- The New Heroes
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The New Heroes (US series title: Quantum Prophecy) is a series of novels and short stories by Michael Carroll, first published in January 2006 by HarperCollins in the UK. The stories centre around realistic depictions of superhuman abilities manifesting in the world and the subsequent appearance of superheroes and villains. The first trilogy follows young adolescents as they become aware of their abilities and the danger that those powers may put them in. In December 2007, the author published a collection of short stories entitled Superhuman, which expanded upon the mythology.
The first in the original HarperCollins trilogy is titled The Quantum Prophecy (ISBN 978-0007210923, January 2006), the second is Sakkara (ISBN 978-0007210930, October 2006) and the third Absolute Power (ISBN 978-0007210947, July 2007). A prequel, Super Human (ISBN 978-0399252976), was released in May 2010, and further books are planned.
Contents
The Quantum Prophecy
The first of the original trilogy.
Plot summary
The story opens with a seemingly random battle among the many superhumans that inhabited the western world, set ten years ago at the foot of a gigantic tank that was on its way to New York City. During the course of this slugfest, the superheroes and supervillains all seem to lose their abilities.
Ten years later, Colin Wagner and Danny Cooper, the children of these superhumans are discovering their abilities and they soon learn that they have also inherited their parents' enemies. The teenagers are kidnapped in order to calibrate the machine that might take away their powers and stop a war that was prophesied by Danny's father, the man once known as Quantum. Danny was believed to be the cause of this war, and so he allowed the supervillain known as Façade to take his place to let Maxwell Dalton record his visions of the future as he broke down. They had hoped to avert it by stripping the world of superpowers ten years ago, but the machine was destroyed and Danny's powers continued to manifest. The new machine would be unstable, and potentially kill hundreds of thousands of people, but it was a risk they were willing to take. With the help of old heroes, including the frozen in time Renata Soliz (Diamond), they stop this from happening and have those behind the plot taken away. By the end of the book, they realise how much risk is involved in becoming superhuman, with Danny's arm now missing, his real father dead, and many lives irrevocably changed.
US title and publishers
In the United States, the series was originally published by Philomel Books, as Quantum Prophecy, and so the titles of the books were changed. The series is to be republished by Puffin Books starting in 2008. The first is called The Awakening (ISBN 0399247254, April 2007 and ISBN 978-0142411797, May 2008).
Acclaim
The Quantum Prophecy was nominated for the Ottakar's 2006 Children's Book Prize[1]. The book received positive reviews from nearly all critics, but some criticised the kitch marketing of the series.
Sakkara
The second of the New Heroes trilogy.
Plot summary
Sakkara revolves around the titular superpowers research facility in the heart of the United States. The adolescent superhumans of The Quantum Prophecy return. Their covers are blown and they are forced to flee to the US in order to protect themselves from attack and publicity. The facility that they hide in is thought to be secret, until its name is known around the world following a terrorist attack in which the supervillain-turned-assassin leaves the word "Sakkara" spraypainted on the wall of an airport after killing dozens of people. Someone among the "New Heroes" or "old heroes" has broken protocol, but everyone is a suspect. As more and more attacks begin to occur, the pattern emerges that they are going after Trutopians. Trutopians are an international organisation designed to give each of its members security and equality, but with reduced freedoms. It is revealed that they are run by the antagonist of the last novel, Victor Cross, who has his own ideas of international peace and wishes to impose them on the world.
US Title
The Gathering (ISBN 978-0399247262, July 2008)
Acclaim
Nominated for Best Novel in the British Science Fiction Association Awards in 2006.
Absolute Power
Plot summary
A direct continuation of the previous book. The lives of the teenagers have been changed forever, and they decide to proactively use their powers of their own free will, in order to better the world. Unfortunately, there continue to be antagonists try to manipulate and kill them. As they grow older, they become more mature.
Superhuman
Superhuman is a collection of short stories set in the New Heroes universe. One story is long enough to be considered a novella, however. The author released the book exclusively through the New Heroes website in December 2007, and each one is signed and numbered. It is limited to 1,000 copies.
Stories
Below is a list of the individual stories contained in the book. The book also contains a number of articles, and has a foreword written by Michael Scott.
- "A Decade Without Heroes"
- "What I Did on My Holidays"
- "The Offer"
- "Pressure"
- "The Footsoldiers"
- "Out of Sight"
- "Flesh and Blood"
- "Scholarship Boy"
- "One Million"
Super Human
A place-holder for the cover of a prequel to the events of the New Heroes trilogy called Super Human was released on the official New Heroes website. It was released May 13, 2010.
Plot summary
Four thousand years ago the world's first super human walked the earth. Possessing the strength of one hundred men, skin impervious to attack, and the ability to read minds, this immortal being used his power to conquer and enslave nations. Now plans are in motion that will transport this super human to the present, where he will usher in a new age of tyranny unlike anything the world has ever seen. Determined to stand against them, using powers they have only just begun to master, is a ragtag group of young heroes. For them this first test may be their greatest . . . and last.
The Ascension
Another prequel to the events of the New Heroes trilogy, and a sequel to Super Human, The Ascension was released summer 2011. The plot involves Krodin who has mysteriously survived death by being sent back in time by six years after his battle with Abby, Thunder, Roz and brawn. In the present the kids begin to notice changes in their America. It was released on June 30, 2011.
Future of the series
As stated in an recent interview, eight books are now planned for the Quantum Prophecy series. After The Ascension, there is one more prequel novel, then the final two novels will be set after The Reckoning. A recent sixth book has been confirmed by the Author on their website quantumprophecy.com. It will be the last prequel novel. The fourth novel of the original trilogy and the seventh over all is slated for a 2013 release.
Villains
Villains throughout the novels:
- Victor Cross
- Evan Laurie
- Yvonne
- Ragnarok
- Dioxin
- Brawn
- Slaughter
- Terrain
- Krodin
- Facade
- The old woman
References
External links
Categories:- Superhero novels
- Children's science fiction novels
- Science fiction book series
- Young adult novel series
- Irish young adult novels
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