It's Superman!

Extremely well written and fascinating "what if" look at the origins of Superman. Very reminiscent of The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, while still keeping its uniqueness. The strength of the book were not the characters you already knew -- Clark, Lois, or Lex -- but the cast of original characters that fleshed out not only the story but the entire universe. This is the Silver Age Superman re-conceptualized for the real world (killer robots notwithstanding).

This book looked appealing, because it promised a literary and intelligent look at a cultural icon, and that sort of thing has always appealed to me. It was literary, and literate. It's a well-written book. And it was intelligent. And it didn't insult the intelligence of the reader.

What it wasn't was very interesting. I feel like this was a huge opportunity for something as dynamic as the title character, yet De Haven seemed intent on avoiding the big scenes and the big themes that could well have suited this subject. Everything he writes is interesting and very well researched, insofar as authenticity to its time, it seems to me. But if you're going to write a book about Superman and how he got to be who he is, I would hope you show more wouldn't save all your extraordinary action and conflict until the final quarter. I enjoyed reading along, but kept thinking, "When's it going to start?" Right after it finally did start, it stopped.

A serious novel on Superman, as well-written as this one is, should leave the reader deeply moved, intensely affected in some way. This one left me remembering how I'd cried over the death of Superman story back in one of the 1960s comic books, and wondering why I felt so much more moved then. show less

I don't know if I can praise this book enough.

The atmosphere De Haven creates with his dusty, detailed Depression setting merges with the well-known Superman origin story to create something of an entirely different style, but with the same lasting poignancy. His sharp present-tense prose has the punch of a comic strip, and he takes his time with both setting and characters. This book is a commentary not just on Superman, but also on the hero's influence in American culture--and, even more prominently, the influence of American culture on him.

Incredibly well-crafted. Fantastic.

Tom De Haven begins with "Our version of the story opens..." and tells a new origin story for Superman. This story has no mention of where Clark Kent came from. No one knows the answer and whatever it was he rode in on was completely destroyed. This leaves Clark with a sense of isolation and confusion about who he is that lasts throughout the entire story. There are not a lot of "super" feats through the book, as it is mostly about Clark Kent learning what he is capable of and trying to find a place in the world where he can feel significant.

And that is why this is another Superman book that leaves me disappointed. Tom De Haven has written this superhero book from the point of view that heroes just don't exist. Everyone is hopelessly show more flawed and the only reason anyone is worthy of respect is because they've hidden faults better than other people.

Clark's part in the story is all about his selfish desires to be significant in his own eyes. I don't mind leaving knowledge about Krypton out of the story. That's a valid take. I do mind making both Clark and Superman unintelligent hicks that have no idea what to do... ever. This Superman is one full of self-pity and self-doubt that leaves him paralyzed and unable to find meaning in anything that he does. He has no real desire to help people, he just doesn't want to feel like he should be doing something when he's not. Throw in a pervasive agnosticism that is displayed as every character's main attribute, Lois lane who seems to always be in her underwear and jumps into bed with three different guys, and no one is likeable. None of them have superior morals to Lex Luthor, they just don't break the law as much. Of course, that's what you'd expect in a fictional world where agnosticism is the best version of truth you can find.

This is a good fiction novel. It's just not a good Superman novel. show less

This is a full-length novel, not a graphic novel, about Clark Kent becoming Superman. It's very well-written and researched, and is probably one of the best contemporary novels on the 1930s I've read. The voice, the racism, the pop culture references, all of it felt real and genuine. The story has heart. That said, I was surprised by the twists and turns this tale took. I expected Clark Kent, Lois Lane, and Lex Luthor, but not tangents such as riding along with hobos or going to Los Angeles. But then, I'm a casual Superman fan, and all this could be canon as far as I know. Another peculiar thing is that the story is in present tense, making it read like a comic without the illustrations. My main gripe is that all the main characters show more don't come together until the very end, which is a shame because they have such wonderful chemistry.

Good book if you like Superman and literature based in the 1930s, but I don't think I'll be keeping it. show less

I re-read this for review purposes because, let's face it, my memory sucks and there's no way I can remember enough details to review it years later. It's also just a good book and worth that re-read.

What Works -

Clark - I have a soft spot for stories that focus on the Clark Kent persona over the Superman one. Of course without the alien part we'd never look twice, but I dig the confused double-identity awkwardness.

Clark shows up for the book after taking a girl out on an unsuccessful date, discovering some of his powers during a botched rescue that ends with a guy dead. Ricochet isn't something to mess around with. He likes to write stories that are all rejected - pulpy sci-fi stuff - and instead of crying over his father's death, he's show more despaired at his mother's demise from cancer.

We don't get the fortress of solitude yet, but we do get a small-town farmboy who is unsure of the world and himself. The book takes a long time to get him out of Smallville - there's his father, a great man who refuses to attend church because of hypocrisy of the local Methodist congregation and who turns some of the town against him because of taking in a black man as an assistant. Their bond is close but realistic. He does some small time reporting in that town and finally meets up with an escapee from Metropolis, Willie.

Clark/Lex enemies - When he finally gets into the Superman role, he's great as a bumbling hero. His meeting with Lex is priceless as Lex is quick to point out the lack of brains apparent. The meeting isn't a hatred for the villain, but rather an excitement Lex was craving. I loved the showdown and their relationship in this book, although sadly they're scenes aren't until the end. Lex even is responsible for a certain costume...

Lex - Lex is perfect in this book for this alternate reality type. I loved his character. He's a mob boss who acts as the cities alderman (not sure what that is, neither are some of the characters...) while blackmailing scientists to help him make robots and busily coming up with other schemes. There's of course the serious darkness and villainry from him, but there's also that quirky humor that makes the book work. He's obviously the brightest man in book and he knows it. He's sleek, powerful, suave, sarcastic, his character was one of the best things the book offered, if not the top thing.

The ending - I fangirl how the ending ties together the story - not so far fetched that it's an alternate universe, but a different telling on the detailed start, something other books haven't done to my satisfaction before. There's so many made up details but most of them are interesting and it plays like a noirish 30's story. But in the end it wraps it up by then saying, let's allow the general fandom and canon to take over now..."And here, at last, is the point where our version of the story merges with all the others, the point at which Lois Lane (with one shoe on and one shoe off) peers up at Clark Kent (whose glasses are once again back on his face) with a dawning but already deep suspicion that feels strangely gleeful, almost like affection."

Not shying away from realism - The story has accidental deaths on the part of Clark, swearing from other characters, funny bumbling - bravo.

Lois - Lois works pretty well, even if I got bored sometimes with her POV. She's written with strong backbone and backstory, showing her go from one man to another, putting aside conscience for story.

What Doesn't Work -

Povs for people we don't care about - There's several side stories thrown in that grew stale and drug the book down. The plot was detailed (win), imaginative (bigger win), but it veered off too often into made-up character's heads for the invented story. An example is Willie; he works for meeting Clark and getting stuff rolling but he was another I grew bored with eventually. If the writer had reduced some of his viewpoint a bit, it would have helped

Clark/Willie journey - Sure, the journey helps show them explore the world before deciding what to do eventually, but it drags on much too long and, while having some fascinating adventures, holds boring ones as well.

Overall it's a great book for fans, it's different and fresh, and the major characters shine as stars. On the negative side sometimes the book just gets dull in between the worthy stuff. Because of some dullish sections I couldn't give this book a five star, but I loved it enough for it too stay a favorite. show less

A fine retelling of the Superman story, set in the mid-1930's. Basically, the events follow Clark from his late teens, when he first begins to realize his burgeoning powers, to his eventual move to the Big Apple, where he becomes enmeshed with the victims of a world-domination scheme by alderman Lex Luthor of New York City. There is much to like here; DeHaven has a sure touch for dialogue, and the emotional impact of Clark's powers and abilities, which set him apart from humanity as surely as his impulse to help unites him with them. I wish DeHaven had given Clark's parents a stronger role in his upbringing and "coming out", but their influence is at least hinted at. I'm of mixed feelings about how Clark's costume came into being, show more especially the final product near the end. I liked DeHaven's portrayal of Lois Lane (Lana only has a passing mention), and Clark's interactions with her in the latter part of the book. I prefer the structure that Elliott Maggin gave to the Superman legend in "Last Son of Krypton", but DeHaven has written a longer and more ambitious book here, and I think he is a better pure writer than Maggin. In a perfect world, these two could have collaborated on a Superman novel. But this was a satisfying read, although I think only a Superman fan like myself would have appreciated it to its fullest. show less