book data
99 ratings,
3.23
average rating, 37 reviews
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published
June 10th 2008
by Three Rivers Press
binding
Paperback, 384 pages
isbn
0307394409
(isbn13: 9780307394408)
description
Madison, Wisconsin: In the summer of 2001, five college juniors wake up with . . . not just a hangover, but superpowers. . . .
Jack Robinson: Grew up o...more
Jack Robinson: Grew up o...more
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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 210)
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5 stars (11)
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4 stars (33)
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3 stars (31)
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2 stars (16)
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1 star (8)
|
avg 3.23
editions: all | this edition
editions: all | this edition
Read in October, 2008
What a good book! First, he starts with a basic comic book premise, that 5 college kids wake up one morning with assorted superpowers, but approaches it with a more realistic eye in terms of characters and characterization: one feels slighted because everybody else's powers are better; one is ticked off it happened to other people, too; one is unhappy because the others found out about hers. And the housemate who had been essentially living at his girlfriend's when the rest got their powers wo...more
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The new novel by my imaginary internet pal David Schwartz snags the coveted "four stars to be upgraded to five if you buy me drinks" rating. Smart, probing superhero fiction of the sort I wish I'd written.
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Read in June, 2008
I found this book in a bookstore while I was on vacation. I loved it. I devoured it in less than a day. For someone like me who grew up on comic books, this is the perfect blend of reality and fantasy.
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Read in December, 2008
A superhero story about what power can really do to people. The author guides you through the narrative as if it were true, and though the powers may not be found in the real world, the themes are. Taking on a similar feel to the TV show "Heroes", this book examines the real life impact of what having power really means and shows both the good and bad side-effects of said power.
Fun, funny and lite writing paired with some deeper issues about responsibility, perspective and ...more
Fun, funny and lite writing paired with some deeper issues about responsibility, perspective and ...more
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Read in September, 2008
This book started out slow. I almost put it down in the beginning, but then the characters started to gain depth and suddenly, I was hooked.
I love the literary approach to superpowers. It's not a matter of heroic people saving the day. These characters are just ordinary and somewhat selfish college students who gain powers and try to use them to do good.
And as they are human, they are fallible. That's the best part of the book.
One thing that came as a surpr...more
I love the literary approach to superpowers. It's not a matter of heroic people saving the day. These characters are just ordinary and somewhat selfish college students who gain powers and try to use them to do good.
And as they are human, they are fallible. That's the best part of the book.
One thing that came as a surpr...more
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Read in August, 2008
recommended to Eric by:
A friendrecommends it for: everyone I know
This is one of those books that makes me wish I could put in half-star ratings. I am not ready to go 5 stars (it was amazing!) with this book, but it's definitely superior to other books I'd consider four stars.
I recently read and reviewed Soon I Will Be Invincible, another superhero novel. Superpowers is almost the conceptual inverse of that book.
This novel dealt in a sober and realistic way with what would happen to a group of friends who suddenly developed superpower...more
I recently read and reviewed Soon I Will Be Invincible, another superhero novel. Superpowers is almost the conceptual inverse of that book.
This novel dealt in a sober and realistic way with what would happen to a group of friends who suddenly developed superpower...more
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Read in June, 2008
recommended to Ryan by:
Read about it in an essay in Poets & Writers
The ending of this book left me very torn; I'm not sure whether I'd like to see a sequel (or a series) grow out of it, or if I'm more satisfied by an arguably 'open' ending that stops there. It's hard to find a comic book / movie spinoff / etc. that doesn't leave things open to a sequel, so much so it's becoming very cliche.
I'd love to see more of these characters, though. Whereas I was relatively disappointed in how they spoke and behaved earlier in the novel when discovered their ...more
I'd love to see more of these characters, though. Whereas I was relatively disappointed in how they spoke and behaved earlier in the novel when discovered their ...more
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Read in May, 2009
This book is about five college roommates in Madison, Wisconsin who wake up one day to discover they have superpowers. It's very character driven, and takes a close look at how the students' newfound powers impact their lives for good and for ill. Schwartz writes like man who loves the superhero genre, but doesn't flinch from reality. The characters were so believable that I felt their pathos deeply as the tragedy of a certain well-known event affected their lives. I recommend this novel.
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Read in April, 2009
Hmmm...interesting. I really liked the meta-narration, the timeliness and the context. The main characters were pretty well explored, although I thought he could've done more with Charlie and some of the secondaries. The ending seemed a little rushed to me, and left some threads dangling. It left me wondering if Mr. Schwartz is considering a sequel, or if those elements just reflected the "real world" journalistic approach he was aiming for.
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I learned that having a superpower does not make you necessarily have a better life! I felt really sorry for Charlie the whole book. At times, I have wanted to read people's minds. This book made me never want to again.
It had some really funny parts and was really well written. I love the part when Harriet thinks that Charlie can't see her, but he knows she's there because he can read her mind.
It had some really funny parts and was really well written. I love the part when Harriet thinks that Charlie can't see her, but he knows she's there because he can read her mind.
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Has a copy to sell/swap
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Read in June, 2008
This book starts well and from the moment the World Trade Center is mentioned the general flow is pretty well established. There are few surprises here, and the question of what the book's heroes would do on 9/11 pulls through some mediocre prose and overdone foreshadowing.
However, at about 3/4ths through the book, something happens. The characters gain depth. As soon as you hit that, the book becomes almost impossible to put down. You now care about the once relatively shallow super...more
However, at about 3/4ths through the book, something happens. The characters gain depth. As soon as you hit that, the book becomes almost impossible to put down. You now care about the once relatively shallow super...more
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Just plain a fantastic novel. I love the editor's note organization. Lee read it and said I should, then just outright gave the novel to me. Every time I cracked it open, I just kept thinking "this is how the show Heroes should be, but isn't." The ending is bittersweet and wonderful. The only complaint I have at all is that from time to time Schwartz gives us a bit too much credit for being able to connect the dots, I think (Grant Morrison has a similar problem), and so he moves a bit ...more
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Read in March, 2009
I know it's a little cheesy, but I was a comic book geek back in the day, so super hero stories have a special place in my heart. While not the greatest novel ever written, it has a fun story so far. I'm about halfway through the book. I can't say it's impossible to put down, but at the same time it's very easy to pick back up again and get right back into.
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Read in July, 2008
I enjoyed some parts of this book, and not so much others. Most of the things it tries to do, I've seen done better elsewhere. I did really like the characters... at first. There were some plot points that either imploded or didn't really go anywhere that were interesting and I wish had... not imploded, or gone somewhere. If you're interested in the superhero genre and read a lot, this is something you'll be interested in. If you're interested in the superhero genre and don't read much or have l...more
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Read in June, 2008
Full disclosure: I love David J. Schwartz, personally. He's one of my best friends.
But even if he wasn't, I would say that this book is funny, sad, political, and smart. I am leaving myself another star for his next book because I like it even more and I want honesty in my reviews, but if I hadn't already read his next one I'd probably have given it five stars.
It's about five Madison college kids who wake up with super powers. There are costumes (yay) and crimefighting (d...more
But even if he wasn't, I would say that this book is funny, sad, political, and smart. I am leaving myself another star for his next book because I like it even more and I want honesty in my reviews, but if I hadn't already read his next one I'd probably have given it five stars.
It's about five Madison college kids who wake up with super powers. There are costumes (yay) and crimefighting (d...more
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Read in October, 2008
A realistic look at what might happen if five college students suddenly developed superpowers after a night of heavy drinking. (Clearly, I went to all the wrong parties when I was at school.) This book manages to be very funny and very sad at the same time, which is a combination I love. Schwartz uses his characters—all of whom he managed to make complex and distinct—to explore a number of interesting ideas. I’m not sure he quite gets everywhere he wanted to go with all of them, but the re...more
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Read in September, 2008
The popularity of vampire stories (cruise the shelves of any bookstore) used to puzzle me until I heard the writer for True Blood , which I have never watched, say in an interview that he believes the fascination with vampires is about a fear of intimacy. That rings true to me. Then there is our fascination with superpowers, usually much less literary than the vampire thing. But there are a few novels, as opposed to novelizations of films, comic books or graphic novels. One is Soon I Will ...more
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This book was mostly enjoyable. It wasn't as "fun" and "light" as the cover would lead you to believe. It starts out that way, but dives into the moral, legal, and emotional implications in a not-particularly-believable way.
I had to force myself to finish it, because I didn't have anything else to read at home. If it weren't so short and if I'd been reading anything else, I'd have turned this one into the library unfinished.
I wouldn't say I was rewarded f...more
I had to force myself to finish it, because I didn't have anything else to read at home. If it weren't so short and if I'd been reading anything else, I'd have turned this one into the library unfinished.
I wouldn't say I was rewarded f...more
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Read in September, 2008
I was very disappointed by this book. The premise seemed interesting--five college kids wake up one morning with superpowers. Unfortunately, it read like crappy fan fiction. The dialog was never quite believable and the characters were not developed very well. To try to disguise a few week points in the book, Shwartz uses asides from the supposed author of the book. But the rest of the book never seems to be written by him.
I gave the book two stars instead of one because there w...more
I gave the book two stars instead of one because there w...more
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Read in April, 2009
My colleague's son wrote this book. It's science fiction/fantasy which is a genre that I don't usually read. I'm really surprised how much I liked it. Five college students gain superpowers and struggle with the ethics of using their new powers.
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