Only Superhuman [Dramatized Adaptation]

Written by Christopher L. Bennett

Narrated by A Full Cast, Tracy Lynn Olivera, Barbara Pinolini and 25 more

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?

• Language: English
• Publisher: GraphicAudio
• Release date: Jun 3, 2020
• ISBN: 9781648796388

Christopher L. Bennett

Christopher L. Bennett is a lifelong resident of Cincinnati, Ohio, with bachelor’s degrees in physics and history from the University of Cincinnati. He has written such critically acclaimed Star Trek novels as Ex Machina, The Buried Age, the Titan novels Orion’s Hounds and Over a Torrent Sea, the two Department of Temporal Investigations novels Watching the Clock and Forgotten History, and the Enterprise novels Rise of the Federation: A Choice of Futures, Tower of Babel, Uncertain Logic, and Live By the Code, as well as shorter works including stories in the anniversary anthologies Constellations, The Sky’s the Limit, Prophecy and Change, and Distant Shores. Beyond Star Trek, he has penned the novels X Men: Watchers on the Walls and Spider Man: Drowned in Thunder. His original work includes the hard science fiction superhero novel Only Superhuman, as well as several novelettes in Analog and other science fiction magazines.

Reviews for Only Superhuman [Dramatized Adaptation]

[john_warner-1 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

★If you can imagine a Marvel Comics superhero on a space station, you have the gist of Only Superhuman. In 2107, man have colonized much of the solar system, including the gaps between planetary orbits through the use of huge space habitats. Although human genetic modifications have been outlawed on Earth, modified humans have been found useful in space. Emerald Blair is such a human, genetically modified for superstrength and speed, traits which are beneficial as a member of the Troubleshooters, a interplanetary police force. I found the prose so stilted, amateurish, and difficult to follow I dreaded picking it up. The author could have used a good editor.

[plappen_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

In the early 22nd Century, Mankind has expanded into the Asteroid Belt, allowing people to set up all sorts of societies. A major issue is the attitude concerning genetic and cybernetic modifications of people. Earth and its nearby colonies banned such practices many years ago, but, in the Belt, anything goes.Emerald Blair is one such "mod." Inspired by old-time comic books, she and other mods join together to form the Troubleshooters, policing the Belt as best they can. Emerald had a difficult home life, and strongly believes in not taking another human life, if at all possible.The Troubleshooters work for a powerful man named Gregory Tai, who feels that all the separate Belt societies (or, at least, the major ones) should be politically united, under his leadership. Emerald has a falling out with her colleagues, and meets an equally powerful man named Eliot Thorne. If there is such a thing as the "father" of genetic modifications, it's Eliot Thorne. He is also very handsome, and his daughter, Psyche, is beyond gorgeous. He is putting together a major conference, so that several of the major Belt societies can form an alliance. Emerald sees the rest of the Troubleshooters engage in some very questionable behavior (the Thorne's have convinced Emerald that Gregory Tai is the "enemy").Are Eliot's motives really as innocent as they sound? Is Psyche more than just Eliot's daughter? Does Emerald rejoin the Troubleshooters?Inspired by comic books, this novel is pretty good. It feels plausible, both scientifically and socially. On the good, or bad, side, there is a lot of sex in this book, maybe a little too much. Yes, this book is worth the time.

[shrike58 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Mashing up the current popular interests in both superheros and in-system space adventure Bennett gives us the character of Emerald Blair, a trans-human woman who has become part of an organization of peace-keepers who have styled themselves on the tropes of classic comic characters. This is towards the end of becoming more accessible to the general public. To me this novel reads like a cross between Carrie Vaughn's "After the Golden Age" (particularly with its emphasis on family relations turned toxic) and Bruce Sterling's "Schismatirx" stories and I look forward to further adventures set in this milieu.