''The Ultimax Man'' is a 1978 science fiction novel by Keith Laumer. An expansion of the short story "The Wonderful Secret",The Ultimax Man
at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database; retrieved June 25, 2018 it was first published by

St. Martin's Press St. Martin's Press is a book publisher headquartered in Manhattan, New York City, in the Equitable Building. St. Martin's Press is considered one of the largest English-language publishers, bringing to the public some 700 titles a year under si ...

Synopsis

Petty criminal Damocles Montgomerie is abducted by alien scientist Xorialle, who artificially increases his intelligence and gives him extra skills and abilities, in order to determine the bounds of human potential; however, Montgomerie soon goes far beyond Xorialle's expectations.

Reception

Critical reception of ''The Ultimax Man'' has been poor; Don D'Ammassa (who called it "trivial")KEITH LAUMER
by Don D'Ammassa; published no later than January 15, 2015; retrieved June 25, 2018 and

James Nicoll James Davis Nicoll (born March 18, 1961) is a Canadian freelance game and speculative fiction reviewer, former security guard and role-playing game store owner, and also works as a first reader for the Science Fiction Book Club. As a Usene ...

(who called it "sad", with a "pedestrian" first half and an "awful" second half)The Science Fiction Book Club Reviews Revisited: 1979 (first quarter)
by

; at James-Davis-Nicoll.dreamwidth.org; published July 25, 2013; retrieved June 25, 2018 have both noted that Laumer had a

stroke A stroke is a medical condition in which poor blood flow to the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and hemorrhagic, due to bleeding. Both cause parts of the brain to stop functionin ...

while writing the book. ''

Kirkus Reviews ''Kirkus Reviews'' (or ''Kirkus Media'') is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus (1893–1980). The magazine is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fic ...

'' stated that Laumer "never finds the right tone or style", with the majority of the content taking place within "a fog of adolescent facetiousness",THE ULTIMAX MAN
reviewed at ''

''; published July 17, 1978; retrieved June 25, 2018 while

John Clute John Frederick Clute (born 12 September 1940) is a Canadian-born author and critic specializing in science fiction and fantasy literature who has lived in both England and the United States since 1969. He has been described as "an integral part o ...

, writing in '' The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction'', declared that it was "significantly weak", relative to Laumer's earlier work.LAUMER, KEITH
by

, in '' The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction''; first published January 1, 2008; retrieved June 25, 2018

References

1978 science fiction novels American science fiction novels Works by Keith Laumer Alien abduction in novels 1978 American novels St. Martin's Press books {{1970s-sf-novel-stub