4

Does anyone remember a science fiction story I read as a child in the early/mid '60s? The only thing I remember about the story was that the main character was a man who appeared to be normal in size and stature, of about 5'10 and 160 lbs., but weighed close to 500 pounds and was correspondingly stronger too.

As I recall, it was a short story, probably in an anthology, as I used to read short stories voraciously.

8
  • 5
    Hi, welcome to the site. Was this a novel or a short story? If it was the latter, did you read it in an anthology or a magazine? Oct 10, 2021 at 17:29
  • 1
    This was part of the original premise for the Luke Cage comic book character, who premiered in 1972.
    – Buzz
    Oct 10, 2021 at 17:49
  • Why down-vote the question. The poster said it was all he could remember. Now, I don't know about this story but there is an exact opposite story about a man who appeared to be morbidly obese but was actually lighter than air. Oct 10, 2021 at 19:46
  • 2
    Hello LogicDictates, As I recall it was a short story. Probably an anthology as I used to read short stories voraciously. Oct 10, 2021 at 19:58
  • 1
    Can you visit scifi.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/9335/… and see if those prompts help you find more information to edit in? Like do you think this was in a book? A magazine? Comic book?
    – FuzzyBoots
    Oct 10, 2021 at 20:14

1 Answer 1

4

This could have been a story by John Campbell. The description not quite fits that of Aarn Munro, a native of the Jupiter colony. Adapted to a gravitational pull more than twice Earth, Aarn has much denser bones and more powerful muscles (as well as being a superman in almost every other regard), and is able to lift both his sidekicks Spencer and Carlisle with one arm:

Jupiter, a world with two and a half times the gravity of Earth, required strength in its people, and speed, too.

On Earth, Aarn weighed nearly three hundred and fifty pounds. For the first twenty years of his life he had lived on the giant of the system and had developed such strength as no Terrestrian ever dreamed of. More than once he had proved his ability to lift and walk off with a ton and a half of lead. [ The Mightiest Machine, Astounding, 1934-1935 ]

3
  • Thank you LSerni, but I don't think he was an alien. I think he was of this planet but somehow transformed. Also,I'm positive it was a short story. Oct 12, 2021 at 12:38
  • @donkoerner Aarn Munro is not an "alien" -- he is the son of an Earth scientist marooned on Jupiter, and was born and grew there until he was about twenty. This made him an incredibly strong human.
    – LSerni
    Oct 12, 2021 at 16:29
  • 1
    Thank you for the clarification LSerni. I see that the book "Incredible Planet" is actually three novelettes combined. This may be why I considered it to be a short story. I think Aarn Munro is my guy. Oct 13, 2021 at 22:56

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge that you have read and understand our privacy policy and code of conduct.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.