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Rating: 
Summary: Tragic Hero
Review: "Gladiator" by Philip Wylie is thought to be the book from which Superman was derived. Hugo Danner is the strongest man on earth. His father, Professor Abednego Danner, attempts to duplicate the strength displayed by small insects. He tests a solution he creates on tadpoles, and a kitten, before finally drugging his pregnant wife, Matilda, and injecting it into her abdomen. The result is a bullet-proof, super strong, super fast baby boy. Aside from similarities in abilities between Hugo and Superman, the stories are very different. "Gladiator" is the story of a man blessed with super abilities, and cursed because he has them. As he goes through life, he always must try to hide just how strong and fast he is. Time and time again, he feels he is forced to flee from his current situation when those around him learn of his abilities. He spends time as a Sports hero in college, a strongman in a sideshow on Coney Island, a war hero, and many others. Each time he thinks he has found a place, but each time he is disappointed. This book was tied for 9th on the Arkham Survey of `Basic SF Titles' in 1949. It is not without flaws, but I found it to be entertaining. It is certainly not a great book, but just as certain it is worth reading. If the legacy of "Gladiator" is the Superman comics, then that alone would make it noteworthy. As an early SF novel, it is also of interest.
Rating:
Summary: Tragic Hero
Review: "Gladiator" by Philip Wylie is thought to be the book from which Superman was derived. Hugo Danner is the strongest man on earth. His father, Professor Abednego Danner, attempts to duplicate the strength displayed by small insects. He tests a solution he creates on tadpoles, and a kitten, before finally drugging his pregnant wife, Matilda, and injecting it into her abdomen. The result is a bullet-proof, super strong, super fast baby boy. Aside from similarities in abilities between Hugo and Superman, the stories are very different. "Gladiator" is the story of a man blessed with super abilities, and cursed because he has them. As he goes through life, he always must try to hide just how strong and fast he is. Time and time again, he feels he is forced to flee from his current situation when those around him learn of his abilities. He spends time as a Sports hero in college, a strongman in a sideshow on Coney Island, a war hero, and many others. Each time he thinks he has found a place, but each time he is disappointed. This book was tied for 9th on the Arkham Survey of 'Basic SF Titles' in 1949. It is not without flaws, but I found it to be entertaining. It is certainly not a great book, but just as certain it is worth reading. If the legacy of "Gladiator" is the Superman comics, then that alone would make it noteworthy. As an early SF novel, it is also of interest.
Rating: 
Summary: Life Lesson #12 TIMING IS EVERYTHING
Review: My first reading of this book was prompted by my love of comic books after Marvel Comics adapted it in one of their black and white "Adult Comics"(the predecessor of the "Graphic Novel"). I enjoyed the book and have kept it in my library since (believe it or not, it is the old LANCER edition). A recent re-reading helped me to enjoy it's irony. The lead character sees that, in all his perfection, he is just as flawed as the rest of the world. Considering the story's purpose, relating the pitfalls of the life of a TITAN in a world of fragile humans, it is not so long that it becomes boring(unlike this review).
Rating:
Summary: Life Lesson #12 TIMING IS EVERYTHING
Review: My first reading of this book was prompted by my love of comic books after Marvel Comics adapted it in one of their black and white "Adult Comics"(the predecessor of the "Graphic Novel"). I enjoyed the book and have kept it in my library since (believe it or not, it is the old LANCER edition). A recent re-reading helped me to enjoy it's irony. The lead character sees that, in all his perfection, he is just as flawed as the rest of the world. Considering the story's purpose, relating the pitfalls of the life of a TITAN in a world of fragile humans, it is not so long that it becomes boring(unlike this review).
Rating:
Summary: Emphasis on drama, not science fiction
Review: This book should not be classified as science fiction. The science fiction aspect is only the means to teach the painful lesson that possessing exceptional skills -- even of superhuman proportions -- is not enough to bring the owner a successful life. Without direction on how to use them to the best advantage, the skills can not only be nonproductive, but counterproductive. In this book, the protaganist's superhuman strength brings him only humiliation and villification. So much good he can do for himself and the world. But how? I'm sure there are many talented people who can relate to this tragic hero. Philip Wylie's Gladiator has receive too few accolades.
Rating: 
Summary: The first super human
Review: This is one of my favorite novels of all time. It was the first super human story written in the 20th century and it triggered the cultural phenomenon of four-color comics. But it is not a super hero story. Main character, Hugo Danner, is 100 percent human being. Although Wylie had mythological characters like Achielles and Hercules to draw from, there was no such thing as a costumed hero flying around doing good for the world (published 1930). He is working from scratch.
The book deals with the realistic struggle of a man who is beyond Man. It is a picturesque journey of an individual who has choices to make, a super man who is seeking his place in a world of prejudice, politics, greed, war, and love. There are no super villains. There are no capes or costumes. It is raw and solid. The ending has been criticized by many over the decades, but for me, it fit into the structure and theme of the story perfectly.
Want a little more dimension out of your super heroes? Buy this book.
Matt Hiebert
Rating:
Summary: Another good what-if novel by Philip Wylie
Review: This was the first book I read from this author . It was a realistic account of what would really happen to a superhuman ( Someone capable of easily lifting 4000 lbs ) if he were placed among us mortals . Thoughtfully written - typical of Wylie's style , it took you through the life and events of such a person - mainly how other people would react to him and his difficulty to blend in with the human race (everyone was inferior to him). Philip Wylie also showed , in his own philosophical style , how nature dealt with something that was not natural or belonged here . It is a book I will never forget and I felt for the main character . After reading this I realized that Philip Wylie was no ordinary author and I discovered this through his other books . It is a shame that many of them are out of print . Most of the stuff he writes is profound - not like today's pulp fuction best sellers .
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