"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 center 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 those powers may put them in. In December 2007, the author published a collection of short stories entitled "Superhuman", which expanded upon the mythology. Carroll's exploration of realistic superhuman abilities has garnered attention for its unique approach to the genre. A review in the "San Francisco Chronicle" praised Carroll's ability to craft believable characters within extraordinary circumstances.
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, including four novels, beginning with "Super Human", has been completed. 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.
"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 ten years previously at the foot of a gigantic tank on its way to New York City. The superheroes and supervillains all seem to lose their abilities during this slugfest.
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 abilities from their parents' enemies. The teenagers are kidnapped to calibrate a machine that may possibly take away their powers and stop a war that Danny's father, the man once known as Quantum, prophesied. Danny was believed to be the cause of this war, so he allowed the supervillain Façade to take his place in order for Maxwell Dalton to record his visions of the future as he broke down. They had hoped to avert it by stripping the world of superpowers ten years before, 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 the people behind the plot taken away. By the end of the book, they realize how much risk is involved in becoming superhuman, with Danny's arm now missing, his birth 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", so the books' titles were changed. In 2008, the series was slated to be republished by Puffin Books. The first is 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. The "San Francisco Chronicle" described the book as a fast-paced adventure that captures the anxieties of adolescence.
"Sakkara".
The second of the New Heroes trilogy.
Plot summary.
"Sakkara" revolves around the titular superpower 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 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" spray-painted 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 member 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 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.
"Absolute Power".
A direct continuation of the previous book.
Synopsis.
Not so long ago, the world believed superhumans died after a great battle wiped out heroes and villains. 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 amid 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 threatening to throw the world into war. If the planet is to survive, the new heroes will have to fight harder than that.
Plot summary.
The lives of teenagers have been changed forever, and they have decided to proactively use the powers of their own free will to better the world. Collin does not know that Victor Cross leads the Trutopians but soon finds himself under Yvonne's mind-control. Unable to resist Yvonne's orders, Collin soon turns against his fellow heroes, fighting on the side of the 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)
"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; each is signed and numbered. It is limited to 1,000 copies.
Stories.
Below is a list of the individual stories in the book. It also contains a number of articles and has a foreword by Michael Scott.
"Super Human".
On May 13, 2010, the official "New Heroes" website released a prequel to the events of the New Heroes trilogy, Super Human.
Plot summary.
A mysterious group is trying to bring Krodin, a four-thousand-year-old superhuman, 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 who 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.
"The Ascension".
Another prequel to the events of the "New Heroes" trilogy and a sequel to "Super Human", "The Ascension", was released in summer 2011. The plot involves Krodin, who mysteriously survived death by being sent back 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.
"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 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. From that moment on, his life has never been 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 Gethin 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 much more complicated than he once thought.
"Hunter".
The defeat of the near-invincible villain Krodin has left a void in the superhuman hierarchy 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.
"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 human race?
"Crossfire" is the eighth book in the series and the first book of a final series following the original trilogy. It was published worldwide in October 2015.
"The Chasm".
"The Chasm" is the ninth and final book in the "Quantum Prophecy" series. It takes place after "Crossfire" and sees Krodin return. It was published worldwide in June 2017.
Villains.
Villains throughout the novels: 