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More Than Human Paperback – December 29, 1998
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There's Lone, the simpleton who can hear other people's thoughts and make a man blow his brains out just by looking at him. There's Janie, who moves things without touching them, and there are the teleporting twins, who can travel ten feet or ten miles. There's Baby, who invented an antigravity engine while still in the cradle, and Gerry, who has everything it takes to run the world except for a conscience. Separately, they are talented freaks. Together, they compose a single organism that may represent the next step in evolution, and the final chapter in the history of the human race. As the protagonists of More Than Human struggle to find out who they are and whether they are meant to help humanity or destroy it, Theodore Sturgeon explores questions of power and morality, individuality and belonging, with suspense, pathos, and a lyricism rarely seen in science fiction.
Winner of the Hugo, Nebula, and International Fantasy Awards
- Print length192 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherVintage
- Publication dateDecember 29, 1998
- Dimensions5.2 x 0.4 x 8 inches
- ISBN-100375703713
- ISBN-13978-0375703713
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Product details
- Publisher : Vintage; 1st Vintage Books ed edition (December 29, 1998)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 192 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0375703713
- ISBN-13 : 978-0375703713
- Item Weight : 6 ounces
- Dimensions : 5.2 x 0.4 x 8 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #134,602 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1,028 in Hard Science Fiction (Books)
- #1,618 in Exploration Science Fiction
- #12,510 in Suspense Thrillers
- Customer Reviews:
About the author
Theodore Sturgeon is considered one of the godfathers of contemporary science fiction and dark fantasy. He is the author of numerous acclaimed short stories and novels, among them the classics More Than Human, Venus Plus X, and To Marry Medusa.
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Perhaps when we think about science fiction, in general, we may still get lost. Even today, there are well-regarded writers in that genre, of great literary stature, who are due for a wider audience. In the case of Theodore Sturgeon, I am certain that, once a follower of his work, there is no turning back. What “More Than Human” achieves is nothing less than to inspire the reader. Its very purpose is to do just that.
The case is made, in a dazzling way, in favor of humanity. All of humanity, in one form or another, is brought up for your consideration. The very notion of humanity is stretched and pulled. We find characters who are clearly living subhuman lives. As in a fable, these characters, at first, seem less than real except, as the story builds, they compel you to turn the page.
What exactly is going on is something we won’t know for some time to come. All we know, at first, is that we have some characters in distress. They’re in a compound in a secluded forest and their very humanity is in danger. But light keeps breaking the dark. And a battle ensues between light and dark. Sturgeon makes us hope for the characters and then gives us reasons to hope for them and well beyond the characters themselves.
Further into the story, one locale will give way to another and one character’s journey will blend with another. Or, as is more to the point, we see key characters who not only blend with one another. They will “blesh” with one another. In fact, our key characters will blesh into something greater than the sum of their parts. And, thus, the title of the book.
Sturgeon provides a seemingly spare and direct style that percolates with fanciful word choice and description. It’s a sturdy narrative with consistently elegant turns. In that way, the pathos of a village idiot, or an insensitive man, or a vulnerable young woman, is best evoked.
“More Than Human” is about some most unlikely misfits who together form the next step in human evolution. Like anything worthy of being a classic, it is so much more than just that. It is more in the way the story unfolds and what it has to say about all of us. It’s more in its determination to express such goofy, yet essential, idealism. Published in 1953, it was ahead of its time in its inherently quirky approach. But, in the years to come, Sturgeon wasn’t exactly obscure to the general public. For instance, he wrote two of the most beloved episodes of the original Star Trek television series. "Amok Time" is the episode where Mr. Spock first displays the Vulcan hand salute and first says the Vulcan motto, "Live long and prosper." All thanks to Theodore Sturgeon.
When Kurt Vonnegut caught the limelight, he helped to add to the growing acknowledgement of Sturgeon. Those in the know, always held Sturgeon in the highest regard. Just give Vonnegut a careful read and you’ll see for yourself. There is a recurring character in the Vonnegut universe named after Sturgeon. His is name is Kilgore Trout.
A very rewarding and moving story written by a master!
Top reviews from other countries
Content or story of the book is awesome. This may not seem ground breaking or intriguing today but given it was published in 1953. we can safely say it's a great story.
It is about evolution of humans mentally. No aliens or anything. Just humans and their evolution. Some parts are vague and sometimes you don't know what's happening but in the end everything falls into place. The book is worth reading. It's just 233 pages.
This was my first sci-fi book and I am looking forward to read more in this genre.
Reviewed in India on July 28, 2017
Content or story of the book is awesome. This may not seem ground breaking or intriguing today but given it was published in 1953. we can safely say it's a great story.
It is about evolution of humans mentally. No aliens or anything. Just humans and their evolution. Some parts are vague and sometimes you don't know what's happening but in the end everything falls into place. The book is worth reading. It's just 233 pages.
This was my first sci-fi book and I am looking forward to read more in this genre.
When “hear” becomes “bear”, it can make sentences hard to comprehend and that “wait, what?” thing gets rather annoying after the third or fourth time.
Anyway, I survived. Hope the editors up their game.
Ausgehend von diesem "Homo Gestalt" erkundet Sturgeon, was den Menschen ausmacht: Welche moralischen Verpflichtungen haben wir gegenüber uns und unseren Mitmenschen? Ist das Gewissen ein Hindernis für unsere Entwicklung oder ein integraler Bestandteil von uns? Wie könnte eine Weiterentwicklung des Menschen aussehen? Welche Pflichten erwachsen daraus?
Fazit: "More than Human" ist ein sehr philosophischer Roman, der, wenn am ehesten als "harte" Science-Fiction klassifiziert werden kann. Eine Empfehlung auch für Leute, die sonst eher zu anderen Genres greifen.
While I found the story to be fairly typical, the novel aims to look at how morality and ethics are affected when people are no longer born equal. Each of the characters have come from backgrounds that have been unsupportive, both towards them as people but also towards their unique gifts. As such it lends itself towards notions of what would happen if a yob culture were given the faculties to do as they please without the usual limitations?
This is a wonderfully thoughtful story. There are many stories around that detail the existence of people with extraordinary powers, this is probably the greatest as it looks so closely and thoughtfully about the risks of such power. Brilliant stuff, science fiction at its best.