Superpowers: A Novel

By David J. Schwartz

Madison, Wisconsin: In the summer of 2001, five college juniors wake up with . . . not just a hangover, but superpowers. . . .

Jack Robinson: Grew up on a farm, works in a chem lab, and brews his own beer. Age: 19. Superpower: SPEED.

Caroline Bloom: Has a flair for fashion design and a mother who’s completely out of touch. Works as a waitress for a lunatic boss.
Age: 20. Superpower: FLIGHT.

Harriet Bishop: Studied violin, guitar, and piano . . . and was terrible at them all. Now writes about music for the campus paper.
Age: 20. Superpower: ­INVISIBILITY.

Mary Beth Layton: Is managing a 3.8, but feels like she’s working three times as hard as the people around her.
Age: 20. Superpower: STRENGTH.

Charlie Frost: Has an anxious way about him, and always looks like he’s on day 101 of his most recent haircut.
Age: 20. Superpower: TELEPATHY.


But how do you adjust to an extraordinary ability when you’re an ordinary person? What if you’re not ready for the responsibility that comes with great power? And how do you keep your head in a world that’s going mad?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Release date: Jun 10, 2008
• ISBN: 9780307449689

David J. Schwartz

Born in Saint Paul, Minnesota, David J. Schwartz spent his childhood making up plots for movies he was too young to see in theaters. Inspired by everything from Borges to roller derby—including fantasy stalwarts such as Anne McCaffrey and Ursula K. Le Guin—Schwartz turned his creativity to writing, becoming a Nebula Award-nominated author. Schwartz regularly attends Midwestern fantasy and science-fiction conventions, such as WisCon and Convergence, and prefers kids and dogs to most adults. After traveling the country, he has settled back in Saint Paul where he hopes to spend the rest of his days.

Reviews for Superpowers

[kingrat_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Superpowers was nominated for a Nebula, and deservedly so, though it didn’t win. It’s a "realistic" take on superheroes, focusing on the personal. In the story, having super abilities isn’t a boon. The five main characters were all richly conceived. I disagree with some reviewers who took issue with the number and quality of secondary characters. I thought they added quite a bit to the story. Unlike a lot of superhero fiction, the conflict is primarily that of self-doubt and that doubt is not caused by facing a nemesis. It’s also a pretty quick read.

[nmele_4 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

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 Be Invincible [book: Soon I Will Be Invincible] ; this is another. Schwartz follows a group of college students as they struggle with the sudden gift of superpowers, and so there are some overtones of Spider-Man here.

[madcurrin_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I've always thought super heroes should stick to the visual media of comics and movies but if you're going to read a super hero novel then this is a good place to start. 'Superpowers' works as a novel because it is more introspective than simply trying to be a prose version of stuff that would look cool on screen. There are no super villains, no bombastic evil plots for the super heroes to foil. It's a study on what might actually happen if five people woke up with super powers. A flawed but enjoyable three and a half stars.

[wyvernfriend · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A bunch of College students drink some homebrew and develop the usual powers, invisibiliity, telepathy, flight, strength and speed. They decide to use their powers for good and find that that can be harder than ignoring the situation.Interesting but it's pretty much been done before, still quite readable if a little predictable in parts.

[girl_detective · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Five college juniors in Madison, WI throw a party, drink beer and pass out. When they wake up, they don’t have hangovers, they have the superpowers of the book’s title: super strength, speed, invisibility, telepathy and flight. The book wonders what would happen to real kids in the real world if suddenly blessed–or is it cursed?–with superpowers.Superheros is an older teen novel, featuring college protagonists struggling with real-life issues, in addition to their new problems. It’s also an introduction to superhero culture, perhaps best for fans of shows like Heroes or Smallville who haven’t yet become comic-book readers.

[anyanwubutler · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

On May 19, 2001 five students at University of Wisconsin- Madison have a party to celebrate the end of the school year. They wake up with superpowers. Jack has speed, Charlie has telepathy, Caroline can fly, Harriet turns invisible, Mary Beth is super strong. For a couple of days they think it‘s just them, then they try to decide what to do with their powers. Caroline doesn‘t want to be a superhero, she just wants to fly, but her friends convince her otherwise. “It was nice having heroes for a while… But in the end I gues we have to get by without heroes. Even the best of them is as human as the rest of us, and the only thing you can count on with humans is that they’ll let you down eventually. You, for instance. You’ll forget this story eventually, and it’ll be like it didn’t happen.”

[cargal_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I'll admit I was pleasantly surprised by this light superhero read. In some places I was confused (the one character takes quite a head trip), other places had less of a surprise - but overall it was an easy, quick read. I did pick it up and read it cover to cover in one sitting. I think there could have been richer character development, especially the character that can fly (am trying not to give too much away!), but perhaps the author was also leaving the story a little open-ended so that the characters could be expanded on in a future novel. I think this was a more realistic viewpoint on how people would respond to waking up and suddenly one day having superhero powers than other similar novels I've read. Overall, a light enjoyable afternoon read.

[diamondb_22 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I grabbed this book on a whim, brought to my attention by some online ad at a web comic site that I forget and I'm quite happy with the decision. I've read comic books as a kid, and even now I occasionally pick one up, so I've always been interested in the concept of superpowers. Rarely have I seen anything done with integrating the existence of said powers into the world as we know it. Meaning, of course, a world with out "supervillians" to act as adversaries to superheroes.This book does a wonderful job of investigating the lives of five young adults who suddenly find themselves gifted with various superpowers. While it does cover thier exploits as heroes in a world that isn't sure how to deal with them, it also does a very good job of considering what these five people have to adjust to. In addition to dealing a legal system that isn't ready for them, they have to still maintain thier lives as normal college students in a world undergoing a major change (I won't give it away, but if you pick it up pay attention to the dates on the chapter headings).Overall I really enjoyed this book, I read it in a day, something I haven't sat down and done in a very long time. It's a fantastical adventure that remains grounded with very real issues that can and do affect many of us on a daily basis.