, and super-powered battles, then you’ll love Bryan Cohen & Casey Lane’s penultimate installment in the bestselling series.
by AshleyRose Sullivan
When one of the world’s greatest superheroes dies in her arms, Lona Chang takes it upon herself to investigate his murder. Armed only with a power she barely understands and a mysterious coded book, Lona begins a quest for answers that leads her down a dark rabbit hole of secrets—secrets the ancient organization known as the Guild is determined to keep hidden at all costs.
Meanwhile, when a new threat descends upon Arc City, Lona’s soulmate (and freshly minted superhero) Awesome Jones defies the Guild, dons the cape and cowl of his father and finds a group of unlikely allies. But can Awesome trust them—or himself? He’ll have to fight his own demons first if he has any hope of defending the town–and the people–he loves.
As tensions rise between the Guild, Lona, Awesome, his allies and Arc City’s criminal underground, Lona realizes that life, and the answers to its questions, are never as simple as they seem in comic books.
by Joynell Schultz
Nobody said being married was easy, but try being married to a superhero. Not only is there laundry, cooking, and a career to balance, but throw in a few supervillains and your day’s booked.
Ariana, Victoria, and Emma’s men spend more time saving the world than doing dishes. These wives want some semblance of a normal married life, but would settle for an uninterrupted meal together. Besides, how can they compete with saving the world?
When a catastrophic earthquake devastates Shadow Town and crime spirals out of control, it appears the city needs all the help they can get to clean it up. Everyone expected the resident superheroes to save the day, but nobody expected the wives’ help too…
by Gerhard Gehrke
See the guy in the video wearing the purple tights and mask robbing that bank?
That’s my dad.
He’s a super villain. The law is after him. The internet loves him. I wish we weren’t related.
Fortunately, a scholarship fell into my lap to an exclusive private high school across the country in California. The chance of a lifetime. But Dutchman Springs Academy has its own mysteries.
A girl keeps showing up in my electronics lab who can vanish at will. The Headmaster of the school is conducting secret experiments on the students. And everyone just seems too nice.
It’s times like this I wish my dad had taught me something useful except how to be a bad guy.
Continue reading New Superhero Fiction Releases for September
Turn Back the Pages is a biweekly feature where I spotlight a comic that is not fresh and new. It may have come out a few months ago or even a few years ago. Maybe it was hyped and popular, or maybe it was an underappreciated gem. Whatever the case, it’ll be a great comic that’s well worth a read.
With a TV series in the works and Marvel relaunching a new monthly comic written by Rainbow Rowell, now seems like a good time to talk about Runaways.
The comic’s premise is simple and fantastic: six kids learn their parents are in a supervillain cabal after spying them murder a girl in an occult sacrifice. The kids then make the very reasonable decision to run away from home.
It’s definitely a high-concept premise, but what made the series so great was it’s relatable, complex characters. The six original Runaways are:
