The Quantum Prophecy
Encyclopedia
The Quantum Prophecy by Michael Carroll
is the title of the first novel in The New Heroes
series of books for young adults, published by HarperCollins
in the United Kingdom
.
The Awakening is the title in the United States
, as published by Philomel Books
(ISBN 0399247254, April 2007) and by Puffin Books
(ISBN 978-0142411797, May 2008).
. During the course of this slugfest, the superheroes and supervillains all seem to lose their abilities.
Ten years later, Colin Wagner and Danny Cooper, the children of these superhumans are discovering their abilities, and they soon learn that they have also inherited their parents' enemies. The teenagers are kidnapped in order to calibrate the machine that might take away their powers and stop a war that was prophesied by Danny's father, the man once known as Quantum. Danny was believed to be the cause of this war, and so Quantum allowed the supervillain known as Façade take his place to let Maxwell Dalton record his visions of the future as he broke down. They had hoped to avert it by stripping the world of superpowers ten years ago, but the machine was destroyed and Danny's powers continued to manifest. The new machine would be unstable, and potentially kill hundreds of thousands of people, but it was a risk they were willing to take. With the help of old heroes, including the frozen in time Renata Soliz (Diamond), they stop this from happening and have those behind the plot taken away. By the end of the book, they realise how much risk is involved in becoming superhuman, with Danny's arm now missing, his real father dead, and many lives irrevocably changed.
Michael Carroll (author)
Michael Carroll is an Irish writer of novels and short stories for adults and children. He is best known for his series of superhero novels The New Heroes and his romantic fiction under the name Jaye Carroll.-Biography:...
is the title of the first novel in The New Heroes
The New Heroes
The New Heroes is a series of novels and short stories by Michael Carroll, first published in January 2006 by HarperCollins in the UK. The stories centre around realistic depictions of superhuman abilities manifesting in the world and the subsequent appearance of superheroes and villains...
series of books for young adults, published by HarperCollins
HarperCollins
HarperCollins is a publishing company owned by News Corporation. It is the combination of the publishers William Collins, Sons and Co Ltd, a British company, and Harper & Row, an American company, itself the result of an earlier merger of Harper & Brothers and Row, Peterson & Company. The worldwide...
in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
The Awakening is the title in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, as published by Philomel Books
Philomel Books
Philomel Books is a children's literature imprint of Penguin Books USA. The imprint was founded by Ann Beneduce, who was succeeded as publisher by Patricia Lee Gauch. Philomel's current president and publisher is Michael Green....
(ISBN 0399247254, April 2007) and by Puffin Books
Puffin Books
Puffin Books is the children's imprint of British publishers Penguin Books. Since the 1960s it has been the largest publisher of children's books in the UK and much of the English-speaking world.-Early history:...
(ISBN 978-0142411797, May 2008).
Plot
The story opens with a seemingly random battle among the many superhumans that inhabited the western world, set ten years ago at the foot of a gigantic tank built and driven by Ragnarok (who was said to be the most notorious villain of all) that was on its way to New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. During the course of this slugfest, the superheroes and supervillains all seem to lose their abilities.
Ten years later, Colin Wagner and Danny Cooper, the children of these superhumans are discovering their abilities, and they soon learn that they have also inherited their parents' enemies. The teenagers are kidnapped in order to calibrate the machine that might take away their powers and stop a war that was prophesied by Danny's father, the man once known as Quantum. Danny was believed to be the cause of this war, and so Quantum allowed the supervillain known as Façade take his place to let Maxwell Dalton record his visions of the future as he broke down. They had hoped to avert it by stripping the world of superpowers ten years ago, but the machine was destroyed and Danny's powers continued to manifest. The new machine would be unstable, and potentially kill hundreds of thousands of people, but it was a risk they were willing to take. With the help of old heroes, including the frozen in time Renata Soliz (Diamond), they stop this from happening and have those behind the plot taken away. By the end of the book, they realise how much risk is involved in becoming superhuman, with Danny's arm now missing, his real father dead, and many lives irrevocably changed.
Critical reception
The Quantum Prophecy was nominated for the 2006 Ottakar's Children's Book Prize. The book received positive reviews from nearly all critics, but some criticised the kitsch marketing of the series.Main characters
- Renata Soliz (Diamond)
- Colin Wagner (Kid Titan/Titan)
- Danny Cooper
- Victor Cross
- Façade
- Quantum
- Titan (Colin's father)