The New Adam

The New Adam, Stanley G. Weinbaum, Avon, 1969

First published in the 1930s, this is the story of Edmund Hall, superman. He's not a superman in the sense of a caped crime fighter, but a superman in the sense of his intellect being so far off the scale as to make the rest of us look like neanderthals.

Born to average, middle class parents, Edmund's mother died in childbirth. As Edmund sails through school, he begins to notice that there is something different about him. It could be the fact that he never has to study, it could be the six fingers on each hand, or maybe it's the extra brain in his head that allows him to literally talk to himself.

After his father dies, Edmund sets up a laboratory in the family house to start unlocking the secrets of everything. The royalties from the development of a vacuum tube that will work for seven years keeps him financially comfortable. After years of experiments, Edmund hires an old high school nemesis, Paul Varney, to take him to the bars, the nightclubs, the places where people congregate, an area of life that is uncharted territory for Edmund. There he runs into, and eventually marries, a childhood friend named Evanne. She shows him the passion in life, but is nowhere near him intellectually.

Perhaps this book is best as an example of 1930s science fiction. It's very much a psychological sort of novel, and I couldn't really get involved with the characters. This one can be skipped.