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The New Heroes/Quantum Prophecy #4
Super Human
Four thousand years ago the world’s first super human walked the earth. Possessing the strength of one hundred men, skin impervious to attack, and the ability to read minds, this immortal being used his power to conquer and enslave nations. Now plans are in motion that will transport this super human to the present, where he’ll usher in a new age of tyranny unlike anything the world has ever seen.
Determined to stand against them, using powers they’ve only just begun to master, is a ragtag group of young heroes. For them this first test may be their greatest. . .and last.
Determined to stand against them, using powers they’ve only just begun to master, is a ragtag group of young heroes. For them this first test may be their greatest. . .and last.
336 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2006
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 246 reviews
November 17, 2011
Hands down, this is a book that is 100% action-packed!
Superhuman is about four teenagers who discovered that they have powers, they are known as Superhumans. When a plague starts to spread that infects all the adults including adult Auperhumans, the teenagers are forced to help and save the world. They find out the the plague has by caused by humans who wanted to bring the Fifth King back, who is the first known Superhuman. Will the teenage Superhumans be able to save the world? One kid might have the answer and he's not even a Superhuman.
I don't know if this book has any page in it without any fighting scenes, seriously. I like how the world is aware of the existence of the Superhumans, so there would be no more time wasted for explanations and revelations, this just started straightaway. That said, I like how the story is very straightforward and not very complicated. There are certain twists but not too much that will make you go "huh?" The best thing about this book? It's VERY exciting! How can it not be? It has a lot of fighting and kicking ass! From the start to the beginning, it's a page turner and it's very thrilling to read about intense fighting scenes that are not cliche.
That however, while I do appreciate the fighting scenes. The straightforwardness of the plot also has a disservice to the book because there is no surprise in terms of plot and doesn't have that WOW effect on me. And I feel that the story focused more on fighting scenes rather than plot itself, c'mon fighting for four hours? You're kidding right? And with that, the characters lacks character development because the story started right away! The focus into the five main characters are not balanced, one gets more credit than the other. Moreover, I feel nothing surprising about the character's superpowers, they're all cliche to me. Telekinesis most especially. Though Sonic waves are new to my eyes. I also believe that they cannot be "the new generation of superheroes" they are not THAT superhero to me. That however, I appreciate Lance's humor a lot. Though not a Superhuman, he outshines the other characters and his power is his mouth, yeah the way he talks into things.
Just disappointing that the one who actually saves the day is not one of the main characters. So yeah, and I do appreciate the mind control and reading here, I find it kind of cool now, before I didn't. Hmmmm, light romance guys. So if you're in the action, kick-ass type then yes, you will enjoy this. It's intriguing as to how these teenage Superhumans are going to grow, definitely something to watch out for.
Superhuman by Michael Carroll a very action-packed read and exciting but lacks character development and focus on plot, but the humor and fighting scenes are something to watch out for!
Superhuman is about four teenagers who discovered that they have powers, they are known as Superhumans. When a plague starts to spread that infects all the adults including adult Auperhumans, the teenagers are forced to help and save the world. They find out the the plague has by caused by humans who wanted to bring the Fifth King back, who is the first known Superhuman. Will the teenage Superhumans be able to save the world? One kid might have the answer and he's not even a Superhuman.
I don't know if this book has any page in it without any fighting scenes, seriously. I like how the world is aware of the existence of the Superhumans, so there would be no more time wasted for explanations and revelations, this just started straightaway. That said, I like how the story is very straightforward and not very complicated. There are certain twists but not too much that will make you go "huh?" The best thing about this book? It's VERY exciting! How can it not be? It has a lot of fighting and kicking ass! From the start to the beginning, it's a page turner and it's very thrilling to read about intense fighting scenes that are not cliche.
That however, while I do appreciate the fighting scenes. The straightforwardness of the plot also has a disservice to the book because there is no surprise in terms of plot and doesn't have that WOW effect on me. And I feel that the story focused more on fighting scenes rather than plot itself, c'mon fighting for four hours? You're kidding right? And with that, the characters lacks character development because the story started right away! The focus into the five main characters are not balanced, one gets more credit than the other. Moreover, I feel nothing surprising about the character's superpowers, they're all cliche to me. Telekinesis most especially. Though Sonic waves are new to my eyes. I also believe that they cannot be "the new generation of superheroes" they are not THAT superhero to me. That however, I appreciate Lance's humor a lot. Though not a Superhuman, he outshines the other characters and his power is his mouth, yeah the way he talks into things.
Just disappointing that the one who actually saves the day is not one of the main characters. So yeah, and I do appreciate the mind control and reading here, I find it kind of cool now, before I didn't. Hmmmm, light romance guys. So if you're in the action, kick-ass type then yes, you will enjoy this. It's intriguing as to how these teenage Superhumans are going to grow, definitely something to watch out for.
Superhuman by Michael Carroll a very action-packed read and exciting but lacks character development and focus on plot, but the humor and fighting scenes are something to watch out for!
February 10, 2017
Why did I ever decide to read this book? So at first, I had read up to page 20 of this book, but then I stopped. Then, I picked it up again. I should have never done that. This book seems interesting when you find out what it's about, but when you actually read it, it's not as good as it seems. First off, the authors writing is flat. All of the characters seem like they all have the same personality. None of the characters seemed distinct. There was no dialogue or actions that made the characters different from each other. Lance was the only character that sort of seemed different and that was because he was a thief. It also feels like the author made each character a hero or villain. To be realistic, I don't think a teen that had powers would step up and fight crime and that superhero stuff. I didn't make it that far into the book, but I knew I wasn't going to like it.
September 9, 2015
Synopsis: Four thousand years ago the world’s first super human walked the earth. Possessing the strength of one hundred men, skin impervious to attack, and the ability to read minds, this immortal being used his power to conquer and enslave nations. Now plans are in motion that will transport this super human to the present, where he’ll usher in a new age of tyranny unlike anything the world has ever seen.
Determined to stand against them, using powers they’ve only just begun to master, is a ragtag group of young heroes. For them this first test may be their greatest. . . and last.
My Thoughts:
Oh how I love me a superhero book! Super Human didn’t let me down either. Now my opinion of the book might be swayed just by the fact that I love supers in almost every form: X-Men, Watchmen, Comic Books, Marvel, DC, you name it and I will most likely love it… unless it’s the Wolverine movie. I didn’t like that. But, Michael Carroll did a great job introducing us to, and keeping track of several characters and told a really fun story. I loved the characters and their unique powers they had to control. I found myself getting caught up in their stories only to find myself agitated that things weren’t going the way I wanted them to.
It was action-packed and fast paced, but still left you without your head spinning. The plot might have been a bit transparent, but in reality, it’s hard to write a superhero story without some big bad guy wanting to take over the world. I will say though, that the idea of pulling the first super human, a tyrannical warlord, from ancient times into today’s world was definitely an original thought and made for a fun plot thickener. Super Human is definitely an easier read, but I think it was a fun book to plow through to give my brain a bit of a break. I’d recommend it to anyone really.Next stop is The Ascension by Michael Carroll.
Determined to stand against them, using powers they’ve only just begun to master, is a ragtag group of young heroes. For them this first test may be their greatest. . . and last.
My Thoughts:
Oh how I love me a superhero book! Super Human didn’t let me down either. Now my opinion of the book might be swayed just by the fact that I love supers in almost every form: X-Men, Watchmen, Comic Books, Marvel, DC, you name it and I will most likely love it… unless it’s the Wolverine movie. I didn’t like that. But, Michael Carroll did a great job introducing us to, and keeping track of several characters and told a really fun story. I loved the characters and their unique powers they had to control. I found myself getting caught up in their stories only to find myself agitated that things weren’t going the way I wanted them to.
It was action-packed and fast paced, but still left you without your head spinning. The plot might have been a bit transparent, but in reality, it’s hard to write a superhero story without some big bad guy wanting to take over the world. I will say though, that the idea of pulling the first super human, a tyrannical warlord, from ancient times into today’s world was definitely an original thought and made for a fun plot thickener. Super Human is definitely an easier read, but I think it was a fun book to plow through to give my brain a bit of a break. I’d recommend it to anyone really.Next stop is The Ascension by Michael Carroll.
August 12, 2017
1 Not-What-I-Expected-Star ☆
I borrowed this book from my local library. So unlike my usual epub reading format, i was met with surprise when the first page and every page at the beginning of each chapter was a grey page with white letters. Sounds pretty cool and creative, but Hell to read...for me at least. Black & white, maybe. But grey & white are just to similar and they blur... but i may just be being a big baby, so i didn't take off any points for that.
-1★: The story was written well (the words used were good/plot sucked) but the prologue didn't get me as excited as the author intended. I know the whole gimmick of grab the reader with action and fight scenes, but here i was kinda thrown into a battle from the first page with characters i don't know. I was not impressed. If anything i was so confused i actually considered putting the book down. Technically, i should have.
-1★: I cant say i liked that the characters were all 14-ish, 15-ish. Teenagers, ok. But elementary school kids with powers, saving the day? Why not kindergarteners or babies? I mean, if your going to take the silly route, why not go al out?
-1★: Lance, Roz, Quantum, Ollie, Max, Stephen, Dave, Abby, Thunder... holy F#%k...i think we have reached the limit of kids with abilities (characters in general) i stopped reading before any more were introduced. For all i know, the number of characters could be double.
-1★: i hate to DNF this book, but i cant continue. The bio looked interesting, but the way the story was constructed, it was just messy. Every chapter is another story of some kid running away from someone or kicking their ass. Too much stuff going on with little story to back it up. I stopped because i was getting a headache trying to concentrate on all the characters, remember all their stories, trying to connect them, and all while not caring about a single one of them. I couldn't connect with any one person.
I borrowed this book from my local library. So unlike my usual epub reading format, i was met with surprise when the first page and every page at the beginning of each chapter was a grey page with white letters. Sounds pretty cool and creative, but Hell to read...for me at least. Black & white, maybe. But grey & white are just to similar and they blur... but i may just be being a big baby, so i didn't take off any points for that.
-1★: The story was written well (the words used were good/plot sucked) but the prologue didn't get me as excited as the author intended. I know the whole gimmick of grab the reader with action and fight scenes, but here i was kinda thrown into a battle from the first page with characters i don't know. I was not impressed. If anything i was so confused i actually considered putting the book down. Technically, i should have.
-1★: I cant say i liked that the characters were all 14-ish, 15-ish. Teenagers, ok. But elementary school kids with powers, saving the day? Why not kindergarteners or babies? I mean, if your going to take the silly route, why not go al out?
-1★: Lance, Roz, Quantum, Ollie, Max, Stephen, Dave, Abby, Thunder... holy F#%k...i think we have reached the limit of kids with abilities (characters in general) i stopped reading before any more were introduced. For all i know, the number of characters could be double.
-1★: i hate to DNF this book, but i cant continue. The bio looked interesting, but the way the story was constructed, it was just messy. Every chapter is another story of some kid running away from someone or kicking their ass. Too much stuff going on with little story to back it up. I stopped because i was getting a headache trying to concentrate on all the characters, remember all their stories, trying to connect them, and all while not caring about a single one of them. I couldn't connect with any one person.
July 19, 2010
UPDATED Below:
I saw this on the shelf at B&N and was taken in by the cover and by the concept -- you don't see many superhero stories in book form -- so I downloaded the sample to my Kindle.
I gotta say, though, after getting a few pages in, there's something about the writing that strikes me as very flat. I haven't applied my super powers of artistic analysis to it yet, so I don't have a concrete sense of where that feeling comes from, but my instinct is that the writings leans too heavily into the realm of telling and not showing. It tries to disguise the "telling" as being the thoughts of a character, but somehow the author's presence is leaking through, which ruins the effort.
Not sure if I'm going to download and read the whole thing, but I'm still intrigued by the concept and would like to see the completed execution of it, so I probably will.
UPDATE:
Okay, I dropped this book from two stars to one. Basically, I'm kinda surprised an editor published this story. About all it has going for it is that the writing is structurally and grammatically sound, and the story makes logical sense. Otherwise, it's on the level of a typical SFX-driven Hollywood summer popcorn flick.
The characters have no depth, no genuine motivations, and, other than their powers, are essentially interchangeable. We are TOLD that they're each supposed to be different in certain ways, but we are never shown it -- one of the key sins of story telling. The writer says "Character A is person-type A and Character B is person-type B," but other than taking the author's word for it, there's no evidence to back this up. Except for the occasional taunt between two of the characters, none of them actually do anything that shows the differences in their personalities.
Also, the story just assumes that people who discover they have powers are just going to become "heroes" or "villains." But why would this be the case? If I discovered I had a super power, I'd still need a reason to use it for anything other than goofing around. If I had telekinesis, why not just use it for changing channels on the TV? Just having such a power doesn't mean I'm going to set out to change the world. I need a reason for doing things.
Anyway, so many missed opportunities, and few story-telling qualities (other than some decent dialogue) to recommend this book. Stay away unless you're like me and want to read something just to see how bad it is.
I saw this on the shelf at B&N and was taken in by the cover and by the concept -- you don't see many superhero stories in book form -- so I downloaded the sample to my Kindle.
I gotta say, though, after getting a few pages in, there's something about the writing that strikes me as very flat. I haven't applied my super powers of artistic analysis to it yet, so I don't have a concrete sense of where that feeling comes from, but my instinct is that the writings leans too heavily into the realm of telling and not showing. It tries to disguise the "telling" as being the thoughts of a character, but somehow the author's presence is leaking through, which ruins the effort.
Not sure if I'm going to download and read the whole thing, but I'm still intrigued by the concept and would like to see the completed execution of it, so I probably will.
UPDATE:
Okay, I dropped this book from two stars to one. Basically, I'm kinda surprised an editor published this story. About all it has going for it is that the writing is structurally and grammatically sound, and the story makes logical sense. Otherwise, it's on the level of a typical SFX-driven Hollywood summer popcorn flick.
The characters have no depth, no genuine motivations, and, other than their powers, are essentially interchangeable. We are TOLD that they're each supposed to be different in certain ways, but we are never shown it -- one of the key sins of story telling. The writer says "Character A is person-type A and Character B is person-type B," but other than taking the author's word for it, there's no evidence to back this up. Except for the occasional taunt between two of the characters, none of them actually do anything that shows the differences in their personalities.
Also, the story just assumes that people who discover they have powers are just going to become "heroes" or "villains." But why would this be the case? If I discovered I had a super power, I'd still need a reason to use it for anything other than goofing around. If I had telekinesis, why not just use it for changing channels on the TV? Just having such a power doesn't mean I'm going to set out to change the world. I need a reason for doing things.
Anyway, so many missed opportunities, and few story-telling qualities (other than some decent dialogue) to recommend this book. Stay away unless you're like me and want to read something just to see how bad it is.
January 23, 2012
super Human by Michael Carroll is an exciting novel that submerges into the world of super heroes and super villains. When a killer virus is exposed to the whole world and makes anyone over the age of 19 ill its up to a new generation of heroes to save everyone including the adult superheroes. On the journey we follow Roz Dolton who has the ability of telekinesis, Abigail De Luyando who is a lot faster and stronger then humans, a boy who goes only by Thunder and has the ability to control sound, and Lance McKendrick a normal boy as they try to stop a secret society called the Helotry from ending the world. Through the story we see that the true conflict isn't just that the world is in danger of illness but that the secret society called the Helotry wants to revive a dictator from the past named Kordin but refered to as the fifth king. Kordin was the first superhuman with the abilities of super strength, mind reading, and being impervious to attack. Bringing him back from the past would mean he would try to rule it while in the process killing hundreds of thousands of people. See as Roz, Abigail, Thunder, and Lance all fight to defend the world while still finding an antidote to the illness plaguing the adults of their world. Michael Carroll does a fantastic job of writing about the topic of superheroes and how sometimes its time to pass the torch to the next generation. I would recommend this book to anyone because the form of writing and the topic itself is something that most people can relate to.
April 10, 2014
Super Human by Michael Carroll has shot up to my favorites. It is about four teens (later six) working together trying to face an ancient evil, the first superhuman. They also have to band together to defeat the organization trying to revive that ancient evil. This action packed story starts off putting you into the lives of these teens trying to defeat him. Lance the con artist with no abilities, Roz the telepathic soldier, Abigail the super-strong warrior, and Thunder the controller of sound. These four go up against Krodin, the first superhuman.
I really liked this book for a couple of reasons. It was a sci-fi novel and I often enjoy those novels and it has superheros in it. Usually I hate books about superheros but this is one book i really got into. It captivated me with it characters and its plot. The setting drew me in and had me imagine what was going on. The only problem that i had with the book was that Lance, depicted as human, does somethings that you would only expect a superhero to do. Its not that he lifts a car or anything it is just some of the situations would require something more. (sorry if vague but not trying to spoil the story)Otherwise it was a very good and captivating story.
If you like super-heroes and sci-fi novels i recommend this book to you. It has a great semi-believable plot and characters you would like and care for. For me it is a 4.75 out of 5.
I really liked this book for a couple of reasons. It was a sci-fi novel and I often enjoy those novels and it has superheros in it. Usually I hate books about superheros but this is one book i really got into. It captivated me with it characters and its plot. The setting drew me in and had me imagine what was going on. The only problem that i had with the book was that Lance, depicted as human, does somethings that you would only expect a superhero to do. Its not that he lifts a car or anything it is just some of the situations would require something more. (sorry if vague but not trying to spoil the story)Otherwise it was a very good and captivating story.
If you like super-heroes and sci-fi novels i recommend this book to you. It has a great semi-believable plot and characters you would like and care for. For me it is a 4.75 out of 5.
November 2, 2012
This is an invigorating story about four kids, who met up and become friends, but there’s a twist, three of these kids have super human powers. There is Abby de Luyando who has enhanced strength and speed, but her powers work mainly on metal objects, Roz Dalton who has telekinesis, James Klause which he controls sound, and last but not least Lance McKendrick, he is the one that doesn't have super human powers, but he is able to get out of sticky situations. There are a bunch of other super humans like Max Dalton, Paragon, Quantum, Titan, and etc. But with super humans there has to be super villains. There is a group called the Hellotry, which is trying to bring back the fifth king so he can take over the world, mostly because he was the first super human to exist. In the group there is really only one super villain that they talk about and that is Slaughter, her power is pretty much the same as Abby except she can also fly. The four kids need to try to defeat the first king, because the Hellotry made a plague so anyone over the age of eighteen become very ill, so the only one left are the four kids and anyone under the age of eighteen. If you want an exciting story about super humans then this is the book for you. Reading this book will make you want to read even more cause I know I do.
“THE TIME HAS COME FOR A NEW GENERATION OF HEROES”
“THE TIME HAS COME FOR A NEW GENERATION OF HEROES”
May 28, 2015
Superhuman is an action book by Michael Carroll about a world where all the adults are sick and it is up to teenagers to save everyone. There are humans that want to bring back the first superhuman, known as the fifth king, that have started the plague. The main characters are Abby, Roz, Thunder who are superhuman, and Lance who is not superhuman.
I liked the author's style of writing in this novel. For example, he does not have much character development. This allows the reader to feel however he or she wants about the characters. Also, I liked how the author paced the story. He tied the different characters into the plot of the story perfectly. For example, how Lance meets Abby, Thunder, and Roz at the site of the power plant. Finally I liked the action scenes in this novel. The action scenes were consistent throughout the novel, but they did not feel repetitive. For example, the novel goes from Abby's first mission to Lance's stealthy burglary.
Overall I loved this book. The author's style of writing was very intriguing. I think everyone would like this book. People who read the Kane Chronicles series would love this book because of the action and history, especially Egyptian history. Also, anyone who played the game Infamous: Second Son would like this book because they are similar with plot.
I liked the author's style of writing in this novel. For example, he does not have much character development. This allows the reader to feel however he or she wants about the characters. Also, I liked how the author paced the story. He tied the different characters into the plot of the story perfectly. For example, how Lance meets Abby, Thunder, and Roz at the site of the power plant. Finally I liked the action scenes in this novel. The action scenes were consistent throughout the novel, but they did not feel repetitive. For example, the novel goes from Abby's first mission to Lance's stealthy burglary.
Overall I loved this book. The author's style of writing was very intriguing. I think everyone would like this book. People who read the Kane Chronicles series would love this book because of the action and history, especially Egyptian history. Also, anyone who played the game Infamous: Second Son would like this book because they are similar with plot.
December 20, 2010
I was going to give this book a fourth star, right up until the last two chapters. Those were so disappointing that I subtracted one. It's not that the writing was bad, but the actually story twisted in a way that I found appalling, if this is a stand-alone novel. If it's got a sequel, the ending might be redeemable.
The novel is set in a world where superheroes and supervillains are real, and society has come to terms with this. All of the trappings are there, including secret identities, costumes and a lot of other standards of the genre.
This interacts well with a truly mad scientist/evil cult plot to bring back an ancient warrior to take over the world. I really was enjoying it, including clever foreshadowing of plot developments, and some great character interaction.
Then, the ending squashed it all dead. I really hope there's a sequel, because otherwise that ending really left a bad taste in my mouth...Roadkill Cafe bad.
Incidentally, if any of the folks at DC Comics ever catch up with Mr. Carroll, they might wish to have words with him about his character Max, whose name, powers, methods and goals seem remarkably similar to Max Lord, a current character in the comics. It might be entirely coincidental, but if so it's a pretty startling coincidence.
The novel is set in a world where superheroes and supervillains are real, and society has come to terms with this. All of the trappings are there, including secret identities, costumes and a lot of other standards of the genre.
This interacts well with a truly mad scientist/evil cult plot to bring back an ancient warrior to take over the world. I really was enjoying it, including clever foreshadowing of plot developments, and some great character interaction.
Then, the ending squashed it all dead. I really hope there's a sequel, because otherwise that ending really left a bad taste in my mouth...Roadkill Cafe bad.
Incidentally, if any of the folks at DC Comics ever catch up with Mr. Carroll, they might wish to have words with him about his character Max, whose name, powers, methods and goals seem remarkably similar to Max Lord, a current character in the comics. It might be entirely coincidental, but if so it's a pretty startling coincidence.
September 15, 2010
BUT NO! Thank Tony Stark, Michael Carroll has followed the Gerund Trilogy with a prequel, and this time the book has a supercharged title and an extremely YA-looking cover to match the fast and funny and heartfelt action within. Finally! THIS book I can hand to a nine-year-old, whose face will light up with interest even as his ma begins to squint dubiously at it. That's a combination I can work with - moms are a lot easier to convince than boys. (Hey and guess what? That's a GIRL under that vaguely Japanese-looking armor on the cover, carrying a sword that resembles a four-foot cleaver. LOVE her!)
Full review on Pink Me: http://pinkme.typepad.com/pink-me/201...
Full review on Pink Me: http://pinkme.typepad.com/pink-me/201...
September 6, 2016
This book was pretty good I felt it could done better.
One of the things that I like about it that it was all new heroes and people and didn't exist in an already existing universe like marvel or DC. But the plot was very drawn out and kind of confusing. Since it was switching between different characters, characters were constantly switching sides or jumping in and out the story (one chararatert would runaway and then like a paragraph later he or she would randomly appear again). But I would defiantly recommend this book to any one who likes superheroes.
One of the things that I like about it that it was all new heroes and people and didn't exist in an already existing universe like marvel or DC. But the plot was very drawn out and kind of confusing. Since it was switching between different characters, characters were constantly switching sides or jumping in and out the story (one chararatert would runaway and then like a paragraph later he or she would randomly appear again). But I would defiantly recommend this book to any one who likes superheroes.
March 11, 2011
When all the adults start getting sick, it's up to a team of young superheroes (and one normal human teen) to stop the Helotry's plan to bring back Krodin, the original superhero. This book mentions some of the superheroes from Carroll's other books like Slaughter, Brawn, and Max Dalton, but I didn't think it was part of the Quantum Prophecy series.
Read
May 15, 2015This is a very good book. I would recommend this for many people. It is funny sometimes and serious other times. It is intense and exciting.
December 29, 2022
Quite good ended on a cliff hanger and I cant get the second book so little sad.
August 17, 2022
It feels weird reading a book about a worldwide virus in the year 2022. The difference between this book and the real world is that not only are people actually receptive to the idea of vaccines, but there’s a ragtag group of teenaged superheroes (and Lance) who genuinely want to see the world recover from this. But they can’t achieve those goals without dishing out some violence on the bad guys responsible for this sickness. Their enhanced strength, sonic abilities, and telekinesis can only be used as a means to an end rather than be the one-size-fits all solution. That’s a part of superhero fiction not a lot of authors get, but Michael Carroll pulled it off rather effectively. It also helps that Lance (the normie) is a slick thief who can smooth-talk his way out of any situation. Using brains to solve problems will be more relatable to the audience than using superhuman violence.
But unfortunately, we don’t always get the best use of the characters’ brains. Lance does all the intellectual heavy lifting with his gift for gab. The rest of the characters, both good and evil, don’t always make the smartest decisions and I’m surprised it hadn’t come back to bite them in the worst ways. Freeing supervillain prisoners to combat even more powerful supervillains? Dumb. Driving a military jeep like a speed demon and being surprised when it hits one of the allies? Also dumb. Sparing a powerful villain’s life because, “We don’t kill?” Yeah, we’re past the point of being civil now that there’s a deadly virus causing the adults to vomit inside out. The villains are no better when it comes to cartoonishly-stupid decision-making. Resurrecting an ancient king who might kill them off and is not immune to the virus himself? Beyond stupid. Toying with the heroes instead of finishing them off instantly? Reckless. Revealing the entire plan to the heroes and even going so far as to keep records of their allies’ social security numbers and base coordinates? Colossal fail. Am I reading a superhero book or watching a Three Stooges routine?
The writing itself is, ironically, nothing to write home about. The dialogue between the heroes sounds so similar that I couldn’t tell the characters apart without tags. The characters in general are introduced to the audience via telling instead of showing. Some of the dialogue sounds awkward and clumsy, especially when the characters try to make analogies sound cool, though they wouldn’t sound much better as prose, either. The one character in the story who’s immune to such clunky writing? Krodin, the ancient king the villains are trying to resurrect. He comes off like a total stud, whether he’s conquering entire countries by himself, enslaving everyone he meets, or talking down to his enemies like a godlike king should. He could come off like a Gary-Stu villain, but he’s written so convincingly that I don’t mind him being overpowered. The action scenes in general are well-done since they move quickly and hit hard.
But none of the praise I’ve given this book is enough to elevate the grade above a C, or three out of five stars. I was able to finish it. I even enjoyed it in a lot of places. But this book is cheesier than a dairy farm, which is an analogy Michael Carroll can use for free, but it wouldn’t be a good idea since that’s one of the things I criticized this novel for. Everything just felt so…average. Even the superpowers seemed mediocre and hastily thrown together. This wasn’t a good book, it wasn’t a bad book, it was just sort of…there.
But unfortunately, we don’t always get the best use of the characters’ brains. Lance does all the intellectual heavy lifting with his gift for gab. The rest of the characters, both good and evil, don’t always make the smartest decisions and I’m surprised it hadn’t come back to bite them in the worst ways. Freeing supervillain prisoners to combat even more powerful supervillains? Dumb. Driving a military jeep like a speed demon and being surprised when it hits one of the allies? Also dumb. Sparing a powerful villain’s life because, “We don’t kill?” Yeah, we’re past the point of being civil now that there’s a deadly virus causing the adults to vomit inside out. The villains are no better when it comes to cartoonishly-stupid decision-making. Resurrecting an ancient king who might kill them off and is not immune to the virus himself? Beyond stupid. Toying with the heroes instead of finishing them off instantly? Reckless. Revealing the entire plan to the heroes and even going so far as to keep records of their allies’ social security numbers and base coordinates? Colossal fail. Am I reading a superhero book or watching a Three Stooges routine?
The writing itself is, ironically, nothing to write home about. The dialogue between the heroes sounds so similar that I couldn’t tell the characters apart without tags. The characters in general are introduced to the audience via telling instead of showing. Some of the dialogue sounds awkward and clumsy, especially when the characters try to make analogies sound cool, though they wouldn’t sound much better as prose, either. The one character in the story who’s immune to such clunky writing? Krodin, the ancient king the villains are trying to resurrect. He comes off like a total stud, whether he’s conquering entire countries by himself, enslaving everyone he meets, or talking down to his enemies like a godlike king should. He could come off like a Gary-Stu villain, but he’s written so convincingly that I don’t mind him being overpowered. The action scenes in general are well-done since they move quickly and hit hard.
But none of the praise I’ve given this book is enough to elevate the grade above a C, or three out of five stars. I was able to finish it. I even enjoyed it in a lot of places. But this book is cheesier than a dairy farm, which is an analogy Michael Carroll can use for free, but it wouldn’t be a good idea since that’s one of the things I criticized this novel for. Everything just felt so…average. Even the superpowers seemed mediocre and hastily thrown together. This wasn’t a good book, it wasn’t a bad book, it was just sort of…there.
September 24, 2020
This is one of Michael Carroll's great novels he has written. If someone asked me what this book was, without question, I would tell them it is a comic book without pictures. If you have read any of Mr. Carroll's previous books, this book might make more sense to you, but you can read it without knowing of the previous Quantum novels. The exposition reveals that there is a Super Human, called Krodin, who took over the Egyptian empire as a warrior with 'the strength of one hundred men, skin impervious to attack, and the ability to read minds.' This comes directly off the back cover. Brief mentions of the previous super heroes are mentioned, but a plague is wiping out all adults over the age of 18. This includes the heroes of the previous books. The kids are forced to fight without the help of the real heroes, similar to the 'Young Avengers' storyline. This boom is Science Fiction, and the use of cliff-hangers are relevant in this story. You've been warned! It is written from a third-person omniscient point-of-view. The narrator knows everything about half the characters in the story, but keeps the other half a secret. Therefore, it is both 3rd person omniscient and limited. The mood is very ever-changing. One moment is happy-go-lucky, and the next we hear the depressing effects of the plague. You are introduced to the characters one at a time, and in interesting ways. Some characters are from the previous three stories, but others are brand new and have introductions. There are four different children heroes, and you'll have to see what cliff-hangers bring them into the plot. What I loved about this story was how they were introduced in the middle of action scenes. The story keeps moving forward, and it doesn't lag behind like most super hero comics. What I didn't enjoy was the way these kids are so prideful and immediately assume they are superheroes. They start treating others beneath them as soon as they realize they have super-abilities. Beware of a little bit of language throughout the book, it is brief, but noticeable. The impression the book left on me was that you can design and write a graphic novel without the graphics. Another impact it left on me was that I was constantly reading to get past the cliff-hangers that he uses so often. Like most comics, you won't be moved to tears emotionally. Action scenes shouldn't make you cry, but there are some emotional scenes consisting of the plague. I believe we can all relate to the fact that typical comics go heavy on pictures, but Michael Carroll pulled it off. I recommend this book to Marvel fans, and action readers will enjoy this book as well. This book is a novel you will remember. If you're like me, you won't very much relate to the characters, mostly because they have super powers. If you have super-abilities and relate, please let me know. Four out of five, and I don't give fives.
December 7, 2020
What it’s about: Abby lives in a world where there are superheroes - and supervillains. When she finds that she has some powers, she decides she's going to try to use them for good. When she gets pulled into a situation by another would-be teen hero, she starts to quickly find that being a hero isn't always what she thought.
Roz has grown up with an older brother who is known around the world for his super powers. She has been training for years to be part of his strike team. She gets more than she bargained for when her brother's team is taken out by an unknown cause and she is left to figure out how to save them from one of the most dangerous supervillains out there.
Lance just wants to blend in - the better to run his scams and get away unnoticed. He's very clever, but when he accidentally runs afoul of a superhero who happened to be passing by, he finds himself drawn into a situation that escalates from a simple robbery to something that might threaten the whole planet.
These teens end up crossing paths as the fate of the world is threatened by a group that's been plotting for over four thousand years. They've launched their attack; and four teens are all that stand between humanity and world domination.
What I thought: I did not expect much from this book - the blurb sounded like a pretty so-so concept, sort of a retread of one of the recent X-Men movies. But I was pleasantly surprised! This was an enjoyable romp. It was a bit darker than I would have figured - for a book about fighting and violence, it is surprisingly mild in MOST areas, but with some spots of death that felt a little out of character with the rest of the book.
The story itself is a pretty straight-forward teen adventure. I appreciated that the characters were not just white males - the core group was 50-50 male/female and white/black, which is better than some other stories out there. Considering this was written a decade ago, I'm impressed that Carroll was as diverse as he was in his character creation.
Why I rated it like I did: The tone vacillated a bit between younger YA and more adult violence, which was a little odd. But the storyline was enjoyable in a "don't think about it too much" kind of way, and it seemed to set up some interesting possibilities for future story arcs. I'm definitely going to read the next in the series.
Roz has grown up with an older brother who is known around the world for his super powers. She has been training for years to be part of his strike team. She gets more than she bargained for when her brother's team is taken out by an unknown cause and she is left to figure out how to save them from one of the most dangerous supervillains out there.
Lance just wants to blend in - the better to run his scams and get away unnoticed. He's very clever, but when he accidentally runs afoul of a superhero who happened to be passing by, he finds himself drawn into a situation that escalates from a simple robbery to something that might threaten the whole planet.
These teens end up crossing paths as the fate of the world is threatened by a group that's been plotting for over four thousand years. They've launched their attack; and four teens are all that stand between humanity and world domination.
What I thought: I did not expect much from this book - the blurb sounded like a pretty so-so concept, sort of a retread of one of the recent X-Men movies. But I was pleasantly surprised! This was an enjoyable romp. It was a bit darker than I would have figured - for a book about fighting and violence, it is surprisingly mild in MOST areas, but with some spots of death that felt a little out of character with the rest of the book.
The story itself is a pretty straight-forward teen adventure. I appreciated that the characters were not just white males - the core group was 50-50 male/female and white/black, which is better than some other stories out there. Considering this was written a decade ago, I'm impressed that Carroll was as diverse as he was in his character creation.
Why I rated it like I did: The tone vacillated a bit between younger YA and more adult violence, which was a little odd. But the storyline was enjoyable in a "don't think about it too much" kind of way, and it seemed to set up some interesting possibilities for future story arcs. I'm definitely going to read the next in the series.
December 3, 2018
The book I read is SuperHuman by Michael Carroll. I did like this book It was a fiction and it had superheroes and the people that can save the world are children. In the book The cover page the best thing it says that suck me in was the print underneath the title which says “ The time has come for a new generation of heroes.” That just a amazing sentence which just makes you ready to open the book and explore the land unknown. My favorite character will have to be lance. Why I love lance is because he a thief and how he gets suck into this thing is because he steals from the wrong kind of people. He just so much fun cause the people around him have powers. Lance does not have powers. So they don’t expect him to be useful. But with his street smarts and his natural exteing this kid is the meaning of wisdom and knowledge. One of my Favorite line Is not him saying it it's another person. (spoilers) In the book the kids get stop by a mob and they trying to get through so lances just tries to talk them by scaring them. Basically blowing these kids minds. He explains what happen if they don’t take care of the virus. Thunder under his breath says this “How the heck do you come up with this stuff like that? “( 191). And it's true you don’t know where he gets this stuff and how he can come up with it in a flash. Will My favorite Quote is from page 272 when Slaughter tells Krodin that the kids are after them she says” There too are superhuman. A girl who can move objects without touching them, another girl who is as fast as a cheetah and stronger than ten me. And a giant” that just explains everything you need to know what coming to destroy Krodin. I love it cause it explains why he should fear them and how there powers work in a couple sentences. The theme of this book is teamwork, It about overcoming the odds. It about the meaning of being a hero. With all of these good themes this equals the book Superhuman.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 31, 2019
Overall Super Human was a good book like the title says it's all about super humans. It starts out with a kid who scams people all the time running into a hero named Paragon. Paragon notices the kid scamming someone he goes over to Lance the kid and asks him to donate all the money he just stole to the local charity. Lance does what he is told after being humiliated by Paragon. He starts walking and is halfway home when he hears the sound of Paragon's jet pack closing in on him. He thinks to himself it's just him coming to humiliate him again, but it's not. Not to far up the road a car comes speeding down the road, almost hits Lance but swerves and hits a telephone pole. lance quickly runs over to the car to help the guy out but paragon is already there yelling at the guy to give him something. Lance looks around to see what he is talking about and finds it... it was just a suitcase but when he opened it at his house he found a bunch of papers inside. That soon led him to one of Paragon's hideouts. He stole a bunch of things but ran into people while trying to leave. Turns out those are some pretty crazy people. Then out of the blue a plague breaks out and infects all of the adults. After a day of research (and fighting) Lance and a group of more super humans named Thunder, Abby, and Roz find out those people are connected to the plague and the terrorist attacks on two power plants. Turns out the people they were fighting were trying to bring back The Fifth King who was a mighty warrior 4 thousand years ago. They succeed in bringing him back for about 5 hours until yet another super human named Pyrokine gave his life ti "kill" the fifth king. Everyoine thought he succeeded... but did he really?
November 19, 2021
This is a classical superhero/villain book, with a not too deep plot and plenty of action. At first, I thought it would be a pretty boring, run of the mill story. Most of the characters are pretty one dimensional, and the storyline is not too interesting.
But there was one character who made the whole thing special, and had me rooting for him the entire time. Lance Mckendrick, the one guy on the team without superpowers. He's more realistic than the others in that he starts off pretty selfish. His cleverness and relatability really stuck out to me among the rest of the cast.
SPOILERS:
The way Lance's storyline played out was extremely interesting and engaging. At the beginning of the next book, right after we believe that everything is good, Lance's entire family is brutally murdered by one of the villains. An excellent twist that propels his character arc and, quite frankly, the entire story. This one quest sets Lance on a badass quest for revenge that is very interesting. Then, he is placed in a parallel world where his family is still alive, but is forced to reset/return to the original world where they are not. A fascinatingly horrible premise.
Anyway, Lance's character and story makes me give this a 4/5. He's an excellent character and is honestly worth reading this series for.
But there was one character who made the whole thing special, and had me rooting for him the entire time. Lance Mckendrick, the one guy on the team without superpowers. He's more realistic than the others in that he starts off pretty selfish. His cleverness and relatability really stuck out to me among the rest of the cast.
SPOILERS:
The way Lance's storyline played out was extremely interesting and engaging. At the beginning of the next book, right after we believe that everything is good, Lance's entire family is brutally murdered by one of the villains. An excellent twist that propels his character arc and, quite frankly, the entire story. This one quest sets Lance on a badass quest for revenge that is very interesting. Then, he is placed in a parallel world where his family is still alive, but is forced to reset/return to the original world where they are not. A fascinatingly horrible premise.
Anyway, Lance's character and story makes me give this a 4/5. He's an excellent character and is honestly worth reading this series for.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Shelved as 'books-of-disappointment-dnf'
September 22, 2021Its been a year or two since I tried this series. But I remember it clearly. Obviously not because it was good as seen by my one star review. It was super bad. Just why...
Just so you guys know, as a lot of the reviews say, its action packed. If your into that and don't really care about anything else than I guess try this series? Action isn't bad, unless it continues for 9 straight books, have fun with that. But seriously no...
I love action, but I also love characters, character development, a bit of context here and there, everything that makes a book great. Pure action does not make a book great. How can you be 4 books into a series and still wonder if the main characters will do anything besides fighting... The reason why I think the first 3 books were okay was because I wasn't thinking too much about it. The action was fun and exciting but after awhile you just get bored. Are the main characters gonna do anything else? Any like major plot twists or a deep dive into character backgrounds that change the character or literally anything that changes the character... please... anything...... ANYTHING. So I honestly love the plot and all, it just needs more depth.
Just so you guys know, as a lot of the reviews say, its action packed. If your into that and don't really care about anything else than I guess try this series? Action isn't bad, unless it continues for 9 straight books, have fun with that. But seriously no...
I love action, but I also love characters, character development, a bit of context here and there, everything that makes a book great. Pure action does not make a book great. How can you be 4 books into a series and still wonder if the main characters will do anything besides fighting... The reason why I think the first 3 books were okay was because I wasn't thinking too much about it. The action was fun and exciting but after awhile you just get bored. Are the main characters gonna do anything else? Any like major plot twists or a deep dive into character backgrounds that change the character or literally anything that changes the character... please... anything...... ANYTHING. So I honestly love the plot and all, it just needs more depth.
September 24, 2021
If you can make it past the first chapter, you can really get captivated by this book. As a whole, it is very basic, teen sci-fi. BUT, that does NOT mean that it cannot be enjoyable. Was most of it flat out unbelievable? Yes. Did I for a minute doubt where the direction of the book was going? No. Did I still look forward to any chance I got to read this? YES. The only thing I had any issue with was the memorable plot twist at the end and then the "recovery" of that. I loved the Lance character and his quips. I wish there was more character description or development at all. Overall, (somehow) I still really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading the rest in the series. The only thing I will say is, oh, to be a writer in 2010 when a pandemic was a good plot device still...So, now go and read!
March 21, 2023
Overall a lackluster and boring book that didn’t execute much of its ideas or characters well. For the most part all of main characters all felt very unlikeable and uninteresting for most of the story, which is a shame considering the diversity in the cast and the potential all of them had. Their dynamics were nonexistent and anything nice felt forced. The way the story progressed as well felt awkward as well, like the reader was trapped in one place for most of the story. The main villain had been hyped up to be a major threat but his arrival was also lackluster but proved to be an interesting foe to see the characters go against. Moments of humor tried but failed to be funny, and moments of sadness tried but failed to feel impactful. Overall the plot kept me reading it, but this book and characters could’ve been written so much better to where I can’t really say it was worth the read.
December 14, 2018
This book is a high paced action novel and is about when adults in the world are attacked with a plaque, so 4 teenagers have to work together to save everyone. But the dilemma is that of the four kids don't have super powers like the other kids so they have to work round this to stop this plaque. Some issues in the book is that it was very anti-climatic because it ends abrupt. This does not settle well with me because I enjoyed this book until the end. Michael Carroll should have made the book a little longer so he could end the book more softly instead of ending it so abruptly. A point in the text that was powerful to me is when the kids show teamwork together and show that it is always better to work together. I would recommend the book if you like high action and high pace in a book. This book was an OK read but if your committed to reading the series you will not regret it.
July 22, 2017
I've been reading quite a bit of middle school fiction lately, and this book is one of my favorites so far. It is exactly what it claims to be - an action-packed, comic inspired, sci-fi/fantasy adventure. The characters are likeable, the plot is uncomplicated, and the writing is solid. I think the thing that I like the most is that this book can be enjoyed by both genders at an age where boys and girls feel so very different from each other.
July 21, 2021
Krodin, the seemingly invincible, ruthless super human, who disappeared thousands of years ago, has a group of current fans who want to see him return to earth and to power. This is a horrible idea. Krodin was a really, really bad guy.
It's up to a very small group of not-very-super super humans to try to stop Krodin's groupies from achieving their goal.
REVIEW: Violent at times, but very readable. Good action, doubt, blundering, fear, and incremental successes make this a page turner!
It's up to a very small group of not-very-super super humans to try to stop Krodin's groupies from achieving their goal.
REVIEW: Violent at times, but very readable. Good action, doubt, blundering, fear, and incremental successes make this a page turner!
September 9, 2018
Having read this back in high school, I figured picking it back up to reread would be fun. I read this in spurts, being pretty busy and getting distracted easily. I am always a sucker for superheroes and this series gives you some of that classic/cheesy action. It held up to the feelings I had when I first read it!
July 14, 2020
An enjoyable book with a good story. The team are a good balance and the author writes a truly great action sequence of which there are plenty. So why the missing star? Character development is almost non-existent, book reads like an comic book (actually a good thing in a superhero book in my opinion)
Enjoying the series and will certainly be reading the book I have not yet read - recommended.
Enjoying the series and will certainly be reading the book I have not yet read - recommended.
June 29, 2024
4.0/5
I was dreading reading this book (lil burnt out after the last three) but it was SO good! So much more developed in plot and character than the last ones! Carroll still provides great twists and action sequences and Krodin is dope.
Similar to Paolini, feel like we witnessed Carroll become a better author here. Awesome stuff, so easy to read.
I was dreading reading this book (lil burnt out after the last three) but it was SO good! So much more developed in plot and character than the last ones! Carroll still provides great twists and action sequences and Krodin is dope.
Similar to Paolini, feel like we witnessed Carroll become a better author here. Awesome stuff, so easy to read.
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