Theodore Sturgeon - My reviews and stuff

[Fried Egg]

Cool. Let us know what you think. What stories are in this?

So far I've read "There is no Defence" and "The Skills of Xanadu" and am currently reading "The Perfect Host". Quite an enjoyable read thus far.

 

[D_Davis]

Any speculation as to why Googie is mentioned in the title for, The [Widget], the [Wadget] and Boff?

I'm trying the think of reason why it is not called, The [Widget], the [Wadget], Googie and Boff.

 

[j d worthington]

Any speculation as to why Googie is mentioned in the title for, The [Widget], the [Wadget] and Boff?

I'm trying the think of reason why it is not called, The [Widget], the [Wadget], Googie and Boff.

Only speculation, in this case; but it may be that the latter simply doesn't flow as well, while the other has a rhythm to it, and a certain euphony.

 

[D_Davis]

Only speculation, in this case; but it may be that the latter simply doesn't flow as well, while the other has a rhythm to it, and a certain euphony.

This is what I think as well. There doesn't seem to be any deeper reason why Googie is left out of the title. However, Sturgeon seems like a man who put a great deal of thought into his words and so it is something I am curious about.

BTW, I ordered that biography I mentioned earlier. I am hoping it arrives sometime this week.

I took a break from Sturgeon (for a day) and read Simak's Way Station, which totally blew my mind.

 

[j d worthington]

Very nice book, Way Station. I have to agree with Ellisonthough: I'm not sure it really deserved to win the Hugo that year over some of its competition:

Glory Road, by Robert A. Heinlein
Witch World, by Andre Norton
Dune World, by Frank Herbert
and especially Cat's Cradle, by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.

(Dune World rather than Dune because this was the serial, the first part of what would become the novel Dune.)

 

[chrispenycate]

I've worked it out; I was reading Ted Sturgeon before JD was born (only the short stories, though – what 9 year old could resist a title like The [widget] etc?
But the great revelation for me was "More than Human", to the point where I picked up a translation in French, to discover that the writing was more important than the ideas (although they even managed to translate the title wrong – "Les plus que humains", more or less "the superhumans", which is entirely what the book is not about, so I should have guessed)
Still, this book enlarged my vocabulary and remained brooding in the back of my mind for years.
I suspect that if I saw a second-hand copy, I'd pick it up now, despite the lack of space for putting any more books.

 

[D_Davis]

Very nice book, Way Station. I have to agree with Ellisonthough: I'm not sure it really deserved to win the Hugo that year over some of its competition:

Glory Road, by Robert A. Heinlein
Witch World, by Andre Norton
Dune World, by Frank Herbert
and especially Cat's Cradle, by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.

(Dune World rather than Dune because this was the serial, the first part of what would become the novel Dune.)

Out of these, I've read Dune and Cat's Cradle, and I must say that I enjoyed Way Station a great deal more than these. It's just right up my alley.

 

[D_Davis]

I've worked it out; I was reading Ted Sturgeon before JD was born (only the short stories, though – what 9 year old could resist a title like The [widget] etc?
But the great revelation for me was "More than Human", to the point where I picked up a translation in French, to discover that the writing was more important than the ideas (although they even managed to translate the title wrong – "Les plus que humains", more or less "the superhumans", which is entirely what the book is not about, so I should have guessed)
Still, this book enlarged my vocabulary and remained brooding in the back of my mind for years.
I suspect that if I saw a second-hand copy, I'd pick it up now, despite the lack of space for putting any more books.

Do you remember how old you were when you discovered More than Human? I was a great deal older than you when I discovered Sturgeon. I read the Dreaming Jewels in my late twenties, and More Than Human in my early thirties.

I don't think I would have had the mental capacity to really appreciate Sturgeon had I read him at an earlier age. Right now seems like the perfect time in my life to really dig into his stuff.

I find this idea of age versus introduction a fascinating topic. I've always been interested in the personal stories of readers, and how we all gravitate towards different authors at certain points our lives.

 

[j d worthington]

I've worked it out; I was reading Ted Sturgeon before JD was born (only the short stories, though – what 9 year old could resist a title like The [widget] etc?
But the great revelation for me was "More than Human", to the point where I picked up a translation in French, to discover that the writing was more important than the ideas (although they even managed to translate the title wrong – "Les plus que humains", more or less "the superhumans", which is entirely what the book is not about, so I should have guessed)
Still, this book enlarged my vocabulary and remained brooding in the back of my mind for years.
I suspect that if I saw a second-hand copy, I'd pick it up now, despite the lack of space for putting any more books.

You had an unfair advantage!

Let's see... my first encounter with Sturgeon was in Groff Conklin's Science Fiction Terror Tales, iirc, with "Memorial" at the tender age of 8 (damn fine anthology, by the way:

Contents Lists

My first encounter with Fred Brown, too, with "Arena"....)

After that, "The Chromium Helmet" (read about two years later), then within a few months "The [Widget]..." in Boucher's anthology... which, of course, introduced me to one heck of a lot of enjoyable reading. And from there...

 

[chrispenycate]

Out of these, I've read Dune and Cat's Cradle, and I must say that I enjoyed Way Station a great deal more than these. It's just right up my alley.

Well, there's an awful lot more of Simak's "future nostalgia" (going overboard about an idealised small-town United States which had never actually existed, but seemed very rose throgh the eyes of childhood), and much of it is good (he says, remembering through the same rose tint of youth that inspired so many of the tales).

 

[D_Davis]

The [Widget], the [Wadget] and Boff - Theodore Sturgeon

The [Widget], the [Wadget] and Boff can be read as Theodore Sturgeon's manifesto; it represents the summation of his motto, “Ask the next question,” and dives deep into his common theme of love and compassion. While reading it, I could easily picture Sturgeon channeling himself through two of novella's main characters, Sam and Bitty. Sam and Bitty Bittleman are the owners and operators of a boarding house populated by a small group of human live-ins. I make the distinction of the occupants being “human” because Sam and Bitty are not. The Bittlemans are a kind of synthetic alien life, one a [Widget] and the other a [Wadget], sent to the Earth to study a condition (supposedly) possessed by all beings known as Synapse Beta Sub Sixteen.

Synapse Beta Sub Sixteen is akin to a social inner-ear, a “reflex of reflexes,” allowing an individual to “reflexively adjust when imbalanced in his sociocultural matrix.” This synapse allows for cultures to evolve as a single unity, to, at times of great crisis, rise up and overcome - without this synapse, no culture stands a chance at prolonged survival. While humanity must, logically, possess this synapse, the Bittlemans have discovered that it is either a dormant biological trait or that we have chosen to ignore it - both possibilities equally problematic. We do seem to be a somewhat socially-maladjusted species. At times of great crisis we often turn to war, violence and selfishness rather than to compassion, understanding and selflessness. We seem to be on a path towards a more fractured existence rather than one of unity. To more fully understand this phenomena in the human species, the [Widget] and the [Wadget] are used to probe the minds of a select group of human test subjects in hopes that their experiment will allow humanity to more easily listen to this social inner-ear.

I believe, like Sturgeon did, that humanity has an amazing capacity for love and compassion. However, it appears that we often forget these aspects, and it might take an outside force to remind us of our capacity for kindness. To me, this is what religion and spirituality are all about: the maps designed to get us back on the right road, the one paved with our positive qualities. Somewhere along the way (original sin, perhaps?) we have been conditioned to turn to selfishness, which leads us to acts of violence and inhumanity towards our brothers and sisters. We have forgotten the voice of our social inner-ear, and whether this voice is spiritual (a conscience) or biological (a synapse) is not the point. Like an expert musician trains his ear to hear and decipher pitch, so too must we train ourselves to hear this inner voice; we will be damned if we do not.

Sturgeon introduces his reader to many characters in this novella - perhaps too many. It is, at first, a lot to juggle. While the importance of each of their quirks and idiosyncrasies is not apparent, it becomes clear that each of these characters represents a less desirable facet of humanity: guilt, greed, presumptuousness, callousness, depression and so on. However, Sturgeon neither condemns his characters, nor uses them to pass judgment on humanity. He simply presents a vertical slice of their lives to us and allows them to exist, hopefully to learn. As the narrative progresses, each character becomes more fully realized, and yet I never thought that any of them became fully developed characters. They are, instead, used to represent the ideas. This is not a character piece, but rather it is didactic in nature. Sturgeon writes with a strong agenda in mind, and every convention he uses is used to illustrate his theme.

I do have a slight problem with the way the science fiction conventions are used here. They seem to be forced in to make the novella more genre-like. I don't have a problem with Sturgeon including these genre conventions, but the execution left me a little puzzled. I get the feeling that Sturgeon didn't fully trust his readers to grasp what it was he was doing, and so he, unfortunately, reverts to the infodump all too common with the writing of the time. It is, in no way, a detriment to the narrative, but I can't help but wonder how a more mature Sturgeon might have reworked the story. I would have preferred some of the science fiction elements to be left more ambiguous, and I think the novella would have been that much better for it.

Like most of his work, the more I think of The [Widget], the [Wadget] and Boff, the more I like it. Sturgeon's writing has a way of crawling under my skin and sneaking up on me. And once sneaked, it stays with me for a very long time. He is so unlike any other science fiction author I've ever read. Reading his stuff is almost like reading the religious works of C.S. Lewis or Thomas Merton, two of my favorite theologians. When I read Lewis and Merton, I get the sense that they had a deep understanding and empathy for humanity. I read their words and my spirit gets charged with something good. I feel the same when I read Sturgeon. When I read some authors, I want to write, but when I read Sturgeon, I want to love.

 

[D_Davis]

So I just received the Tor Double edition of Theodore Sturgeon's the [Widget]... (it is coupled with an Asimov novella).

If I saw this book in the book store, and didn't know who Sturgeon was, there is no way in hell I would ever pick it up - just based on the cover alone.

It shows a little boy reading a book, in the dark, with a big green dragon behind him. A caption reads, "Only Robin could REALLY see the aliens."

Good. God. Terrible.

 

[j d worthington]

So I just received the Tor Double edition of Theodore Sturgeon's the [Widget]... (it is coupled with an Asimov novella).

If I saw this book in the book store, and didn't know who Sturgeon was, there is no way in hell I would ever pick it up - just based on the cover alone.

It shows a little boy reading a book, in the dark, with a big green dragon behind him. A caption reads, "Only Robin could REALLY see the aliens."

Good. God. Terrible.

LOL. Yep. The way they were marketing those thing -- especially the cover art -- was absolutely horrendous....

 

[D_Davis]

LOL. Yep. The way they were marketing those thing -- especially the cover art -- was absolutely horrendous....

I think that one of the biggest things that keeps people away from science fiction are the covers.

There are some books that I own that I refuse to read in public, out of sheer embarrassment.

It is especially appalling when you compare the newer covers to the old original editions. The older editions were so classy, and evocative, even abstract.

 

[chrispenycate]

Do you remember how old you were when you discovered More than Human? I was a great deal older than you when I discovered Sturgeon. I read the Dreaming Jewels in my late twenties, and More Than Human in my early thirties.

I don't think I would have had the mental capacity to really appreciate Sturgeon had I read him at an earlier age. Right now seems like the perfect time in my life to really dig into his stuff.

I find this idea of age versus introduction a fascinating topic. I've always been interested in the personal stories of readers, and how we all gravitate towards different authors at certain points our lives.

I 've worked out I must have been thirteen and a half or fourteen for "More than Human", but very bookish. And I hadn't been able to get it from the library so I'd bought it (and had to order it from the town's one bookshop, with a carefully horded book token) and read it numerous more times before reaching eighteen when I left family and book hoard and changed lives.

 

[D_Davis]

Some of Your Blood

Some of Your Blood. Where to start? How do I begin to review this powerful work of fiction? Theodore Sturgeon begins the book by encouraging us, the reader, to dive in, to examine, and to experience a fictional case study, compiled by a Dr. Philip Outerbridge, of a man named George Smith.

Sturgeon says:

You know the way. You have the key. And it is your privilege...

But open your eyes now and look at the folder before you. On the index tab at its edge is lettered:

“George Smith”

The quotation marks are heavily and carefully applied, almost like a 66 and a 99.

Go ahead.

Open it.

You know the way. You have the key. And it is your privilege. Would you like to know why? It is because you are The Reader, and this is fiction. Oh yes it is, it's fiction. As for Dr, Philip Outerbridge, he is fiction too, and he won't mind. So go on - he won't say a thing to you. You're quite safe.

It is, it is, it really is fiction...

What a peculiar way to begin a novel. But then again, this is Sturgeon I am talking about, an author enamored with peculiarity, with pushing the boundaries of fiction, with begging us, The Readers, to truly and carefully understand what it is he is saying. Just as Sturgeon possessed a great deal of love and understanding for his characters, for humanity really, so too did he possess these qualities for his readers. And more so than anything else I've read by him, Some of Your Blood demands careful attention, for it is a meticulously nuanced novel, and one that demands to be reread almost immediately upon its completion.

The less you know about the story, the plot, the better off you will be. I wish that I had gone into this book totally blind. Even reading the short synopsis printed on the back, and the essay introducing the novel, gives away too much. Knowing that Sturgeon is presenting his own take on a dyed in the wool mythos led to too much anticipation on my part. It's not until the final third of it that the conventions of the mythos are even discussed and I wish that knew nothing of the premise to begin with.

The structure used to tell the story is novel and a bit gimmicky, but in no way does the narrative, or the emotional resolution hinge upon the gimmick. That is, this is a book that rewards rereading, and a second, or third time through will not be hindered because of some cheap conceit. Some of Your Blood expertly conveys the idea of shifting perspective, of how a little bit of additional knowledge can drastically change the way one might perceive something. And like anything worth examining in detail, subsequent examinations are a must.

While reading the first half, I felt as if I was reading though a haze of obscurity, as if I were only catching glimpses of what was being conveyed. In fact, this is exactly what Sturgeon wanted. As the layers of George Smith's sour existence begin to be peeled away, I began to see and understand more about George, and in turn my empathy with him grew. Some of Your Blood is a physical representation of a paradigm shift, but once my vision had been shifted, once the veil had been lifted, I did not feel fooled or deceived. I didn't think, “dammit! Why didn't I see that?” On the contrary, Sturgeon's gradual method of revealing by degrees is done to ease the reader into George's state of mind and his predicament. All too often, when humanity is presented with a shocking revelation, we react in a knee jerk fashion, and this has led to all kinds of problems of prejudice and close mindedness.

George is a troubled individual, some might say sick, some might say mentally retarded, and Sturgeon paints him with the strokes of a master artist. This is a literary portrait of a man revealed through a narration of questionable trust; in any other book, George would be the “villain,” but here, once again, Sturgeon presents to us a sympathetic and grotesque individual and demands that we, The Readers, accept and embrace him for everything that he is. We may not agree with what, or who he is, his actions, his morality, his code of ethics, but we cannot simply disparage him because of some instinctual reliance on genre conventions or a defensive need to dismiss something that is foreign and frightening.

I know this review is obtuse, but I am not sorry. I am not withholding information to avoid SPOILERS, or anything that insignificant. I could easily tell you exactly what happens in the book and it would still be a remarkable read for you. I don't know how many of you ever seek out the books I review that you haven't read, but if you you seek out this one, I think it is best to go in knowing as little as possible. Not because I want you to be shocked, because you probably won't, it's not a “shocking” book, but because I think it would be awesome to be fully led by Sturgeon through this masterful volume and not have the experience tainted by anticipation.

 

[D_Davis]

So, that Godbody fella' sure likes the sex!

 

[D_Davis]

I just finished Godbody by Theodore Sturgeon. Out of all of his stuff I've read, I would classify only a small percentage of it by the limitations set forth by science fiction conventions, and this one is the furthest away from those yet.

If I've ever read a fictional book that could change the world, for good, this is it. It is, at first, ridiculously pornographic. It is the most sexually explicit and erotic book I've ever read. It was a challenge to finish, because I am usually not interested in reading such material.

The final two chapters are extraordinary, and the religious allegory is strong and righteous. It ends with a sermon by a pastor who has discovered the true meaning of God's love. He details the history of the Church and how it has divorced itself from Christ's true message by lathering on erroneous dogmatic law and damning healthy sexual relationships. If we all just loved one another, there would be no need for any other rules or laws. God gave us sex, and we should use it as an expression of love and as an expression of worship towards the God that gave it to us. Sturgeon says that God must love flesh, because he sure did give us a lot of it.

Theodore Sturgeon spent his entire life writing to us about love and compassion, and that his most didactic and candid book would be published after his death possesses a strange kind of irony. He was never around to hear the ensuing gasps of shock, the backlash from those who were offended, or the feelings of pure joy from those who received his message.

Just as his final creation, the messianic Godbody, died before the message was spread, so to did Sturgeon. I am not comparing Sturgeon to a Christ-like figure, or declaring him to be some kind of prophet. This would be a crass and irresponsible declaration. But it is odd to me that Sturgeon would die before the publishing of his most heartfelt love letter to his readers. I would give anything to hear him talk about how the book has been received.

Strangely enough though, I cannot recommend this book to a Sturgeon neophyte. I am afraid that it would forever scare away all but the most amazingly liberal of readers, or that Sturgeon's message might be lost on those who have not already spent some time with this author. I am also, stranger still, not prepared to declare it a great novel. It is extremely well written, and written with passion and a master's understanding of the English language, but it hardly contains a narrative at all.

It represents the summation of all that Sturgeon believed in, and it is, perhaps, the most perfect way an artistic life such as his could be punctuated. Sturgeon is speaking directly though Godbody, he's calling all of us to wake up, open our eyes, and love each other. This is a message worth living for and a message worth dying for.

 

[j d worthington]

I am also, stranger still, not prepared to declare it a great novel. It is extremely well written, and written with passion and a master's understanding of the English language, but it hardly contains a narrative at all.

I'd tend to agree, that it's not a great novel in the traditional sense, but given the breadth of the concept of the novel, I'd say it fits. In any case, it is a great (though at times flawed, as I recall) book.

 

[D_Davis]

I'd tend to agree, that it's not a great novel in the traditional sense, but given the breadth of the concept of the novel, I'd say it fits. In any case, it is a great (though at times flawed, as I recall) book.

It's a confounding work to be sure. It is moving and powerful, and yet I would feel strange recommending it to someone. It perfectly captures the essence of Sturgeon, and yet, it is almost too honest. It's as if Sturgeon shed all of his human inhibitions in order to write it.

I don't know, this is one I really need to think about. I absolutely loved the last few chapters though.