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Ο νέος Αδάμ
Out of print - Εξαντλημένο
224 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1939
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About the author
Stanley G. Weinbaum
365 books73 followersFull name: Stanley Grauman Weinbaum.
"In his short career, Stanley G. Weinbaum revolutionized science fiction. We are still exploring the themes he gave us." —Poul Anderson
"Stanley G. Weinbaum's name deserves to rank with those of Wells and Heinlein—and no more than a handful of others—as among the great shapers of modern science fiction." —Frederik Pohl
"In his short career, Stanley G. Weinbaum revolutionized science fiction. We are still exploring the themes he gave us." —Poul Anderson
"Stanley G. Weinbaum's name deserves to rank with those of Wells and Heinlein—and no more than a handful of others—as among the great shapers of modern science fiction." —Frederik Pohl
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
August 11, 2015
Stanley G. Weinbaum was one of the great "what if..." authors in sci-fi history. Perhaps no other writer before or since has been so influential, and shown so much early promise, only to have that budding career cut tragically short. The Kentucky-born author caused a sensation when his very first tale, "A Martian Odyssey," appeared in the July 1934 issue of "Wonder Stories," and its ostrichlike central alien, the unforgettable Tweel, was a true original of its kind. In a flurry of activity, Weinbaum went on to create some two dozen more short stories, plus three novels, before succumbing to lung cancer in December '35, at the age of 33. (Robert Bloch, a friend of Weinbaum's, has since written that he actually died of throat cancer; don't ask me.) It had been many years since I’d read the classic Ballantine edition "The Best of Stanley G. Weinbaum," which collects 12 of these wonderful stories and is preceded by some gushing words of praise from Isaac Asimov, so on a whim, I picked up Weinbaum's posthumous novel "The New Adam." This book, which was first released in 1939, has been called by "The Science Fiction Encyclopedia" Weinbaum's "most important sf work...one of the most careful and analytical works produced by an sf writer in the pre-War period...."
"The New Adam" tells the life story of Edmond Hall, who is born in Chicago near the beginning of the 20th century with an odd physical deformity: an extra joint on each of his fingers. As Hall grows up, he discovers that his brain is capable of thinking along two different tracks simultaneously; indeed, it is as if his brain were divided into two discrete halves, each capable of independent thought and of engaging in conversation with the other. As it turns out, Edmond is nothing less than a biological sport, a mutant, the next step in mankind's evolution, and undoubtedly some kind of maladapted, antisocial genius. A friendless loner, he tries to figure out what to do with his life after graduating from college. He decides that the pursuit of knowledge is a dead end--"intellectual masturbation"-- after constructing a limitless source of energy, an atom smasher, for fun. The idea of the pursuit of personal power is quickly rejected, when he decides that, as regards human beings, "He did not hate them enough to oppress, nor love them well enough to guide." Thus, Hall determines that his only hope for future happiness lies in the pursuit of pleasure. He tracks down an ex-schoolmate, a flapperlike beauty named Vanny Marten, and uses his powers of brain control and mental manipulation to coerce her into marriage, much to the dismay of her suitor, the poet Paul Varney. But trouble arises when Hall meets a plain-Jane female mutant like himself, Sarah Maddox, who alone can give him the intellectual stimulation that no other human can, including Vanny....
I'm not going to lie to you: "The New Adam" is a very strange book. The reader is given access to Edmond's cerebration processes, and that mind is a very dark and daunting area to explore. The man is given to constant philosophizing on the human condition, and is prone to both speak AND think in perfectly metered poetry that he concocts on the spot. He dwells on art, beauty, intelligence, the nature of time, Einsteinian physics and other recondite matters incessantly, the two halves of his brain batting speculations back and forth. Weinbaum emphasizes repeatedly how truly alien Hall is, and Edmond even reflects at one point that he could pass for "a changeling, a Martian smuggled here by some inconceivable art." The book's sense of strangeness is heightened by Weinbaum's deliberate blurring of the fine line between fantasy and reality at times. The honeymoon that Hall and Vanny take is indeed so dreamlike that the reader must wonder if perhaps the whole thing is another hypnotic suggestion placed into the young bride's mind. Likewise, Hall is so capable of creating realistic figments in his own noggin that it is often unclear if Sarah is actually visiting him or not.
Strangeness aside, Weinbaum's book is undoubtedly very much a triumph; a highly ambitious, beautifully written affair that aspires to the realms of the great American novel. Though now almost universally lauded as one of sci-fi's most seminal creators, the author here has created a book that is only marginally science fiction. If it weren't for some of Hall's futuristic inventions--that atom smasher, a gravity neutralizer--the book could almost be regarded as an impressively literate love story. The book is at times sexually frank, too, especially for its day (Edmond notes, with his two minds, Vanny's "Cheyne-Stokes breathing" during intercourse), and Weinbaum plays a risky game by making his central character unlikable; a user and manipulator of everyone around him, as well as a haughty, cold fish. And yet, the reader does somehow feel some sympathy for Edmond, lonely social misfit that he is; "I suspect the inflicting of intelligence is the greatest injury Fate can do to any being, for it is literally to thrust that being into Hell," he ponders at one point. And like the title character of the 1933 film "King Kong," which Weinbaum had to have seen, Edmond is very much a creature of whom it can be fairly said "Beauty killed the beast," and the poor wretch essentially destroys himself by trying to choose between intellectual and physical attraction. He is like a mutant egghead version of TV's Dobie Gillis, drawn to the beautiful Thalia Menninger type while knowing that he is more suited to the homely Zelda Gilroy. Unlike the other superman who first appeared in the late '30s (you know...the Clark Kent/Kryptonian fella), Edmond is never able to fit in anywhere, to his eternal undoing, and the reader does feel his pain.
"The New Adam" is wide ranging in its literary references (James Branch Cabell, Camille Flammarion, "Tristam Shandy") and is often heavily symbolic; its lead characters are likened to mythological and Biblical characters (Eve, Lilith, Iblis) on occasion. Oddly enough, Edmond, it is revealed, is the possessor of a rare copy of "The Necronomicon," the evil tome that figured so prominently in many of H.P. Lovecraft's stories; the two authors, it turns out, were indeed mutual fans! And Weinbaum is even a tad prophetic in his book; at one point, Hall ponders "Let the beasts outside once learn the secret of the atom and the next little war will tumble civilization into the abyss.
"'The New Adam' is a classic of the period," "The Science Fiction Encyclopedia" tells us, and indeed, I cannot say that I have ever read a book quite like it. "I have always found difficulty in discriminating between what you term great and mediocre literature," Edmond says toward the end of this impressive novel, but no such problem arose for this reader as regards "The New Adam." This is undeniably great literature....
(By the way, this review originally appeared on the FanLit website -- http://www.fantasyliterature.com -- a most excellent destination for all fans of Stanley G. Weinbaum....)
"The New Adam" tells the life story of Edmond Hall, who is born in Chicago near the beginning of the 20th century with an odd physical deformity: an extra joint on each of his fingers. As Hall grows up, he discovers that his brain is capable of thinking along two different tracks simultaneously; indeed, it is as if his brain were divided into two discrete halves, each capable of independent thought and of engaging in conversation with the other. As it turns out, Edmond is nothing less than a biological sport, a mutant, the next step in mankind's evolution, and undoubtedly some kind of maladapted, antisocial genius. A friendless loner, he tries to figure out what to do with his life after graduating from college. He decides that the pursuit of knowledge is a dead end--"intellectual masturbation"-- after constructing a limitless source of energy, an atom smasher, for fun. The idea of the pursuit of personal power is quickly rejected, when he decides that, as regards human beings, "He did not hate them enough to oppress, nor love them well enough to guide." Thus, Hall determines that his only hope for future happiness lies in the pursuit of pleasure. He tracks down an ex-schoolmate, a flapperlike beauty named Vanny Marten, and uses his powers of brain control and mental manipulation to coerce her into marriage, much to the dismay of her suitor, the poet Paul Varney. But trouble arises when Hall meets a plain-Jane female mutant like himself, Sarah Maddox, who alone can give him the intellectual stimulation that no other human can, including Vanny....
I'm not going to lie to you: "The New Adam" is a very strange book. The reader is given access to Edmond's cerebration processes, and that mind is a very dark and daunting area to explore. The man is given to constant philosophizing on the human condition, and is prone to both speak AND think in perfectly metered poetry that he concocts on the spot. He dwells on art, beauty, intelligence, the nature of time, Einsteinian physics and other recondite matters incessantly, the two halves of his brain batting speculations back and forth. Weinbaum emphasizes repeatedly how truly alien Hall is, and Edmond even reflects at one point that he could pass for "a changeling, a Martian smuggled here by some inconceivable art." The book's sense of strangeness is heightened by Weinbaum's deliberate blurring of the fine line between fantasy and reality at times. The honeymoon that Hall and Vanny take is indeed so dreamlike that the reader must wonder if perhaps the whole thing is another hypnotic suggestion placed into the young bride's mind. Likewise, Hall is so capable of creating realistic figments in his own noggin that it is often unclear if Sarah is actually visiting him or not.
Strangeness aside, Weinbaum's book is undoubtedly very much a triumph; a highly ambitious, beautifully written affair that aspires to the realms of the great American novel. Though now almost universally lauded as one of sci-fi's most seminal creators, the author here has created a book that is only marginally science fiction. If it weren't for some of Hall's futuristic inventions--that atom smasher, a gravity neutralizer--the book could almost be regarded as an impressively literate love story. The book is at times sexually frank, too, especially for its day (Edmond notes, with his two minds, Vanny's "Cheyne-Stokes breathing" during intercourse), and Weinbaum plays a risky game by making his central character unlikable; a user and manipulator of everyone around him, as well as a haughty, cold fish. And yet, the reader does somehow feel some sympathy for Edmond, lonely social misfit that he is; "I suspect the inflicting of intelligence is the greatest injury Fate can do to any being, for it is literally to thrust that being into Hell," he ponders at one point. And like the title character of the 1933 film "King Kong," which Weinbaum had to have seen, Edmond is very much a creature of whom it can be fairly said "Beauty killed the beast," and the poor wretch essentially destroys himself by trying to choose between intellectual and physical attraction. He is like a mutant egghead version of TV's Dobie Gillis, drawn to the beautiful Thalia Menninger type while knowing that he is more suited to the homely Zelda Gilroy. Unlike the other superman who first appeared in the late '30s (you know...the Clark Kent/Kryptonian fella), Edmond is never able to fit in anywhere, to his eternal undoing, and the reader does feel his pain.
"The New Adam" is wide ranging in its literary references (James Branch Cabell, Camille Flammarion, "Tristam Shandy") and is often heavily symbolic; its lead characters are likened to mythological and Biblical characters (Eve, Lilith, Iblis) on occasion. Oddly enough, Edmond, it is revealed, is the possessor of a rare copy of "The Necronomicon," the evil tome that figured so prominently in many of H.P. Lovecraft's stories; the two authors, it turns out, were indeed mutual fans! And Weinbaum is even a tad prophetic in his book; at one point, Hall ponders "Let the beasts outside once learn the secret of the atom and the next little war will tumble civilization into the abyss.
"'The New Adam' is a classic of the period," "The Science Fiction Encyclopedia" tells us, and indeed, I cannot say that I have ever read a book quite like it. "I have always found difficulty in discriminating between what you term great and mediocre literature," Edmond says toward the end of this impressive novel, but no such problem arose for this reader as regards "The New Adam." This is undeniably great literature....
(By the way, this review originally appeared on the FanLit website -- http://www.fantasyliterature.com -- a most excellent destination for all fans of Stanley G. Weinbaum....)
February 28, 2024
The New Adam was published posthumously in 1939, and I wonder if the author might not have gone over the manuscript for a light editing or revision given the opportunity. It's a Superman story, but not as interesting as Olaf Stapledon's Odd John or Philip Wylie's Gladiator. It's a rather slow, introspective novel, and I didn't think it had much of the vibrancy or sense-of-wonder of his short fiction.
April 1, 2018
Thanks for nothing Nietzsche
They're a miserable lot, these übermenschlich. ('Mensch' means human, ladies, not male, so don't feel left out). One of them in this novel, Sarah Maddox, is female and a real bundle of Stygian glee.
Nothing dates faster than the future and it's odd to read a science-fiction work today in which people drink highballs, say "Bah!" when cross and have a cigarette to end every meal. Such jarring notes transport one, not forward to some distant future, but back to the odd future that Weinbaum foresaw from sleazy 1920s Chicago. Nonetheless, this was a brave reworking of Nietzsche's (pre-Nazi) Superman, with some imagined scientific basis added.
The science is intriguing and, while dated, still seems prescient. Weinbaum, using the element niton (before it was renamed to radon), crafts a plausible description of superman Edmond Hall creating a viable atom smasher – and also warning of the danger of a nuclear weapon long before one was actually built.
But the conceit of the novel is the evolution of humans to a "higher" species, which will look upon us as we look on monkeys. A vein of deep sadness runs through the story. The sheer joy and happiness of Edmond's little pet monkey, Homo, contrasts with the alien coldness and contempt the superhumans feel for the scrappy emotions and shallow knowledge of the normal humans around them. It can't end well – for anybody.
This was landmark science fiction for its day and is well written and worth reading. Despite the smell of faded floral wallpaper it evoked, it also left me strangely disturbed and thoughtful.
One caveat – there's a glaring flaw. Weinbaum suggests that human poetry, although flawed and clunky, is the highest level of language because its meanings are often hidden in enigmatic lines, so it transfers understanding subtly to the subconscious. Therefore, the superhumans would communicate in poetry, transferring their higher concepts in the interstices of verse.
Good idea, but appalling in Weinbaum's execution of it. His superhuman verse dialogue is dire and reminded me hilariously of the "great" Scottish bard William McGonagall. Consider this an unintended comic bonus in an otherwise bleak world, and you'll get through it.
They're a miserable lot, these übermenschlich. ('Mensch' means human, ladies, not male, so don't feel left out). One of them in this novel, Sarah Maddox, is female and a real bundle of Stygian glee.
Nothing dates faster than the future and it's odd to read a science-fiction work today in which people drink highballs, say "Bah!" when cross and have a cigarette to end every meal. Such jarring notes transport one, not forward to some distant future, but back to the odd future that Weinbaum foresaw from sleazy 1920s Chicago. Nonetheless, this was a brave reworking of Nietzsche's (pre-Nazi) Superman, with some imagined scientific basis added.
The science is intriguing and, while dated, still seems prescient. Weinbaum, using the element niton (before it was renamed to radon), crafts a plausible description of superman Edmond Hall creating a viable atom smasher – and also warning of the danger of a nuclear weapon long before one was actually built.
But the conceit of the novel is the evolution of humans to a "higher" species, which will look upon us as we look on monkeys. A vein of deep sadness runs through the story. The sheer joy and happiness of Edmond's little pet monkey, Homo, contrasts with the alien coldness and contempt the superhumans feel for the scrappy emotions and shallow knowledge of the normal humans around them. It can't end well – for anybody.
This was landmark science fiction for its day and is well written and worth reading. Despite the smell of faded floral wallpaper it evoked, it also left me strangely disturbed and thoughtful.
One caveat – there's a glaring flaw. Weinbaum suggests that human poetry, although flawed and clunky, is the highest level of language because its meanings are often hidden in enigmatic lines, so it transfers understanding subtly to the subconscious. Therefore, the superhumans would communicate in poetry, transferring their higher concepts in the interstices of verse.
Good idea, but appalling in Weinbaum's execution of it. His superhuman verse dialogue is dire and reminded me hilariously of the "great" Scottish bard William McGonagall. Consider this an unintended comic bonus in an otherwise bleak world, and you'll get through it.
January 16, 2024
Great idea from the author but the story got boring very fast. Too much focus on romance, sadness and philosophy which was a bad combo for this book in my opinion. Hard to call this a SF book, it was disappointing. 2.75*
May 14, 2025
The science is pretty dated, and it's sexist as all get out, but I'd be lying if I said the morally-gray main character and the dramatic, almost biblical prose didn't win me over by the end. I think it's pretty neat as a piece of old science fiction, but I enjoyed it even more as an almost-overwrought drama about an old white nerd's image of the Perfect Superhuman, one that regardless managed to stir a few of my heartstrings by the end.
April 1, 2020
Powerfully written (by an author whose career was tragically shortened) far ahead of the genre right from the beginning and hard to put down. The introduction resonates with me due to eerie similarity betwen the lead character's background and a friend's recently divulged youthful behavior.
Clearly a superman theme in which the hero establishes his superiority over corporation heads, conducts rigorous experiments out of curiosity until his double mind and whims steer him in other directions.
Just when I was cogitating whether he exhibited a sense of humor, a surprisingly sophisticated park scene addressed the question.
Degenerates into a combination of philosophy, soul-searching and psychological quandaries, ultimately a letdown.
Cover adorned with early Jeffrey (Catherine) Jones art.
Clearly a superman theme in which the hero establishes his superiority over corporation heads, conducts rigorous experiments out of curiosity until his double mind and whims steer him in other directions.
Just when I was cogitating whether he exhibited a sense of humor, a surprisingly sophisticated park scene addressed the question.
Degenerates into a combination of philosophy, soul-searching and psychological quandaries, ultimately a letdown.
Cover adorned with early Jeffrey (Catherine) Jones art.
July 8, 2014
reviews.metaphorosis.com
3.5 stars
Edmond Hall, born a mutant with too many joints in his fingers and a double mind, tries to find a purpose in a society of humans. While pondering whether he's a superman or the devil, he explores pleasure, power, and passion.
This is not a warm and fuzzy story, but it is a good example of science fiction with a purpose. Stanley Weinbaum envisions a superior human, and does his best to imagine what such a man would do in human society. The process is methodically thought through, and Weinbaum sticks to his script most of the way through. The result is a reasonably credible and interesting speculation on what an unheralded superman might do with his time.
Weinbaum lets his strictures slip slightly at the end in order to introduce some drama and to illustrate the dangers of hubris, but he does so smoothly enough that it works. Even in this slippage, his narrator is fairly consistent. The chapter titles as well demonstrate a keen, dry sense of humor at work.
All in all, a good example of thought-experiment SF, and worth reading.
February 5, 2017
I read this a long time ago. It has remained in my memory since then. In my opinion it is a very good book about evolution.
December 7, 2018
Disappointing.
February 22, 2020
Ingenious small details that create a sense of the alien, whilst philosophically exploring the human condition.
August 1, 2020
An intriguing story which ends with a perspective on what is important in human life.
April 4, 2021
So bad it's good? Not quite though it is quite awful. This book is bonkers. It's like if Sheldon from Big Bang Theory wrote a book about himself.
July 14, 2019
This is the first novel I read by Weinbaum but I have read and enjoyed a lot of his short stories, especially "A Martian Odyssey". This novel was long and slow with too much dry philosophical meandering. The basic story is interesting and well thought out but the writing style made it difficult for me to enjoy it. Ironically Weinbaum also had good ideas in his short stories but the format prevented him from overwhelming the ideas with this excessive prose style.
April 17, 2019
Einfach erzählt und doch fesselnd, der neue Supermann Edmund Hall lebt abseits. Um die Welt kennenzulernen, engagiert er seinen alten Klassenkameraden, und ehelicht dessen Verlobte, weil sie so schön ist. Dann aber zieht er zu einer »seiner Art«, Sarah, kehrt aber zurück und dann stirbt er. So geht das. 7/10
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February 2, 20164.5 stars from Sandy: http://www.fantasyliterature.com/revi...
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