Absolute Power

The New Heroes/Quantum Prophecy #3

by Michael Carroll

With Colin living on the streets, grief-stricken and alone, can Victor Cross bring him into the Trutopian fold? Danny and Renata, increasingly disenchanted with the orders given at Sakkara, begin to question who their real friends are.

Genres: Science Fiction, Young Adult, Superheroes, Fantasy, Adventure, Fiction, Middle Grade

349 pages, Paperback

First published May 14, 2009

Reviews

[K.L. Bernard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having superhuman abilities is something any human would love to possess, especially a thirteen year old. Carroll does an excellent job of presenting an action packed series with two teen brothers, the sons of Quantum, and their discovery of their superhuman powers. Colin and Danny are put in a position to re-establish a superhuman race. Book Three, The Reckoning, Colin's mission is to stop Max and the Sakkarran's from figuring out how to use a power-damping machine that could kill super-humans, as well as, innocent people. Colin is then approached by the Trutopians, a group who wants to help humans bring about world piece and defeat the Sakkarran's. The Trutopians have been tracking Colin in an effort to bring them on their side. The Trutopians want to help keep the super-humans secret, but Colin isn't sure that is what they are all about. Meanwhile, Danny and Renata are with Max at the Sakkaran fortress where they have joined the following but aren't sure they will be fighting on the right side. Danny has foreseen the future and fears that if he wears the mechanical arm that Max has created for him, the Quantum Prophecy will come to pass and billions will die in the upcoming war. Two brothers fighting on opposite sides of the war between saving the planet and saving themselves from extinction must also battle their own fears as well as find their place in the war that could potentially destroy human kind. Carroll unravels the mystery of each character a little piece at a time creating a page turning trilogy of deceit, power struggles and the age of discovery for young teens who are learning the wicked ways of the world in addition to how far their superhuman powers will take them. This is an excellent book for teenage boys but girls will love it too. Parents should be advised that this book does contain some strong language.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like I said in my review on the second book, the character development is poor. Making very little character uniqueness unless your comparing a villain and a superhero cause they are obviously opposites. otherwise superhero and superhero seem the same. As do villains. They have unique backstories but just leads to the exact same thing "let's get revenge because that superhero did something to me in my past"

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

Action packed!

[Tyler · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was probably my least favorite of the original trilogy. The characters make some wild decisions and honestly, some pretty stupid ideas as well. Some of the plot made me scratch my head and just ask “why the heck didn’t they just ______?” It’s weak, the characters are weak, and the plot kind of folds in on itself. There’s a lot of stereotypical “I’m dying. *Something dramatic* Gah you’ve unlocked my final form.” So much plot armor and unexplained things that I really wanted explained. It’s set up for another series sure, but I was disappointed. Going out with a whimper was a real thing.

2.5🌟

[Denae Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alternate reality.

Golly. No matter what horrible things happen to these characters, I still wish I was a superhuman.

Only, I like Renata's and Danny's powers best because they're the most reasonable. Why does ever superhuman seem to have to have super strength and speed? Why can't everyone be fine with just ONE power? What's up with Mina? It really would be more interesting if there were more limitations, but at least MC knows better than to make every character unstoppable (like in Daniel X, uninteresting/unrealistic JP character). But still! These people break bones, nearly die, get all sorts of cuts and bruises and scrapes and injuries, but they're fine a few minutes later! Why? Do all of them have superhealing? No, they're just needed in the next stage of battle.

At least everyone actually has to TRY to win (unlike JP's books or TAB's books). The crises are realistic and difficult, besides giving many characters some internal conflicts to spice things up.

[Amy]

Hmm, I dunno, I was kind of disapointed with this book. I mean, the writing is great and all, but I wasn't satisfied with the end. What was probably supposed to be a cliff-hanger left me with no inclination to find if there are other books.
What especially annoyed me was the whole "evil America" feel. I mean I know the author is European and probably has his own biases, fine, I know America isn't perfect, but I was disgusted how almost EVERY American in power was a major jerk.
Plus, the three main characters just kind of lost their charm. Diamond was totally my favorite character....and she was weak in this book. I can not believe what they did to her. Collin might have improved, but just slightly. It would have been much cooler if he could have broken the mind control by himself. Like by refusing to beat up Stephanie or something. Danny was just weak, and though I was expected all the "ex-supers" to do something, they didn't.
So...maybe giving a three is being generous.

[Shaeley Santiago · Rating 4 out of 5]

Colin is on his own. Yvonne has mind control powers, and she has left Sakkara. Danny uses a mechanical arm. Is this the fulfillment of the prophecy?

[Lazybee · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was below average at best.

[Thomas · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was OK, the series got boring though

[ElizabethM1 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had never heard of this book before so I saw it, read the summary and decided I would read it. It seemed interesting. It had a lot of things that created some action including super powers, superhuman, and villains. The main character Danny doesn’t show that he has the power of super speed. The one one who knows that Danny has super speed is Collin, Danny’s best friend, and Danny’s dad but the reason Collin knows is, because Collin is a superhuman too. In the beginning of the book, Danny used his supper power for the first time in public to save a girl, who was crossing the street, from getting hit by a bus. In this book I like the elements of surprise, the creativity the author had to come up with superhuman characteristics, and the language used to write the book. I can compare this book to the Hunger Games in the sense of the main characters, Danny and katness. They both have something that they can do really well and they have trials that they have to overcome. They don’t just have an easy simple life like most of the people in their communities they have to struggle and help others. They both also have to defeat bad people. I would recommend this book to people who enjoy action books.

[Erica Mspsh · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series was really really good! As a 13 year old, I have always been obsessed with superheroes and powers and that kind of stuff, so this book is my favorite! My favorite characters were Danny and Warren Wagner (Titan). I love the plot and that the whole story was about action and fighting. Although I would like to read the other books in the series because I want to know how this all ends lol! Victor Cross was also a very nice villain, i loved that he was smart and had a backup plan for everything. I loved the fact that he was not entirely stupid like other villains and his plans actually worked out. Even though he was evil, I think he’s a pretty good character!
I forgot to mention but Facade is also a very good character, and the fact that he changed sides is amazing. I also love that Dioxin even helped Colin with the kids lol!
I am still very sad about Paragon dying though, he was such a good dude and i actually imagined him as a father figure.
Love this entire series! I hope someone finally films it because this as a movie would be absolutely perfect! 5 stars from me!!!!!!!

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really liked the supposed end to the Trilogy. (Come to find out, the author has tales of these heroes and new ones in other books he's written.) I enjoyed the series immensely. They were fast reads but exciting. They were a little stale in some areas but not enough to keep me from enjoying it. If you like action superhero genre books then this is a pretty good series, even though it's mainly written for the 12+ crowd, this near 40 year old enjoyed some of the interesting twists. The New Heroes powers are getting stronger, and they're still learning how to harness them. But when one of their own turns her ability to control minds against the rest, they face something much larger than themselves, and the fate of the world hangs in the balance. The ending makes you think there is a fourth one coming, but apparently not? I guess the concept of the New Heroes has some prequels and different sequels (kind of like Star Wars and Rogue One?)

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the third book in the Quantum Prophecy series. Danny has lost his arm in battle and refuses to take a mechanical arm fearing the the prophecy will come true and he will lead an army that will destroy humanity. Colin has become so powerful that he feels the pressure of the survival of the world on his shoulders. Will his resentment lead him to the enemy? Will he help destroy the world. Read The Reckoning to find the answers. This is a great third book in this series, but at the end I was left wondering if there were more books in this series.

[Lucas Hamasaki · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel like a broken record here, but... this was cool, yeah. However, I wish it had more depth. Character development and layers are good. This "good vs evil" thing is just too simple. I mean, we have an EVIL character who can make people do anything she says, but the main character is sooo GOOD that, even though he's under her control, he still cannot kill. I keep saying this, but the books are too juvenile. Not bad, they're fun and okay, but also shallow.

[n · Rating 2 out of 5]

was it the best in terms of fan favorite moments? yea
was it the best in terms of pacing and plot development? fuck no babyyy

you can find my very-serious-not-at-all-fun review of this series' first trilogy here!

[P.M. · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read it because it was there to read. There is still an issue about chronological ages matching up with actions. I still like Colin but can't get past the idea that he is only 13 or "13 and a half" as he put it. I see here on Goodreads that there are sequels which should be obvious given the ending? of this book. I will give them a pass.

[Jordan · Rating 3 out of 5]

If Renata has no fans, then I am deceased because I love her so much. While this book didn't have the same charm as the first two, I still enjoyed my time reading it (overall). While there were some things that I got bored with, there were other aspects that felt super unique and interesting. They kind of cancelled each other out until the ending when I was fully sat.

[Gregory · Rating 4 out of 5]

Had a review, but Goodreads sucks, kinda like the ending of this book. That's a little harsh, but I just felt like the ending action wasn't there. The rest of the book had some nice action but it all fell flat at the end. I'm just hoping that the next in the series will make up for it.

[Ruby Ridge · Rating 5 out of 5]

A totally enjoyable read - and that is what we buy these books for, is it not?
No philosophy, no veiled attempt at so called conscious raising, just good old fashioned action - love it. Wish we had more writers like this.
Now on to the prequel.

[Colin Monutain · Rating 5 out of 5]

is gud

[ThedeadinsideLlama · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was good

[Ruby Ridge · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sorry, but this book was actually boring for most of the first 80% the ending being quite exciting but with unbelievable plot twists/devices.
Could have been so much better - disappointing.

[Cassidy B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Made me cry, but was good

[Emmett · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book “quantum prophesy” was a good book for people who like action and mystery, so ever all i rate this book a 4 out of 5 stars.

[Aaron · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was just 10 years ago that the world superheroes and supervillains lost all of their powers after a major battle. The next generation is just coming to the fore, still learning about their abilities and about what it means to be a hero. In this third volume in the Quantum Prophecy series, readers get to continue following the tales of the three original New Heroes. Each of them is still dealing with struggles related to their power.

Renata, who was a teen hero at the time the previous heroes lost their abilities, is finding that her ability to change herself to impervious crystal has new twists and turns. It seems that she is now able to turn other objects and even people to crystal as well. The problem is that it causes her a great deal of pain.

The team speedster, Danny, is still incredibly worried that he is going to follow in his father's footsteps. Quantum, his dad, went mad because of his ability to see the future, a talent that Danny has not developed yet. The problem is that Quantum saw that he would lead an army that would kill millions. Danny himself has recently had a vision that was not far off that mark.

Colin, the team's super-strong member, has gone on the run. He has started to believe the American government is using the New Heroes. This allows him to become vulnerable to the telepathic Yvonne, a former teammate who seems to have the power to control people with just a word. The two of them are now working for a major movement of people who are trying to overturn all the nations of the world to bring about peace. Unfortunately, the group's leaders seem to have more nefarious goals.

Readers should definitely check out the first two books in the series before diving into this one or they will have a tough time with knowing who is who. There is a broad cast of primary and secondary characters that allow for rich storytelling, including a really interesting subplot in which the daughter of hero without powers who died in an earlier book is dealing with whether heroes ultimately are a good or a bad thing.

The books, like the series as a whole, is full of quick-paced action, strong characters, and some serious looks at a number of ethical questions. Fans of the series and superhero tales in general will really like this book.

[Samuel Sylvester · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the author's writing style in this book. It was targeted for young readers, but wasn't insulting in the way of using typical childish script and cut to the point. For example,

“As she stepped into the hallway, Stephanie said, “So now what? I’m grounded?”
“Where were you?”
“Out.” Stephanie unzipped her jacket and pulled it off.
“It’s six o’clock in the morning, Stephanie. Why don’t we save time by skipping all the shouting and me telling you how worried I was? Tell me everything. ”

Excerpt From: The New Heroes, Book 3 .

Ahh... You don't know how much I appreciated that. Normally we would have to go through the paces about how worried we were and how your grounded blah blah blah. But here we're collected and rational enough to calmly get the facts out there without misunderstandings or having the stupid punk teen not spit it out and solve the problem.

I also liked the fact that the plot was carefully constructed and considered, and the characters had a visible, logical way of thinking. Especially the villains who, as far fetched as their logic might be, was feasible. You could see how they started with the concept innocently, and progressed to wards their final stages of evil. And even then, only the true masterminds stayed evil. The lackeys had their reasons for their crime, and once that was over they were not partial to the life of crime because whatever goal they were in for had been achieved and there was no need to go further.

Overall it was a good story, very coherent, plausible and above all... entertaining.

I look forward to reading the next book.

BTW Major end spoiler. DO. NOT. READ! Seriously? We cloned Collin??! Twenty-four times? That's like cloning Superman...TWENTY-FOUR TIMES!!! Don't you know the rule about accelerated clones? They are mentally unstable! EVERYONE knows that. EVERYONE! *Face Palm*

[Ariel Acupan · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an ending??!!! **** flailing hands while running then smashes my head to the wall (not really :P) ****

Most of my friends at goodreads knows that I've been slacking A LOT when it comes to reading and reviewing a novel. BUT I have to say that this series is so good that I'll drop my hiatus state and tell why I like this book. I have to give credit to Aaron who recommended the book to me. Thanks dude (I know he hates it when I call him that. hahaha).

One word: "AWESOME". The series would take you in a roller coaster ride of being a teenager to becoming a superhuman then into a world of super-villains vs heroes in the brink of a war that would almost end the world! *** stops and gasping for air ***. The three main characters would make you like them unknowingly. Action-packed and a lot of twists way better than a ride at the amusement park (although some of them are a bit predictable but nevertheless great). Well, many would say that "just tell him it's about humans with powers and his sold." That is true I guess, I won't deny that. BUT the book itself is not just about superhumans. The situations they are in could also happen to us. Maybe not like "its the end of the world" thing but there are similarities there somewhere with the likes of us (confusing myself and whoever gives a damn to read this). hahaha. I guess what I'm really trying to say here is that Michael Caroll wrote a great series and everybody should read it. :P

[03bransonp · Rating 4 out of 5]

For my book report I read "Quantum Prophecy The Reckoning". The author is Michael Carroll and the book is 298 pages long. The intended audience for this book is thrill seekers. The main problem in the book is the super villain Yvonne is trying to take over the world with mind control. The setting in this book is the whole world mostly for Danny Copper because he can move as fast as light. The Main Characters are. Collin Wagner he can control energy and has super strength. Danny Copper he has super speed and lost his arm in one of the earlier books. Renata Soliz is able to turn herself and others along with objects into and indestructible crystal. Yvonne is the villain she is a clone and she has mind control powers.In the book Yvonne is trying to mind control everyone into obeying her this society that she is consoling is called the Trutopians. Yvonne is mind controlling the most powerful superhuman Collin Wagner he can absorb energy and release it in any other form of energy he wants, so he can pretty much control everything. So Danny and Renata evacuate everyone to a safe place, but the military tries to kill the Trutopians because they are under Yvonne's control. So Renata Crystallizes the entire world. Then they capture Yvonne an then an assassin puts a bullet through Yvonne's neck after she releases everyone from her control. I really enjoyed the super human aspect of the book. Mostly people who like mutations would like this book.

[Jeretta Hall-Robinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! That was amazing! The third book ends on an amazing note, but also a bit of a cliffhanger. I can't wait to read the prequel series. Hopefully, Michael Carroll is working hard on the 7th book (which from what I hear, will pick back up sometime after this series and still have Colin, Danny, and Renata in it).

Overall, I loved it. Colin being on the run and then falling into Yvonne's trap was amazing to see. I don't actually see though, how Colin was able to remember and figure out that he was being controlled but Josh and the rest of Sakkara didn't. Does Colin have a strong will power because he is currently a superhuman? Mina's control was greater because they were closer.

I loved Danny's development. To watch him struggle to figure out if he was a good guy or not, to see if the future would come true, and to deal with the mechanical arm - it was all very interesting. I also thought it was interesting to see Renata struggle with her power. She was actually being harmed the more she used it. Hopefully (no matter what Mina says), the effects won't be permanent. I also liked Butler's growth by becoming a bit more mature, Razor's leadership coming into play, and Stephanie taking up Paragon's suit.

Overall, I have loved this part of the series. I can't wait to read the rest of it and see where the future will take the New Heroes!

[Jamie Krakover · Rating 5 out of 5]

The new heroes have been thrust into the brink of a world war with the Trutopians. General Piers has assumed command of Sakkarra and the new heroes are no longer in control of their destiny, except one who has left and refuses to serve under a man such as Piers. Unfortunately this one hero is forced to choose between good and evil and the lines are blurred together. With the new heroes be able to stop an all out war that could kill millions and who will end up on which sides?

The Reckoning is an excellent third installment to the Quantum Prophecy series. There's tons of action and lots of twists and turns. The characters are really coming into their own and learning to use their powers especially our main three Colin, Danny, and Renata. They are presented with complex problems that dont always have a right answer and are forced to react. I love that they stand with their morals and do what they think is right, even if it makes for some tense and frustrating scenes. This is my favorite of the series so far and I can't wait to dig into the next book to find out what happens!