Book picks similar to
Subject 12 (Guild Files, Volume 1) by S.W. Douglas
superhero
fiction
science-fiction
sci-fi
The Indestructibles
Matthew Phillion - 2014
A ballerina vigilante. A boy with an alien sharing his brain. A girl with a black hole for her heart. And, a werewolf. This is the next generation of heroes Doc Silence has gathered together, a random collection of amazing kids he hopes to train to make the world a better place. But Silence isn't the only one collecting super-powered teenagers. In the shadows, a dark organization — long thought destroyed — has been building a better monster, combining sentient hurricanes with car crash survivors, crafting designer cyborgs, girls made of fire and boys made of pure rage. What is this mysterious organization's goal? And what does it have to do with Doc's past, and his team's future? Will Doc Silence have enough time to teach them to be heroes before they are called upon to save the world — and will his team be ready to accept the mantle as their generation's brightest stars? The Indestructibles introduces Jane, Kate, Billy, Titus, and Emily— Solar, Dancer, Straylight, Fury, and Entropy — to the world as they learn how to use their bizarre powers. Along the way, they also discover something about themselves and whether they have what it takes to save the world. Meanwhile, the mercenary Agent Black and the mysterious Rose find themselves pawns of a villainous organization who plan on changing the world, starting with the creation of a living, breathing, sentient storm system they're able to bend to their will. The Indestructibles, coming soon to a neighborhood near you.
Supervillainous!: Confessions of a Costumed Evil-doer
Mike Leon - 2011
The very word immediately conjures up images of cackling madmen waving death rays as they rant and rave about their maniacal plot for world domination. But there is more to professional evil - so many questions left unanswered by movies and comic books. What kind of salary do henchmen get? Where do all these super gadgets come from? How come good guys never use the door? One man has the answers. Mike Leon spent months following Baron Hammerspace during his rise from C-list rogue to A-list arch-nemesis of the most powerful heroes on the planet. This is the startling and true story of those events.
Proxy
Morgan Price - 2012
He was Infected.Doomed to be hated and reviled for simply existing. A monster. But Brian is special, a rare Infected person willing to fight for those that can't, not uncontrolled or insane. In fact, thanks to his power of taking the place of those about to die and the bizarre overriding sense of self-sacrifice he suddenly develops, he doesn't really get a choice in the matter.Now he has to either fight for the IPB - a government organization designed to contain the Infected threat - or end up lobotomized, living the rest of his days in a psych ward.In the end though, he knows there's only one real option: save all he can.Even if it kills him.Because the world is about to change, and the only thing standing between the lives of millions and certain death, is one man with the unlikely power to take a victim's place, when there is no other hope left.Proxy
The Villain's Sidekick
Stephen T. Brophy - 2013
The job goes south in a hurry, and his supervillainous employer, Dr. Eye, is none-too-thrilled about it. But those complications are nothing compared to an unexpected custody visit from his six-year-old daughter, the kind of kid who thinks her deadbeat dad hung the moon, not tried to blow it up.
Dull Boy
Sarah Cross - 2009
When you're a former jock turned freak, you can't afford to let the secret slip. But then Avery makes some friends who are as extraordinary as he is. He realizes they're more than just freaks, together, maybe they have a chance to be heroes. First, though, they have to decide whether to trust the mysterious Cherchette, a powerful wouldbe mentor whose remarkable generosity may come at a terrible price.
Brave Men Run - A Novel of the Sovereign Era
Matthew Wayne Selznick - 2005
Can young Nathan Charters find himself in this uncertain new world? Who is he, where did he come from, and is he part of a remarkable new minority...or just a misfit among misfits? Brave Men Run is at once gripping and emotional, shocking and intelligent."I thoroughly enjoyed it." -- Paul Story, author of Tom Corven"Well written, with great dialogue...utterly convincing." -- The Rev-Up Review"Brave Men Run is an incredible piece of work! I'm totally hooked..." -- Jonathan Kalmes Buy the MP3 CD! Visit the official Brave Men Run web site!
Midnight Strikes
Tom Reynolds - 2018
The world is still reeling from the devastation of the final battle between the world’s strongest metahumans. Empire City has been left in shambles as it struggles to rebuild. Overnight, the world’s metabands, mysterious bracelets that offer their owner’s superhuman powers and abilities, have all ceased working. Guilt ridden over his possible hand in all of this, the masked vigilante Midnight has hung up his cowl. Instead of fighting crime, he now spends his sleepless nights searching for clues to recover the device that might be responsible for all of it before it can fall into the wrong hands. Along the way he meets Amanda Khan, a teenage girl with a metahuman history in search of her missing friend. Both find the clues to what they’re both searching for lead them to The Receptive, a secretive cult which offers a path to meta humanity to its most loyal followers and may just hold the answers to the missing device. Don't forget to check out the other books in the Meta series, including Meta, The Second Wave and Rise of The Circle.
Cosmic Girl: Rising Up
R.S.J. Gregory - 2014
find no leads to pursue, just some dead bodies, Britney vows to find the shadowy figure behind it all, and begins her own investigation.Back home in Chicago, she creates a costume, and gives herself a new name: Cosmic Girl.Then her search begins.But this is more than just a thirst for justice.This is personal.Experience the highs and lows of being a superhero through the eyes of Britney, as she embarks on her journey to greatness.
The Darker Mask: Heroes from the Shadows
Gary PhillipsVictor LaValle - 2008
R. Martin's Wild Card series, and Michael Chabon's McSweeney's Mammoth Treasury of Thrilling Tales, The Darker Mask is a collection of original prose stories recalling the derring-do of the beings we call Superheroes and the worlds they fight to save. But unique to The Darker Mask stories is that these plots and characters color a literary universe outside of what has been predominantly white, idiosyncratic, and male in previous homages to pulp. This is the stuff of urban legends, new mythos, and extraordinary folks who might live in a soon-to-be-gentrified ghetto, the dreary rust-belt of the city, or in another dimension. The Darker Mask offers an eclectic mix of popular fiction writers exploring worlds gritty, visceral, and fantastic.Including stories by: Walter Mosley, L. A. Banks, Naomi Hirahara, Lorenzo Carcaterra, Tananarive Due and Stephen Barnes, Mike Gonzales, Gar Anthony Haywood, Ann Nocenti, Jerry Rodriguez, Reed Farrell Coleman, Doselle Young, Mat Johnson, Peter Spiegelman, Alexandra Sokoloff, Christopher Chambers, Gary Phillips, Victor LaValle, and Wayne Wilson.
Zot! Book 2
Scott McCloud - 1998
Zot! is Scott McCloud's critically acclaimed take on superhero comics, and was one of the greatest cult comics of the '80s.Volume 2 collects issues 11-15 and 17-18, the beginnings of the black-and-white relaunch of the series.
Powerless: A Superhero Novel
Tony Cooper - 2013
I haven't used my powers in almost two decades. I've been a night security guard for four years and not had a panic attack for nearly ten months.Then my old teammate and best friend Vincent is murdered by another power. My carefully constructed solitude crumbles around me as the Police, the Powered Crime Agency and the rest of the team search for answers.All I want is to find out who killed him without having to dredge up too much pain from the past, but when the super-powered killer comes after me, all I'm left with are nightmares.Please note, the 3rd edition of this book has the same ISBN but a new cover and expanded title, so this is an alternate cover of the book with the details below.ISBN: 9781301455171ASIN: B00B0JOR7M
The Rules of Supervillainy
C.T. Phipps - 2015
Supervillains, heroes, and monsters are a common part of the world he inhabits. Yet, after the death of his hometown's resident superhero, he gains the amazing gift of the late champion's magical cloak. Deciding he prefers to be rich rather than good, Gary embarks on a career as Merciless: The Supervillain Without Mercy. But is he evil enough to be a villain in America's most crime-ridden city? Gary soon finds himself surrounded by a host of the worst of Falconcrest City's toughest criminals. Supported by his long-suffering wife, his ex-girlfriend turned professional henchwoman, and a has-been evil mastermind, Gary may end up being not the hero they want but the villain they need.
The Miranda Contract
Ben Langdon - 2014
Pop Star.Sometimes the life we're given isn't the life we'd choose for ourselves.For the past five years, Dan Galkin has been lying to everyone about just how ordinary he is. But Dan's the grandson of The Mad Russian: one of the world's most powerful, and insane, supervillains. And Dan has powers too. He's a living battery, able to absorb and discharge electricity with his mind. Normally he keeps his powers hidden, but when the old man returns with an offer to make his grandson heir apparent, any chance at an ordinary life is blown apart.Miranda Brody thought she wanted to be a pop star, but now she's got the international profile and the entourage, she doesn't recognize the Miranda she has become. After getting caught up in the cross-fire between Dan and his grandfather, Miranda realizes there's more to life than being famous. Staying alive, for example, becomes a high priority. And not falling in love with the pizza boy comes a close second.Labeled by society, trapped by expectation.Dan and Miranda might actually be able to change everything.As long as they don't kill each other first.
Semper Lycanus
Jonathan P. Brazee - 2014
Now deployed to Iraq at the age of 19, he just wants to put in his time and serve out his enlistment. However, after being bitten by a seemingly rabid mujahideen, he finds himself suffering from a strange illness, one with consequences beyond his wildest imaginings. As the disease ravages his body and exposes him to dangers far darker than active combat, Aiden discovers what it means to come of age, and how he must come to grips with what it is he has become… WARNING: This book contains scenes of extreme violence and one scene of explicit sexual content.
The Protectors
Trey Dowell - 2014
Heroes change the world. Scott McAlister? On a good day, he manages to change out of sweatpants. It wasn’t always like this. Scott used to be leader of the Protectors, the world’s one and only squad of superheroes. It was a decent gig, but far from the shiny force for good the UN advertised. He could abide the publicity stunts, the lies, the ham-fisted government handlers—but when one of the Protectors died under his command, it was too much. Wracked with guilt, Scott stepped down and into an early retirement. Now, five years later, a desperate CIA chief shows up on Scott’s doorstep with a polite request and a cadre of shock troops to ensure that Scott accepts. His ex-teammate and ex-lover, Lyla Ravzi, has gone rogue. The former Protector has the ability to control minds, and she’s no longer interested in “protecting.” She wants world domination. Scott’s mission is simple: Find Lyla and stop her. The messy little details are up to him. It’s the last thing Scott needs after five years spent trying to forget the Protectors and to get over Lyla, but the alternative is worse. As he closes in on his target, Scott is forced to confront his past and face a chilling reality: Can he save the world and the woman he once loved? Or will he have to choose?