WHAT YOU WOULD ACTUALLY DO IF YOU HAD SUPERPOWERS

It’s the age-old question, asked after every Marvel movie: “What would you do if you had superpowers?”

The answer, at least for most of us is, “I’d have fun,” or “I’d make the world a better place” or would somehow produce “world peace.”

But would you?

What people constantly seem to forget during this mental exercise is that they are just as human as the rest of us – superpowers, or no superpowers – and with that humanity comes human nature.

People often forget that even paragons of virtue such as Peter Parker and Clark Kent still have their dark sides. After his aunt was killed in the comics, Spiderman embarked on a rampage as he tracked down her killer, resorting to murder several times himself. And let us not forget the infamous scene of Superman being forced to kill General Zod in order to save the family he was threatening.

My point is, anyone can be driven to extreme lengths if they are pushed too far. This is demonstrated perfectly in the novel “Superhuman Nature,” by Brandon Overall.

In the story, Neil Hitchens is an ROTC cadet on the cusp of graduating when he is struck by a series of strange dreams. Through the next few days he begins to discover that he has somehow gained the power of telekinesis, or the ability to move things with his mind.

At first it’s fun learning about his new abilities, pushing himself to see just what he can do.

Until he gets discovered.

Neil’s journey through the following month is fascinating, from both a psychological and a superhero standpoint. The reader follows along as he is forced to deal with major event after major event, rapidly bending his once-normal life completely out of shape.

This book is absolutely worth a read. Instead of following the well-beaten trend of zero-to-hero, the author takes a more realistic view of things, writing in a way that reflects what an ordinary, everyday person would do in response to various life events.

If you’re bored and looking for something to do, I would absolutely recommend Superhuman Nature. You won’t regret it.