Five recent books featuring superpowered characters

Mike Chen is a lifelong writer, from crafting fan fiction as a child to somehow getting paid for words as an adult. He has contributed to major geek websites (The Mary Sue, The Portalist, Tor) and covered the NHL for mainstream media outlets. A member of SFWA and Codex Writers, Chen lives in the Bay Area, where he can be found playing video games and watching Doctor Who with his wife, daughter, and rescue animals.

Chen is the author of the novels We Could Be Heroes, Here and Now and Then and A Beginning At The End.

[My Book, The Movie: Here and Now and Then.]

At Tor.com Chen tagged five recent books featuring superpowered characters, including:

The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow

When people think about superpowers, it often leads to things like speed, strength, flight, and other physical characteristics. And when they consider the mechanism for those powers, it’s usually something to do with harnessing the potential of the human body beyond normal ways. The Ten Thousand Doors of January isn’t necessarily a book about superpowers or superheroes, but it IS a book about powers and heroes—in a much different way than you’d expect.

January Scaller encountered her first mysterious door when she was seven years old; years later, as her parents’ mysterious circumstances leave her isolated and under the thumb of polite-but-oppressive caretaker, she encounters a book that uncovers the truth of that door—and the many other doors that create portals to other places, even other worlds. Alix E. Harrow’s gorgeous novel is about the power of intent, writing, and purpose, and its heroes draw that power from names, books, and yes, doors. Once you start, you’ll quickly see why it’s one of the most acclaimed books in recent memory.

Read about another entry on the list.

The Ten Thousand Doors of January is among A.K. Larkwood's five favorite fantasy multiverses.

The Page 69 Test: The Ten Thousand Doors of January.

--Marshal Zeringue