I like super heroes, they're great. Can't get enough of them. I read the comics watch the movies, and play the games.
But I also want that in book form. To be clear, I don't want a deconstruction, or a twist, or a redirection or anything of the sort. I am looking for a good book that is also a straight up super hero story.
If I sound a bit frustrated I apologize, I've looked around a lot and it seems like every book about this particular niche of sci-fi/fantasy wants to in some way turn the genre on its head by making the heroes the bad guys or something similar.
I just want a good book about good guy heroes in the modern setting with cool names and sometimes cool, sometimes corny outfits.
Thanks so much for any recommendations.
by Hormo_The_Halfling
2 Comments
Have you checked out the Wild Cards series edited by George RR Martin? It’s basically X-Men in book form without all the cynical deconstruction stuff – just straightforward superheroes doing superhero things in an alternate timeline where aliens accidentally gave people powers in the 1940s
The first book “Wild Cards” is a great starting point and has that classic comic book feel you’re looking for
Superpowereds by Drew Hayes. Basically Harry Potter but superheroes and not as YA. Follows 5 students attending four years of superhero college. Probably my 2nd fav audiobook series after Dungeon Crawler Carl.
Villains Code series – also Drew Hayes. This one feels more comic booky and is a different universe than his other. Heroes and Villains have an uneasy truce so long as the Villains Guild polices their own worst members and weeds out the killers and really bad ones. MC is new villain in training with their guild. Series does a good job blurring the lines between good and bad as the MC is a thief but also does heroic stuff a lot of the time.
Ex Heroes – Peter Clines. World where superheroes failed to stop the zombie apocalypse and are now trying to protect the remnant of humanity.
Dreadnought – April Daniels. This one is trans centric as the MC in gaining powers gets the sex change she always wanted but now has to deal with fallout of that plus being a new hero on the block.
Worm – Wildbow. This is very good but I didn’t recommend it as the top it is dystopian and dark which it sounds like you didn’t want. Nonertheless it’s worth mentioning for how good it is. Follows a new would be hero who over time becomes one of the worlds most feared super villains even though every choice along the way feels like the right choice for the greater good. Very long.