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Drew Hayes
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Super Powereds: Year 1 Kindle Edition

by Drew Hayes (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.6 out of 5 stars 3,279 ratings
Knowledge is power. That would be the motto of Lander University, had it not been snatched up and used to death by others long before the school was founded. For while Lander offers a full range of courses to nearly all students, it also offers a small number of specialty classes to a very select few. Lander is home to the Hero Certification Program, a curriculum designed to develop student with superhuman capabilities, commonly known as Supers, into official Heroes.

Five of this year’s freshmen are extra special. They have a secret aside from their abilities, one that they must guard from even their classmates. Because for every one person in the world with abilities they can control, there are three who lack such skill. These lesser super beings, Powereds as they are called, have always been treated as burdens and second class citizens. Though there has been ample research in the area, no one has ever succeeded in turning a Powered into a regular human, let alone a Super.

That is, until now…

*Note: This is Book 1 of 4 in the Super Powereds web-novel series. Others will become available on Kindle as they are created.
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  1. Book 1 of 5
    Super Powereds
  2. Print length
    735 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publication date
    January 7, 2014
  5. File size
    1.9 MB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
    Enabled
  8. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Drew Hayes graduated from Texas Tech with a degree in English. He is the author of many books, including NPCs and The Utterly Uninteresting and Unadventurous Tales of Fred, the Vampire Accountant. He lives in Texas.



Kyle McCarley, a graduate of the University of Southern California, is a voice-over actor whose credits include audiobooks, video games, television pilots, radio and television commercials, podcasts, and many others. He has been heard in such games as Dragon Nest, Vindictus, and MapleStory, as well as the audiobooks Forgotten Realms: The Shadow Stone by Richard Baker and Nightingale by New York Times bestselling author David Farland.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00BIJ05F2
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ ; 1st edition (January 7, 2014)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ January 7, 2014
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1.9 MB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 735 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 out of 5 stars 3,279 ratings

About the author

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Drew Hayes

Drew Hayes

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Drew Hayes is an author from Texas who has written several books and found the gumption to publish a few (so far). He graduated from Texas Tech with a B.A. in English, because evidently he's not familiar with what the term "employable" means. You can read more of his growing work at his website, www.drewhayesnovels.com, send him mail and movie offers at Novelistdrew@gmail.com, or just follow his twitter: DrewHayesNovels. Drew has been called one of the most profound, prolific, and talented authors of his generation, but a table full of drunks will say almost anything when offered a round of free shots. Drew feels kind of like a D-bag writing about himself in the third person like this. He does appreciate that you're still reading, though.

Drew would like to sit down and have a beer with you. Or a cocktail. He's not here to judge your preferences. Drew is terrible at being serious, and has no real idea what a snippet biography is meant to convey anyway. Drew thinks you are awesome just the way you are. That part, he meant. Drew is off to go high-five random people, because who doesn't love a good high-five? No one, that's who.

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
3,279 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book engaging with a well-thought-out plot and world-building, featuring well-developed characters with varying abilities and a neat take on the superhero genre. The writing quality receives mixed feedback, with some praising it while others note spelling and grammar issues. The book's length and pacing also draw mixed reactions, with some appreciating its length while others find it too long, and while the pacing is generally great, some mention slow parts.

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389 customers mention "Story quality"371 positive18 negative

Customers praise the well-thought-out plot and world-building of the book, noting its engaging narrative that keeps readers turning pages.

"Superhero books are one of my favorite genres for pleasure reading (the others being space exploration (ala The Engines of God)..." Read more

"...No, this is a story with everyday conversations, everyday activities (well, as everyday as they can be, considering they're superheroes)...and for..." Read more

"...the relatively minor flaws I think most people would find them enjoyable reads. I am looking forward to the third book and hope it is released soon." Read more

"...our own but with superheroes in it, interesting power systems, great action scenes, wholesome friendships, awesome character development that feels..." Read more

221 customers mention "Character development"203 positive18 negative

Customers appreciate the well-developed characters in the book, noting their interesting personalities and the author's ability to create distinct voices.

"...Each character has a very distinct voice and, combined with glimpses into the past lives of the leads, this gives each character a very real and..." Read more

"...Another one might have to do with the characters. Now, I liked the characters in general...." Read more

"...He did a great job of weaving together different characters' stories and used devices such as flashbacks well to help add meaningful details...." Read more

"...power systems, great action scenes, wholesome friendships, awesome character development that feels earned but also doesn’t always go exactly where..." Read more

95 customers mention "World building"83 positive12 negative

Customers appreciate the world-building in the book, describing it as an engrossing and interesting concept with good ideas.

"...special mention to Nick who is a fascinating character, full of contradictions and mysteries...." Read more

"...He fleshed out his characters in a way that allowed you to understand and relate to them and to care about them...." Read more

"...: found family, supernatural school environments, super powers, interesting analysis on the practicalities of a world much like our own but with..." Read more

"...All the twists torture you in a good way and the mysteries in the series are perfect to keep you guessing for a long time...." Read more

51 customers mention "Superhero storyline"51 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the superhero storyline of this book, appreciating its unique take on the genre, with one customer noting its believable world of people with powers.

"...and an interesting plot in a world which is an interesting take on the superhero world. I'm looking forward to the next 3 books." Read more

"...Super Powereds: Year 1 is a great first novel, and leaves me eagerly waiting for Year 2, and beyond...." Read more

"...Super Powereds doesn't need to rely on that trope to be an excellent superhero story." Read more

"...This series is as addicting as the Harry Potter tales with five, three-dimensional main viewpoint characters and tons of interesting secondary ones...." Read more

42 customers mention "Author quality"37 positive5 negative

Customers praise the author's work, describing it as a masterpiece and a great series, with one customer noting how the author skillfully incorporates college life into the narrative.

"...Sometimes that is hard to pull off but I think the author did it well...." Read more

"...Vince is so good and noble. I'm always rooting for and love characters like him. Nick is cunning and a master manipulator...." Read more

"...of Harry Potter novels I'd venture to say that the material here is more interesting and less cliched than the Harry Potter novels...." Read more

"...Yet, somehow, it was hard to put down. The author got many things right - I commend his creativity and ability to create interesting characters and..." Read more

192 customers mention "Writing quality"124 positive68 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the writing quality of the book, with some finding it very well written and fun to read, while others point out spelling and grammar issues.

"...These things, couple with the author's lighthearted prose, allow for a very engrossing world, and one that I hope to spend a lot more time in...." Read more

"...I was so wrong to doubt. Super Powereds' narration is compellingly snappy and charmingly sarcastic, with not a grammar flaw or poor..." Read more

"...on the artistic side of things, the book does have a problem with missing words, incorrect words, and homonym (they're, their, there) substitutions...." Read more

"...That said, I think it would very much read well for YA crowds...." Read more

56 customers mention "Length"35 positive21 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the book's length, with some appreciating that it comes in at over 600 pages, while others find it too long to progress the story.

"...Characterization is probably where this story shines brightest. The novel is long, just shy of thirteen thousand 'places' on the Kindle, and Hayes..." Read more

"Super Powered Year 1 is an interesting book. It's a long book but well paced and exciting. The characters are fleshed out and interesting...." Read more

"...It's long, it's detailed, it's wordy...but the length and the details and the words are all good...." Read more

"...In all seriousness...yes, these books are long. However, they don't FEEL long...." Read more

50 customers mention "Pacing"33 positive17 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the pacing of the book, with some finding it great and noting that the story moves quickly, while others mention that it starts off rather slow and has a few slow parts.

"...The pacing is good, the characters multidimensional, and the dialogue, internal and external, is unique and consistent for each character...." Read more

"Super Powered Year 1 is an interesting book. It's a long book but well paced and exciting. The characters are fleshed out and interesting...." Read more

"...The quickie: poor editing and mediocre world building but the good character and story development make it an enjoyable read...." Read more

"...The pacing of the book was great, especially with how much detail Drew packs into the book...." Read more

Had a problem with book delivery
5 out of 5 stars
Had a problem with book delivery
Hey this is an amazing series. One of my all time favorites. But I recently ordered the hardcover version of the book and it begins on page 5 of the book and as I have read the book many times before on kindle, I know I am missing a large chunk of the prologue. Has anyone else had this problem?
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Top reviews from the United States

  • Michael
    5.0 out of 5 stars Good old college try
    Reviewed in the United States on April 16, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    Superhero books are one of my favorite genres for pleasure reading (the others being space exploration (ala The Engines of God) and space opera (The Dreaming Void (The Void Trilogy))). Unfortunately the quality of superhero themed books varies widely. On the one end, you have things like Diary of a Teenage Superhero (Teen Superheroes Book 1) (don't let the 4/5 star ratings fool you) and on the other end you have true gems like this book.

    Super Powereds takes the rather popular plot line of a group of young metahumans learning to cope with their powers and being trained to become heroes and gives it a polished and thoughtful treatment. Less Sky High [Blu-ray] and more X-men: First Class (but funnier.)

    In the Super Powered's universe, people come in three varieties: normal, powered, and super powered. Powereds are people who have the same abilities as supers but lack the ability to control them. For some, that can be a simple annoyance (uncontrollable 'glowing in the dark') while for others (spontaneous and unpredictable energy blasts, for example) it can be deadly to themselves and the people around them. Powereds are often shunned by normals and supers alike, treated as pariahs and outcasts. For their part, powereds can only dream of one day becoming supers much less heroes, the elite few amongst supers that pass a rigorous training and selection program.

    *** Spoiler Free Synopsis ***
    Year 1 opens as five young men and women are selected to participate in an experimental program to turn powereds into supers. Successfully 'upgraded' and then enrolled into Lander University, one of the few colleges training supers to be heroes, these five young people must adjust to not only college life but to a doubly secret life - hiding their hero-in-training status from the general public and their powered past from their fellow supers. A large and interesting cast includes the five protagonists (Vince, Hershel/Roy, Nick, Mary, and Alice), their sponsors/minders (Mr. Transport and Mr. Numbers), the Hero program staff (Dean Blaine, Coach George, and Coach Persephone), as well as their fellow students on campus (both in and outside of the Hero program.)

    Over the course of the book, the main characters (Vince, Mary, Nick, Alice, and Hershel/Roy) form relationships and bond together as they struggle to survive both the rigors of the Hero program as well as the social challenges and pitfalls of college life. Those bonds are sorely tested as unseen but powerful forces (and the obsessive hatred of a fellow student) move against the would-be Heroes and leads to a shattering betrayal and climatic showdown.
    ********

    Wow - I'm still having difficulty believing this is Mr. Hayes' first published book. The pacing is good, the characters multidimensional, and the dialogue, internal and external, is unique and consistent for each character. The primary focus of the novel is the on the main characters, their relationships to each other, their classmates and friends, and to the staff. That isn't to say the book doesn't have its fair share of action - there are a number of combat oriented challenges and assessments in the college as well as a number of unsanctioned off-the-books fights.

    Characterization is probably where this story shines brightest. The novel is long, just shy of thirteen thousand 'places' on the Kindle, and Hayes uses that length to provide a great deal of insight into the thoughts and emotions of the different characters. Each character has a very distinct voice and, combined with glimpses into the past lives of the leads, this gives each character a very real and lived in feel.

    I want to give special mention to Nick who is a fascinating character, full of contradictions and mysteries. Initially he seems to be the least combat capable (arguably, given Alice's limited abilities) member of the group - an impression that is rather challenged by the end of the book. "Holy s***", indeed.

    Although nearly flawless on the artistic side of things, the book does have a problem with missing words, incorrect words, and homonym (they're, their, there) substitutions. It doesn't happen on every page but it does happen often enough to be distracting and remind you that it just happened previously a few pages back. This is a very minor complaint and is probably more noticeable for its conspicuousness given the quality of the story's content.

    The book has a significant amount of adult language and situations and would probably be PG-13 or R-rated if it were a movie. This isn't a problem but something that potential readers bothered by such things need to know beforehand.

    That aside, this is fantastic work and Drew Hayes is a name I will watch for from now on.
    6 people found this helpful
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  • M.
    5.0 out of 5 stars Drew Hayes is an author to keep our eyes on!
    Reviewed in the United States on September 30, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    If we're being extra precise - which, as an accountant, I tend to be - I'd give this book 4.5 stars. To translate that, let's just say that while I can see where others might find fault, the book's general excellence carried the story at a pace that allowed me to overlook the sorts of things that might otherwise bug me.

    I bought this book after reading another of this author's: NPCs. NPCs is one of those books you buy because it sounds lightly amusing and, since you're feeling a little frisky with that $0.99 rattling around in your pocket, well, why not? And it turned out to be the sort of book that made my obnoxious smugness evaporate about a chapter in because, holy cow, this author knows how to write! I point this out because, while I don't know if I would have been drawn to Super Powereds had I not already had a sampling of what this guy can do, I was delighted enough to take a chance on what might not normally have been my thing.

    I'm very glad I did.

    My reviews are generally on the critical side; while I have a hard time, sometimes, articulating what was so great about a story, I have no such hard time pointing out where one falls short. And even for an outstanding book, there's always something, right? This review won't be an exception to that trend, but understand that what follows are quibbles that, while about stuff that might bug others, were not enough to get me to round down to four stars. That says something right there.

    One of those quibbles might be about the pacing. This is a meaty book. This is not one of those stories that just hits the important parts and lets you fill in the rest. No, this is a story with everyday conversations, everyday activities (well, as everyday as they can be, considering they're superheroes)...and for five main characters, not just one. I can easily imagine people making suggestions as to how the writing might have been tightened up so that we're not left reading this sprawling gargantuan story that's only book one out of what I assume will be four. "Pfft," I say to that. This wasn't a story that boiled over and went wild (i.e. this wasn't one of those stories where the author throws everything but the kitchen sink in because he or she can't discern which bits are important). No, I get the impression that the author purposely wrote with density in mind, and I'm glad he did. It's long, it's detailed, it's wordy...but the length and the details and the words are all good. Then again, maybe I'm just the sort of person who likes a long, involved story.

    Another one might have to do with the characters. Now, I liked the characters in general. All of them, really, and with a book this vast, that's impressive. Nevertheless, there were occasions when, for example, a more minor character hasn't had a POV in so long that I'd almost forgotten about him or her. There were a few that approached the stereotypical category; one was unfailingly good-hearted, another was the very epitome of jerkishness. Or, there's the fact that we have so, so many unique characters with their own talents and personalities but who all have regular college kid names, and a "wait, who now?" would pop up while they're being juggled. Again, though, these are quibbles. I think the author did a pretty terrific job with them overall.

    The plot is a good one. Even though the general idea isn't new - I've read books with a lot of similarities - it felt pretty fresh. It wasn't a non-stop, edge-of-your-chair ride (which is good; a book can't be too constantly thrilling when it's this long or it just ends up feeling too busy and stressful), but the author a achieved a very nice balance between action, dialogue, and exposition.

    I was very impressed with the ending. Obviously, one expects a climax in this sort of story. We got one, but...it really wasn't what I expected. Or rather, the part that I expected happened, but it was immediately overshadowed by a much more climactic surprise. It's been a long time since I've had a real "Holy [crap], it can't be bedtime yet!" moment. That was fun.

    I've read other reviews that mention the editing, or lack thereof, and wanted to address those. I read one of those reviews before buying this one (I tend to skip the good reviews and jump straight to the bad ones so as to see whether the others' deal-breakers are the same as my deal-breakers), and admit, I was a little nervous. Poor editing actually gets me angry these days; if I'm going to buy an author's book, I expect him or her to have enough respect for me to make it worth buying. That worry was groundless. I did catch a couple mistakes - of the typo persuasion, which is a little easier to forgive, since we all make them - but I'm talking about maybe two or three over the whole ninety-two million page book. (Could there have been more I didn't catch? Certainly...and if that's the case, it says something that the book was so engrossing that I didn't catch them. I *always* catch them.) Perhaps there was an earlier edition that had more errors in it?

    Since this is getting ridiculously long, I'll just finish up by saying that I found Super Powereds a delightful, engrossing read from an author who clearly is really, really good at what he does. Do yourself a favor and check his stuff out.
    18 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Holger Lange
    5.0 out of 5 stars The start to one of my favourite series
    Reviewed in Germany on February 27, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    I love this series.
    The first book is a fantastic read, although on its own it was maybe a 4,5 for me. But having read the entire series more than thrice, I feel so many things are established here or mentioned as a throwaway line to be relevant only one or two books later, that my enjoyment grow even more.

    This mixture of HP and X-Men combines great characters with an interesting story and is the beginning of one of the most well thought out worlds, I have ever read. If people had super powers, I could imagine this being a plausible world we would end up with.

    I recommend this book to all my friends that I think are interested in this story and so far everyone agreed with me that this story needs to be read by many more people ^^
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  • Clark Rodrigues
    5.0 out of 5 stars A great beginning to a wonderful series
    Reviewed in Brazil on April 20, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    I already read all of the series and I just love it. This is like if superheros exist in real world, is just how you imagine teens with superpowers to behave. This book take it's time to build the rules of the world you're seeing, I enjoy practically all the characters and the development of each one is visible and organic.
    Report
  • Danny A.
    5.0 out of 5 stars What a good book.
    Reviewed in India on June 25, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    I liked the characters and thought the author did a great job with how he grew them throughout the year.
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  • Kody
    5.0 out of 5 stars A really enjoyable book!
    Reviewed in Canada on January 28, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    A terrific book about 5 Powered (people without control of their powers) teens who were selected to undergo a experimental procedure to become Supers (people with control of their powers). It's also about their first year at Lander University in the HCP learning to become Heroes surrounded by other Supers as well as normal humans who must not learn they have powers or they'll be dropped from the program.
    Report
  • Rayzor
    5.0 out of 5 stars Good Recession reading
    Reviewed in Australia on February 7, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    Notice the number of 5-star reviews? They are there for a reason.
    I have now finished the 4 books in this series and it has been an enjoyable read from start to end. The concept of the 'Hero High' (or College in this case) is not unique - the latest well-known version would be 'My Hero Academia' over on the manga shelves - but where others tend to be one-note (train to be the best/train to succeed the current inspirational hero - 'because friendship'?) this series has a realistic reason for the competition (insurance coverage) and more than enough secondary threads being juggled to keep things interesting.

    The focus is consistently on character rather than fighting, and when the fights happen the focus within them is on strategy. As someone who tends to nod off during Marvel movies when the fists start flying, I for one appreciated this. Also, and even more importantly, the writing is actually GOOD and the planning that went into the series shows through. I started this book expecting... not much... and was pleasantly surprised. Surprised as in 'I have completed two of Mr Hayes' series and am currently working on, or rather enjoying, a third'.
    Report

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