Enter your mobile number or email address below and we'll send you a link to download the free Kindle App. Then you can start reading Kindle books on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

  • Apple
  • Android
  • Windows Phone
  • Android

To get the free app, enter your email address or mobile phone number.
Download to your computer
Kindle Cloud Reader

Third Class Superhero 1st Edition

by
Charles Yu (Author)
› Visit Amazon's Charles Yu Page
Find all the books, read about the author, and more.
See search results for this author
Are you an author? Learn about Author Central
Charles Yu (Author)
3.7 out of 5 stars 23 customer reviews
ISBN-13: 978-0156030816
ISBN-10: 0156030810
Why is ISBN important?
ISBN
This bar-code number lets you verify that you're getting exactly the right version or edition of a book. The 13-digit and 10-digit formats both work.
Scan an ISBN with your phone
Use the Amazon App to scan ISBNs and compare prices.
Have one to sell? Sell on Amazon

Sorry, there was a problem.

There was an error retrieving your Wish Lists. Please try again.

Sorry, there was a problem.

List unavailable.
Facebook Twitter Pinterest <Embed>
Buy used
$1.80
Condition: Used - Acceptable
In Stock. Sold by Green_Earth_Books
Condition: Used: Acceptable
Comment: Ex-Library Book - will contain Library Markings. Help save a tree. Buy all your used books from Green Earth Books. Read. Recycle and Reuse.
Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items.
71 Used from $1.80
+ $3.99 shipping
More Buying Choices
24 New from $5.44 71 Used from $1.80 1 Collectible from $21.00
96 used & new from $1.80
See All Buying Options
Free Two-Day Shipping for College Students with Amazon Student Free%20Two-Day%20Shipping%20for%20College%20Students%20with%20Amazon%20Student

Beasts and Children by Amy Parker
"Beasts and Children" by Amy Parker
Explore this featured new release in Short Stories. Learn more | See related books

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1
This shopping feature will continue to load items. In order to navigate out of this carousel please use your heading shortcut key to navigate to the next or previous heading.
Back
  1. How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe: A Novel
    Charles Yu
    3.5 out of 5 stars 185
    Paperback
    $11.73 Prime
  2. Sorry Please Thank You: Stories (Vintage Contemporaries)
    Charles Yu
    3.8 out of 5 stars 67
    Paperback
    $11.76 Prime
  3. How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe: A Novel
    Charles Yu
    3.5 out of 5 stars 185
    Hardcover
    $20.42 Prime
  4. The Intimacies of Four Continents
    Lisa Lowe
    5.0 out of 5 stars 6
    Paperback
    $22.46 Prime
  5. The Great Frustration: Stories
    Seth Fried
    4.9 out of 5 stars 16
    Paperback
    $14.95 Prime
  6. The Dark Forest (Remembrance of Earth's Past)
    Cixin Liu
    4.6 out of 5 stars 238
    Hardcover
    $18.38 Prime
Next
NO_CONTENT_IN_FEATURE
Image
Looking for the Audiobook Edition?
Tell us that you'd like this title to be produced as an audiobook, and we'll alert our colleagues at Audible.com. If you are the author or rights holder, let Audible help you produce the audiobook: Learn more at ACX.com.

Product Details

  • Paperback: 192 pages
  • Publisher: Harvest Books; 1 edition (September 5, 2006)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0156030810
  • ISBN-13: 978-0156030816
  • Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 0.4 x 8 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
  • Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,094,496 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

    •  Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?

Customer Reviews

Top Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars1 Excellent Story + 10 Clinical Ones
By A. Ross HALL OF FAMETOP 1000 REVIEWERVINE VOICE on February 28, 2007
Format: Paperback
I'll fully admit that I picked up this book based on the nifty pop art cover, and then after flipping through it and seeing somewhat unusual typography and story structure, I took it home. The title story leads things off and is a very engaging Jonathan Lethem-style tale about "Moisture Man." He's a cut-rate superhero whose power is, as he puts it, very handy in a water-balloon fight, but that's about all. Already past his prime, to "make it", Moisture Man has to be able to fly, and there's only one way for him to do that: the dark side. It's an amusing framework for examining the compromises we all have to make in our daily lives, and easily the most enjoyable story in the book.

The other ten stories are rather precise, almost cold exercises in the craft of short story writing. While some take on imaginative frameworks, such as "Problems for Self-Study", which unfurls as a quasi-math/logic test, or the series of rules in "Two-Player Infinitely Iterated Simultaneous Semi-Cooperative Game with Spite and Reputation", they don't deviate from the central theme of identity and the quest for a meaningful existence that runs throughout the stories. In one story a couple tries to derive meaning and identity via packaged consumer goods and services, in another a man's identity literally splits in two, in another, an actor becomes overly immersed in his role, and so forth. In many of the stories, the characters aren't even given names, just "man" or "woman" or "A" or "B"... Another running theme is the idea of connection (in the E.M. Forester sense), in that many of the characters want to connect with others (family, lovers, friends), but are unable to move themselves to action. Personally, these failed to strike any kind of chord, and the navel-gazing aspect grew somewhat repetitive. Still, fans of the short form should check this out, as Yu's approach is certainly different from most of what's out there.
3 Comments 15 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Sending feedback...
Thank you for your feedback.
Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again
Report abuse
5.0 out of 5 starsSecret identity of a Third Class Superhero
By K. Collins on May 27, 2008
Format: Paperback
Based on the marketing and a short reading I heard, I picked this up expecting to follow the fate of a hapless superhero. I wasn't disappointed, and Moisture Man reminded me of what comics promised me as a kid. Further into the book, I was surprised to find that the rest of the stories dissected mundane characters with mathematical precision. It was as though I bought a Superman comic and found myself immersed in Clark Kent's relationship with his mother, Lois Lane, and his job. In this, Yu approaches the level of George Saunders at his best.
Comment 9 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Sending feedback...
Thank you for your feedback.
Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again
Report abuse
2.0 out of 5 starsWha?
By Misunderstood Computer God on April 2, 2013
Format: Paperback Verified Purchase
The first story was somewhat normal; all the others were like coming into the middle of a conversation and trying to figure out what the heck they were talking about. That could have been cool, but it got old really quick and became repetitive. What seemed like a neat idea at first just became the same old thing. I kept hoping for something new and interesting, but never really got it.

The only story I even remember is the Third Class Superhero.
Comment Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Sending feedback...
Thank you for your feedback.
Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again
Report abuse
3.0 out of 5 starsAn interesting start that then dwindles off into writing exercises
By Zach Robinson on January 20, 2013
Format: Paperback
The title story leads off fairly strongly. However, the following stories seem to be more focused on execution of particular writing exercises than they do on execution of telling an interesting tale.

He seems a capable writer. I would probably buy a future collection of his short *stories*, but found myself underwhelmed here by the excessive experimentalism.
Comment 2 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Sending feedback...
Thank you for your feedback.
Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again
Report abuse
5.0 out of 5 starsFine Literary Debut from One of Our Best Young American Writers
By John Kwok HALL OF FAME on August 22, 2012
Format: Paperback
Inventive, smart and funny immediately come to mind with regards to "Third Class Superhero", the debut short story collection from Charles Yu, which playfully mixes genres as diverse as scientific technical writing, mainstream fiction, plays, comic books, and fantasy. The title story itself is well worth the price of admission for this short story collection; a melancholy saga about a would be superhero's struggle to gain respect among his peers leads to a bizarre Faustian bargain with someone who could be described as being in league with Satan; an intense, emotionally gripping tale told from the protagonist's perspective. "My Last Days of Me" is a compelling tale about the star of the hit television series "Family" hitting rock bottom after interacting with a new member of the series cast, told effectively as a television script. There are eleven stories in all, exploring familiar terrain like relationships with loved ones, work, and the desire to describe one's current psychological outlook on life. Yu's prose is noteworthy for its sparse, terse sentences, which are still effective in their depiction of characters as memorable as that actor from "Family" or the protagonist of "Third Class Superhero". Yu is a courageous writer willing to break literary conventions if they stand in the way of letting him tell a good story. Without question, this debut short story collection marks the arrival of a fine young American writer of fiction, whose literary talent has been celebrated as a recipient of the Sherwood Anderson Fiction award, noted by The New Yorker and compared favorably with the likes of Jonathan Lethem and Philip K. Dick.
Comment One person found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Sending feedback...
Thank you for your feedback.
Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again
Report abuse
4.0 out of 5 starsGreat stories, Kindle edition needs work
By emperor of icecream on July 15, 2011
Format: Kindle Edition Verified Purchase
I like these stories a lot. They stay with you and are different than the average short story collection. The best one, "The Man Who Became Himself" is a must read; it deals with identity and has an obsessive and unique look at life and the question of who we are -- it made me go and find other Charles Yu stuff.

The only issue is with the Kindle version. It is not formatted very well; paragraphing is a bit messed up, weird line breaks, and the Table of Contents is practically useless since it is not clickable, making it almost impossible to navigate and jump quickly to a certain story. Inexcusable for a ten dollar e-book. That's why I'm docking one star.
Comment Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Sending feedback...
Thank you for your feedback.
Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again
Report abuse

Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 starsFive Stars

Great stories to entertain and delight!

Published 3 months ago by Amazon Customer
1.0 out of 5 starsPathetic attempt at self analysis

This book is frustrating and boring beyond belief. The author has a mother problem which shows up in many of his stories, If I lived in his head I would commit suicide. Read more

Published on August 26, 2013 by Eileen Barbara
1.0 out of 5 starsthird class writing

I heard through some Web sites that this was a good book so I put it on my Christmas list an it ended up in my stocking. I read the first story and was disappointed. Read more

Published on December 27, 2012 by RJ Handleman
3.0 out of 5 starsInteresting stories

I didn't notice that this is a book of short stories. Some are really great and well constructed; others leave me still scratching my head about what he's getting at or going.

Published on December 20, 2012 by J. Lin
2.0 out of 5 starsNot my thing

I didn't care for these experimental? Bizarro? I'm not sure of the genre, short stories. The cover's cool. Read more

Published on September 12, 2012 by Julia Walter
5.0 out of 5 starsIntensely Introspective

Charles Yu is not for everybody. I've read both How to Survive in a Science Fictional Universe and now Third Class Superhero, and his style can put people off. Read more

Published on December 28, 2011 by Douglas Felt
1.0 out of 5 starsPretentious Douche

This book is a collection of what Charles Yu thinks to be "thought-provoking" and "innovative" short stories. Read more

Published on December 21, 2011 by JLB
5.0 out of 5 starsCan Charlie Yu Be This Brillant?

Third Class Superhero

I had big expectations for this book - and found the read better than imagined! Read more

Published on June 27, 2011 by tom triggs
4.0 out of 5 starsThe Stories We Live vs. the Stories We Tell

Yu's quirky yet insightful short stories go much deeper than they seem on the surface. The title story's main character, Moisture Man, longs to be a successful superhero but must... Read more

Published on December 8, 2009 by Jeremy Garber

There's a problem loading this menu right now.

Learn more about Amazon Prime.