There's Lone, the simpletion who can hear other people's thoughts and make a man blow his brains out just by looking at him. There's Janie, who mov...
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Dec 30, 2007
D_Davis
rated it: 
Child abuse, broken psyches, freaks, cripples, social outcasts, and rejects, these are the things with which Theodore Sturgeon populates his twisted book, More Than Human; it's the Island of Misfit Toys for discerning adults. More Than Human is not a light read; it is not something to flippantly turn to at the end of the day in hopes of clearing one's mind of work. This book does not put the mind at ease, but instead it invigorates the imagination and stirs the emotional cortex of the reader; wh
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Oct 02, 2008
Terence
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More Than Human is not an easy read. Theodore Sturgeon was never shy about pushing boundaries and trying to shake up a reader's comfortable little world.
The theme of the novel is certainly fascinating -- the emergence of a new human species - homo gestalt (though the ending and hints earlier in the book suggest we've always been it). But Sturgeon left me wanting more - it ended too soon and too patly.
I enjoyed it well enough and am interested in reading more of his work b More...
The theme of the novel is certainly fascinating -- the emergence of a new human species - homo gestalt (though the ending and hints earlier in the book suggest we've always been it). But Sturgeon left me wanting more - it ended too soon and too patly.
I enjoyed it well enough and am interested in reading more of his work b More...
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Dec 17, 2009
Kyle
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This book by far is one of my favorites. I read the middle chapter in a literature class and admired it. Once i found it was part of a whole book I picked it up and just fed right in on it. It has such a character of words and descriptors. And all along you get to read into the idea of being human, what our humanity means, and what people mean to each other. This book discusses the next step in human evolution. It takes these few characters each with their own minds, abilities, and curses and bi
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Jan 23, 2012
John
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0039 More Than Human Goodreads my review
Thoroughly enjoyed the book for a number of reasons.
One, the craftsmanship of the writing. Two, the subject
matter. Three, as a code book for deciphering a social
situation that was going on around me some time ago.
The book was copyrighted in 1953. Ron Hubbard's
Dianetics was published in 1950 and some of the
basic terminology ("restimulation") and confronting
past experiences (as opposed to actively More...
Thoroughly enjoyed the book for a number of reasons.
One, the craftsmanship of the writing. Two, the subject
matter. Three, as a code book for deciphering a social
situation that was going on around me some time ago.
The book was copyrighted in 1953. Ron Hubbard's
Dianetics was published in 1950 and some of the
basic terminology ("restimulation") and confronting
past experiences (as opposed to actively More...
Sep 28, 2011
Alex
rated it: 
Reading "More than Human" felt like reading the Fountainhead in some ways. more on that when I post about that one. For now, though, we have Sturgeon and his text, which comes across as nothing so much as a resounding rejection of Rand.
The similarities begin, of course, with Lone. He, like Roark, puts people ill at ease. His chosen name sets him up as a Roark figure, alone against the world. His "idiocy" makes him unable to compromise, much as Roark chooses the sa More...
The similarities begin, of course, with Lone. He, like Roark, puts people ill at ease. His chosen name sets him up as a Roark figure, alone against the world. His "idiocy" makes him unable to compromise, much as Roark chooses the sa More...
Aug 01, 2011
Apatt
rated it:
I love good short novels, more than good long ones (nobody likes bad novels at any length). The way I see it the reader gets so much more from each percentage of the book. For the amount of time put into reading the book it just seems more profitable to me. YMMV of course, long books have their own advantages.
I first read "More Than Human" decades ago, I clearly remember liking it very much. However, thanks to my sieve-like memory I have forgotten practically all the detail More...
I first read "More Than Human" decades ago, I clearly remember liking it very much. However, thanks to my sieve-like memory I have forgotten practically all the detail More...
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Aug 01, 2010
Shirari
rated it:
"More Than Human" is well-intentioned, but out-dated. Sturgeon fancies that the next step in human evolution will be multi-culti, but unfortunately he also envisions it as hierarchical, run by smart white men. The only two people of color are a set of identical twin African American girls who can only speak one or two words and who are always (for sci fi reasons of course) naked. When the white guy finishes using their (admittedly awesome) skills he says "beat it." I'm sure t
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Jun 20, 2010
Jeff
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I'd heard that Sturgeon was a man of words, and a self-educated man, at that. More Than Human is the first book I've ever read by him. At first it was surprising and startling and odd, but his style and pace are easy enough to learn and then it became a book that couldn't be put down.
Sturgeon writes like a poet, thinks like a psychiatrist, and understands like a philosopher. "His clothes were many-windowed" (p.1). "he lived inside somewhere, apart, and the little link More...
Sturgeon writes like a poet, thinks like a psychiatrist, and understands like a philosopher. "His clothes were many-windowed" (p.1). "he lived inside somewhere, apart, and the little link More...
Feb 08, 2009
Charlie
rated it:
This book is, without a doubt one of my top ten all time favourite books. I'm not certain what all the other 9 are (though one is Bellweater and The Anubis Gates certainly figure), but this is certainly one of the ten. The story is complex and beautifully woven.
It is about a new form of human life, Homo gestalt, being born and coming to know itself. Homo gestalt is a being made up of several pieces. Each piece is a human with something missing and something extra. For example, t More...
It is about a new form of human life, Homo gestalt, being born and coming to know itself. Homo gestalt is a being made up of several pieces. Each piece is a human with something missing and something extra. For example, t More...
Apr 08, 2011
Jason
rated it:
Ok, I just finished More than Human by Sturgeon and I don't even know where to begin to describe this wonderful and challenging novel. Certainly not an easy read and I have yet to fully grasp all of its subtle complexities but this one of those literary works that demands to be read multiple times since Sturgeon layers a plethora of ideas and subtext that can be easily overlooked. Contradictorily, the novel is often full of sadness, despair, loneliness and is at times very twisted but somehow St
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Aug 02, 2011
How have i missed this gem for so long? it isn't in the science fiction oeuvre proper... more of a metaphysical contemplation or extension of Faulkner's The Sound and The Fury... yes the writing and structure is very similar. I can say that some of the writing isn't as artful, but coming back to the story, it's amazing that it was written in 1952. It contains psychological terminology that is dated but not to the point of mumbo jumbo - which most psychological texts by nature become as they age
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Mar 15, 2010
Brian
rated it: 
Really feels quite like the standard 1950s standard sci-fi flavor. 'Leave it to Beaver' meets rocket ships (or in this case, antigravity generators). Even though this book had an interesting central theme of the emergence of Homo gestalt, this still felt like a pulp sci-fi book. Each section ends rather too neatly (just in time for Beaver to come in for supper!).
Another aspect which belies its age is the prevalence of parapsychology (I'm not even going to touch the technological aspe More...
Another aspect which belies its age is the prevalence of parapsychology (I'm not even going to touch the technological aspe More...
Apr 04, 2009
Thermalsatsuma
rated it:
Lone is a fabulous idiot - a simple homeless man who realises that he has strange, telepathic powers. He draws to himself a collection of other individuals with similar abilities including Bonnie and Beanie, mute twins who can teleport, Janie - a telekinetic and finally Baby, the strangest of them all. Together they learn to "Blesh", to blend and mesh their abilities, to become a gestalt entity, something new, something more than human.
This is a superb book, probably one of t More...
This is a superb book, probably one of t More...
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Apr 10, 2011
Erik
rated it:
Science fiction classic novel about a super being coming together from several talented mutants. The book consists of three separate episodes Fabulous Idiot, Baby is Three, and Morality which describe the growth of the being from the separate individuals that make it up. What makes this novel a standout is certainly the idea but especially the quality of the writing. This is Sturgeon at his best, coming at the story from different angles in each episode and with a variety of voices to assemble a
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Jan 17, 2010
Addie
rated it:
Not an easy read for me. Extremely well-written with incredibly brilliant concepts, but difficult to wrap my brain around completely. There were many passages that I had to reread three or four times. A fair bit of the narrative seemed to go over my head, and I have to admit that there were a few times that I thought maybe I was not smart enough to fully appreciate this book. But then, inevitably, everything would come to light and I came out of my confusion right alongside the characters.
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Jun 04, 2010
Sean
rated it:
More Than Human is, as James Blish put it, "One of the very few authentic masterpieces science fiction can boast." It's well written and takes the reader on a marvellous journey of discovery.
As he predicts the next step of human evolution Theodore Sturgeon weaves a wonderful story of a collection of misfits (an idiot boy, a runaway, a severely retarded baby and twin girls with a very limited vocabulary) and how the sum of their parts overcomes the restrictions of their impe More...
As he predicts the next step of human evolution Theodore Sturgeon weaves a wonderful story of a collection of misfits (an idiot boy, a runaway, a severely retarded baby and twin girls with a very limited vocabulary) and how the sum of their parts overcomes the restrictions of their impe More...
Mar 20, 2010
Spencer
rated it:
Incredible book in a number of ways.
From the first paragraph you will notice that the language sets this apart from most writing in the genre.
In addition, the premise and development of the story are so imaginative--this book is often categorized as science fiction, but that label is both too limiting and not quite on the mark. If it is science fiction, it is much more Ray Bradbury than Isaac Asimov--the imaginative explorations are all on the human side of the equation More...
From the first paragraph you will notice that the language sets this apart from most writing in the genre.
In addition, the premise and development of the story are so imaginative--this book is often categorized as science fiction, but that label is both too limiting and not quite on the mark. If it is science fiction, it is much more Ray Bradbury than Isaac Asimov--the imaginative explorations are all on the human side of the equation More...
Aug 15, 2010
Graham
rated it:
I have just finished reading this book. I like books that are not like any other I have read before, and that give you something to think about. If I was recommending a book to someone who likes trying different genres, and has never read Sci-Fi this is the one I would pick. You could pick holes in some of the writing, but generally an enthralling story - told almost as three seperate stories, with the second even written in the first person through the eyes of a character not in the first part.
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Jan 20, 2012
Silvio
rated it:
2 STARS : DISLIKED IT OVERALL, BUT IT HAD ITS MOMENTS
I read fiction for narrative first, style second or third. I want a story, not a tradeshow. Theodore Sturgeon’s More Than Human is, in my opinion, style over story. What story there is focuses on a group of young individuals who are the next jump in human development, and how they interact (and don’t interact) with the rest of the world. Are they human, or something more? If more, what is their relationship with humanity? The More...
I read fiction for narrative first, style second or third. I want a story, not a tradeshow. Theodore Sturgeon’s More Than Human is, in my opinion, style over story. What story there is focuses on a group of young individuals who are the next jump in human development, and how they interact (and don’t interact) with the rest of the world. Are they human, or something more? If more, what is their relationship with humanity? The More...
Apr 07, 2011
Williwaw
rated it:
I thought I had already reviewed this!
Perhaps not.
It's difficult to decide if this book (a "fix-up" novel) deserves 4 or 5 stars. Sometimes, Sturgeon's style reminds me of passages in Faulkner's Sound and Fury, when Faulkner is writing from a child's perspective. Other times, it's like he's channeling J.D. Salinger.
Initially, Sturgeon wrote a story called "Baby is Three," published in Galaxy Science Fiction in the early 1950s. That sto More...
Perhaps not.
It's difficult to decide if this book (a "fix-up" novel) deserves 4 or 5 stars. Sometimes, Sturgeon's style reminds me of passages in Faulkner's Sound and Fury, when Faulkner is writing from a child's perspective. Other times, it's like he's channeling J.D. Salinger.
Initially, Sturgeon wrote a story called "Baby is Three," published in Galaxy Science Fiction in the early 1950s. That sto More...
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Jul 16, 2011
Kathryn
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This is my first novel by Theodore Sturgeon and it most certainly will not be the last. I read the book in one sitting. I'm not sure now if that was a good idea but I was entranced, could not sleep, and it is rather short. I was certain the book would be listed on my favorites shelf but the ending, or certain characterisitcs of the ending, forced me to withdraw from the book and look at it from the outside, not from within as I had the majority of the story.
I knew before beginning t More...
I knew before beginning t More...
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Oct 25, 2011
Peter
rated it:
Sturgeon's Law: Ninety percent of SF is crap, but then, ninety percent of everything is crap.
This is not crap. This is a classic.
He uses a highly inventive way of linking together three stories. The first story is written in s style that I'd say was like a fable, a story of long ago presented as if it had been passed down through the ages. The second is the classic short story 'Baby is Three', where the action unfolds primarily in a therapy session. Really unlike a More...
This is not crap. This is a classic.
He uses a highly inventive way of linking together three stories. The first story is written in s style that I'd say was like a fable, a story of long ago presented as if it had been passed down through the ages. The second is the classic short story 'Baby is Three', where the action unfolds primarily in a therapy session. Really unlike a More...
Nov 26, 2009
Erik
rated it:
A very invigorating tale of some very odd people - people who make up a new being. By themselves, each piece of the being is special, and has some sort of power, yet together they are capable of anything.
I really enjoyed this book. It starts out really oddly, and it's hard to keep track of all the characters and the time changes (the story spans 20 years or so). Most of the book keeps you on the edge of your seat. The entire last section is a mystery, as you watch a previously in More...
I really enjoyed this book. It starts out really oddly, and it's hard to keep track of all the characters and the time changes (the story spans 20 years or so). Most of the book keeps you on the edge of your seat. The entire last section is a mystery, as you watch a previously in More...
Jul 01, 2011
Suna
rated it:
This book completely does my head in every time. It's utterly brilliant.
The story is built on the concept of several, completely different, people forming a unified group mind through cerebral interaction, but only one has the mind/brain capacity to make the 'body' function.
The story evolves from the characters' different backgrounds, to them meeting one another, discovering their potential and the consequences when they experience personality clashes with each other.
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The story is built on the concept of several, completely different, people forming a unified group mind through cerebral interaction, but only one has the mind/brain capacity to make the 'body' function.
The story evolves from the characters' different backgrounds, to them meeting one another, discovering their potential and the consequences when they experience personality clashes with each other.
More...
Sep 21, 2008
Nicolas
rated it:
Ce roman nous raconte, à travers divers récits, l'émergence de ces plus qu'humains. Difficile dans dire plus sans déflorer un récit assez
poignant, relativement bien écrit et ne faisant, c'est jeureux, appel à aucune des grosses ficelles de la sf que peuvent être une invasion d'ET ou une exposition à la radioactivité. Pourtant, ce roman pose la question de ce que pourrait-être un mutant, dans un sens assez moderne. Et la réponse qui y est faite est assez intéressante.
Toutefois, la réa More...
poignant, relativement bien écrit et ne faisant, c'est jeureux, appel à aucune des grosses ficelles de la sf que peuvent être une invasion d'ET ou une exposition à la radioactivité. Pourtant, ce roman pose la question de ce que pourrait-être un mutant, dans un sens assez moderne. Et la réponse qui y est faite est assez intéressante.
Toutefois, la réa More...
Nov 30, 2009
Ery
rated it:
i still remember those times when i was 7 or 8 years old, when i was bored i used to gazed upon pictures over pictures in this so called graphic novel's version of this Sturgeon's masterpiece, i didn't really understand the story or the plot, and struggle to someday find a way to get in touch with the essences of the story. it's a serious book, i know, and i'm not supposed to be comprehends english very well at that time, i even assume that this was supposed to be one of my mom's work-related te
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Sep 17, 2007
Nathanial
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okay, well, i returned this book to the library yesterday, after renewing it three times. only time i read it was on the train ride back to the east bay after picking it up from the sf main, and that first chapter kept me reading until i finished it, but when i was done, was like, oh, what the hell, that was the first chapter of a novel, not the first story of a collection. sure, it's a McCarthy era relic, full of repressed tension and parables of primitivism and eroticism of 'the natural man.
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Aug 15, 2010
Sholom
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This is one of my most favorite books. The story goes from dramatic to thought-provoking and on to sheer briliance. This is about the human future, and somehow Sturgeon hit upon the form and the essence of that future. The writing is wonderful, at times in tones of chromatic color and then sunlight all around.
The reader is present at a historic unfolding event. Yet it is all described simply and in personal terms.
My favorite sentence in all of literature is in this book
The reader is present at a historic unfolding event. Yet it is all described simply and in personal terms.
My favorite sentence in all of literature is in this book
Jan 29, 2011
Susan
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1/11 Published in 1953, this book was described by sci-fi fans as transformational to the genre. The story explores the idea of human evolution with the next step being towards a more developed psychic dimension. The idea presented was of several individuals forming one powerful homo gestalt entity. Interesting ideas about morality being society's code for individual survival and ethics being an individual's code for society's survival.
Sep 12, 2010
Weathervane
rated it:
If only the characters were relatable; if only emotion were not splattered across the page in the form of adverbs; if only the plot were interesting and thought-provoking instead of self-indulgent and overly-descriptive; then, and only then, might the book have been something other than boring.
The second part, along with the last few pages of the final chapter, are the sections worth reading. Everything else is dull filler.
The second part, along with the last few pages of the final chapter, are the sections worth reading. Everything else is dull filler.
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