What do you think?
Rate this book
Demigod
How far would you be willing to go in order to save the world?
When Benjamin Wilson reaches the breaking point of lifelong debilitating migraines, his brain unleashes a power previously unknown to man. With the ability to read minds and move objects with just a thought, he begins a journey of personal wish fulfillment. Yet amongst his life of selfish excess, he finds himself unable to ignore the presence of evil. When his attempts at costumed super-heroics fail to solve the world's problems, Benjamin Wilson is forced to search for a more permanent solution. Demigod is the story of our true capacity for greatness, and the possibility of downfall when mankind stops believing in its own potential.
When Benjamin Wilson reaches the breaking point of lifelong debilitating migraines, his brain unleashes a power previously unknown to man. With the ability to read minds and move objects with just a thought, he begins a journey of personal wish fulfillment. Yet amongst his life of selfish excess, he finds himself unable to ignore the presence of evil. When his attempts at costumed super-heroics fail to solve the world's problems, Benjamin Wilson is forced to search for a more permanent solution. Demigod is the story of our true capacity for greatness, and the possibility of downfall when mankind stops believing in its own potential.
260 pages, Hardcover
First published December 8, 2010
6 people are currently reading
42 people want to read
About the author
Jaron Lee Knuth
17 books27 followersJaron Lee Knuth was born in western Wisconsin in 1978. Suffering from multiple illnesses as a young child, he was forced to find an escape from his bedridden existence through the storytelling of any media he could find. Science fiction and fantasy novels, television programs, films, video games, and comic books all provided him with infinite worlds for his imagination to explore. Now he spends his days creating stories and worlds in the hope that others might find somewhere to escape as well.
He would love to reply to any questions or comments you may have for him at jaronleeknuth@gmail.com
He would love to reply to any questions or comments you may have for him at jaronleeknuth@gmail.com
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
August 27, 2016
-¿El mal debe ser combatido con otro mal, por muy buenas que sean las intenciones?.-
Género. Novela corta.
Lo que nos cuenta. Benjamin Wilson lleva toda su vida entrando y saliendo de hospitales debido a los terribles dolores causados por unos recurrentes ataques que no hacen más que empeorar y que sugieren un dramático final. Sus amigos, Henry, Simon y Charlie, le visitan y entonces sucede algo increíble: Ben desarrolla capacidades sobrehumanas.
¿Quiere saber más de este libro, sin spoilers? Visite:
http://librosdeolethros.blogspot.com/...
Género. Novela corta.
Lo que nos cuenta. Benjamin Wilson lleva toda su vida entrando y saliendo de hospitales debido a los terribles dolores causados por unos recurrentes ataques que no hacen más que empeorar y que sugieren un dramático final. Sus amigos, Henry, Simon y Charlie, le visitan y entonces sucede algo increíble: Ben desarrolla capacidades sobrehumanas.
¿Quiere saber más de este libro, sin spoilers? Visite:
http://librosdeolethros.blogspot.com/...
May 13, 2013
A rather predictable read, unfortunately. You can't solve humanities problems without changing what humanity is.
If it were me, I'd have given the human race the power of empathy. It's hard to hurt someone when you know you're going to feel the pain you inflict.
If it were me, I'd have given the human race the power of empathy. It's hard to hurt someone when you know you're going to feel the pain you inflict.
August 9, 2021
I stopped this book at 48%, so keep that in mind.
The premise of the book intrigued me. I was ready to throw out critical thinking because I love stories involving people with a lot of (fantastical) power struggling with their morality and the perception of others.
And then bits and pieces of this story started falling off. The way the main character begins speaking in stilted, perfect grammar after gaining his powers, as if to show how intelligent he is.
Then there's a pretty barebones argument on the philosophy of killing an abusive person or jailing them, as if those are the only two options.
Then there's Brutalize Your Gays (with some misogyny), followed by Islamophobia, followed by Police Brutality Against a PoC. All of it is portrayed as if the author wants brownie points for touching upon these topics while handling them so horribly.
As a black person in the LGBTQ+ community, I think it's pretty reasonable that I stopped taking this book seriously at the police brutality chapter, then dropped it.
The premise of the book intrigued me. I was ready to throw out critical thinking because I love stories involving people with a lot of (fantastical) power struggling with their morality and the perception of others.
And then bits and pieces of this story started falling off. The way the main character begins speaking in stilted, perfect grammar after gaining his powers, as if to show how intelligent he is.
Then there's a pretty barebones argument on the philosophy of killing an abusive person or jailing them, as if those are the only two options.
Then there's Brutalize Your Gays (with some misogyny), followed by Islamophobia, followed by Police Brutality Against a PoC. All of it is portrayed as if the author wants brownie points for touching upon these topics while handling them so horribly.
As a black person in the LGBTQ+ community, I think it's pretty reasonable that I stopped taking this book seriously at the police brutality chapter, then dropped it.
September 7, 2013
A sinopse do livro despertou a minha atenção, visto que sou fã de super-heróis e parecia-me um "dilema" interessante - o que fazer quando se tem poder suficiente para alterar o mundo?
E realmente foi só esta questão que me permitiu acabar de ler o livro, porque a nível de personagens e progressão da história, penso que deixa muito a desejar. O herói é uma pessoa que esteve doente maior parte da vida e que de repente ganha poderes ao nível de um deus, sendo acompanhado no seu percurso por três amigos, cujas vidas vão sendo desvendadas ao longo do livro - temos o "Bom Amigo", o "Calculista Inflexível" e o "Eterno Adolescente".
Obviamente que não há nada de mal em usar estes formatos de personagens, desde que se consiga torná-los interessantes...mas na minha opinião, o autor não consegue criar nenhum tipo de ligação entre os principais protagonistas do livro e o leitor. Tal como com o herói, cheguei à última página com um total sentimento de indiferença, perante os seus destinos.
Como já referi, o único apelo de Demigod, foi saber o desfecho da história, pois embora fosse previsível, teve alguns momentos interessantes. Mesmo assim, penso que tudo decorre depressa mais, sem preocupação em desenvolver muito as coisas, como se fosse um conto e não um livro. Acho que se o autor tivesse um maior número de páginas, com mais detalhes e num ritmo mais pausado, estaríamos diante de uma obra bastante boa para o género.
E realmente foi só esta questão que me permitiu acabar de ler o livro, porque a nível de personagens e progressão da história, penso que deixa muito a desejar. O herói é uma pessoa que esteve doente maior parte da vida e que de repente ganha poderes ao nível de um deus, sendo acompanhado no seu percurso por três amigos, cujas vidas vão sendo desvendadas ao longo do livro - temos o "Bom Amigo", o "Calculista Inflexível" e o "Eterno Adolescente".
Obviamente que não há nada de mal em usar estes formatos de personagens, desde que se consiga torná-los interessantes...mas na minha opinião, o autor não consegue criar nenhum tipo de ligação entre os principais protagonistas do livro e o leitor. Tal como com o herói, cheguei à última página com um total sentimento de indiferença, perante os seus destinos.
Como já referi, o único apelo de Demigod, foi saber o desfecho da história, pois embora fosse previsível, teve alguns momentos interessantes. Mesmo assim, penso que tudo decorre depressa mais, sem preocupação em desenvolver muito as coisas, como se fosse um conto e não um livro. Acho que se o autor tivesse um maior número de páginas, com mais detalhes e num ritmo mais pausado, estaríamos diante de uma obra bastante boa para o género.
January 3, 2012
Ben Wilson has been in hospital for 20 years with crippling headaches and seizures. When it looks like they are about to kill him they actually transform him. With new god-like powers Ben wants to make the world a better place but how far is too far when you re-make the world? This book kept me reading easily but Ben is a distant and nearly impossible to like figure. The book was an intersting exploration of how someone with total power could act if they could control the entire world but it's not a novel of wonderful characters and it has a very abrupt ending that seems wrong somehow.
May 5, 2013
This is a great story and it gives you questions to ponder. What would you do with super-powers? Who says what is right or wrong? What is best for the greater good? Who can you trust? Do you lie to give people what they want? Kill? Is it best to leave people mindless in order to seek peace? Fun read!
July 15, 2011
What would you do if you had the power to make people do as you wish? In this book Ben ends a lifetime of suffering and comes into almost limitless power. But at what point does doing good for others turn into forcing them to make them do what you think they should do?
June 28, 2013
Very good
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews