Superhero Book Review

Following is my at-a-glance summary and comparison of some of the superhero novels that I've read.
All of the books listed are written novels (or novellas) about superheroes. For the time being, graphic novels or fantasy stories that are primarily magic-based are not included.

This list and graph are organized in the approximate chronological order in which I read (/finished) the books listed.

The Y axis on the graph is my personal (and very subjective) take on the writing quality (/ my personal enjoyment) of a given book. 0 for not at all, 5 for excellent.
The X axis is my attempt to compare how clean or gritty a given book is. The lower the number, the cleaner the book is in in my estimation, in terms of sex/ graphic violence/ swearing.

For example, Brandon Sanderson's the Reckoners series holds the esteemed position of being the first series of superhero novels that I read, even before I wrote Becoming Glitch. This is why it holds position #1 on my list.
It has a high writing score because I enjoyed the writing (creativity, world building, character development, etc) and a low grit score because, on the whole, I considered the series to be pretty age-appropriate for younger (middle-grade) readers.

I hope that this list gives credit to some of the books that have inspired me, as well as providing a guide to some of the other superhero novels that are out there for curious readers.

Need I say that this is a very subjective list, subject to change, and not intended to disrespect any of my fellow authors or their work.

1-The Reckoners trilogy (Steelheart, Firefight, Calamity)~Brandon Sanderson
5 star writing, 3/10 grit. This is the first set of superhero novels that I read, and I think it will always hold a place in my heart for that. What's more, it has Sanderson's trademark creativity, twists, and character development. I would consider it to be generally clean (with obvious superhero violence, injuries, and danger, but nothing I'd consider particularly graphic) and with a positive message. Thoroughly enjoyed.

2-Becoming Glitch (Book 1 of the Quantum Parables)~Daniel Sayre
For now I've given myself 4.5 stars on the writing (this being my first novel), and 5/10 grit. I know I can't be truly objective about it, and while I'm immensely proud of my first book, I know it left areas for me to improve in. I would consider it to be generally clean with almost no language, no sex, but enough human violence and trauma to say that I think it is appropriate for mature middle grade readers and up.

3-The Murder of Crows trilogy (See These Bones, Red Right Hand, One Tin Soldier)~Chris Tullbane
5 star writing, 7/10 grit. This is the first full trilogy that I read after writing Becoming Glitch. And while it is WAY grittier than my book (the author describes it as containing "violence, gore, angst, found family, young love, failed dreams, and a whole lot of expletives." With that said, this series set a standard for me through its world building, character development, and overall writing quality. It's written well on a number of levels, but it's also gritty and dark at times, so use your judgment on if this is a read for you.

4-Michael Vey: The Prisoner of Cell 25~ Richard Paul Evans
3.5 stars, 2.5 grit. TBH this is probably the most middle grade focused superhero book I read. The writing didn't blow me away for where I'm at but I'm also not in middle school. There is fun, friendship, some bad bad guys, some peril, and an interesting take on powers. For me, it just didn't blow my socks off.

5-Caped: The Omega Superhero Book One (Omega Superhero Series 1)~ Darius Brasher
3.25 star writing, 6/10 grit. Much like Michael Vey, this felt like it was written for a younger target audience than me. However, I was surprised that, against that backdrop, it seemed like there was more sex, violence, and language while the gist of the plot still didn't blow me away. To be fair there are some very creative powers, a good coming-of-age story, and many more books in this series which (having only glanced at the second,) seem like they might improve significantly. It's probably not fair for me to judge the series just based on this first book, but for now, this is my first impression.

6-Meta (The Meta Superhero Novel Series: Book #1) ~Tom Reynolds
4.25 star writing, 6/10 grit. Honestly, I really liked this book, and its hard for me to see how to improve on it. It's creative, there are interesting characters and twists that I didn't see coming. It's a good, solid read which maybe should have a higher writing quality rating and lower grit rating if not for the other books I had to compare it with.

7-Powerless: A Superhero Novel (The 'Powerless' Superhero Novel Series Book 1)~Tony Cooper
4.5 star writing, grit 9/10. This is by far the grittiest superhero novel I read (and I would not recommend it to younger readers) delivering an at times chilling perspective, asking what if real people, and real psychopaths, truly had superhuman power. It is also older than a lot of the other books I read and much more British (i.e. there were a few words and turns of phrase that I didn't understand at first glance). For all of that, however, it delivers a powerful story about heroism and identity that to me justified a good writing rating even against the bleak background.

8-Super Powereds: Year 1~Drew Hayes
4.75 star writing, grit 6/10. An apparent mainstay among superhero novels, the Super Powered series was originally published online, chapter by chapter. The stories are long, not always incredibly polished, but immensely creative, featuring huge rosters of characters with interesting powers and a surprising amount of character development along the way.

9-Super Powereds: Year 2~Drew Hayes
4.75 star writing, grit 6/10. Basically the same rating as above. I read books 1 and 2, and am interested in 3 and 4 but went on a bit of a superhero novel reading hiatus as a focused more on my 2nd book.

10-Corpies (Super Powereds Book 5)~Drew Hayes
4 star writing, grit 6/10. Corpies is connected to, but not a direct part of the original Super Powereds stories. Again there was a lot of creativity in seeing the professional world of superheroes but the character development side didn't stick out to me as much in this book as the others. I still enjoyed it but wouldn't personally rate it as high as the original series at the moment.

11-Finding Silvereyes (Book 2 of the Quantum Parables)~Daniel Sayre
4.75 star writing, 4.75/10 grit. My second novel (and sequel to Becoming Glitch) is longer, but I hope also an improvement based on lessons that I've learned.

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