I learned a new bookish term today: sleeping hero legends.

I came across a link to this article on Facebook. It’s written by Jack Campbell, who writes an awesome military science fiction series. Seriously. Awesome. It holds my attention and keeps me breathless on the edge of my seat. And it doesn’t even have romance in it. A book that can do that these days is really, really awesome.

Campbell’s Lost Fleet series is a sleeping hero legend. The premise is that a spaceship captain dies saving a fleet from total destruction, but a century later, his escape pod thingy is found. He’s awoken from a long sleep and learns that his “last stand” has granted him hero status, and that the fleet idolizes him and his war strategies. It’s a really cool idea, and very well executed.

Another sleeping hero legend that I adore? Accidental Goddess by Linnea Sinclair. Again, this is science fiction, but it has romance! And it’s more of a space fantasy, so I think it probably appeals to urban fantasy/paranormal fans.

In this book, the heroine saves a planet in an epic space battle that leaves her presumed dead, but she’s thrown 300 years into the future and quickly learns she’s been turned into a goddess by the people she saved. I always have trouble figuring out which Linnea Sinclair book is my favorite, but usually, I choose this one. I’ve reread it at least four times, and for someone who very rarely rereads books these days, that’s something.

I want to read more Sleeping Hero Legends. Anyone have any recommendations? Amazon and Google both are failing me.