Superman from Earth, Vol. 1

by James Edin, Alex Woodend (Translator), James Trapp (Translator)

It will be a blockbuster. A 7000 word summary is available free of charge at the start of “Look Inside” at amazon. You can read all of it, some of or ignore it completely as you please.

Full of incredible world-building and complex characters, Superman from Earth is a thrilling space opera about greed, temptation, and the deadly consequences of human nature. Perfect for fans of classics like Dune and Project Hail Mary, Superman from Earth is a complex and thought-provoking space odyssey that explores the depths of the cosmos, the limits of technology, and what it means to be human.

Six industrial revolutions have seen human life expectancy reach nearly 400 years and the development of a truly free and open society has resulted in a world where everyone loves and values each other. In 2,398, six of Earth’s best and brightest astronauts embark on a mission to explore “Nearth,” a hospitable planet outside Earth’s solar system, in search of new resources and possibilities for expansion. Upon arrival, they make a shocking discovery: two new species of intelligent humanoids, still in the agrarian stage of social evolution, are locked in a devastating war.

What are the origins of their civilizations? Are they related to humans? And if so, how? What is their history? Where are their species and their societies headed? The answers to these mysteries are gradually revealed. Meanwhile, the human astronauts are beginning to sense there may be some unknown force in the background.

For Earth to have uninhibited access to its resources, Nearth’s agrarian societies must be destroyed. Each astronaut must confront the darkness within and decide whether they are willing to sacrifice their once steadfast morals for the sake of Earth’s gain. Can they overcome their selfish desires, or will they succumb to the allure of power and greed? Time is running out, and their decisions may determine not just the future of Nearth but the entire universe.

Just when they think their expedition is reaching a successful conclusion, a terrible accident intervenes.

The full book entitled SUPERMAN FROM EARTH is also at amazon.

Genres: Science Fiction

652 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 15, 2022

Reviews

[Debbie · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is just a summary of what the book is about, I thought I was going to read everything about Superman from Earth. This is Volume 1 from the Authors James Edin and Alex Wooden and James Trapp. I don't recommend this e-book and I won this ebook from Goodreads giveaway.

[Micaela Michalk · Rating 1 out of 5]

While the premise was great, the execution not so much. It read more like a nonfiction book with way too much history in an info dump (though props for the expansive world building!) it was hard to find connection to the characters when it was very tell and no show. And I found a lot of of the plot points problematic…such an emphasis on women’s beauty and sex which gave me the ick.

[Therese Thompson · Rating 1 out of 5]

“In modern society, not speaking one’s truth was shameful, not allowed, and sometimes even considered a crime.”

So, in that spirit, let me say I can’t possibly finish this. Not if it was the last book on Earth. Nor can I recommend it to anyone. And, by extension, I’m going to say reading Volune 2 is also a very bad idea.

I’ll just leave this pithy final excerpt here…

“Let’s call it North North City, because it’s very far north.”

[Glen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I won this book in a goodreads drawing.

This was not the complete novel, but it was still way too long. It was like wading through a bog.

[Tim Chaffee · Rating 1 out of 5]

Truthfully, this was a DNF for me. I thought the concept was great, but the execution was not there. I agree with the other reviewers who said it was too much of an info dump. Setting the stage for one’s story should not take so long. Additionally, I was put off by some of the author’s ideas on how the world would change in the next few centuries; they have little to no understanding of actual politics (China and Japan teaming up? Ever?). Their ideas on women were a bit ridiculous as well, in my opinion.

[Greg]

Sadly, I had to DNF this one, but because I won a Kindle edition in a GR giveaway I feel I should at least write a review. I will not be giving it a "star" rating as I did not finish the book.
First the good: it was a terrific concept and the first few chapters really drew me in. The world-building and predictions of mankind's future were excellent and set the stage for a promising SF novel detailing the future exploration of the outer cosmos. I just wish that the rest of the book had lived up to its strong start.
I suspect part of the problem was its poor translation. I am unsure what the original language of the author is but the translators did him a disservice, producing a text that was barely readable at times. As for the actual content, it repeatedly went over actions and conversations, sometimes word for word, already covered.
Then there was Edin's preoccupation with sex-the ethics of sex in the future, the characters thoughts and actions and history regarding sex, and some very odd takes on women re: the same. I'm not a prude but enough was enough. The story itself was more exposition or journalistic than narrative. That could be O.K. but for the faults listed above.
I hate to DNF a book, particularly one I've invested nearly 300 pages on, but I just can't go on. And I had such high hopes!

[Morgan Young · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a book that somehow got lost in translation. I am not sure if this book has been sabotaged by poor editing or by poor translators. Somewhere in the narrative is a fantastic story, but I cannot find it. I had a very hard time with the names, because they didn't truly connect with the design of the unique characters and were easy to mix up. I don't understand the objective of the journey to Nearth. I don't understand the paradox of a utopian humanity wreaking sabotage and suffering on a foreign planet with the goal of world dominion. I don't understand all of the back and forth between the ruminations of Earth history and the present day Nearth experience. It was as if extra narratives were thrown into the story for no reason at all. It was all very confusing and exhausting to trudge through.

I could see this as a best selling series if the unnecessary bulk in the story were omitted, it had superior translation, and was released in bite sized bits, perhaps as a graphic series so we as readers could truly understand and enjoy the author's vision for his fictionalized universe.

There is great potential for this story, but as it is now, I would not recommend reading this book.

[CJ Jones · Rating 1 out of 5]

I think I got this book as part of a bundle of 'steampunk books'. It is definitely not that. Maybe 'solar punk'. I got about as far as chapter nine before I gave up, but I think chapter one summarized the whole book so I don't feel like I missed out on anything. I would advise skipping that first chapter, because it contains all the flaws in the rest of the book and as a bonus once a page it subtly hints that you can buy this book on Amazon.
The text feels chunky and clumsy, the author repeats themselves several times, and they say the same thing again that they already said once. (However, I will now never forget that nuclear fusion has a power conversion of 0.7%.) It reads like there is a laundry list of 'things to relay to the reader' that the author must get through, and there is absolutely no flow from item to item. The dialogue is provided in the form of words that no human has ever spoken in that particular order before.
It's easy to tear down a book, and sometimes it just feels mean to keep kicking a dog when it's down. However, I cannot recommend purchasing this one.

[Candra Hodge · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had entered the giveaway for this book thinking it was the full version of superman from earth S. I was fairly disappointed to find out, at the very beginning, that this book was merely another summary of the full superman from earth. I don't understand the point of releasing "summary" books. I am to the point where I don't want to pursue this series any further due to being "put off" by all these summary books which I think are the full book but are not.

I won this book through a goodreads.com giveaway.

[Crystal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Superman from Earth

In the future, people from Earth are selected to go to another planet. However, they find something surprising. As a group, they must make decisions. First they need to carefully gather information. Then they need to analyze the information and act upon it. But they are torn between protecting what they see on the new planet and protecting the people on Earth.

#GoodreadsGiveaway

[Dagmar · Rating 3 out of 5]

I so very much dislike leaving a not so great review but this is about being honest.
I never got passed the first chapter.
There is so much information before you ever get to the story, it makes it a chore to get there.
I am convinced that, once you get passed all the info, it's a great book. I just couldn't get there.

[Becky Rosas · Rating 2 out of 5]

slow

This book reads more like a documentary than anything else. It was rather pedantic and slow and just didn’t deliver on the synopsis. It didn’t have much character development and spoke to trends and such. The point of view was hard to follow and I did not enjoy it.

[Read Ng · Rating 1 out of 5]

I won this in a GoodReads giveaway of a Kindle ebook.

I realized that it was an abbreviated version of the much larger edition. Then I won a copy of the full version, so I did not see any point to testing this one out and it immediately went into my DNF pile.

[Becky Rosas · Rating 2 out of 5]

slow

This book reads more like a documentary than anything else. It was rather pedantic and slow and just didn’t deliver on the synopsis. It didn’t have much character development and spoke to trends and such. The point of view was hard to follow and I did not enjoy it.

[Pavit · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF

[Chris · Rating 1 out of 5]

Reads like a history book.
I could not finish.
Thanks to Goodreads for the kindle copy.

[Mark Kramer · Rating 1 out of 5]

Sorry, couldn't get into it, even using the summary, which I thought was a little strange. I wrote this awhile ago but goodreads lost it, or it failed to post, or something.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found it interesting how the ages of the crew members were critical in how they treated the races on the planet. It also showed how human traits, even if not common on earth at the time, could resurface when interacting with a new species. Some of the acts the crew took seemed very cruel and selfish so it was hard to understand the ultimate mission they were to accomplish.

I was slightly surprised that this was only the start to the story.