Nothing compares to a good superhero book, but the truth is no one really wants the classic stories with famous superheroes – the ones that everyone knows how they end. Some new superheroes or perhaps some new stories are always welcome. All in all, here are some of the most exciting and best superhero books to give your imagination a good boost.
Fairy ‘Fro, by Keith J. Beasley
This story follows Tianna Clifford – known as Tee-Tee among her friends. She does have an alias too – Fairy ‘Fro. She is part of the minority in her community, so she is used to facing all kinds of challenges. She has never been too popular and hardships have always tackled her down. However, she is tougher than always, but also charming and wise.
Tianna’s life has not been perfect – she was raised by a single parent. She lost her mother later on duty as a police officer, so she has a completely different perspective on life. One night is about to change her life. A local protest takes place and a hair salon almost catches fire, but she manages to prevent the tragedy. She is given the opportunity of a lifetime then – a mysterious hairstylist steps in to help her.
Tianna starts making a difference in the local community. She keeps growing and she starts reconsidering her position. Her views also change with time. She has a different idea on skin color now, as well as police brutality. Her whole life reaches a new level as she discovers who she truly is – a touching story that will definitely hook you in.
Steelheart (The Reckoners), by Brandon Sanderson
Calamity came about a decade ago. The so-called Epics came from the skies and gave people incredible powers. It looked like a major advantage, but Epics are actually against people. They know that people with power will inevitably want to rule, so it was a danger disguised in a gift – the gift of self-destruction for humans.
The Epics are super powerful and no one dares to confront them – except for the Reckoners. This group brings in a bunch of regular people. They spend their time learning about Epics, finding some of their weaknesses and assassinating them when they are vulnerable. Now, one of these Epics is believed to be invincible – the Steelheart.
Steelheart killed many people – including David’s father. David wants to join the Reckoners now. He has done his own homework about the Epics and he has something the Reckoners do not have – plenty of experience. He has seen Steelheart’s weakness and he wants to revenge his father. Will he manage to do it?
Soon I Will Be Invincible, by Austin Grossman
Doctor Impossible had his dreams crushed. The evil scientist is one of the smartest people in the world, but he wanted to dominate the world and this is what put him in jail. He has lost everything – the love of his life, his fortress on a deserted island and most importantly, his freedom. His story is quite exciting though…
Over the years, he has tried everything to rule the world. He has traveled back in time, as well as into the future. He led armies of fungi, fish, rodents, aliens – everything failed. He tried mass mind control, nuclear weapons and the list can go on forever. He has always failed, but this time, he wants to do everything by the book and finally succeed.
On the other hand, Fatale is a new superhero. She hangs around with the Champions – a team of superheroes. She created a mix of skin and chrome. She was designed to be the next superhero in terms of warring. Her role was to take over a slain former member, but the group she is part of has a damaged past. Will they manage to stick together against the evil genius?
Vicious, by V. E. Schwab
This is one of the best superhero books out there and brings in the story of Eli and Victor – two college roommates. They both smashed college as some of the smartest students in their year. They believe a constant exposure to near death experiences could make humans incredibly powerful. It is only a thesis, but they plan to experiment with everything they believe in as well. This is when things start going wrong.
The story goes a decade into the future. The two are no longer friends, but enemies. Victor is in prison and manages to escape. A young girl helps him. His main goal is to catch up with his old friend. On the other hand, Eli is on a different mission – he wants to eliminate all the superheroes out there, except for a woman with an incredible will.
One thing leads to another and the two foes end up facing each other. There is no room for two of them, but only one will survive. What will happen in the end? Who is on the good side? Who will be left alive? There is only one way to find out…
Wonder Woman, by Leigh Bardugo
Princess Diana is part of a team of legendary sisters, so she wants to prove her skills and capabilities. She finally gets the opportunity, but she ends up saving a mortal. It is against the rules, so she might end up in exile. With time, Diana will realize that the girl she has rescued is not an ordinary mortal, but someone who might actually change the world.
The story takes the reader to Alia Keralis. She only wanted to get rid of her overprotective brother. However, she has a reputation and a power that she is not aware of. Therefore, she is being hunted by evil. A bomb destroys the ship she is in, but she ends up getting rescued by a mysterious girl. Alia is actually a Warbringer and she has a fate that she cannot escape.
The story evolves and the two girls end up working together in order to survive. They face an army of foes – some of them mortal, some others divine. All these enemies have the same goal – destroy the Warbringer. Both Diana and Alia must stick together and identify their inner strength in order to succeed in this mission. After all, they need to save two different worlds.
The Rise of Renegade X, by Chelsea M. Campbell
This is one of the most exciting and best superhero novels if you want lots of plot twists and an unusual story. Damien Locke is 16 years old. He has one goal – messing around with people and becoming an evil genius. His mother has been the same, so he wants to follow her career. However, he ends up discovering a secret that will ruin his existence.
His mother had a one night stand adventure with someone and ended up pregnant. That someone was a superhero, which is exactly the type of people he wants to fight. Later on, his father finds out about his existence. He decides to call him over and turn him into a superhero. He has superhero blood. Shipped over to his father, Damien has six weeks to prove that he is not an actual superhero. Otherwise, he will be stuck with his father’s superhero family.
Damien is in a mess now, but he realizes there is a way to get out of it. He needs to go through a series of superhero challenges and actually fail at them, but without getting killed – such as being thrown off buildings to learn how to fly. Meanwhile, he has to keep his whole new existence a secret from his girlfriend. One thing leads to another and Damien discovers a diabolic plan to ruin superheroes and he realizes he actually does care for his new family.
Wearing the Cape, by George M. Harmon
Astra has just come back to Chicago and enjoys a boring life. She has to train, help emergency services around, train some more, attend events and occasionally fight some supervillain who threatens the area – nothing special so far. However, her quiet and peaceful life turns upside down after a fight. She ends up with an injury that changes everything for her.
Astra wakes up in a completely different world. She has never been there, but somehow, this world seems familiar from her dreams. She has a new companion – Kitsune. Her friends find out about this new world and they realize she is in danger due to the influence she is exposed to. They worry that she might end up trapped there forever, so they need to do something about it.
They need to find Kitsune in order to find Astra and to find Kitsune, they need to get to Japan. But then, Japan does not allow entry to everyone, so they need to break some rules in order to succeed. They have no allies whatsoever and they face a new surprise wherever they go. Will they manage to succeed in this game?
Conclusion
Bottom line, these are some of the best superhero books out there – something different from the classic superheroes, something that will challenge your adventurous mind and give you access to brand new experiences.
If you are more into comics check out our modern manga collection article.