Sturgeon in Orbit

by Theodore Sturgeon

Each story has a short introductory paragraph.

Contents:
Extrapolation (1954)
The Wages of Synergy (1953)
Make Room for Me (1951)
The Heart (1955)
The Incubi of Parallel X (1951)

Genres: Science Fiction, Short Stories, Fiction, Anthologies, Speculative Fiction

172 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1964

About the author

Theodore Sturgeon (1918–1985) is considered one of the godfathers of contemporary science fiction and dark fantasy. The author of numerous acclaimed short stories and novels, among them the classics More Than Human, Venus Plus X, and To Marry Medusa, Sturgeon also wrote for television and holds among his credits two episodes of the original 1960s Star Trek series, for which he created the Vulcan mating ritual and the expression "Live long and prosper." He is also credited as the inspiration for Kurt Vonnegut's recurring fictional character Kilgore Trout.

Sturgeon is the recipient of the Hugo Award, the Nebula Award, and the International Fantasy Award. In 2000, he was posthumously honored with a World Fantasy Award for Life Achievement.

Reviews

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an early collection of five stories by Sturgeon (one short story and four novelettes), all from the early 1950s. Three are from true, honest-to-goodness pulp magazines (Planet Stories, Startling Stories, and Fantastic Adventures), and two from digest-sized genre 'zines of the time Other Worlds and Fantastic (which wasn't the same publication as the aforementioned F.A. but is frequently confused by bibliographers.) It's also the first of several collections by Sturgeon with his name in the title, and this has a very cool Ed Emshwiller painting of the author and his creations on the cover. (Which originally appeared on the cover of the special Sturgeon issue of F & SF, though none of the stories did.) They're character-driven and relationship-based stories before it was normal for such things in the field, still fine reads though some of the social conventions are obviously seven decades out of date. My favorites are The Incubi of Parallel X and Extrapolation.

[Andrewcharles420 · Rating 1 out of 5]

The wife of a man forced to aid the (extra terrestrial) enemy never loses faith.
A poisonous conspiracy threatens the progress of science and the future of humanity.
A multi-faceted alien inhabits human bodies to innovate a solution for its species then sacrifices itself to save humanity from them.
A strangely scorned lover hopes her lover to death.
A scientist saves humanity from an alien horde by 'protecting' all earth's women in another dimension... to which he promptly loses the key.

Confusing, misogynist, poorly written stories. A lot of times I want certain stories to continue or be further developed, but all these should have been abandoned during the first drafts--all are prefaced with thanks from the author to the editors who first accepted these stories for publication, a call I do not support. Not recommended.

[Brennan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I mostly read this because I was able to pick a used copy at bookstore and I normally love Sturgeon stories. I think he was one of the best sf writers of the classic era. These aren't his best stories by any stretch (I really liked Wages of Synergy though); but they were intriguing and well written. In general, I encourage any curious sf fans to check his works out. They are hard to find; don't pass them by.

[Alien · Rating 1 out of 5]

Es geht dem Autoren um menschliche Emotionen. Die wissenschaftliche Glaubwürdigkeit interessiert ihn offenbar überhaupt nicht. Der Stil ist teils ok, teils völlig ungenießbar. In einem Teil der Stories sind die Dialog einfach schrecklich artifiziell. Es ist amtlich: ich mag ihn nicht

[Hank Hoeft · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sturgeon in Orbit is a collection of five Theodore Sturgeon stories written between 1951 and 1955. Personally, I love science fiction from before the New Wave sf of the 1960's, so I thoroughly enjoyed these stories. Having expressed my fondness for pre-New Wave sf, though, doesn't mean I only enjoy John Campbellesque hard science fiction. I also appreciate the more humanistic sf that flowered in the 1950's--the stories that were more likely to find a home in Galaxy rather than in Astounding. And such stories were Theodore Sturgeon's forte.

[Federico Capone · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Una buona storia di fantascienza narra una vicenda di esseri umani, con un problema umano e una soluzione umana, che non sarebbe potuta accadere senza un proprio contenuto scientifico “.
Sturgeon in questi cinque racconti si riconferma uno dei miei autori preferiti. La delicatezza e la maestria con cui presenta i suoi esseri umani e i loro problemi umani mi lascia sempre senza parole. Trovo sia un autore tutto da recuperare, questo volume incluso.

[Des · Rating 4 out of 5]

The classic stuff. This particular collection focuses on human relationships.

[Leila Anani · Rating 4 out of 5]

Theodore Sturgeon anthology containing: Extrapolation, The Wages of Synergy, Make Room for Me, The Heart and The Incubi of Parallel X.

What I love about Sturgeon is his ability to capture the human condition and his exploration of human relationships and this volume really shows that off.

Extrapolation takes a reporter hounding a woman to believe her absent husband is a traitor - And we get a nice twist showing both sides of the story and how 'facts' alone can paint a completely different picture.

The Wages of Synergy is great fun - we a woman who believes that she kills everyone she falls in love with, and the chemist in love with her trying to prove that there is a far more rational answer to why all her exes suddenly died.... Loved this one.

Make Room for Me (1951) is really interesting being a very early queer horror - We have 3 students (2 guys and a girl) who each get possessed by 1/3 of the consciousness of an alien parasite - the vanguard of a possible alien invasion. The girl, Dran turns down a marriage proposal from a sweet guy Joe, in love with her, by saying:

"It's a thing you couldn't understand/There were three of us, and that's not supposed to be right. Two's and twos and twos, all through literature and the movies and soap operas. This is something different. Or maybe it isn't different. Maybe it's wrong..."

While it's not blatant, the subtext is definitely there - There's a lot going on behind the scenes in this one and it's really interesting considering it was written in the early 50's. Sturgeon himself was bisexual and champions love in all its forms. It's very modern in its outlook. As Spock would say, 'Fascinating'

I'm going to skip 'The Heart' because I totally didn't get it and it wasn't particularly sci-fi - thought it definitely deals with human relationships, so i guess deserves a place in this anthology.

The last story The Incubi of Parallel X (1951) has influenced so much - There's shades of The Forever War, Halo Jones, Attack of the 50 ft Woman, Hambly's The Ladies of Mandrigyn, and even Phantasm in here -

So humanity went to war with an alien race called The Ffanx - Dwarf like aliens who targeted Earth women (we later learn for a chemical that would make them immortal). A mad scientist called Gessell opened a dimensional portal and sent a bunch of women through (the smartest, prettiest and pregnant women) in order to protect them. Years later Gessell is dead but his son (who was 8 when the women were sent into the portal) has to get them back and repopulate the Earth. But both time and gravity work very differently between dimensions.... The women are giants and Gessell Jr, and his companion Bronze are like the dwarvish Ffanx.

It's Sturgeons unique take on a planet story and oh boy, there's a lot in here....

An excellent anthology with a fabulous cover - a reprint of Emsh's cover painting of Sturgeon for the Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction. These stories represent the best of what science fiction can be - highly imaginative, but at their heart using fantastic worlds and characters to explore the human condition.

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a nice little Sturgeon collection, very enjoyable science-fiction (with one exception, genre-wise: a very brief, macabre tale with a supernatural twist). As usual, I found myself marveling at the author's ingenuity, enjoying his characters, and thoroughly involved in his plots. Everything works: the suspense, the romance, the humor... plus, I enjoyed a few moments meditating on human nature, faith vs. fanaticism (as a cover for fear of real living), in addition to an interesting discussion on the difference between Morals and Ethics (never having possessed either, it was a purely academic exercise).

[Jérémie Moenne Loccoz · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ce recueil de nouvelles n'a pas vraiment su éveiller un véritable intérêt chez moi. C'est vieillot, les personnages fades (comment peut-on se passionner ou s'identifier à un personnage dont la sensibilité est proche de celle de ma plante verte ?), et l'écriture (la traduction peut-être) n'arrange rien.

Ce n'est pas vraiment mauvais, toutefois mes exigences en matière de lecture, en particulier de nouvelles de science-fiction, sont loin d'être atteintes. Ce recueil conviendra peut-être aux nostalgiques de la SF des années soixante ou aux fans de l'auteur, pas à moi en tout cas.

[Eros Fratini · Rating 4 out of 5]

Buoni racconti, devo dire però rovinati da una traduzione stranamente scadente... ed è la prima volta che mi capita con un Urania.

Peccato, spero di poterli rileggere in futuro in qualche altra edizione.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some good ol' yarns.

[David Mann · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm going though books I bought back in the early 60s and either never read, or forgot. This is a slender volume (40¢!) with a handful of stories. The stories are perhaps typical for SF stories at that time, though none of them is particularly memorable on reading today. Difficult to discuss short stories without spoiling them, so I won't. I'll just say that the stories feel somewhat dated and the science fiction elements are not particularly convincing. I think Sturgeon was admired by other science fiction writers of his time, but today is largely forgotten.