The New Heroes
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 on 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" (, January 2006), the second is "Sakkara" (, October 2006) and the third "Absolute Power" (, July 2007). A prequel series has been completed, this series includes four novels, beginning with "Super Human". The other three novels in the prequel series are: "The Ascension", "Stronger", and "Hunter". "Crossfire", released in October, 2015, and "The Chasm", released in June 2017, make up the final two books in the series, both taking place after the original trilogy. Section::::"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 (, April 2007 and , May  2008). Reception. "The Quantum Prophecy" was nominated for the Ottakar's 2006 Children's Book Prize. The book received positive reviews from nearly all critics, but some criticised the kitsch marketing of the series. Section::::"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" (, July 2008) Reception. Nominated for Best Novel in the British Science Fiction Association Awards in 2006. Section::::"Absolute Power". A direct continuation of the previous book. Synopsis. Not so long ago, the world believed superhumans dead after a great battle wiped out heroes and villains alike. Ten years later, "The New Heroes", a group of second-generation youngsters possessing superhuman powers have emerged and are now faced with difficult decisions when their leader Colin Wagner runs away in the  midst of a political attack from the globe-spanning Trutopian organization led, unknown to them, by their enemy Victor Cross and his accomplice Yvonne. The pair have begun to plant the seeds of a dark shadow game that will manipulate the heroes into a series of actions that threaten to throw the world into war. If the planet is to survive, the new heroes will have to fight harder than they have ever have before. Plot summary. 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. Collin does not know that the Trutopians are led by Victor Cross and he soon finds himself under the spell of Yvonne's mind-control. Unable to resist Yvonne's orders Collin soon finds himself turned against his fellow heroes, fighting on the side of the very people he had vowed to bring to justice. US Title. In the United States, "Absolute Power", the third book in the series, is published under the title "The Reckoning". (, June 2010) Section::::"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. Section::::"Super Human". 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. A mysterious group is trying  to bring Krodin, a four-thousand-year-old super human, forward in time to control the modern world. The story begins with Abby, a seemingly average girl with the power of superhuman strength, but only with metal. She is in the middle of working at a dinner when a television report comes on about a siege at a nearby warehouse that a terrorist group is using to hold hostages. Abby rushes to the scene, along with a mysterious and quiet boy that would come to the dinner daily. Abby and the boy (who is revealed to be Thunder and has  the power of sound wave manipulation) try to infiltrate the warehouse with the help of Paragon and the US Military. Section::::"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 and is the fifth book in the "New Heroes" series . Section::::"Stronger". The sixth book in the "New Heroes" series was released on June 14, 2012. It is the backstory of Brawn, a rather minor villain of the series up until this point. All Gethin Rao wants is to be like every other boy his age. But normal twelve-year-olds are not blue. And they certainly are not thirteen feet tall. That is what happens when his superpowers kick in. And from that moment on, his life is never the same. Nicknamed Brawn and treated as a villain – a monster – Gethin spends years on the run or as a prisoner  in a secret military facility. When he finally falls in with a group of superpowered teens, he becomes the one thing he never thought he would be: a hero. But as the years pass, Gethin learns that being a good guy is a lot more difficult than he thought. Section::::"Hunter". The defeat of the near-invincible villain Krodin has left a void in the superhuman hierarchy, a void that two opposing factions are trying to fill. The powerful telepath Max Dalton believes that the human race must be controlled and shepherded to a safe future, while his rival Casey Duval  believes that strength can only be achieved through conflict. Caught in the middle is Lance McKendrick, a teenager with no special powers, only his wits and the tricks of a con artist. But Lance has a mission of his own: Krodin's ally, the violent and unpredictable supervillain Slaughter, murdered Lance's family, and he intends to make her pay. "Hunter" was published in the US on May 1, 2014. Section::::"Crossfire". The world is slowly recovering from the chaos of the Trutopian War, but that was only the beginning. A dangerous enemy has emerged, and the New Heroes quickly find  themselves outmatched and outnumbered. When their enemy starts to pick off their colleagues one-by-one, they realize that in order to win, they must fight the battle on the enemy's terms... But how far are they willing to go to save the simp race? "Crossfire" is the eighth book overall and is the first book of a final series taking place after the original trilogy. It was published worldwide in October, 2015. Section::::"The Chasm". The Chasm is the ninth and final book in the "Quantum Prophecy" series. It takes place after "Crossfire" and sees the return of Krodin . It was published worldwide in June, 2017. Heroes. "New Heroes" "Heroes" (prequel series) Background heroes Villains. Villains throughout the novels: