Contest Results:

Two weeks ago I announced a contest to create a bookplate that we would glue inside the cover of donated books. I am now happy to announce the winner:

🎈 @thepaperplane wins the 3 SBD prize with his awesome entry. 🎈

It has the perfect dreamy feel to it that I was hoping someone would be able to capture. Thanks so much for your entry @thepaperplane! Enjoy your prize!
If you haven't checked out @thepaperplane's post about he made this bookplate, go check it out and give him an upvote.

Thoughts on Superhero Books

Something about superheroes appeals to everyone. Maybe it's we love the action or maybe it's the fact that we deep down we wish we had a superpower to. Unfortunately there doesn't seem to be many non-DC and Marvel fiction writers in this genre.

I decided to put together a list of my favorite books with my favorite superpowers in them. Two of them are webserials so they are free :)

The Reckoners series by Brandon Sanderson.

Brandon Sanderson puts a new twist on superhero stories in his world where people with powers are always supervillians. Some have amazing powers and can turn whole cities into metal while others only have unlimited bullets; but they all have one weakness, one thing that stops their power from working. A group of people called the Reckoners make it their job to discover the weakness of these supervillains and judge them for their crimes.

While it is a YA series, Brandon Sanderson can write to any age. The action, worldbuilding, and terrible similes all make for an amazing series. My favorite power was the unlimited ammo for a handgun. Simple buy kinda awesome ;)

The Experiment by Micah Edwards

This web-serial is about the life of Dan Everton, an average guy with a boring job. His life is turned upside down though when he receives superpowers and finds himself being attacked by all types of crazy people. Worst of all, the powers seem to come and go and he is constantly having to figure out his new powers. Now Dan has to do his best to survive and hold onto a job at the same time (which is a very hard thing to do).

This was one of the first webserials I read. While it's not as serious as some superhero books the character interactions are well written and memorable. My favorite power was Dan's super intelligence:

"I’ve come up with plans to improve the efficiency of the floor plan of the museum, some of which use existing doorways, and some which call for restructuring walls to allow new doors to be placed in superior positions ... I’ve balanced my budget in my head, come up with excellent suggestions to help the country balance its budget as well, and have made pretty good strides towards peace in the Middle East.

Worm by Wildbow

(Content Warning: Graphic Language)

Worm follows the steps of Taylor, a 16 year-old girl that can control bugs. She is preparing to join the superhero team when some villains mistake her for one of her own and she joins them to betray them. Gradually she shifts from a "hero" to a villain as she makes new friends.

Probably the most well known web serial, Worm is an amazing and dark trip into a world filled with superheros and all kinds of strange powers. It's heartbreaking and thrilling at the same time. I'd pick a favorite power from this book but there are so many cool ones! I guess I'd like to be some type of tinker or teleporting cape.

The Etc.

Ok, quick question for you guys. What type of content do you want to see from @steemitbooks? Book lists, book reviews, quotes, my favorite characters, etc. Knowing what you guys like would help me keep posting regularly. I'd appreciate your feedback :)

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The Steemit Book Project was started by @carn and its goal is to make books more available to everyone. All the profits of this and any other post by @steemitbooks will be used to buy books to donate to Open Library. For more info about the project and ways you can help, read the project's introduction post.