When readers think of the various Marvel comic legacies, most think of Spider Man, X-Men and Fantastic Four, not of historical drama pieces. Marvel comics has done the inconceivable. They created an alternate history where Doctor Doom and Queen Elizabeth coexist, albeit not-so-peacefully.

"I am from a family of artists. Here I am, making a living in the arts. It has not been a rebellion. It's as though I had taken over the family Esso station," writes Kurt Vonnegut in his new book, "A Man Without a Country." Despite what Vonnegut may say, though, his career as a writer has been anything but routine. He has earned his place in history as American literature's mad scientist, consistently brewing up imaginative, captivating stories and characters bent toward wry satire and humor.

Imagine a life full of extravagant balls, beautifully-crafted dresses and mysterious other-worldly magical Realms. Sixteen-year-old Gemma Doyle has recently been initiated into this way of life after her mother's untimely death. Set in 1895 London, Libba Bray's newest novel, "Rebel Angels," expands on Gemma's magical adventures with several fresh characters and surprising twists.

After experiencing cult-success in Japan, Koushun Takami's "Battle Royale" was translated into English for America's reading pleasure. The story revolves around the military-designed "Program," where entire classes of students are selected by a lottery to kill each other until the game's "winner" emerges.

The world has wondered about the mysterious lives of the Japanese women called "geisha" who live to entertain men with their mastery of dance and the arts. In "Memoirs of a Geisha," Arthur Golden reveals the secretive world with his poignant tale about the struggles and triumphs of a geisha named Sayuri.