Friday, April 26, 2019

National Superhero Day Reading List



April 28th is National Superhero Day!
To celebrate, here's a list of new superhero books written by independent authors just like me. Crossing a number of sub-genres, each one features original characters and stories. Click on the titles or images for opportunities to buy and read these books. Please support my fellow Indy Superhero Authors.


by Michael C. Bailey
(Young Adult Superhero)

Join the action with the Amazon best-selling YA superhero series! The worst summer of Carrie Hauser's life began with her parents' divorce and ended with her receiving superhuman abilities from a dying alien. Now Carrie is trying to put her life back together, and all that stands in her way are an insane artificial intelligence, the mercenary known as Manticore, and a mysterious organization that wants to claim her power for itself. Save the day? Sure -- as soon as school lets out.       


by Emerald Dodge
(Superhero Urban Fantasy)    

For one superhero, the good guys can be deadlier than the bad guys.

Jillian Johnson, known as the mighty Battlecry, was born into a superhero cult. She craves a life of freedom, far away from her violent and abusive team leader, Patrick. With no education, no money, and no future to speak of, she's stuck in the dangerous life...until she meets the mysterious and compelling Benjamin, a civilian with superpowers. When Patrick confronts her, she fights back--and then runs for her life. One by one, her ex-teammates join her until a new team has formed.

But Patrick will not let his upstart teammates get away so easily. Humiliated and hellbent on vengeance, he waits for his chance to strike back and kill the new team, and he is happy to murder superheroes and civilians alike. On top of that, Benjamin has joined Jillian and her comrades, angering his own lethal family. Jillian's enemies begin to close in from all sides.

Desperate and in hiding, Jillian must shed everything she thinks she knows about what it means to lead. Can she rise up to the challenge of defeating Patrick? Can she save Benjamin from his family? Or will she die like every other superhero who's dared to challenge the cult?


by Sunshine Somerville
(Superhero Science Fiction)   

Mankind is stricken. Brought to its knees by a devastating virus, the world is further crushed by the Dominion tyranny.  Humanity struggles to survive this apocalyptic nightmare, and there’s only one hope – the ancient promise of an annihilated people.

“By the Bearers brought into time, fulfillment shall come in a Mark, and hope in four children born. Evil will flee Earth before the four Marked.”
 – The Mark Prophecy of the Kota

Troy Kandoya remembers the world before all this came to pass. He saw the beginning of global war, genetic manipulation, and viral plague.  Now called Trok, the immortal Kota Interceder, he must fulfill the prophecies he once rejected.

After 500 years, the four Marked saviors are born. However, nothing about these heroes is what Trok expected. Loree is a master assassin who can disappear without a trace. Zaak grew up exiled on an alien planet. Alex is a telepath traumatized by an inexplicable, missing year of her life.  Ryu, the final Warrior, has incredible mutate-genes of strength.

With Trok’s guidance, the Warriors join Earth’s rebels and fight the Dominion – but this isn’t going to be easy. Rebel politics are complicated, particularly for Loree. Zaak finds it difficult to navigate his home world. New questions arise for Alex as she helps civilians recover from a shared trauma.  Ryu can’t hide from his famous past. And always, the Dominion threatens with its unstoppable weapon – the dehumanizing DRK virus.

For centuries, no one’s been able to end Earth’s nightmare.  Can four Warriors really make a difference?


by David Reiss
(Superhero Science Fiction)

For more than two decades, the sight of Doctor Fid's powered armor has struck terror into the hearts of superhero and civilian alike. But when a personal tragedy motivates Doctor Fid to investigate a crime, a plot is uncovered so horrific that even he is taken aback.

Haunted by painful memories and profound guilt, the veteran supervillain must race against time if he is to have any hope of confronting the approaching threat. Every battle takes its toll...but the stakes are too high for retreat to be an option.

In the end, it may take a villain to save the world from those entrusted with the world's protection.


by Aurora Springer     
(Superhero Romance)

Teen superhero, Starrella, and her flying horse combat vicious killers in the skies of Atalanta. 

The quiet summer before her freshman year turns frighteningly weird after Estelle Wright trespasses onto an Army base. Blown into the air and knocked unconscious, she wakes with a nascent superpower. Not to mention a winged horse with a snarky attitude and a mind of her own.

Back home in Atalanta, a serial killer is targeting the students at Goldman University. Before long she must juggle college classes with sneaking out of the house after dark to battle alien monsters. Estelle’s life is in danger, but who can she trust: handsome Mark Copper from military intelligence, or hunky Toby, the tough gangster with a motorbike? Both men have secret agendas but falling in love is not in their plans.

Young adult superheroes, quirky animal sidekicks, and a dash of romance enliven this thrilling adventure. Book 1 of the Secret Supers.


by Richard L. Wright
(Superhero Romance)

Cassie Whelan can heal any wound, but the price for what she can do is too much to bear. The government wants to control her. So does the sadistic killer that's behind an epidemic of murder, madness and suicides in her city. She may be the only one immune to his power, the only one that can stop him. There's only one man she trusts, but if he betrays her it could destroy everything. Because the only thing she can't heal is her own heart. 

Book 1 of the Starforce Saga.           



by Percival Constantine
(Superhero Science Fiction)

After a mysterious phenomenon called The Event, superhumans - called specials - now walk among us. And the potential danger these untested and powerful beings warrants a way to keep them in check. Enter Vanguard, a government-sanctioned team of superheroes designed to deal with rogue specials.



by Joynell Schultz
(Superhero Comedy/Humor)

What happens after the superhero gets the girl? Find out in this romantic paranormal mystery.     

by Nancy O'Toole Meservier             

Dawn Takahashai knows all about superheroes. She's been a fan of them for years. So when she’s granted an impressive powerset of her own, she dives right in, eager to prove herself as Bailey City’s first superhero: Miss Red and Black.

Her first challenge is Faultline. He’s powerful, smart and, as a henchman for Bailey City’s first supervillain, standing right in her way. But that’s not the real problem. The real problem is that under the mask, Faultline is Alex Gage, a working-class guy trying to scrounge together enough money to help support his younger sisters.

Dawn has no idea that the charming and seemingly straightforward Alex is Faultline. Alex has no idea that the adorably awkward Dawn is the superhero he clashes with at night.

And Dawn and Alex have a date next week.


by Ian Thomas Healy 

The Just Cause Universe is the original superhero universe created by Ian Thomas Healy and published by Local Hero Press. It focuses on diverse, complex characters in a gritty, realistic setting despite their fanciful abilities.          



by CM Raymond and LE Barbant     
(Superhero Urban Fantasy)

How far would you go to save the city you love?

A mad scientist fighting the laws of man and nature.
A demon-monster of mythical proportions.
A corporate conspiracy that goes back more than a century.

The Steel City is in desperate need of a hero.

Willa Weil has a secret--she comes from a long line of magicians trained to unlock the power hidden within poetry. This skill requires discipline, and the Guild demands obedience. Willa has long kept her power to herself, but when a molten metal creature threatens to consume her friends, she can no longer remain on the sidelines.

History professor Elijah Branton moved to Pittsburgh for the job of a lifetime, researching the family history of one of the nation's wealthiest and most attractive CEOs. But not everything is as it seems in the Steel City. The historian soon unearths a deadly conspiracy that threatens to unravel his world.

Can they save their city, or will they lose themselves in the process?

Catalyst is Daredevil meets The Dresden Files, a gritty and gripping superhero/urban fantasy story for the 21st century. With magic and monsters, science and secrets, Catalyst pushes readers to consider their own path and the ethical compromises we all make--heroes and villains alike.

Welcome to The Steel City.


by J.D. Cunegan
(Superhero Mystery/Thriller)

Jill Andersen is one of Baltimore’s best and brightest detectives, but she harbors a dark secret - a secret that threatens to come out when the body of Dr. Trent Roberts is pulled out of the Chesapeake Bay. Dr. Roberts’ connection to Jill reveals a past that involves a tour in Iraq, a secretive cybernetic experiment, and a conspiracy that involves a native son.

Can Jill solve the case while still keeping her secret? Will her partners at the Seventh Precinct find out what she’s so desperate to hide? What was Dr. Roberts looking into that led to his murder? And perhaps the biggest question of all…

Who is Bounty?


by N.K. Quinn            
(Superhero Young Adult)

A below-average underdog. A supercharged crime-fighter. Their shared secret could transform the world.

Kalum Walker lives in the shadow of his athletic older brother. Scrawny and prone to panic attacks, he's a far cry from the superheroes he doodles in his notebook. When his brother steals his meds to help calm his game time nerves, he doesn’t put up a fight. After all, the fate of his family rides on his brother's performance. But without his pills, Kalum’s blackouts begin getting worse… and a disturbing voice inside his head starts urging him into some dangerous situations.

When a blackout-related encounter with bullies puts him in a hospital bed, he starts to notice mysterious bruises all over his body. As he learns of a masked crusader serving up a new kind of justice outside the Corporation compound, he realizes the vigilante bears a striking resemblance to his superheroic sketches. Locked in a battle with the voice inside his head, Kalum must solve the mystery of the infamous Steel Falcon and save his brother before he loses control for good.

Awakening is the first fast-paced novel in the Steel Falcon YA sci-fi superhero series. If you like immersive future worlds, family drama, and edge-of-your-seat twists, then you’ll love N.K. Quinn’s action-packed coming-of-age tale.

Buy Awakening to unmask an electrifying sci-fi superhero adventure today!


by Jeff C. Carter
(Superhero Grimdark)

Criterion is the world’s mightiest hero. His sidekicks just found his body.

Who killed Criterion? Who will die next?






by Eugene W. Cundiff
(Superhero Science Fiction)

In the dying world of 2027, there's no place worse than Babylon.

The fallen city once known as New York is now ruled by feudal gangs and plagued by doomsday cultists. No sane soul ventures there willingly, but former childhood friends Morgan Whitechapel and Kurt Petrovich have no choice.

Fate once separated the compassionate, streetwise survivor and the brooding son of privilege. But the dangerous attentions their newly-manifested superhuman powers bring force them from their homes and reunite them on the savage streets. Their only hope for survival lies with each other - and with a pair of strange nomads who possess powers of their own. Against all odds, these extraordinary young people will fight to make a new home for themselves in the bones of the Big Apple.

Together, they might just stand a chance...


by Rebecca Bosevski
(Superhero Young Adult)

Superheroes aren’t born. They're moulded by government academies.

Ellen doesn't remember much about her parents, they died when she was four. Raised by her aunt she's envied for years, the homo-magis children called on to be tested and subsequently enrolled in one of the five academies for heroes.

Ellen isn't a homo-magis. Or so she thought. Her parents were two of the first Superheroes, their lives sacrificed to stop Novaside and save their only child. Ecstatic, yet a little nervous to finally be a part of the world she'd dreamed of, Ellen is off to Imperium Academy.

But her classing doesn't go as expected. Instead of joining the ranks of the illustrious Star Heroes, Ellen is regulated to the role of Sidekick, after all, night vision is barely a superpower. Many have begun to question the need for Sidekicks, some teachers even suggesting they would be better suited to other employment.

But with Novaside getting bolder, and her latest attack hitting too close to home, Ellen is determined to stay at the academy and prove them wrong.

After all, where better to learn to be a hero than a school full of supers? 

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