Super

by Aaron Dietz, Charlie Potter (Designed by)

Need a new job? Does the world need another superhero? You see the connection, don’t you? If you had the chance to save lives…could you handle the adventure? The pressure, the risk, the grotesque, the insane? Most of all, could you handle your humanity? Update your resume, ‘cause here we go. Either stick with being sucked down further into your life, or earn the lift-off of the elite.

Aaron Dietz’s debut novel moves with an experimental edge into America’s heroic mythology. Structured as a novel-length job application for a superhero agency, Dietz uses his iron touch to explore themes that go far deeper than the swashbuckling world of comics and costumes. It’s a story about commitment, ability, bureaucracy, possibility, crisis, and heartbreak. Super.

Genres: Superheroes

244 pages, Paperback

First published November 8, 2010

About the author

Words, data, and betterment.

Reviews

[Nefariousbig · Rating 4 out of 5]

Apparently, contrary to what the voices have told me, I am NOT SUPER . I am not cut out of SUPER material, and I do not have a SUPER power. Apparently, the only SUPER powers that I have are ADHD, OCD, and something my mother calls L.A.Z.Y. I am told that without the proper SUPER medication, I will be put in a SUPER nice place, with SUPER awesome drugs, and other SUPER crazy people who have no SUPER powers either. That's just fucking SUPER! Although, it does sound a lot like my last vaca...... wait......MMMMOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMM.....

SUPER REVIEW

I COULD have been a Superhero. I SHOULD have been a Superhero. I curse myself for not taking more sewing classes, doing more strength training, harder assessment testing, more time with the maths, 2x7+elevendybillion=potato...whatever. I know my skill set and positive attitude is much better suited to heroism, than the law. I know I have the drive and dedication it takes to BE an extraordinary Superhero. But, as I mentioned, I am NOT SUPER .

Super, by Aaron Dietz, is the best kind of experimental fiction. Up and down, bouncing, blogging, jumping or falling, taking pills, or dodging rubber bands, Super challenges you to leap into Dietz's imagination and find your superness. Super takes you to a fun place where the adventure is all in how you answer the questions. BUT FIRST, you will have to submit your application, with cover letter, three references, take a physical exam, submit to a background check, sign a non-disclosure agreement, orientation, learn super sexual harassment (video training), design your costume, make your name, etc, etc, etc. All that is just to be a Level 0 Superhero!

Each level of Superhero advancement requires intense psychological assessment, taken in the form of "scenarios". Each scenario is a short story, a level up assessment, woven together to create the intricate tribulations of the ever evolving Superhero. The "scenario" diagrams are hilarious, and give the story a punch.

Who is my favorite Superhero? Protea, Level VIII Superhero. Why? She’s apathetic, she doesn’t feel like she’s doing good, saving people all the time, not knowing which ones deserve saving. Sometimes, it’s too hard to be super. Sometimes, being a regular person is just hard enough. She sounds a lot like me. But, then again, so does this guy: http://youtu.be/B4JCehDOy54

[Ben Loory · Rating 5 out of 5]

i really loved this book; it kind of blew my mind. i even wrote a blurb for it. here it is:

Most books spiral downward, but this one spirals up, building ever more fanciful and heartbreaking worlds as it goes, chapter after chapter. In the end you’re left with a view of life–almost a philosophical system; yet it’s the most fun I’ve had reading a book in years. It’s like Shazam and the X-Men teaching Zen.

[Aaron Dietz · Rating 5 out of 5]

As of 2010, probably the best novel I've ever written. That I know of.

[David Katzman · Rating 4 out of 5]

How was it? Super, thanks for asking! I quite enjoyed this book. It’s a very fast read, actually, and I powered it down. Which makes sense given that it’s about superheroes. Get it? Powered it down? Sorry, I’ll go back to sleep.

Okay, I’m awake again. Where was I? Ah, Super. It’s quite a charming concept. You are applying for a job as a superhero with the local city government. (Turns out … superhero jobs don’t pay all that well.) The book consists of a series of these applications as you attempt to move up from a first level superhero to a tenth level superhero. The applications describe various heroic actions that a hero must successfully perform (in the danger room/holodeck) in order to qualify for the next level. After explaining the deeds, the applications describe various hypothetical superhero scenarios followed by questions about those scenarios. The scenarios seem intended to be linguistic Rorschach tests, and the questions are for evaluation of your psychological suitability for promotion.

I really enjoyed Super and here’s why: 1) I’m a nerd; 2) The hypothetical scenarios were like connected short stories (featuring some overlapping characters), and I found them to be damn good short stories. I wanted more of them and didn’t want them to end. The hypothetical superheroes felt like real people with significant personal flaws, and I wanted to follow their lives. The tone of the stories was surprisingly melancholy, almost wistful, and mysterious, which contrasted sharply with the somewhat absurd nature of the “heroic tasks” posed by the application. I wish Dietz had written a novel about these characters! I would’ve loved that.

The application wrappers to the stories didn’t really do much for me. They seem intended to mock government bureaucracy a bit, and, sure, I’m not a fan of government bureaucracy, but I don’t find it a significant threat when compared to corporate inhumanity. It’s not that I disliked the applications, but after the first couple, I skimmed through them to get to the fantastic stories.

The premise was super-clever, and Dietz is a great writer. I’m looking forward to future work.

[Michele · Rating 5 out of 5]

Entirely unique. Super is a nice mix of poetic justice and witty commentary on government bureaucracy - great for fans of Parks and Recreation - its told through a series of standardized tests, including reading comprehension on several beautiful vignettes, comics, and poems, which provide insight into the different super heroes and their hopes and difficulties. It's a great mix of everything - action, adventure, despair, romance, self-loathing and even a laugh out loud musical scene. I would recommend this for a book club read. You can actually fill out the reading comp test, which makes for fun discussion. Plus some of the questions made me view the stories differently than I had originally interpreted them.

[Pei Lin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Do you like solving puzzles? Do you enjoy playing word games? Can you handle a novel without knowing which page you are on? Through standardized training documents and psychological assessment questions, you experience life as a superhero in Pike County. As you advance through levels, the layout and the content of the book get quirkier. There are stories of heartbreak, tales that make you worry about the characters – characters you care about, and humor that pokes fun at bureaucracy through the lens of a registered superhero county employee. Its fast pace, innovative layout, and thought-provoking content make it a fun, mentally engaging read.

[Heidi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had so much fun reading this book. I intended to buy a bazillion copies - it seems like it would be a great gift book for coworkers leaving for a new job, for new college students, for anyone needing a nudge, encouragement, motivation to move in a new direction in life. I haven't bought a bazillion copies yet. I still plan to do it someday. That quantity may be a bit of an exaggeration.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a really fun read that also made me think. I loved the structure in the form of the superhero job application process. The VCR (virtual combat room) simulation exercises were hilarious. And the psychological assessments in the form of written documents for comprehension allowed for an interesting variety of forms and styles. Each one was fascinating. I particularly enjoyed the comprehension questions that followed the reading. The questions were quite funny, and they often made me think about the written pieces in different ways. As I moved through the superhero levels, I was surprised by how much I worried about and cared about the characters, considering they were framed in the context of these psychological assessments. With so many types of documents, I imagine the layout for this book must have been a complex process, and it was well worth it. The effect is great. It very much has the bureaucratic governmental feel. This book is an unusual and memorable one!

[shawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've known this book since it was a baby, and now it's all grown up![return][return]I'm not the most unbiased reviewer, having helped a bit here and there, but in spite of that, I think I can say that this is one of the most clever takes on the superhero genre I've seen.[return][return]Just imagine that your superheroes worked for a government agency, not a super government agency, but one that you might find as part of your local city or county government. (Don't get me wrong! These are human beings in the cogs of the government machine, super-powered though they may be.)[return][return]Dietz's brilliant idea was to frame the book as a job application, complete with psychological evaluation, which allowed him to experiment with different modes of storytelling, from straight up narrative to comics and even to a word find![return][return]If you like superheroes (and, seriously, even if you don't) there's a lot to get out of this book.[return][return]Buy it! Read it! Love it!

[Sean Beaudoin · Rating 4 out of 5]

There's a lot of super hero material out there, and most of it is derivative and rote. This is a totally new take on the genre, mostly since it's not a genre piece at all. It's a really smart and regularly hilarious satire of both mind-numbing hiring processes (think Hardees counter boy application) and super hero down-time miscellany. Rubber bands and bottles of wine and corporate-style training exercises. When the action comes it's funny and unexpected, but it's really about the inherent banality in all things, super or otherwise. At least that's my take. Snap this one up! If only for my now all-time favorite super hero name: Alabaster Wight. (was he conceived at the Isle of Wight concert while Hendrix was playing? Almost certainly.)

[Tom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super is super. I'm not a big fan of superheroes to tell you the truth, and I usually prefer plain old narratives with a good storyline. But Dietz has accomplished something extraordinary with Super, as you read levels of character depth and thematic complexity emerge very subtly, sneaking in the back door of the reader. In the hands of a lesser writer the form of the novel (documents, charts, reports, application forms, etc) would seem gimmicky, but here it is in the service of something greater, literature, and it is extremely effective. Bravo. Five stars.

[Tara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Huge fan. Fascinating look into the mind of a madman.

[Jaime K · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this in a goodreads giveaway. I did notice a typo with Level IV: it says that Document I is included at that level, but it's not, and not given until Level V.


Did you know that part of a superhero's orientation in Pike County, they have to learn that their fans can get them killed? Why don't celebrities have the same type of orientation? Fans might prevent me from being SUPER.
I don't know where Pike County is but I do know it's not in Iran where one of the superheroes is from.

There is a Virtual Combat Room (VCR) that allows for interesting (and intense and sometimes scary) scenarios. A superhero in the VCR can also die, although it's not a real-life death. The requirements for different scenarios can sometimes be funny, such as 10 bonus points for clean undergarments.

Superheroes are not immune to human pains, whether they're physical or mental. They also need to apply more skills beyond their powers - hence the different levels of superhero-ness and different evaluations. Superheroes can also drop levels too, not just gain them.

At every level gain, there is a psychological evaluation in order to make sure the superheroes are balanced and in right mindsets. I just hope that superheroes are allowed to look back at the provided documents to help them answer the questions. Because that's what I was doing when answering the questions.
Hey, if you're going to read a book about superheroes, you have to invest yourself in the information!

I enjoyed the progression of the superhero story.


My Review and Thoughts
- A superhero is not official until they have a costume!
- Even Level I superheroes have rigorous training, including costume repair
- Level II superheroes focus on public speaking and staying awake late. Eep! I would fail as a Level II super. That makes me sad.
- Level III superheroes learn gymnastics and creative fighting. It sounds like so much fun (even though I'd fail the VCR basketball simulation).
- At Level V, superheroes focus on anger management.
- Yoga is learned at Level VI - which sounds awesome for the superheroes who are more stressed and dealing with more.
- Level V superheroes make about $42 thousand and Level VI make about $46 thousand. I guess that's quite a bit of money. I'm from New Jersey though, so I'd hope superheroes in other cities and states (like NYC) are paid more because of costs. BUT if they reside at headquarters, there are probably much fewer costs, and a $42K salary is pretty decent.
- At Level VII, the focus is on battle related physics!!
- Level IX really focuses on leadership, which makes a lot of sense since it's the second-to-last Level. The Documents include the preliminary layout of panels for a comic (which I found fascinating) and job applications.
- At Level X, there is a lot of classified information

[Tyler · Rating 4 out of 5]

My rating should actually be about 3.5, but since I can't do that, 4 is fine, if a little high.

This is a good book, hell, it's quite a good book. It has a really cool idea to it, very original, and does it well. Anybody with an interest in superheroes (I don't hesitate to say that's most people) can find something to enjoy here.

Unfortunately I found some of it just repetitive and uninteresting. When it got to the story it was fine, but the actual resume parts and whatnot were skippable since a lot of it was just repeated stuff. I understand that due to the nature of the book this was probably unavoidable if the author wanted to be authentic, but unfortunately it was just wasted pages.

But aside from the negative feelings I have, I do give props to the author. I like the ideas a lot, I give praise to originality in any book whether I like it or not. And it's not like I hate this book, I enjoyed it.

I guess the problem is; this is the kind of book normally I love and think about constantly. I love gimmicky books with unique ideas, but some of it failed to engage me and thus it suffered.

Still definitely worth a read, especially if you're into superheroes and experimental fiction. There are lessons to be learned in here and Dietz definitely tackles those issues in a refreshing and genuine way.

[Scott Waldyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Innovative. Unique. Satirical. Heartfelt. 'Super' is as fresh and inventive as it is an amazing superhero tale. Written as a series of job applications with various pieces of documentation to provide supplemental details, this was one of the most creative reads I've ever indulged in. A lot of thought was put into this book's construction, and though it aims to tell a story mined from the classic superhero mythos, 'Super' is the freshest take I've read.

Even if one doesn't like superheroes, this book is worth it just for how this is pieced together. It's a game-changer, and it redefines how we can approach the art of storytelling.

And the story?
The story is fun and passionate. The characters are reoccurring with each job application, and through the reading of applications, we see them grow, change, and open up to us. At times, the story is very sweet and beautiful. In other moments, it's a dry rub of humor drenched in cleverness.

Simply put, 'Super' is one of those rare books I'll never forget. It's also one of the greatest pieces of literature I've ever read, one that blends pop culture with higher art.

[Casondra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Look inside and find your own superhero.

[Jack Maness · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great format. The story unfolds almost without narrative. Totally tantalizing.

[Meghann · Rating 2 out of 5]

So... I am not sure how to review this book. I thought the idea was clever and enjoyed the beginning and parts of the end but the parts in the middle were a little slow. I am not sure if I am just to slow or uncool to get this fully but it felt like I was on the outside of an inside joke... not that the book is a joke but... like feeling left out not quite getting it. Could just be me though.

[Louis Singley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book since it was such a unique way of telling the story and for the first half I did. After that reading the forms seemed more of a chore and I barely managed to stick with it. There were better parts near the end that were more entertaining, but overall I can't really say this format worked all that well.

[Becca · Rating 2 out of 5]

Having an application process in order to become a superhero is an entertaining concept, but I wish the book had gone beyond just listing scenarios and questions and actually delved into the applicants.

[Eric Rosenfield · Rating 5 out of 5]

A surprisingly readable and absorbing experimental novel about superheroes, structured around a series of exams for a superhero registration organization.