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Theodore Sturgeon

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More Than Human (S.F. MASTERWORKS) Paperback – 13 April 2000

by Theodore Sturgeon (Author)

1,524 ratings

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All alone: an idiot boy, a runaway girl, a severely retarded baby, and twin girls with a vocabulary of two words between them. Yet once they are mysteriously drawn together this collection of misfits becomes something very, very different from the rest of humanity.

This intensely written and moving novel is an extraordinary vision of humanity's next step.

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Theodore Sturgeon created very human characters with real, intensely observed emotions. More Than Human (1953) is his story of a Gestalt or group mind, not a chilly super-intellect but a painfully assembled band of talented misfits. Lone is telepathic but a literal idiot; Janie, an abused runaway girl, moves things with her mind; Bonnie and Beanie, very young black twins, can teleport; Baby has a computer-like brain and also Downs syndrome.

In part one, this crippled Gestalt is movingly brought together from the wreckage of members' past lives. Part two sees Lone replaced by the psychologically damaged Gerry, a murderer at age eight: he must, agonisingly, confront his reasons for killing the benefactor who cherished them as individuals but menaced the all-important group. (The twins can't eat with the white folks; Baby should go to a home...) Part three artfully echoes the previous sections' long healing of Lone's body and Gerry's mind, with the now-grown Janie defiantly rehabilitating an unfortunate victim of Gerry's misused talents. Although the Gestalt is now tremendously powerful, there's still one important factor missing.

"Does a superman have super-hunger, Gerry? Super-loneliness?"

Sturgeon wrote beautifully, from the famous opening--"The idiot lived in a black and grey world, punctuated by the white lightning of hunger and the flickering of fear."--through moments of great poignancy, and unexpected images, like a starved man seeing marmalade as stained glass. More Than Human won the International Fantasy Award and holds up well today. This is recommended. --David Langford

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Publisher ‏ : ‎ Gateway
Publication date ‏ : ‎ 13 April 2000
Edition ‏ : ‎ New Ed
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Print length ‏ : ‎ 240 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1857988523
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1857988529
Item weight ‏ : ‎ 232 g
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 12.8 x 2.2 x 19.6 cm

Best Sellers Rank: 35,059 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- 327 in Hard Science Fiction (Books)
- 327 in High Tech Science Fiction
- 602 in Post-Apocalyptic

Customer reviews:
1,524 ratings

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Theodore Sturgeon

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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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Customers say

Customers find the book thought-provoking and imaginative, with one describing it as stunning psychological science fiction. Moreover, the writing is well-executed, and customers appreciate the character development, with one noting it starts with six characters. Additionally, customers praise its timelessness, with one mentioning it feels fresh as the first time they read it.

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Imagination Writing quality Character development Timelessness

12 customers mention ‘Imagination’12 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's imaginative content and thought-provoking themes, with one customer describing it as stunning psychological science fiction.

"...This is a great book with themes which are very deep and characters which are never fully revealed...." Read more

"...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...." Read more

"...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..." Read more

"A very good, if somewhat old-fashioned sci-fi novel. I enjoyed reading it." Read more

10 customers mention ‘Writing quality’7 positive3 negative

Customers praise the writing quality of the book.

"...He is a highly skillful writer. This novel, More Than Human is a benchmark in the sci-fi world...." Read more

"A great book by a major SF author of his day. Reads very well today...." Read more

"...An interesting, well written, original, and thought-provoking book." Read more

"...the overall concept interesting, however sometimes books can simply be harder to get into due to the way they are written...." Read more

3 customers mention ‘Character development’3 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the character development in the book, with one mentioning it starts with six characters.

"...is a great book with themes which are very deep and characters which are never fully revealed...." Read more

"...It starts with 6 characters, who over time merge into a single more advanced consciousness / being, while still maintaining some of their..." Read more

"...I loved the book, the characters and the moralistic ending. Totally original in concept." Read more

3 customers mention ‘Timelessness’3 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's timeless quality, with one noting it feels fresh as the first time they read it.

"...It hasn't lost anything over the years and is still as fresh as the first time I read in (fifty odd years ago!!)." Read more

"A classic, very good book, took me by surprise, I'd recommend to anyone." Read more

"Vividly written, original and timeless..." Read more

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Angela
Excellent and worth waiting for.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 6 October 2011
Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

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.

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2 people found this helpful

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J. Watson
Stands the test of time well
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 26 July 2017
Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase
A great book by a major SF author of his day. Reads very well today. It's also interesting to compare today's 'political correctness' with what was the norm over 60 years ago when Sturgeon wrote this book.

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D. M. York
When equality goes as does limitation
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 14 May 2005
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
I really enjoyed this book, and whilst the story is nothing spectacular, what it points towards is of far more interest and this is clearly a story that has paved the way for many science-fiction novels to follow. The story is laid around young misfits, each of them is warped or abnormal in some way, unaware of their place in the world, that is until they encounter each other. A mentally disabled man who is able to control peoples' minds, a telepathic girl who can move things with her mind, two twins who can teleport, yet have a vocabulary of only two words, and finally a severely retarded baby with a mind like a computer. Separately they are flawed and uncertain, as a group they become a single entity with almost limitless capabilities.
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.

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2 people found this helpful

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Paul Malham
More than Human review
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 13 July 2016
Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase
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.

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3 people found this helpful

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Blade
SCIENCE FICTION NOVEL.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 1 October 2024
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
A very good, if somewhat old-fashioned sci-fi novel. I enjoyed reading it.

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John Madelin
Vividly written, original and timeless
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 16 March 2013
Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase
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.

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Peter
Literary ambition failure.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 18 September 2024
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
i could not finish reading this book after struggling to reach half way through this turgid so called "masterwork", i am surprised it ever was published.

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Pete Randall
Mindbonglingly good
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 4 August 2014
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
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.

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8 people found this helpful

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jacqueline van de velde
Sci-fi at its most original
Reviewed in Spain on 2 September 2020
Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

Don't be fooled into thinking this book will be dated. It may have been written decades ago but it is ageless & original.

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Another Customer
My first sci fi Book.
Reviewed in India on 28 July 2017
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
The quality of the book is subpar. I thought I received a pirated copy initially. But after doing some search I cam to know Orion's paperback aren't of that great quality. They could highly improve the quality of their books.

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.

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Another Customer

My first sci fi Book.

Reviewed in India on 28 July 2017
The quality of the book is subpar. I thought I received a pirated copy initially. But after doing some search I cam to know Orion's paperback aren't of that great quality. They could highly improve the quality of their books.

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.

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Perseus
Der nächste Schritt in der Evolution des Menschen?
Reviewed in Germany on 4 February 2009
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
Sturgeon beschreibt in "More than Human" ein Wesen, das der nächste Schritt in unserer Entwicklung sein soll: Ein "Metamensch", der sich aus verschiedenen Menschen zusammensetzt, die jeweils ein klares Aufgabengebiet haben, darunter das "Gehirn", die "Hände" etc. (es ist schwierig, dies zu erklären, ohne den Plot vorwegzunehmen).

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.

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Vince Cabrera
Great novel, heaps of typos
Reviewed in Australia on 23 November 2018
Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase
This is a fantastic novel, but this edition is full of jarring typos, often involving b’s and h’s.

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.

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Henry Chamberlain
'More Than Human' Rises to the Level of Greatness
Reviewed in the United States on 5 April 2015
Verified Purchase
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.

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