More Than Human

I happened to be searching for my next great book to read when a dear friend recommended Theodore Sturgeon's "More Than Human." I am so grateful for that recommendation. The book is quirky, twisted, and most rewarding. And it does rise to the level of being a great book.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.

"More Than Human" by Theodore Sturgeon is a ground-breaking novel and the winner of the International Fantasy award in 1954 for fiction. It was also recognized by the fans in 1956 when it tied for 3rd on the Astounding/Analog All-Time Poll, and in 1966 when it was rated 19th on the same poll. It ranked 9th on the Locus All-Time Poll in 1975 for All Time Novels, 12th in 1987 for All Time SF Novels, and 13th in 1998 for SF Novels before 1990. It was also nominated for the Retro Hugo in 2004 for works published in 1953.Sturgeon tells his story by using three shorter works. They tell the story of the next step in the evolution of man, which is named "Homo Gestalt". As separate people, Lone, Janie, Bonnie, Beanie, and Baby do not fit into society, but when they are together, they are a fully functional being. There are some tells in my description of the three parts of the story, so skip the rest if you don't want to risk any spoilers. The three parts of the story are:"The Fabulous Idiot" is a novelette which was first published in this book. It is the story of the creation of `Homo Gestalt'. It focuses largely on the story of Lone, who is the `idiot' from the title. For most of his life, he is largely ignored, although he does have telepathy and mind control powers that he uses, unknowingly, to get people to casually give him food or money so that he can survive. We also learn about of Janie (telekinesis), and the twins, Bonnie and Beanie (teleportation), and Baby (super-intelligent). This story jumps around from group to group, giving the reader the back-story for the characters, and eventually brings them together, and at the end they learn their roles in `Homo Gestalt'."Baby Is Three" is a novella which was originally published in "Galaxy" in October of 1952. This story takes place a few years in the future, from the viewpoint of Gerry, who is seeking help from a psychiatrist to help him understand who he is. While exploring his past, we learn that Lone brought Gerry into the group and that when Lone died, the group stayed together seeking help from an old acquaintance of Lone, whom we met briefly in the first section. As Gerry gains understanding and recovers memories, we ultimately find that he is Lone's replacement in `Homo Gestalt', and while Lone's simplicity was a handicap for the group before, Gerry's lack of morals is the new challenge to their survival."Morality" is a novelette which was originally published in this book. This part of the story follows Hip Barrows, who is desperately trying to recover his lost memories. Somewhat similar in style to the previous section, it takes place a few years farther in the future, and it is a character reconstructing the past. Hip is aided in his attempts to reconstruct his past by Janie. We learn that Gerry decided to destroy Hip's life and that even while trying to remember, they are being pursued by Gerry and the rest of `Homo Gestalt'. Hip's only chance for survival is if he can make Gerry understand the need for an ethic for the new species.

One wouldn't know it wasn't new. Sorry I had to kinda bend the cover to read the book.

This is a classic novel in every way. While written many years ago, it seems timeless and the characters and the setting could exist today. It is a story of what it is to be human and pushes the reader to consider what possible next steps could there be in humanity's evolution. Sturgeon lays this out in a sequence of stories that focuses on different characters within this group whose lives are bound together. We see very real and personal experiences and the author does a good job of building our empathy for these characters who are all going through a personal struggle. Through this struggle they learn what it is to be "more than human". Apparently this story plays into Sturgeon's theme of "ask the next question". The next question being answered is "what is a possible evolution of the human race". While not totally believable (telekinesis, teleportation, etc), I was able to suspend my disbelief long enough to enjoy the ride the author was taking me on. The highlight for me was the focus near the end on the attempt to define Morality and Ethics in the context of the characters experience. This gave me a new perspective on these ideas, which is why I love reading - to gain new ideas. Thanks Theodore!

The basic premise of this book is a potential evolution of the human species. It starts with 6 characters, who over time merge into a single more advanced consciousness / being, while still maintaining some of their individuality.I liked this book because I found the overall concept interesting, however sometimes books can simply be harder to get into due to the way they are written. After the first chapter it was definitely an effort to follow, thus I am giving only 3 stars, however I persevered.The idea that each human is a cell that is part of a larger collective is now not a new concept, since we see it regularly in TV science fiction (the borg in Star Trek) and films, possibly when this book was written it was much more original. (It was written in the 1953s)You can tell how dated the book is now, as there are some elements that are racist, but I think mostly this is simple due to the era it was written.The main characters roles (for most of the book) are played out by an Idiot, a baby, a set of twin girls and a young woman. The book starts by introducing us to the difficulties that each individual has faced in their lives, possibly explaining that their situations have caused some of them to gain these powers.One of the the more interesting aspects is towards the end, where you get to see the struggles and inner dynamics of the new organism, and how it thinks it will, or can, fit into the world.Overall if you like science fiction, I think this book is a recommended read.

I bought this as soon as it was released for Kindle. I've been waiting for more books by Sturgeon to be available on Kindle for the last year and now it looks like more will be along soon - about time too!Theodore Sturgeon is one of the finest SF writers of the 20th century. His work is equal to Ray Bradbury or even Kurt Vonnegut. He is a highly skillful writer. This novel, More Than Human is a benchmark in the sci-fi world. It's hard to believe it was written in the middle of the last century as so much of it is absolutely true today.This is a great book with themes which are very deep and characters which are never fully revealed. A fascinating and absorbing novel - I recommend it to all.Incidentally, there are one or two spelling mistakes/transcription errors in the Kindle version. Nothing that disrupted my reading or caused me much irritation, but they are present nonetheless. A good editor should have corrected these few errors before now.

I first read this years ago, and it completely entranced me. I loved it so much that I loaned my only copy to a friend - and I never saw it again. Then I ordered a copy from a bookshop in Birmingham, which involved a 200 mile round trip to go & buy it. Loaned that one to my Dad, who put it out in the garage to go mouldy with the rest of his paperbacks. Now I have a new copy, and I am determined not to loan it to ANYONE. The story is as fantastic as my previous three sentences are boring - yes. Really that good. I bought a few other books by the same author, but none of them came close to More Than Human.

This is a sci to classic with a mind-blowing, amazing concept! I loved the book, the characters and the moralistic ending. Totally original in concept.

From the opening lines this book sparks the imagination, the style is engaging, the content imaginative. Questions you might have in the first few pages quickly resolve themselves as the different threads converge. The style is so original that it's a pleasure to read as the story quickly takes shape. This is one of those hard to put down disappointed to finish books, which has taken it's place in my top 5 reads of all time. An interesting, well written, original, and thought-provoking book.