WARNING: THIS IS GOING TO BE A VERY WEIRD POST...
But first...
The Blurb: 2107 AD: A generation ago, Earth and the cislunar colonies banned genetic and cybernetic modifications. But out in the Asteroid Belt, anything goes. Dozens of flourishing space habitats are spawning exotic new societies and strange new varieties of humans. It’s a volatile situation that threatens the peace and stability of the entire solar system.
Emerald Blair is a Troubleshooter. Inspired by the classic superhero comics of the twentieth century, she’s joined with other mods to try to police the unruly Asteroid Belt. But her loyalties are tested when she finds herself torn between rival factions of superhumans with very different agendas. Emerald wants to put her special abilities to good use, but what do you do when you can’t tell the heroes from the villains?
A brief internet search tells me, not many people liked this book, and by the end of this post you might doubt, I liked it, despite the post title.
Lets get this out of the way. I hate the phrase 'Hard Science Fiction' its a contradiction in terms. This book does one of the things, which reinforces why I hate the phrase - Like much "Hard Sci-fi", it uses that label to gloss over its fantastical elements, while trying, and failing to sell itself as being a close representation of 'reality' or what is scientifically possible.
Everything in this book would work far better if it just embraced its Space Opera, and Superhero roots and went from there.
One of the best parts of this book is when I stumble across the web and see this sort of burgeoning (At the time) SJW reaction to it from Kirkus Review:
"On the surface, Only Superhuman sounds like a good read, right? The Book Smugglers weigh in on Max Gladstone's ' Three Parts Dead .' Unfortunately, Christopher L. Bennett's Only Superhuman perpetuates the same ridiculous hyper-sexualized, do-me doll stereotypes that have become so prevalent (and so nauseating) in superhero fiction."
Reviews like that, from Kirkus - Actually encourage me to recommend this book more, despite its flaws.
A book with a fiery, gorgeous redhead as its heroine? Sign me up! However there are moments when it takes itself way too seriously.
I recall loving the use of genetics and cybernetics as enhancements. The Transhuman aspect of this book was awesome, and actually for me ended up being more of a callback to Star Trek's Eugenics Wars, than anything superhero like. This book works when it embraces its Space Opera heritage.
And now let me tell you the weirdest thing about this book, and I am still not sure if this was intentional or not. Please keep in mind what I am about to say is based only on my impressions I had while reading this and nothing the author has asserted.
The two main male characters, are literally Presidents George W. Bush, and Barack Obama. And this was at the time, my biggest reaction to this book, when I had that insight, it sort of killed some of the more interesting things about the book for me. But years later I can sort of forgive this.
More so, since its clear that as a work of fiction, at the time of its original release, it proved triggering to nascent SJWs offended by sexy heroines with boobs, that can pound a bad guy to pulp.
I know it probably seems like I didn't like Only Superhuman, but I assure you, I did enjoy it, despite its flaws, or more to the point its unwillingness to embrace its true nature, while pretending to be 'Hard Sci-fi' frustrated me when if it had just owned its origins, things would have come across as better.
If you like Space Opera, and booblicious heroines, you'll enjoy this book. Read it just to annoy a Social Justice Warrior!
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