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Click Your Poison #3
Superpowered: Are You a Superhero or Supervillain?
3 Unique Storylines. Over 50 Possible Endings. Just one question... Will YOU Be a Hero or a Villain?
You know the superhero fantasy. What would life be like if you had superhuman abilities? But really, given the choice, would you save the world or conquer it? In SUPERPOWERED, the choice is yours.
After a bizarre experiment leaves you with one of three superpowers (play the book multiple times to explore all three!), you must ally with or confront the other two test subjects while the fate of Mercury City--nay, the world!--hangs in the balance.
Live your own interactive comic book adventure and Get SUPERPOWERED!
You know the superhero fantasy. What would life be like if you had superhuman abilities? But really, given the choice, would you save the world or conquer it? In SUPERPOWERED, the choice is yours.
After a bizarre experiment leaves you with one of three superpowers (play the book multiple times to explore all three!), you must ally with or confront the other two test subjects while the fate of Mercury City--nay, the world!--hangs in the balance.
Live your own interactive comic book adventure and Get SUPERPOWERED!
380 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 1, 2015
147 people are currently reading
1,368 people want to read
About the author
James Schannep
12 books153 followersJames Schannep has no tragic backstory.
Having grown up in a fairly ordinary suburban household, with a family who loved him, he was forced to dream up far flung adventures on strange new worlds where the hero can save the day and make a difference through strength of character alone.
Schannep attended the United States Air Force Academy, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in English Literature with a minor in General Engineering. After serving honorably as a Nuclear Missile Command and Control Officer, he returned to trying to make a difference through story.
As a screenwriter, game designer, and novelist, he is probably best known for his Click Your Poison series of interactive gamebooks.
Social Vampire is his first novel.
When not dreaming up strange new worlds, James lives in the one inhabited by his wife, who faithfully remains the patroness of his art, and with his children, who don’t quite grasp what they’ve inherited yet with such an eccentric father.
Having grown up in a fairly ordinary suburban household, with a family who loved him, he was forced to dream up far flung adventures on strange new worlds where the hero can save the day and make a difference through strength of character alone.
Schannep attended the United States Air Force Academy, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in English Literature with a minor in General Engineering. After serving honorably as a Nuclear Missile Command and Control Officer, he returned to trying to make a difference through story.
As a screenwriter, game designer, and novelist, he is probably best known for his Click Your Poison series of interactive gamebooks.
Social Vampire is his first novel.
When not dreaming up strange new worlds, James lives in the one inhabited by his wife, who faithfully remains the patroness of his art, and with his children, who don’t quite grasp what they’ve inherited yet with such an eccentric father.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
March 11, 2015
As the author, I'm admittedly biased. Of course I think my book deserves 5-stars! But here's why you should too....SUPERPOWERED lets YOU choose to be a hero or a villain.
With three superpowers to choose from, you can save the world or conquer it. 3 unique storylines, 50+ possible endings. Finally, a book with replay value.
As the author of the Click Your Poison series, I hope you love reading SUPERPOWERED as much as I enjoyed writing it. I spent over a year in Mercury City, destroying it one day and protecting it the next. Imagining grand scenarios and blending story paths in ways that often surprised me with the outcomes. I'm happy to say that I've created a book that you absolutely must read multiple times. Learn to fly, deflect bullets, or create a killer robot and save/take over the world. Get SUPERPOWERED!
Note: This book is on-sale for only $0.99 during pre-order!
James Schannep
July 6, 2015
I loved, loved, loved Choose Your Own Adventure books when I was a kid. (If you're lost in this review because you don't know what they are, you should be ashamed of yourself. Google them now.) I still have several of them, and even have copies of many of the clones. The TSR Endless Quest books, being of course my favorite. I mean, cmon - Dungeons and Dragons that you can play by yourself?
So this was a fun throwback to that time. And with superpowers! (As you can probably tell by the name of the book.) I remember keeping my finger at the last choice in case I made the wrong one (and in this way checking out all the storylines) - but being an ebook, this one does it for you! You can just go back to the last choice if you die - or there's a handy index at the back that allows you to click directly to any section - if you remember the name.
This was a lot of fun. I don't know how much of my enjoyment was based on nostalgia, but either way I really liked it.
So this was a fun throwback to that time. And with superpowers! (As you can probably tell by the name of the book.) I remember keeping my finger at the last choice in case I made the wrong one (and in this way checking out all the storylines) - but being an ebook, this one does it for you! You can just go back to the last choice if you die - or there's a handy index at the back that allows you to click directly to any section - if you remember the name.
This was a lot of fun. I don't know how much of my enjoyment was based on nostalgia, but either way I really liked it.
January 30, 2017
Firstly, I received the ebook through LibraryThing and secondly the author is super nice.
Anyway, this book. I haven't read a book like this, where you can make your own story, since I was really young and I loved them! This is a great, interactive adventure where you can choose to be a superhero, choose the powers you receive and how the story ends. It was definitely interesting to see how all the different selections played out but in some places there wasn't an option to choose and it just continued on. This was something that let me down a little as I would have preferred a bit more variation in choices and sometimes, when there was more than one choice, they were a bit cliché and not really true to what I would do in that situation but at the same time I know it's impossible to do this for every reader. I would have liked more variation in the story so there were different characters and more development in relationships but again understand that with all the different options this would have been a long book though, some parts felt so rushed and the story felt over so quickly that it was a little disappointing and a little predictable.
I would have just like to have more human choices, more variation and much more development and depth in the characters and their storyline.
Apart from that the book was intriguing, a quick read and gives you the ability to reread it the next day with different choices to change the outcome. It was fun but sometimes the lack of depth and development made it hard to attach to the story and became a bit difficult to enjoy.
I will definitely be reading the authors others books because it's nostalgic and because I like creating my own outcomes and endings.
3 stars for this for all the reasons previously mentioned, I wanted to give more but I just felt that there wasn't enough keeping me interested in the story and that it was too rushed and if you chose not to follow the crazy man it was over in two pages, this could have still been developed and it would have been nice if the more realistic responses and choices also had a path alongside the storyline.
Anyway, this book. I haven't read a book like this, where you can make your own story, since I was really young and I loved them! This is a great, interactive adventure where you can choose to be a superhero, choose the powers you receive and how the story ends. It was definitely interesting to see how all the different selections played out but in some places there wasn't an option to choose and it just continued on. This was something that let me down a little as I would have preferred a bit more variation in choices and sometimes, when there was more than one choice, they were a bit cliché and not really true to what I would do in that situation but at the same time I know it's impossible to do this for every reader. I would have liked more variation in the story so there were different characters and more development in relationships but again understand that with all the different options this would have been a long book though, some parts felt so rushed and the story felt over so quickly that it was a little disappointing and a little predictable.
I would have just like to have more human choices, more variation and much more development and depth in the characters and their storyline.
Apart from that the book was intriguing, a quick read and gives you the ability to reread it the next day with different choices to change the outcome. It was fun but sometimes the lack of depth and development made it hard to attach to the story and became a bit difficult to enjoy.
I will definitely be reading the authors others books because it's nostalgic and because I like creating my own outcomes and endings.
3 stars for this for all the reasons previously mentioned, I wanted to give more but I just felt that there wasn't enough keeping me interested in the story and that it was too rushed and if you chose not to follow the crazy man it was over in two pages, this could have still been developed and it would have been nice if the more realistic responses and choices also had a path alongside the storyline.
May 13, 2018
Disclaimer: I received a Kindle download of this book through a Goodreads giveaway to facilitate this review. No other renumeration was offered or requested.
Many readers of this blog will be familiar with “gamebooks” which have multiple paths through the story based on the decisions you make. The most famous of these are the “Choose Your Own Adventure” series from the 1980s, but there have been multiple variations over the years. This is a modern version designed to work with the e-book hypertext format, and part of the “Click Your Poison” series.
In this case, “you” are the subject of a mad scientist’s experiment in granting humans awesome superpowers. The story is told in second person; after one brief dead-end path, the plot can follow one of three major lines depending on which power you got, labeled after the Rock-Paper-Scissors game. There are six “golden” endings, two for each power depending on whether you use it for good or evil, multiple lethal endings, and a handful of “well, that was a thing that happened” endings.
Hypertext works well for a gamebook, allowing you to click directly to the consequences of your choice without having to check the page numbers. However, the entries don’t have a way to instantly flip back if you’ve made a bad choice, and fat fingers or a nervous twitch can get you lost on the wrong page. I recommend writing down the titles of the entries as you go.
Those titles range from quite clever wordplay and references through utilitarian to dreadful puns. They’re conveniently listed in alphabetical order at the end of the book.
The author tries to avoid specifying the gender/race/age of “you” but some of the passages clearly make more sense if the character is an adult white man. This means that “romance” is off the table except for one very odd mini-chapter, and some male-gazish description of a female reporter. Your (and several other characters’) morality is also quite variable, often switching instantly between good and evil according to the option you just picked.
This is not a book for children; there’s some harsh language, and even the “good guy” routes involve some murder. High schoolers on up shouldn’t have much trouble dealing with the issues presented.
I derived several hours’ enjoyment from methodically mapping out the various routes and finding hidden surprises (one is a bonus for folks who have read previous volumes in the series.) Looking at other reviews now, I see that this book is not a good choice for people who are easily frustrated–so many people gave up after their first two or three bad endings!
If you enjoyed gamebooks as a kid, this is a decent enough entry in the field, but not as good as Romeo and/or Juliet by Ryan North.
Many readers of this blog will be familiar with “gamebooks” which have multiple paths through the story based on the decisions you make. The most famous of these are the “Choose Your Own Adventure” series from the 1980s, but there have been multiple variations over the years. This is a modern version designed to work with the e-book hypertext format, and part of the “Click Your Poison” series.
In this case, “you” are the subject of a mad scientist’s experiment in granting humans awesome superpowers. The story is told in second person; after one brief dead-end path, the plot can follow one of three major lines depending on which power you got, labeled after the Rock-Paper-Scissors game. There are six “golden” endings, two for each power depending on whether you use it for good or evil, multiple lethal endings, and a handful of “well, that was a thing that happened” endings.
Hypertext works well for a gamebook, allowing you to click directly to the consequences of your choice without having to check the page numbers. However, the entries don’t have a way to instantly flip back if you’ve made a bad choice, and fat fingers or a nervous twitch can get you lost on the wrong page. I recommend writing down the titles of the entries as you go.
Those titles range from quite clever wordplay and references through utilitarian to dreadful puns. They’re conveniently listed in alphabetical order at the end of the book.
The author tries to avoid specifying the gender/race/age of “you” but some of the passages clearly make more sense if the character is an adult white man. This means that “romance” is off the table except for one very odd mini-chapter, and some male-gazish description of a female reporter. Your (and several other characters’) morality is also quite variable, often switching instantly between good and evil according to the option you just picked.
This is not a book for children; there’s some harsh language, and even the “good guy” routes involve some murder. High schoolers on up shouldn’t have much trouble dealing with the issues presented.
I derived several hours’ enjoyment from methodically mapping out the various routes and finding hidden surprises (one is a bonus for folks who have read previous volumes in the series.) Looking at other reviews now, I see that this book is not a good choice for people who are easily frustrated–so many people gave up after their first two or three bad endings!
If you enjoyed gamebooks as a kid, this is a decent enough entry in the field, but not as good as Romeo and/or Juliet by Ryan North.
July 22, 2015
I read pick your own adventures all the time when I was younger, so was surprised and excited when asked to review one.
It was almost a walk down memory lane. (Except for the kindle thing of course.) I'll try not to put in any spoilers for anyone else that may be thinking of reading this too. The first thing I liked about it, was you had three possible paths to start with, then multiple paths along each choice. However, a few of them felt like they were very much alike. A couple of them even ended the same way, all I will say on that is that certain paths led to Catherine being a real biatch.
Overall, the story was fun, but I think it would be more enjoyable for preteens to early teenager.
It was almost a walk down memory lane. (Except for the kindle thing of course.) I'll try not to put in any spoilers for anyone else that may be thinking of reading this too. The first thing I liked about it, was you had three possible paths to start with, then multiple paths along each choice. However, a few of them felt like they were very much alike. A couple of them even ended the same way, all I will say on that is that certain paths led to Catherine being a real biatch.
Overall, the story was fun, but I think it would be more enjoyable for preteens to early teenager.
May 29, 2018
I won this as a giveaway and decided to review it.
This was my first choose your adventure type book and I liked it. It was easy to step into the shoes of the character you were portraying, which was nice. I do wish some of the other characters were more fleshed out, I felt that Catherine was a bit one dimensional and somewhat undeveloped, as you encounter her later on in the story.
It would be nice to be more specific about the hypertext and keeping track of titles/chapters to go back. Sometimes the previous chapter doesn't give you options and you need to remember the previous two chapters not just one.
I found about 2/3 of the possible endings, and so far it's been fun. If you're easily frustrated, this is not a book for you - the fun is more in finding a satisfying ending than being annoyed the "dead" endings don't have a lot of text or explanations.
Overall, it's a good escapist read.
This was my first choose your adventure type book and I liked it. It was easy to step into the shoes of the character you were portraying, which was nice. I do wish some of the other characters were more fleshed out, I felt that Catherine was a bit one dimensional and somewhat undeveloped, as you encounter her later on in the story.
It would be nice to be more specific about the hypertext and keeping track of titles/chapters to go back. Sometimes the previous chapter doesn't give you options and you need to remember the previous two chapters not just one.
I found about 2/3 of the possible endings, and so far it's been fun. If you're easily frustrated, this is not a book for you - the fun is more in finding a satisfying ending than being annoyed the "dead" endings don't have a lot of text or explanations.
Overall, it's a good escapist read.
June 1, 2015
This book was provided by the publisher/author for an honest review.
This book was so much fun to read! There are so many different options. Some choices led to satisfactory endings. Others led to my demise. There were two full story lines that when picking the right combinations of choices you completed the book and were either a Super Hero or Super Villain. The first few days I read for pleasure then I started to take notes so I wouldn’t have to completely start over every time. I loved the ability to reset or to go to the chapter headings and pick up where I felt like I took a wrong turn. Taking notes helped with that aspect. I also sat and read this out loud to my kids and allowed them to make the decisions. It was a great way to spend time and get them interested in reading. (There are some cuss words that meant I wouldn’t let my kids read it by themselves. I just substituted the language as I read) This was a great adventure that never gets old. I will continue to see where I can go within this world and his other books are being added to my library!
***Review has been done in conjunction with Nerd Girl Official. For more information regarding our reviews please visit our Fansite: www.facebook.com/NerdGirl.ng ***
This book was so much fun to read! There are so many different options. Some choices led to satisfactory endings. Others led to my demise. There were two full story lines that when picking the right combinations of choices you completed the book and were either a Super Hero or Super Villain. The first few days I read for pleasure then I started to take notes so I wouldn’t have to completely start over every time. I loved the ability to reset or to go to the chapter headings and pick up where I felt like I took a wrong turn. Taking notes helped with that aspect. I also sat and read this out loud to my kids and allowed them to make the decisions. It was a great way to spend time and get them interested in reading. (There are some cuss words that meant I wouldn’t let my kids read it by themselves. I just substituted the language as I read) This was a great adventure that never gets old. I will continue to see where I can go within this world and his other books are being added to my library!
***Review has been done in conjunction with Nerd Girl Official. For more information regarding our reviews please visit our Fansite: www.facebook.com/NerdGirl.ng ***
July 25, 2015
Very good and amazing read.
I gave this book a 5 star review because not only was it fun to read and very well done but you get to choose your own destiny and be who you want in this book . I tried to do it the way I think a lot of people would and be the honest person , depending on what path you take during the book , well let's just say it didn't work out to good for me. I stopped reading what I was reading and started reading this book because it had grabbed my interest sitting there starring at me every time I would go to read something ,so I gave in and read it. This book will give you hours if not days of fun. Great job Mr. A channel. It must have taken a lot e time and effort to do this amazing book. P.S. When you people read the book remember what the name of the chapter you are on is, trust me you'll see what I mean.
I gave this book a 5 star review because not only was it fun to read and very well done but you get to choose your own destiny and be who you want in this book . I tried to do it the way I think a lot of people would and be the honest person , depending on what path you take during the book , well let's just say it didn't work out to good for me. I stopped reading what I was reading and started reading this book because it had grabbed my interest sitting there starring at me every time I would go to read something ,so I gave in and read it. This book will give you hours if not days of fun. Great job Mr. A channel. It must have taken a lot e time and effort to do this amazing book. P.S. When you people read the book remember what the name of the chapter you are on is, trust me you'll see what I mean.
February 5, 2019
nice experiment, but its actual literary value is questionable. it was fun to flip back and forth the whole day, but the thought of going back to it is kinda exhausting? i felt like there were too many dead ends, and i don't think that i've gotten to the actually interesting storyline yet. i'll keep trying though, maybe my opinion will change later, but i doubt it.
i feel it's only fair to mention that i got this book due to my obsession with netflix's bandersnatch and i would not have read it if not for this absolutely mad movie. so. there. you got the reason. you can imagine the expectations.
i feel it's only fair to mention that i got this book due to my obsession with netflix's bandersnatch and i would not have read it if not for this absolutely mad movie. so. there. you got the reason. you can imagine the expectations.
January 5, 2018
An exercise in frustration
This book is like one of those old school choose your own adventure stories, but with very few viable paths. I read/played for about 30 minutes, completely exploring one of the three advertised storylines, and the closest I got to a satisfying ending was one which essentially boiled down to "and then you left forever, the end." The rest were downright depressing. Not fun or interesting. Unhappy with the purchase, and definitely won't be trying any of the others in the series.
This book is like one of those old school choose your own adventure stories, but with very few viable paths. I read/played for about 30 minutes, completely exploring one of the three advertised storylines, and the closest I got to a satisfying ending was one which essentially boiled down to "and then you left forever, the end." The rest were downright depressing. Not fun or interesting. Unhappy with the purchase, and definitely won't be trying any of the others in the series.
May 23, 2016
So many outcomes!
I received a copy of this book for free in exchange for an honest review. I really enjoy choose your own adventure games and this one is so amazing! Definitely going to look for more from this author. I'd recommend it for anyone looking for a great adventure:):):)
I received a copy of this book for free in exchange for an honest review. I really enjoy choose your own adventure games and this one is so amazing! Definitely going to look for more from this author. I'd recommend it for anyone looking for a great adventure:):):)
May 21, 2015
Best Choose our own adventure book I have ever read! (I got this book through First Reads)
July 26, 2022
I finished this book in 3 seconds because I chose to live a plain life.
May 27, 2018
I received the Kindle edition of Superpowered: Are YOU a Superhero or Supervillian? through a Goodreads giveaway.
Love the idea of this book, as well as being able to choose different storylines and endings. Also, the writing is very well done - not what I'd expected when I first heard of the book. The first time reading it was a pleasant surprise; no watered down text, and the beginning didn't feel rushed. However, I must give it only 3 stars because each reading is so short with sudden endings; while a surprise here and there is nice, this book could have been fleshed out a bit more. I admit, I have not yet read all 50 possible, and I'm hopeful that there are some which will last longer and take me through a few more twists and turns before reaching the end. Overall, it is a fun read and the choices make it worth reading again if only to see what changes.
Love the idea of this book, as well as being able to choose different storylines and endings. Also, the writing is very well done - not what I'd expected when I first heard of the book. The first time reading it was a pleasant surprise; no watered down text, and the beginning didn't feel rushed. However, I must give it only 3 stars because each reading is so short with sudden endings; while a surprise here and there is nice, this book could have been fleshed out a bit more. I admit, I have not yet read all 50 possible, and I'm hopeful that there are some which will last longer and take me through a few more twists and turns before reaching the end. Overall, it is a fun read and the choices make it worth reading again if only to see what changes.
June 21, 2018
Choose your own adventure returns for all the kids who are now grown up and still remember the genre with fondness. A Scientist approaches people off the street to participate in a short experiment. You of course choose to give it a try, after all he is promising a few bucks. A large explosion occurs and more choices present themselves. I spent few fum minutes exploring alternative choices, I was doomed to die. Each choice I made presented me with death. Others I shared the book with had much more exciting adventures.
May 4, 2021
This is fun when you want a light read. This reminds me of a book series I read long ago (can't remember titles) where each prompt would take me to a different page depending on which response I chose. With all the flipping back and forth in Superpowered, sometimes I got confused about where I should be, but that added to fun. Although I'm fairly certain I finished the book, I'm not sure I covered all the prompts. They should have lengthened the villain lines. I'll probably check out the other books in the series.
November 30, 2018
Fun read.
August 21, 2019
This book was a lot of fun! It's just like the Choose-Your-Own-Adventure books from the 80s, but written for adults. And my 15-year-old son wants to read it! I'm calling that a win.
December 23, 2015
I received a copy of this title through the LibraryThing Early Reviewers program.
Ten Second Synopsis:
Choose Your Own Adventure for big kids who want to be as superhero...or super villain.
This was a light, fun read that immediately had me thinking out my old-school strategies for how I would approach the story. I initially took the path of least resistance, which resulted in a quickly ended storyline, and then I backed up and got my head in the game. There are three superpowers you can choose from once the story gets going and I took my time deliberating – you don’t want to end up choosing a sucky one and having to start all over again, after all. Or maybe you do, if that’s the way you want to play it!
Once it becomes apparent that you are no longer an ordinary human, paths unfold that allow you to choose whether you will be a bleeding heart hero with designs on making the world a super place, or a black hearted villain with no regard for the common people. The thing that impressed me the most about this book was the smooth and responsive “click your choice” format in the Kindle edition that allows the reader to click on the chosen option to be taken straight to the corresponding page. I admit, I did wonder how the author was going to get past all the flicking forward and back of the traditional print CYACs in the electronic format, but it worked like a dream and kept me focused on the story.
I did find it was tricky to go back once you’d made a selection – I learned to take note of the prior location in case I muffed it up – but that was a minor drawback to something that really delivers an enjoyable, nostalgic experience in a modern, adult-friendly format.
There are two other adventures in the Click Your Poison series – one a murder mystery and the other an apocalyptic plague zombie survival adventure – and I would be interested in checking them out. I reckon that this series is perfect for those who enjoyed the CYAC format as a youngster and are looking for a fun, interactive reading experience to brighten up their daily commute, boring appointment waiting time or other tedium from which there is no physical escape.
Ten Second Synopsis:
Choose Your Own Adventure for big kids who want to be as superhero...or super villain.
This was a light, fun read that immediately had me thinking out my old-school strategies for how I would approach the story. I initially took the path of least resistance, which resulted in a quickly ended storyline, and then I backed up and got my head in the game. There are three superpowers you can choose from once the story gets going and I took my time deliberating – you don’t want to end up choosing a sucky one and having to start all over again, after all. Or maybe you do, if that’s the way you want to play it!
Once it becomes apparent that you are no longer an ordinary human, paths unfold that allow you to choose whether you will be a bleeding heart hero with designs on making the world a super place, or a black hearted villain with no regard for the common people. The thing that impressed me the most about this book was the smooth and responsive “click your choice” format in the Kindle edition that allows the reader to click on the chosen option to be taken straight to the corresponding page. I admit, I did wonder how the author was going to get past all the flicking forward and back of the traditional print CYACs in the electronic format, but it worked like a dream and kept me focused on the story.
I did find it was tricky to go back once you’d made a selection – I learned to take note of the prior location in case I muffed it up – but that was a minor drawback to something that really delivers an enjoyable, nostalgic experience in a modern, adult-friendly format.
There are two other adventures in the Click Your Poison series – one a murder mystery and the other an apocalyptic plague zombie survival adventure – and I would be interested in checking them out. I reckon that this series is perfect for those who enjoyed the CYAC format as a youngster and are looking for a fun, interactive reading experience to brighten up their daily commute, boring appointment waiting time or other tedium from which there is no physical escape.
December 14, 2015
I read the first Click Your Poison book, Infected, a few months ago, and since then I've been really wanting to read Superpowered. I'm not usually into zombie things, but I found the format fun and nostalgic and well-suited to the Kindle. I expected to like Superpowered even more, since I actually quite like superhero things.
But I'll admit that at first I was underwhelmed. My first play through ended after only five choices, and one of those wasn't actually a choice. I was kinda bummed. So I went back and tried to do every choice path for Paper I could think of, and I didn't "win" any of them, and a lot of them weren't very exciting. (I did appreciate the easter egg referring to Infected, though.)
So I went back and chose Rock, and had more fun. I played through a few of those storylines, and won one. I was smiling like I'd thought I would.
The same went for Scissors, in which I also won one.
Then I went back and tried one more path for Paper I'd apparently forgotten, and won that one too. So I succeeded in finding at least one winning path for each power, and that's nice.
I tried to choose every path I could think of so I'd experience it all, and it was mostly pretty fun. I was disappointed there were so many paths that weren't winning and weren't losing, they were just.. ending. And maybe I shouldn't be and that's fine, but it felt kind of weird to me.
Also, I feel like this book assumed who I was a lot more. Like it tries hard to act as though I could be any gender and age, but it really wanted me to be male. This is best evidenced when you end up being a government superhero and they give you a suit, but when Catherine turns up, she can't get a suit because they're only designed for males. It was one of those moments that kind of forces you out of the story because I didn't realize that I was supposed to be assuming my maleness, I thought I was just being me. I don't know; it's fine, but it was a bit bothersome.
Gosh, I feel like this review sounds really negative. It was fun and I did enjoy some of the different ways this could go.
But I'll admit that at first I was underwhelmed. My first play through ended after only five choices, and one of those wasn't actually a choice. I was kinda bummed. So I went back and tried to do every choice path for Paper I could think of, and I didn't "win" any of them, and a lot of them weren't very exciting. (I did appreciate the easter egg referring to Infected, though.)
So I went back and chose Rock, and had more fun. I played through a few of those storylines, and won one. I was smiling like I'd thought I would.
The same went for Scissors, in which I also won one.
Then I went back and tried one more path for Paper I'd apparently forgotten, and won that one too. So I succeeded in finding at least one winning path for each power, and that's nice.
I tried to choose every path I could think of so I'd experience it all, and it was mostly pretty fun. I was disappointed there were so many paths that weren't winning and weren't losing, they were just.. ending. And maybe I shouldn't be and that's fine, but it felt kind of weird to me.
Also, I feel like this book assumed who I was a lot more. Like it tries hard to act as though I could be any gender and age, but it really wanted me to be male. This is best evidenced when you end up being a government superhero and they give you a suit, but when Catherine turns up, she can't get a suit because they're only designed for males. It was one of those moments that kind of forces you out of the story because I didn't realize that I was supposed to be assuming my maleness, I thought I was just being me. I don't know; it's fine, but it was a bit bothersome.
Gosh, I feel like this review sounds really negative. It was fun and I did enjoy some of the different ways this could go.
January 9, 2016
I seem to be doing a lot more "just a couple of notes" type reviews instead of reviews but . . .
First off: The author mostly did a pretty good job of keeping from having the "main character" stare into a mirror and describe themselves, or similar. Allowing more than one very specific person to be able to put themselves into the story. Which is important, since this is a "choose your own adventure" type story. Except for two issues: 1) One of the paths goes to "opposite gender land". I might be misremembering this now, but I think the female version of you steps forward. I know one of the options was to seduce yourself, but I didn't go down that path so I don't know what that might have lead to. 2) one of the paths leads you to working for a guy who outfits you with a prototype suit. Somewhere along the line that guy makes a comment that indicates that you, the main character, are male. He tells a woman joining the team something along the lines of "sorry, all the super suits were built for men" (not an exact quote). The author came soo close to allowing anyone and everyone to picture themselves as the main character. But alas . . .
In terms of story/pathway/etc. I disliked how repetitive it could get. As in, . . . hmm. If I said, I'd be basically saying what occurs near the end point of many paths. And I can't, unless I mark this as spoiler review. So, to be as vague as possible - several paths lead to a confrontation. A really repetitive confrontation. To the point that I started trying to do things to keep that from happening, but every time I did, it didn't work. There are several things that occur, things that "you" did, that lead to advantages to others over you. But . . . there's no real way to not do those things. Some paths literally only have that one option; others kill you if you try to stray from the path.
Well, this was just supposed to be a few notes, so I'll depart.
First off: The author mostly did a pretty good job of keeping from having the "main character" stare into a mirror and describe themselves, or similar. Allowing more than one very specific person to be able to put themselves into the story. Which is important, since this is a "choose your own adventure" type story. Except for two issues: 1) One of the paths goes to "opposite gender land". I might be misremembering this now, but I think the female version of you steps forward. I know one of the options was to seduce yourself, but I didn't go down that path so I don't know what that might have lead to. 2) one of the paths leads you to working for a guy who outfits you with a prototype suit. Somewhere along the line that guy makes a comment that indicates that you, the main character, are male. He tells a woman joining the team something along the lines of "sorry, all the super suits were built for men" (not an exact quote). The author came soo close to allowing anyone and everyone to picture themselves as the main character. But alas . . .
In terms of story/pathway/etc. I disliked how repetitive it could get. As in, . . . hmm. If I said, I'd be basically saying what occurs near the end point of many paths. And I can't, unless I mark this as spoiler review. So, to be as vague as possible - several paths lead to a confrontation. A really repetitive confrontation. To the point that I started trying to do things to keep that from happening, but every time I did, it didn't work. There are several things that occur, things that "you" did, that lead to advantages to others over you. But . . . there's no real way to not do those things. Some paths literally only have that one option; others kill you if you try to stray from the path.
Well, this was just supposed to be a few notes, so I'll depart.
December 17, 2015
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review through the Choosy Bookworm. If I could figure out how to send the author back his 99-cents for the gifted book, I would.
Unfortunately, this is one of those instances in which I judged a book by it's cover and thought it would be a cool little superhero story. There might be one in there, but this is also one of those insipid Choose-Your-Own-Adventure things; you know, like they had back in the late eighties for kids with no imagination whatsoever?
Luckily, I missed most of those in my childhood, and have only been subjected to a few of them, usually parodies, since then. I honestly thought "Click Your Poison" was some sort of odd subtitle that would be explained in the story, in a much less blatant way then actually clicking to follow the story (which is disruptive when you're trying to read on a Kindle, since you have to make a lot more movement than just clicking "Next Page" as in a sane book. And an accidental click forward or back can make you completely lose your place.
I went through three or four of the story lines and really wasn't all that impressed. On the plus side, the cover was rather nice, and it didn't reek of 90's Image Comics or New 52, so it does have that in it's favor. But all in all, I would've preferred this to be a proper novel about superheroes and supervillains. Gimmicks shouldn't overshadow good writing.
Unfortunately, this is one of those instances in which I judged a book by it's cover and thought it would be a cool little superhero story. There might be one in there, but this is also one of those insipid Choose-Your-Own-Adventure things; you know, like they had back in the late eighties for kids with no imagination whatsoever?
Luckily, I missed most of those in my childhood, and have only been subjected to a few of them, usually parodies, since then. I honestly thought "Click Your Poison" was some sort of odd subtitle that would be explained in the story, in a much less blatant way then actually clicking to follow the story (which is disruptive when you're trying to read on a Kindle, since you have to make a lot more movement than just clicking "Next Page" as in a sane book. And an accidental click forward or back can make you completely lose your place.
I went through three or four of the story lines and really wasn't all that impressed. On the plus side, the cover was rather nice, and it didn't reek of 90's Image Comics or New 52, so it does have that in it's favor. But all in all, I would've preferred this to be a proper novel about superheroes and supervillains. Gimmicks shouldn't overshadow good writing.
July 25, 2015
This is an interesting treat that's for sure. If you remember the old choose your own adventure books, then this will be a bit of fun for you.
As with those books, the basic premise is that YOU are the main character, and that YOU get to decide what happens. As the story progresses, there are choices at particular points, and you get to decide what is going to happen. For this story, you gain a super power as a result of an accident. It's a pretty cool concept, and I did take the opportunity to read this several times through to not only take on all the different powers, but also look at several of the different ending options. Some are very short, and very amusing, whilst others take some time, but none of them are overly long. I guess that it's up to the reader at this point if they are willing to continue to try all the options, or if they will tire of it. For myself, I had fun playing multiple options. I would have liked to have seen some of them expanded out longer, or possibly with some extra options, maybe even with the dice options of old. But this does require a lot of extra work I understand, and the book is great for what is there, as I said, it's a lot of fun.
I didn’t mention either, you do get the opportunity to play both sides, and go Evil or Good, which is always a bit of fun.
Overall, I liked this, so much that I have grabbed the other book, Click Your Poison Infected where you are fighting Zombie Hoards – because seriously, who could resist this!!
As with those books, the basic premise is that YOU are the main character, and that YOU get to decide what happens. As the story progresses, there are choices at particular points, and you get to decide what is going to happen. For this story, you gain a super power as a result of an accident. It's a pretty cool concept, and I did take the opportunity to read this several times through to not only take on all the different powers, but also look at several of the different ending options. Some are very short, and very amusing, whilst others take some time, but none of them are overly long. I guess that it's up to the reader at this point if they are willing to continue to try all the options, or if they will tire of it. For myself, I had fun playing multiple options. I would have liked to have seen some of them expanded out longer, or possibly with some extra options, maybe even with the dice options of old. But this does require a lot of extra work I understand, and the book is great for what is there, as I said, it's a lot of fun.
I didn’t mention either, you do get the opportunity to play both sides, and go Evil or Good, which is always a bit of fun.
Overall, I liked this, so much that I have grabbed the other book, Click Your Poison Infected where you are fighting Zombie Hoards – because seriously, who could resist this!!
September 11, 2016
Nice to see Choose Your Own Adventure type ebook for kindle. NOT A KID Book.
I received a fee copy in exchange for an honest review.
I liked it. It was my first experience with a "Choose Your Own Adventure" type ebook for kindle.
It grew on me once I became accustomed with the format and the author's style. THIS IS NOT WRITTEN FOR KIDS. It was clean enough for me but if it concerns you the F word was used as an expletive 32 times and masturbation mentioned once (in a very funny way).
In some ways it reminded me of a more-detailed Choose Your Own Adventure book for adults with the styling of a 1950's sci-fi comic book.
I say it had some 1950's type details and was disappointed with the cliched character descriptions. The mad scientist was described in the most cliched terms and there was one romantic interest who was referred to ELEVEN TIMES as "blonde eye- candy" [sic]. That grated on me.
I really liked the creativity, detail and thought that James Schannep put in to this book. However, the incessant "blonde eye-candy" description of Alison Argyle descriptions struck me as worn, dated and sexist. I found it insulting to a modern day female comic book reader. Other females may feel differently but that really turned me off.
Overall, except for points above, it was interesting and I was glad to read and review it.
I received a fee copy in exchange for an honest review.
I liked it. It was my first experience with a "Choose Your Own Adventure" type ebook for kindle.
It grew on me once I became accustomed with the format and the author's style. THIS IS NOT WRITTEN FOR KIDS. It was clean enough for me but if it concerns you the F word was used as an expletive 32 times and masturbation mentioned once (in a very funny way).
In some ways it reminded me of a more-detailed Choose Your Own Adventure book for adults with the styling of a 1950's sci-fi comic book.
I say it had some 1950's type details and was disappointed with the cliched character descriptions. The mad scientist was described in the most cliched terms and there was one romantic interest who was referred to ELEVEN TIMES as "blonde eye- candy" [sic]. That grated on me.
I really liked the creativity, detail and thought that James Schannep put in to this book. However, the incessant "blonde eye-candy" description of Alison Argyle descriptions struck me as worn, dated and sexist. I found it insulting to a modern day female comic book reader. Other females may feel differently but that really turned me off.
Overall, except for points above, it was interesting and I was glad to read and review it.
October 16, 2015
Ok, first off let me say I have been waiting for a book like this you can read and read again and it's different, this book style is awesome I have to get the other books. So I guess I was sheltered as a child cause I only knew about (choose your Adventures books) so I know it's not a totally new concept but it still cool, I really like this book it was awesome how the author made you the main character however my only complaint is I would've gave an option for a male or female, as you read you can clearly tell the main character is a Male just by the way he describes the people the character meets. So many options for the Ending I'm still reading a few, I made a note every time I had to choose so next time I read through it wouldn't be the same it's like tons of stories in one package, like I said I have heard of these books before but I have never really read one so I was interested, I have already bought the other book Murdered as most of the stuff I read are murder ministries, still thinking about Infested I have a love-hate relationship with zombies so I don't know yet. Always always looking for a read, and I would definitely read and review another book from this author. I was giving a free copy of this book in exchange for an for an honest review.
June 16, 2015
I remember reading so many of these type of books when I was a kid. I've always wondered what happened to them, why nobody was ever writting like that for kids anymore. I recieved this book by surprise and was very excited to see current writers still reliving this style of entertainment.
I have to say, I've tried severall options but they all leave me dead or somewhat lost in the universe, so that hasn't changed much since I was smaller. I'm guessing there's a way of 'winning' but I can't manage to find it.
Anyway, the storyline was fun and entertaining, which is what one expects from the book so it served its purpose. I loved all the refenrences of the geek culture and every little wink in there. It's a great homage to the 80's. I was left very pleased with the memories it brought back.
Maybe because of this precise reason, someone who hasn't experimented with these books back in the old days might not fully get Superpowered, but just maybe.
http://latortugadeatlas.blogspot.com....
I have to say, I've tried severall options but they all leave me dead or somewhat lost in the universe, so that hasn't changed much since I was smaller. I'm guessing there's a way of 'winning' but I can't manage to find it.
Anyway, the storyline was fun and entertaining, which is what one expects from the book so it served its purpose. I loved all the refenrences of the geek culture and every little wink in there. It's a great homage to the 80's. I was left very pleased with the memories it brought back.
Maybe because of this precise reason, someone who hasn't experimented with these books back in the old days might not fully get Superpowered, but just maybe.
http://latortugadeatlas.blogspot.com....
June 9, 2015
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
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I've always wanted to try a "chose your own adventure" kind of book and I'm glad that I had an opportunity to do so. "Superpowered" by James Schannep gave me the ability to be the villan or hero of my choosing. Of course the first time around I was a villan....that didn't end as well as I would of hoped. The second time I was a hero...also ended in disaster. It's good to know that just because you're fighting crime (or causing crime) you aren't guaranteed a happy ending.
It was an exciting quick read that will never get old! You can go back to the start, or to your previous choice and create a new story for yourself. Each time you read this book you can have a completely new outcome.
I marvel at how much work must have been put into this. It must have taken lots of time to perfect this special kind of experience. I would love to read other novels of Click Your Poison, especially the one involving the zombie apocalypse.
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I've always wanted to try a "chose your own adventure" kind of book and I'm glad that I had an opportunity to do so. "Superpowered" by James Schannep gave me the ability to be the villan or hero of my choosing. Of course the first time around I was a villan....that didn't end as well as I would of hoped. The second time I was a hero...also ended in disaster. It's good to know that just because you're fighting crime (or causing crime) you aren't guaranteed a happy ending.
It was an exciting quick read that will never get old! You can go back to the start, or to your previous choice and create a new story for yourself. Each time you read this book you can have a completely new outcome.
I marvel at how much work must have been put into this. It must have taken lots of time to perfect this special kind of experience. I would love to read other novels of Click Your Poison, especially the one involving the zombie apocalypse.
May 23, 2015
I enjoy the murdered. So I have high expectations for these. I know that this is different type of story. In this book, I feel that I have no story nor mystery to solved beyond who is the Doctor. I just have to use the power to defeat the other two. At some point, I became bored. Anyway, cannot wait to read another book from Mr. Schannep whom already said that he has planning for another click your poison book. Cannot wait for it. And for now, I have to enjoy what I have.
July 31, 2015
I received this book in exchange for an honest review. When I first started the book I was confused since I had never read a book of this type. (Might have been nice to have some type of explanation). However once I got into the story and realized what was happening I started over again with better results. Nice read fun to try the different endings but you have to kind of have an idea of what path you are traveling otherwise the characters get all mixed up.
July 3, 2015
I just finished this book twice! I Have loved choose your own adventure books since I was a child and this was no different. I got to be a superhero who was VERY SMART, not sure if it was really a superpower but it was fun. The next time around I could float things with my mind - telekinesis - that was cool! Can't wait to read it again and see what happens the next time.
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