History CursedWithAwesome / Literature

** In Literature/{{Animorphs}}, Tobias flat out calls [[VoluntaryShapeshifting morphing]] "the Andalite's Curse". Early in the series the characters range from neutral to excited about the power, and even after becoming intimately familiar with the [[ShapeshifterModeLock major downside]] the kids often have moments of delight in being certain animals and in MundaneUtility. Everyone likes flying as birds or experiencing the mindset of dogs and dolphins. The major ''curse'' aspect is really because when they were given this power they were drafted into being guerilla fighters in a traumatic, long-lasting war that only they can fight, and the further they get into the series the more likely a given character is to consider their powers grimly.
*** Speaking of Tobias, his home life is terrible and his delight in being a hawk and far removed from human concerns means that within days of gaining the morphing power he gets careless about the time limit and enters ShapeshifterModeLock -- it's a little ambiguous about to what degree this was voluntary, but it wasn't a careful and considered choice. He loves flying and having sharp eyesight, but the reality of being a bird full-time quickly takes a toll -- he has to kill to eat, his social and entertainment life is just about gone, and his lifespan is going to be curtailed. At some point he's given the ability to morph as a hawk, including to temporarily take human shape, and angsts about that still, uncertain if he's happy, both missing his human body and feeling frustrated with its limitations, identifying more closely with the hawk, and knowing that if he became human full time he wouldn't be able to help the others.

*** From the same series, Thomas Raith (A Vampire more accurately classified as an incubus) laments his vampirism semi-regularly until the only major problem (inability to be with his girlfriend) is to have threesomes her and other gorgeous women.

* Being chosen to be [[EmpathicWeapon Need's]] bearer, in ''Literature/HeraldsOfValdemar'', can be seen as gift or curse depending on perspective. She lays a geas on her bearers, compelling them to spend several years helping and [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge avenging]] {{DistressedDamsel}}s even if that means going far out of their way. Tarma absolutely regards Need's influence on her [[HeterosexualLifePartners partner Kethry]] to be a curse. But Need comes with distinct benefits too - she heals her bearer and her bearer's loved ones, she grants a SquishyWizard like Kethry master swordswoman skills and gives a fighter like Tarma [[AntiMagic complete immunity to hostile magic]], and Kethry usually has a bit of GoodFeelsGood about helping women as desperate as she had been. Need also brought her and Tarma together.

* Garion in ''Literature/TheBelgariad''. He's TheChosenOne, and he spends most of the series asking "Why me?" He is a sorcerer -- sorcerers work by using the Will and the Word (they direct their will at something and speak the word to make it happen.) Although it's pretty awesome as to what he can do, in ''Queen Of Sorcery'', he believes himself to be evil after he [[spoiler:burns the killer of his parents to death using sorcery]]. It's a RunningGag that ''nobody else'' thinks there's anything wrong with his situation, and eventually he passes the question on to other characters after he grows up and stops whining. Considering part of his Cursed With Awesome is "Oh, you know that legendary one-eyed god who's psychotically evil and still REALLY mad about his being maimed? Who's indirectly responsible, one way or another, for the horrible death of your parents and lots of your ancestors? You have to confront him. Nope, no one else gets to do it. Nope, no way out. It's all you. Even though up until very recently as far as you knew, you were an ordinary farmboy being raised by his aunt. Good luck!" It's more like he stops whining not because he grows up but because he actually lives to do it and the suck side is drastically reduced.

* In ''Literature/TheTamuli'' by Creator/DavidEddings, the Delphae are cursed by their [[PhysicalGod God]] with a horrifically gruesome death touch, and a glow that warns others not to touch them. Since both also come with an off-switch, and since the power eventually evolves into greater magical abilities, the Knights are a bit stumped as to why it's called a "curse", until the Bhelliom explains that there's a literal difference between a blessing and a curse -- a blessing's radiance makes those blessed easily detected by anyone who could sense magic, but curses are, by their very nature, concealing, and actually dampen the "sound" of magic near them. Since the Delphae are trying to hide from the rest of mankind a curse was the most suitable... which kinda makes it a curse InNameOnly.
** A downside would be that everyone [[TheDreaded fears and hates them]]. Also, the Delphae themselves are not fond of the power, as making people rot when you touch them is not fun, even if they're your enemies. Several have breakdowns during the war as a result of having to use it too many times.

* The novella "[[LongTitle How I Wrote the New Testament, Ushered in the Renaissance, and Birdied the 17th Hole at Pebble Beach]]" by Creator/MikeResnick has, as the description puts it, "an itinerant Jewish businessman commanded (condemned?) by Christ to "tarry here until I return," spending the next 2000 years trying to keep busy and occasionally [[BeethovenWasAnAlienSpy helping along the advancement of civilization]]".

** In ''Literature/DrFranklinsIsland'' the castaways are put through ForcedTransformation. Miranda-the-bird's form seems much easier to live with than Semi-the-fish's [[spoiler: or Arnie-the-snake's]] -- she's lost her arms to wings, but can fly with ease and her feet are constructed like hands, albeit scaled and taloned. It's mentioned that she loves being a bird but hates being a bird in a cage. She can't talk, though, and [[spoiler:she [[TheMindIsAPlaythingOfTheBody starts losing her mind]] when it starts to look like Semi will become human again and she will stay a bird]].