This week, I ran a contest to give away some early copies of ARCHVILLAIN. These aren’t bound ARCs or galley copies — these are actual copies of the book, which won’t be in stores for another week or so.
Lots of people entered, here on barrylyga.com, on Facebook, and on Twitter. Ultimately, as always, the winners were the ones who managed to strike my fancy or catch my attention in a particular way. In no particular order, they are:
“a.a.,” who said: “a power i would like to have is to be able to transform into an object i see or want to be.
That way i could help people and experience things differently. I think it would be awesome!”
Scott Pollack:
Ho, ho…you are truly evil, my friend. Only ONE power? How can one choose?
Strength..so tempting, but all too common. Invulnerability…too greedy. Plus, what if it goes out of control and nobody can touch me? Super Speed? Nah. I’m just starting to jog a few times a week…let’s not ruin it, eh?
So how about the ability to elicit pheromones from my body. That way I could make people laugh more, thus feeling better about life and themselves. I could frequent hospitals and nursing homes, adding to their quality of life. Plus, it would be a great classroom management tool for my sixth graders!
There you go. Pheromone control that could make people laugh.
Thanks for making me think Mr. Lyga!
I think it was the idea of controlling a sixth-grade classroom that got me…
Nate Wilson, who nailed the absurdity of superpowers with: “I would want the power to hurl a yak into space using only my mind. I admit it’s not the most practical power, but since when do villains need to be practical? Just think of the fear and despair I could inflict upon the yak-loving public.”
Julia Walter, who thought it through, pointing out, “I would want to be able to shut off my superpower…”
Superpowers mess people up. A lot. Telepaths can become insufferable and lose their humanity. See Octavia Butler’s Patternmaster series and Alfred Bester and the Psi Corps in “Babylon 5.” Superman, Batman, Spiderman all have problems of intimacy and letting people get to know them. They are lonely, as is Wolverine, Remy Chandler (Thomas Sniegoski’s fallen angel), Harry Dresden (Jim Butcher’s very human wizard gumshoe in Chicago). So if I had a superpower I’d want the ability to control it so it didn’t make me less than human.
I think I’d want to be an empath/ healer.
And last but not least, from Facebook, Christy Beaver:
I would love to have the power to pass along knowledge/information to others with just a touch. So many conflicts, arguments, etc. are because of a misunderstanding. I wouldn’t want the power to change actual opinions, just be able to explain my side of something without the risk of messing up the words. Couples could hire me to share their perspectives with each other. Plus, I’d be Super Librarian with the ability to answer reference questions like no other! 🙂
Congratulations to the winners, and thanks to everyone who entered!