Playing For Keeps

Winner of the 2008 Parsec Award for Best Novel. From the 2012 John W. Campbell Award Nominee.

Why does every superhero have to be superstrong, immune to bullets, be able to fly, and look good in tight clothing and a cape?
What if real superpowers come from inside?

If every super power is supposed to be used for good or evil, why are some people born with completely useless ones?
In this world, the superheroes are heroes, but they're jerks.
The villains are charming, but manipulative and, well, villains.
And both groups got the best powers: flight, super strength, telepathy, genius, fire.

The Third Wave of heroes are stuck with the leftovers: the ability to instantly make someone sober, the power to smell the past, absolute control...over elevators. Bar owner Keepsie Branson has the power that prevents anything in her possession from being stolen. Useless in the realm of crime fighting (or -causing.) Or is it?

**Praise for Playing for Keeps: **

"Lafferty executes the story brilliantly, crafting a city and denizens so well-defined, you'd think they were pulled from a top-selling four-color comic." Award-winning author JC Hutchins

"a super-hero book with a twist ... a truly rousing tale of friendship, sacrifice, and commitment" author Matthew Wayne Selznick

""This is a novel of cliffhangers that had me going from page one until I closed the covers." ~BoingBoing.net