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La fuente del unicornio
Este es el libro de cuentos más famoso de Theodore Sturgeon, y también el más variado. Incluye historias fantásticas (“La fuente del unicornio”), cuentos de ciencia ficción que ensancharon las fronteras del género (“Un plato de soledad”, “El mundo bien perdido”) y relatos de terror puro: “El osito de felpa del profesor”, “Una manera de pensar”, y, sobre todo, “Las manos de Bianca”, verdadero clásico que en 1947 ganó un importante premio de la revista inglesa Argosy , del que fue finalista Graham Greene.
“Los cuentos de Sturgeon tienen un impacto emocional que no logra casi ningún otro escritor” – Arthur C. Clarke
“Tú no lees estos cuentos: te suceden” – Groff Conklin Texto de solapa: Theodore Sturgeon (Nueva York, 1918 - Eugene, Oregón, 1985) empezó a escribir en 1939 mientras trabajaba como marino mercante, y en los veinte años siguientes publicó más de doscientos cuentos y varias novelas ya clásicas ( Los cristales soñadores , Más que humano ). Hoy está considerado uno de los mejores cuentistas norteamericanos del siglo.
“Los cuentos de Sturgeon tienen un impacto emocional que no logra casi ningún otro escritor” – Arthur C. Clarke
“Tú no lees estos cuentos: te suceden” – Groff Conklin Texto de solapa: Theodore Sturgeon (Nueva York, 1918 - Eugene, Oregón, 1985) empezó a escribir en 1939 mientras trabajaba como marino mercante, y en los veinte años siguientes publicó más de doscientos cuentos y varias novelas ya clásicas ( Los cristales soñadores , Más que humano ). Hoy está considerado uno de los mejores cuentistas norteamericanos del siglo.
348 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1953
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1074 people want to read
About the author
Theodore Sturgeon
725 books774 followersTheodore 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 70 reviews
April 18, 2018
Muy buena colección de cuentos. “Un plato de soledad”, “El mundo bien perdido” y “El osito de felpa del profesor” son tres maravillas.
August 15, 2024
This volume collects a bakers' dozen of stories by Sturgeon, all of which date from 1947 - '53. Subtitled "Stories of Science & Sorcery, " it's a well-rounded collection, with a few stories from the traditional sf digests (Amazing, Fantastic, Universe), but more from Weird Tales than any other single magazine, and even including one each from the unlikely Zane Grey's Western Magazine and Dime Detective. Sturgeon was ahead of his time in being much more interested in exploring character than gadgetry and was adept at portraying emotion convincingly. He was also a master humorist when he set his mind to it, and several of the stories here are still chuckle-worthy. My favorites are Bianca's Hands and A Saucer of Loneliness, two of his all-time best in my opinion. This first Ballantine paperback has a really wild Richard Powers cover and doesn't have "SF" printed anywhere on it. There's also a short introductory essay by the inimitable Groff Conklin.
July 6, 2013
'La fuente del unicornio' es una antología de relatos de Theodore Sturgeon escritos entre 1947 y 1953, y se trata sin duda de una de las mejores recopilaciones que ha dado el género de la ciencia ficción. Sturgeon hizo de todo, desde trabajar en un circo hasta embarcarse como marino, pero fue tras la segunda guerra mundial cuando empezó a ejercer de verdad como escritor, llegando a convertirse en el mejor cuentista de la gran Edad de Oro. Y sin tener en cuenta las barreras de los géneros, está considerado como uno de los mejores cuentistas norteamericanos del siglo XX.
En palabras de Ray Bradbury: "Miraba a Sturgeon con secreta y persistente envidia. Y la envidia, tenemos que admitirlo, es para un escritor el síntoma más seguro de la superioridad de otro autor. Lo peor que se puede decir del estilo de un escritor es que te aburre; lo más elogioso que se me ocurre sobre Sturgeon es que odiaba su maldito y eficiente ingenio. [...] no me quedaba más remedio que volver una y otra vez a sus cuentos, atormentado de envidia, para disecarlos, desmontarlos, reexaminarles los huesos."
Sus relatos abarcan casi todos los géneros: el fantástico, la ciencia ficción, el western, el policíaco, el realismo y el terror, en el que destaca especialmente. Sturgeon estaba preocupado sobre todo en intentar explicarnos las relaciones humanas y el problema de la incomunicación y la soledad del individuo.
Estos son los trece cuentos contenidos en la extraordinaria 'La fuente del unicornio', siendo la gran mayoría imprescindibles, grancias sobre todo al buen hacer de Sturgeon como escritor y a su imaginación:
- La fuente del unicornio. Empieza así: "Hay un pueblo cerca de las ciénagas, y en el pueblo hay una Casa Grande. En la Casa Grande vivía un escudero que tenía tierras y tesoros y, por hija, a Rita." Una tarde Del visita a Rita, hija de escudero, en su casa. Allí se encontrará con una sorpresa desagradable. Buen relato de fantasía, pero de los más flojos de la antología.
- El osito de felpa del profesor. Empieza así: "Duerme, dijo el monstruo. Habló con el oído, moviendo unos labios diminutos dentro de los pliegues de carne porque tenía la boca llena de sangre." Extraño cuento, que provoca una sensación inquietante en el lector, al no saber lo que está pasando realmente hasta las últimas páginas del relato. Impresionante.
- Las manos de Bianca. Empieza así: "La madre llevaba a Bianca cuando Ran la vio por primera vez. Bianca era rechoncha y pequeña, el cabello grasiento y dientes podridos. Tenía la boca torcida y babeaba. O era ciega o no le importaba chocar contra las cosas. En realidad no importaba, porque Bianca era imbécil. Sus manos..." Ran está obsesionado por las manos de Bianca, de tal modo que traza un plan para poseerlas. Absoluto clásico del relato de terror, con el que Sturgeon ganó un premio en 1947, el de la revista inglesa Argosy, quedando por delante del mismísimo Graham Greene.
- Un plato de soledad. Empieza así: "Si está muerta, pensé, jamás la encontraré en esta blanca riada de luz lunar, pálida arena como un gran oleaje. Casi siempre, los suicidas que se clavan un cuchillo o se pegan un tiro en el corazón toman la precaución de desnudarse el pecho; el mismo extraño impulso hace que, por lo general, los que se suicidan en el mar vayan desnudos." Esta es la historia de una joven que tuvo la mala (o buena) suerte de recibir un mensaje inesperado e increíble.
- El mundo bien perdido. Empieza así: "Todo el mundo los conocía como tortolitos, aunque por supuesto no eran pájaros sino seres humanos. Bueno, digamos que humanoides. Bípedos sin plumas. Su estancia en la Tierra fue breve, una maravilla de nueve días." La estancia de los tortolitos supone un problema diplomático con el planeta Dirbanu. Grunty y Rootes serán los encargados de una misión trascendental.
- No era sicigia. Empieza así: "Mejor no lo leas. Lo digo en serio. No, ésta no es una de esas historias "que pueden ocurrirte a ti". Es mucho peor. Quizá te esté ocurriendo en este mismo momento. Y no te enterarás hasta que haya terminado. Por la propia naturaleza de las cosas, no puedes enterarte." El protagonista, Leo, conoce un día a Gloria, y parecen coincidir en todo, son almas gemelas. Otro extraño relato en el que Sturgeon nos sumerge magistralmente.
- La música. Empieza así: "Hospital... No me dejaban salir, aunque me molestaba el ruido de los platos y el de las conversaciones, y las quejas sin sentido. Sabían que me molestaban; tendrían que saberlo. Almidón y aburrimiento y el blanco olor a muerto. Lo sabían. Sabían que lo detestaba, así que todas las noches ocurría lo mismo." Breve relato, puede que el más flojo del libro.
- Cicatrices. Empieza así: "Hay un momento en que esa carga que llevamos en la mente es tan agobiante que es necesario soltarla. Pero su naturaleza es tal que no la podemos dejar en una roca ni en la horqueta de un árbol, como un bártulo pesado. Sólo una cosa tiene la forma indicada para recibirla, y es otra mente humana. Sólo se puede hacer en un momento, en la soledad compartida. No se puede hacer cuando un hombre está solo, y un hombre que anda altivamente en medio de la multitud nunca lo hace." Kellet es un hombre con diversas cicatrices. Tras un día de apacible trabajo en las alambradas, Kellet y Powers acampan, y Kellet se dispone a hablar de sus cicatrices. Maravilloso.
- Fluffy. Empieza así: "Ransome sonreía acostado en la oscuridad pensando en su anfitriona. Ransome era muy solicitado como huésped, a causa de su magnífico talento narrador. Dicho talento se debía totalmente a su carácter de huésped frecuente, pues era quien era gracias a la elocuente belleza de sus imágenes verbales de la gente y sus opiniones sobre la gente." La señora Benedetto vive sola; bueno, sola no, con su gato Fluffy. Y un buen día, Ransome es invitado por la señora Benedetto. Cómo no, este es un cuento de gatos... terrorífico.
- Sexo opuesto. Empieza así: "Budgie entró en el laboratorio sin llamar, como de costumbre. Jadeaba agitadamente, los ojos brillantes de ansiedad y avidez. ¿Qué tienes, Muley? Muhlenberg cerró bruscamente la puerta del depósito de cadáveres, antes que Budgie pudiera pasar. Nada, replicó. Y entre toda la gente que no quiero ver, y en este momento eso significa toda la gente que existe, tú encabezas la lista. Lárgate." Muley trabaja en el depósito de cadáveres, donde acaba de llegar un homicidio horrible, espantoso. Budgie, reportera, está empeñada en averiguar de qué se trata. Ninguno se imaginará a lo que se enfrentan. Un relato memorable.
- ¡Muere, maestro, muere! Empieza así: "Al final maté a Lutch Crawford con una tenaza. Y allí estaba Lutch (su música, su brío, su público y su orgullo), todo él en la palma de mi mano. Literalmente: tres orugas rosadas con una dureza córnea en el extremo y sangre en el otro. Las arrojé al aire, las atrapé, me las guardé en el bolsillo y me fui silbando Daboo Dabay, que había sido el tema de Lutch. Era la primera vez en ocho años que oía esa música y la disfrutaba. A veces tardas mucho en matar a un hombre. Lo había intentado dos veces. Lo intenté con ingenio, y fracasé. Lo intenté con sigilo, y fracasé. Ahora está hecho." Fluke, el protagonista, nos cuenta su odio por Lutch, y cómo hizo para ponerle solución. Extraordinario cuento.
- Compañero de celda. Empieza así: "La gente pregunta si alguna vez estuviste preso y se ríe. La gente bromea sobre la cárcel. Pero estar en la cárcel es malo, sobre todo si te encerraron por algo que no hiciste. Y si lo hiciste es peor. Te sientes idiota por haberte dejado atrapar. Y es peor todavía si tienes un compañero de celda como Crawley. La cárcel es para que los reos no fastidien por un tiempo, no para que se vuelvan locos." El protagonista tiene un nuevo compañero, Crawley, un sujeto con un extraño físico; es pequeño, de brazos y piernas delgados, pero con un pecho muy grande y apuntalado. Después de leer este relato de terror, me doy cuenta de la influencia que ha tenido este autor.
- Una manera de pensar. Empieza así: "Tendré que empezar con una o dos anécdotas que quizá ya me hayas oído contar pero que vale la pena repetir porque hablamos nada menos que de Kelley." El protagonista, escritor, y puede que un trasunto de Sturgeon, nos narra un extraño caso donde Kelley, su amigo y antiguo compañero de barco tiene una papel preponderante. Todo comienza cuando se encuentra con su amigo Milton, médico, que tiene un paciente con una grave y rara afección. No puedo contar más de este grandísimo relato.
En palabras de Ray Bradbury: "Miraba a Sturgeon con secreta y persistente envidia. Y la envidia, tenemos que admitirlo, es para un escritor el síntoma más seguro de la superioridad de otro autor. Lo peor que se puede decir del estilo de un escritor es que te aburre; lo más elogioso que se me ocurre sobre Sturgeon es que odiaba su maldito y eficiente ingenio. [...] no me quedaba más remedio que volver una y otra vez a sus cuentos, atormentado de envidia, para disecarlos, desmontarlos, reexaminarles los huesos."
Sus relatos abarcan casi todos los géneros: el fantástico, la ciencia ficción, el western, el policíaco, el realismo y el terror, en el que destaca especialmente. Sturgeon estaba preocupado sobre todo en intentar explicarnos las relaciones humanas y el problema de la incomunicación y la soledad del individuo.
Estos son los trece cuentos contenidos en la extraordinaria 'La fuente del unicornio', siendo la gran mayoría imprescindibles, grancias sobre todo al buen hacer de Sturgeon como escritor y a su imaginación:
- La fuente del unicornio. Empieza así: "Hay un pueblo cerca de las ciénagas, y en el pueblo hay una Casa Grande. En la Casa Grande vivía un escudero que tenía tierras y tesoros y, por hija, a Rita." Una tarde Del visita a Rita, hija de escudero, en su casa. Allí se encontrará con una sorpresa desagradable. Buen relato de fantasía, pero de los más flojos de la antología.
- El osito de felpa del profesor. Empieza así: "Duerme, dijo el monstruo. Habló con el oído, moviendo unos labios diminutos dentro de los pliegues de carne porque tenía la boca llena de sangre." Extraño cuento, que provoca una sensación inquietante en el lector, al no saber lo que está pasando realmente hasta las últimas páginas del relato. Impresionante.
- Las manos de Bianca. Empieza así: "La madre llevaba a Bianca cuando Ran la vio por primera vez. Bianca era rechoncha y pequeña, el cabello grasiento y dientes podridos. Tenía la boca torcida y babeaba. O era ciega o no le importaba chocar contra las cosas. En realidad no importaba, porque Bianca era imbécil. Sus manos..." Ran está obsesionado por las manos de Bianca, de tal modo que traza un plan para poseerlas. Absoluto clásico del relato de terror, con el que Sturgeon ganó un premio en 1947, el de la revista inglesa Argosy, quedando por delante del mismísimo Graham Greene.
- Un plato de soledad. Empieza así: "Si está muerta, pensé, jamás la encontraré en esta blanca riada de luz lunar, pálida arena como un gran oleaje. Casi siempre, los suicidas que se clavan un cuchillo o se pegan un tiro en el corazón toman la precaución de desnudarse el pecho; el mismo extraño impulso hace que, por lo general, los que se suicidan en el mar vayan desnudos." Esta es la historia de una joven que tuvo la mala (o buena) suerte de recibir un mensaje inesperado e increíble.
- El mundo bien perdido. Empieza así: "Todo el mundo los conocía como tortolitos, aunque por supuesto no eran pájaros sino seres humanos. Bueno, digamos que humanoides. Bípedos sin plumas. Su estancia en la Tierra fue breve, una maravilla de nueve días." La estancia de los tortolitos supone un problema diplomático con el planeta Dirbanu. Grunty y Rootes serán los encargados de una misión trascendental.
- No era sicigia. Empieza así: "Mejor no lo leas. Lo digo en serio. No, ésta no es una de esas historias "que pueden ocurrirte a ti". Es mucho peor. Quizá te esté ocurriendo en este mismo momento. Y no te enterarás hasta que haya terminado. Por la propia naturaleza de las cosas, no puedes enterarte." El protagonista, Leo, conoce un día a Gloria, y parecen coincidir en todo, son almas gemelas. Otro extraño relato en el que Sturgeon nos sumerge magistralmente.
- La música. Empieza así: "Hospital... No me dejaban salir, aunque me molestaba el ruido de los platos y el de las conversaciones, y las quejas sin sentido. Sabían que me molestaban; tendrían que saberlo. Almidón y aburrimiento y el blanco olor a muerto. Lo sabían. Sabían que lo detestaba, así que todas las noches ocurría lo mismo." Breve relato, puede que el más flojo del libro.
- Cicatrices. Empieza así: "Hay un momento en que esa carga que llevamos en la mente es tan agobiante que es necesario soltarla. Pero su naturaleza es tal que no la podemos dejar en una roca ni en la horqueta de un árbol, como un bártulo pesado. Sólo una cosa tiene la forma indicada para recibirla, y es otra mente humana. Sólo se puede hacer en un momento, en la soledad compartida. No se puede hacer cuando un hombre está solo, y un hombre que anda altivamente en medio de la multitud nunca lo hace." Kellet es un hombre con diversas cicatrices. Tras un día de apacible trabajo en las alambradas, Kellet y Powers acampan, y Kellet se dispone a hablar de sus cicatrices. Maravilloso.
- Fluffy. Empieza así: "Ransome sonreía acostado en la oscuridad pensando en su anfitriona. Ransome era muy solicitado como huésped, a causa de su magnífico talento narrador. Dicho talento se debía totalmente a su carácter de huésped frecuente, pues era quien era gracias a la elocuente belleza de sus imágenes verbales de la gente y sus opiniones sobre la gente." La señora Benedetto vive sola; bueno, sola no, con su gato Fluffy. Y un buen día, Ransome es invitado por la señora Benedetto. Cómo no, este es un cuento de gatos... terrorífico.
- Sexo opuesto. Empieza así: "Budgie entró en el laboratorio sin llamar, como de costumbre. Jadeaba agitadamente, los ojos brillantes de ansiedad y avidez. ¿Qué tienes, Muley? Muhlenberg cerró bruscamente la puerta del depósito de cadáveres, antes que Budgie pudiera pasar. Nada, replicó. Y entre toda la gente que no quiero ver, y en este momento eso significa toda la gente que existe, tú encabezas la lista. Lárgate." Muley trabaja en el depósito de cadáveres, donde acaba de llegar un homicidio horrible, espantoso. Budgie, reportera, está empeñada en averiguar de qué se trata. Ninguno se imaginará a lo que se enfrentan. Un relato memorable.
- ¡Muere, maestro, muere! Empieza así: "Al final maté a Lutch Crawford con una tenaza. Y allí estaba Lutch (su música, su brío, su público y su orgullo), todo él en la palma de mi mano. Literalmente: tres orugas rosadas con una dureza córnea en el extremo y sangre en el otro. Las arrojé al aire, las atrapé, me las guardé en el bolsillo y me fui silbando Daboo Dabay, que había sido el tema de Lutch. Era la primera vez en ocho años que oía esa música y la disfrutaba. A veces tardas mucho en matar a un hombre. Lo había intentado dos veces. Lo intenté con ingenio, y fracasé. Lo intenté con sigilo, y fracasé. Ahora está hecho." Fluke, el protagonista, nos cuenta su odio por Lutch, y cómo hizo para ponerle solución. Extraordinario cuento.
- Compañero de celda. Empieza así: "La gente pregunta si alguna vez estuviste preso y se ríe. La gente bromea sobre la cárcel. Pero estar en la cárcel es malo, sobre todo si te encerraron por algo que no hiciste. Y si lo hiciste es peor. Te sientes idiota por haberte dejado atrapar. Y es peor todavía si tienes un compañero de celda como Crawley. La cárcel es para que los reos no fastidien por un tiempo, no para que se vuelvan locos." El protagonista tiene un nuevo compañero, Crawley, un sujeto con un extraño físico; es pequeño, de brazos y piernas delgados, pero con un pecho muy grande y apuntalado. Después de leer este relato de terror, me doy cuenta de la influencia que ha tenido este autor.
- Una manera de pensar. Empieza así: "Tendré que empezar con una o dos anécdotas que quizá ya me hayas oído contar pero que vale la pena repetir porque hablamos nada menos que de Kelley." El protagonista, escritor, y puede que un trasunto de Sturgeon, nos narra un extraño caso donde Kelley, su amigo y antiguo compañero de barco tiene una papel preponderante. Todo comienza cuando se encuentra con su amigo Milton, médico, que tiene un paciente con una grave y rara afección. No puedo contar más de este grandísimo relato.
October 14, 2012
"Essay on Sturgeon" by Groff Conklin - Who is this guy and why on
earth did he write this introduction? It’s terrible. Complete with
gratuitous references to Sturgeon’s “lovely wife.” Thank goodness I’d
already read Sturgeon, or this intro might have turned me off…
"The Silken-Swift" - This is the story that justifies the cover art. I wouldn't say that the cover is really very indicative of the overall content of the book; but this is, technically, a fairy-tale, with a unicorn. However, it's more complex and disturbing than one might expect.
"The Professor's Teddy-Bear" - an evil teddy bear gives a child waking dreams in which he kills people horribly. But are they dreams or visions of things to come?
"Bianca's Hands" - a young man develops a disturbing obsession for a retarded woman. Things do not end up well.
"Saucer of Loneliness" - a UFO - or a message in a bottle? The only woman to have communicated with aliens refuses to tell what she has learned. Beautiful, powerful, and surprisingly positive...
"The World Well Lost" - Hard to talk about with spoilers... like so many short stories! Sad, revealing, and surprisingly sensitive.
"It Wasn't Syzygy" - A man meets a woman who seems perfect for him - almost too perfect to be true. And, of course, there's a reason.
"The Music" - A one-and-one-half-page long horror story. Creepy, for all its brevity!
"Scars" - A Western story... out on the range, one guy relates what it means to be called a 'gentleman' to another. Some good moments, but probably the weakest story of the collection.
"Fluffy" - May be the nastiest cat portrayed in fiction!
"The Sex Opposite" - A CSI-style tale of a medical examiner called in to investigate a brutal crime. Apparently, a pair of conjoined twins has been murdered, their bodies mutilated. But the events that unfold are even weirder that they initially appeared...
"Die, Maestro, Die!" - Jealousy and murder tear a jazz band apart...
"Cellmate" - You seriously, seriously do not want to be stuck in jail with this guy.
"A Way of Thinking" - A philosophical and nasty tale of a voodoo doll.
So - overall, I'd say this collection is mostly horror, with a bit of sci-fi & fantasy thrown in. However, it's hard to convey in a brief summary how really good these stories are. Sturgeon was truly a master. It's also remarkable how very non-dated most of them feel. Many of them could have been published this year: the characterization, the psychology, it all feels fresh and true. It's hard to believe that these were published in the 40's and 50's.
earth did he write this introduction? It’s terrible. Complete with
gratuitous references to Sturgeon’s “lovely wife.” Thank goodness I’d
already read Sturgeon, or this intro might have turned me off…
"The Silken-Swift" - This is the story that justifies the cover art. I wouldn't say that the cover is really very indicative of the overall content of the book; but this is, technically, a fairy-tale, with a unicorn. However, it's more complex and disturbing than one might expect.
"The Professor's Teddy-Bear" - an evil teddy bear gives a child waking dreams in which he kills people horribly. But are they dreams or visions of things to come?
"Bianca's Hands" - a young man develops a disturbing obsession for a retarded woman. Things do not end up well.
"Saucer of Loneliness" - a UFO - or a message in a bottle? The only woman to have communicated with aliens refuses to tell what she has learned. Beautiful, powerful, and surprisingly positive...
"The World Well Lost" - Hard to talk about with spoilers... like so many short stories! Sad, revealing, and surprisingly sensitive.
"It Wasn't Syzygy" - A man meets a woman who seems perfect for him - almost too perfect to be true. And, of course, there's a reason.
"The Music" - A one-and-one-half-page long horror story. Creepy, for all its brevity!
"Scars" - A Western story... out on the range, one guy relates what it means to be called a 'gentleman' to another. Some good moments, but probably the weakest story of the collection.
"Fluffy" - May be the nastiest cat portrayed in fiction!
"The Sex Opposite" - A CSI-style tale of a medical examiner called in to investigate a brutal crime. Apparently, a pair of conjoined twins has been murdered, their bodies mutilated. But the events that unfold are even weirder that they initially appeared...
"Die, Maestro, Die!" - Jealousy and murder tear a jazz band apart...
"Cellmate" - You seriously, seriously do not want to be stuck in jail with this guy.
"A Way of Thinking" - A philosophical and nasty tale of a voodoo doll.
So - overall, I'd say this collection is mostly horror, with a bit of sci-fi & fantasy thrown in. However, it's hard to convey in a brief summary how really good these stories are. Sturgeon was truly a master. It's also remarkable how very non-dated most of them feel. Many of them could have been published this year: the characterization, the psychology, it all feels fresh and true. It's hard to believe that these were published in the 40's and 50's.
October 9, 2010
I fell in love with the person who gave me "Saucer of Loneliness" to read. Lived with him 13 years, till he died. I still cry when I read the end.
September 1, 2021
For the first half of this collection I was pretty much experiencing the same as with the previous Sturgeon collection, that is a series of incredibly well written stories with utterly shit endings. One after another had me closing the book with a huff of annoyance and the feeling I was wasting my time. Then came along Fluffy which I thought was clever, and actually had an ending that made me smirk. Next came The Sex Opposite with an exploration of non-sexual reproduction which the right note of both weird and speculation, and also didn't completely flub the ending. Of the 3 final stories, I didn't like Cellmate at all, but the other 2 were pretty good, and again had endings that didn't make me sigh in vexation. Maybe I'm getting more accustom to Sturgeon's style, or maybe I just found the few stories I do like. At least my time wasn't entirely wasted.
September 13, 2025
Buddy read over at Shine & Shadow here: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
A short story collection of early 1950s science fiction and dark fantasy from the talented author Theodore Sturgeon. Some of these stories, unfortunately, are problematic with ableism and sexism, and thus do not age well. Other stories, however, are quite superb!
A short story collection of early 1950s science fiction and dark fantasy from the talented author Theodore Sturgeon. Some of these stories, unfortunately, are problematic with ableism and sexism, and thus do not age well. Other stories, however, are quite superb!
February 13, 2011
This was the first Sturgeon I ever bought and the second I ever read. (The first was the short story "The Silken Swift" from Unicorns, also collected here.) I got in Toys R Us. Does Toys R Us still sell books? I think they stopped even before I got too old for it to be a good place to get me presents, and even before then their book selection had declined into innumberable "updated" Nancy Drew books. (I preferred bookstores anyway.)
Um! Anyway! "The Professor's Teddy Bear" and "Bianca's Hands" are still the creepiest things ever. I am somewhat less fond of "The Silken Swift" now that I actually know what rape is.
Um! Anyway! "The Professor's Teddy Bear" and "Bianca's Hands" are still the creepiest things ever. I am somewhat less fond of "The Silken Swift" now that I actually know what rape is.
September 2, 2007
This book contains the following short stories: The Silken Swift; The Professor's Teddy-Bear; Bianca's Hands; A Saucer of Loneliness; The World Well Lost; It Wasn't Syzygy; The Music; Scars; Fluffy; The Sex Opposite; Die, Maestro, Die!; Cellmate; and A Way of Thinking.
Interesting, imaginative, and often disturbing, this collection of shorts by Sturgeon is perhaps one of the best I've read.
Interesting, imaginative, and often disturbing, this collection of shorts by Sturgeon is perhaps one of the best I've read.
June 17, 2017
Sturgeon's Law (heavily paraphrased):This stuff is in the other 10%.
90% of science fiction is crud. But then, 90% of everything is crud.
Theodore Sturgeon was one of the most influential and prolific fabulists of the mid-20th Century. In an era when most writers of speculative fiction (by which I mean to encompass fantasy, horror, science-fiction, magical realism, slipstream—all of the many varieties of fiction that aren't limited to our tired old reality) seemed to be content to keep repeating the sins of SF's pulp-fictional roots—the same flat characters, rickety plots and purple prose—Sturgeon wrote stories that were literary and lyrical, mature and complex, and in so doing helped elevate genre fiction as a whole.
Sturgeon's efforts did not go unnoticed, either; the annual Theodore Sturgeon Award (established in 1987) seeks out and recognizes modern authors who work to the same high standards of literary excellence. (As of this writing, the current holder of the Sturgeon Award is Kelly Link, for "The Game of Smash and Recovery"—one of the better stories in Rich Horton's The Year's Best Science Fiction & Fantasy 2016, the anthology I read just before E Pluribus Unicorn.)
Which is not to say that the stories in E Pluribus Unicorn have been entirely untouched by the passage of decades and our society's changing perspectives. After all, this Sturgeon collection was first published in 1953. These stories have more than half a century of wear on them. Even the paperback copy I have in hand, with its gorgeous Boris Vallejo cover art, is a solid forty years old... and sometimes that shows.
You could skip the introductory "Essay on Sturgeon" entirely, for example—prolific early SF anthologist Groff Conklin's fulsome prose and blithely unaware sexism are grating now, and utterly redundant to the appreciation of Sturgeon's own work... work that ranges across all sorts of genres—fairy tales and horror stories and science fiction with a twist—and all sorts of styles.
Take the lead story, "The Silken-Swift." It's a pastoral tale, albeit with a lusty undercurrent. There's a feudal manor, a village, and a beautiful pool in between; two maidens vying for the same young man's favor; and, yes, a unicorn.
That one's swiftly followed up by "The Professor's Teddy Bear," an entirely different sort of story, in which precocious Jeremy, four years old, tells his teddy bear, "I will be five feet, six and three-eighth inches tall. I will be bald on top and wear eyeglasses like little thick ashtrays. I will give lectures to young things about human destiny and the metempsychosis of Plato." To which the teddy bear replies, of course, "What's a metempsychosis?" (p.20)
And the third story is one of the most quietly creepy horrors to appear in this or any collection. "Bianca's Hands" is about just that—Bianca's hands, which are quite beautiful, though the rest of her is anything but.
I will not detail every page of E Pluribus Unicorn—that wouldn't be fair to you or the book—but I will point out a few more landmarks to take note of on your journey.
The slick Beat generation patter of "Die, Maestro, Die!" may be hard to translate nowadays, but I have no reason to believe it's anything but pitch-perfect. And the story? Gone, man. Real gone.
Then there's "The World Well Lost," in which two star-crossed lovers from the secretive world of Dirbanu land on Planet Earth... and get shipped unceremoniously back. This one could never be written the same way today, I suspect, but it has by no means lost its relevance.
But the greatest, most haunting story in this collection, the one that lingered most in my mind during the decades since I first read it, is "A Saucer of Loneliness," in which an ordinary woman in New York City is touched by something mysterious and wonderful, right out there in public one sunny spring day in Central Park, and then—understandably, maddeningly, furiously, gloriously—refuses to explain it to others. If you get this one, you'll get Sturgeon, all the way—and maybe even understand humanity, a little bit, the way he did.
The secret of Theodore Sturgeon's success, you see, is that his stories, however strange the setting may be, always circle back to his unerring insight into ourselves. Out of Sturgeon's many different viewpoints comes a singular vision... a unicorn, if you will.
September 13, 2025
An interesting collection of short stories (some groundbreaking) written between 47 and 53.
August 18, 2010
OUTSTANDING! For years, "e pluribus unicorn" was the entire universe of Theodore Sturgeon, so far as I knew... Mind you, I was very happy in that limited knowledge -- and yet I NEVER, for many, many years, got around to finishing the book (I've a spotty history with giving books the time they deserve, generally and in particular).
Instead, over those years, I simply returned, again and again to the cherished favorites within this 13-story collection -- which I LOVED as much as any short stories I had ever read. Among those early favorites, I was especially fond of "The Professor's Teddy Bear" (wildly creepy and inventive) and "The World Well Lost" (remarkably original, moving, and slyly humorous). I also had a fondness for the heartrending and suspenseful "Die, Maestro, Die!" "A Saucer of Loneliness" and even "Fluffy."
As this paperback has traveled with me for approaching two decades, I suppose it was only a matter of time before I picked it up and gave it the thorough read it so richly deserves. I have now, just within the last year, finished the entire collection (revisiting some of my favorites, of course).
AGAIN, I have found myself floored by this wonderful author, with his amazing compassion and humanity, his beautiful prose (vivid metaphors and one elegant turn of phrase after another), intelligent sci-fi exposition, and his wild, wild, gorgeously twisted imagination.
I can now say that, in addition to my old Sturgeon favorites, I truly LOVE the weird (totally sick and wrong) warpedness of "Bianca's Hands," the subtle depth of "Scars," and “even” the "syzygy" stories!
I've even cracked open a few other Sturgeon tomes now, and boy, are they fun, too!
HAPPY READING, fellow sci-fi buffs and sickos!
Instead, over those years, I simply returned, again and again to the cherished favorites within this 13-story collection -- which I LOVED as much as any short stories I had ever read. Among those early favorites, I was especially fond of "The Professor's Teddy Bear" (wildly creepy and inventive) and "The World Well Lost" (remarkably original, moving, and slyly humorous). I also had a fondness for the heartrending and suspenseful "Die, Maestro, Die!" "A Saucer of Loneliness" and even "Fluffy."
As this paperback has traveled with me for approaching two decades, I suppose it was only a matter of time before I picked it up and gave it the thorough read it so richly deserves. I have now, just within the last year, finished the entire collection (revisiting some of my favorites, of course).
AGAIN, I have found myself floored by this wonderful author, with his amazing compassion and humanity, his beautiful prose (vivid metaphors and one elegant turn of phrase after another), intelligent sci-fi exposition, and his wild, wild, gorgeously twisted imagination.
I can now say that, in addition to my old Sturgeon favorites, I truly LOVE the weird (totally sick and wrong) warpedness of "Bianca's Hands," the subtle depth of "Scars," and “even” the "syzygy" stories!
I've even cracked open a few other Sturgeon tomes now, and boy, are they fun, too!
HAPPY READING, fellow sci-fi buffs and sickos!
March 16, 2016
Hay un sin fin de mundos inquietantes, de personalidades increíbles, de historias y tramas que se tuercen como rizomas hacia el centro de la tierra y que luego brotan en algún punto inesperado en los cuentos de este monstruo.
Si algo le gusta hacer a Sturgeon es ir descubriendo poco a poco los rincones de sus cuentos. Todo ello, sin recurrir —casi nunca— a artilugios posmodernos, ni caricaturas literarias; hay cierto aire de linealidad y realidad concreta en sus libros, ¡y vaya que hablamos de mundos con telépatas, sicigia, unicornios, vudú y música!
Hay un tratamiento muy original de La Ternura, de El Amor, de Lo Humano en los relatos de Ted; un asomo de... ¿de qué? Es como si Sturgeon estuviera respondiendo con cuentos a argumentos de escépticos, a un jurado que pone todo en tela de juicio solo por ponerlo.
De registros muy variados, esta serie de cuentos muestran lo extraño de una época en la que el hombre se afanaba en llamar normal a algo; en que se hacía un esfuerzo por negar la diversidad; sin embargo, un gran encanto de la buena fantasía, de la buena ciencia ficción, es que no importa qué tanto "la realidad alcance a la ficción" (o viceversa), esta sigue conservando su autenticidad, su rareza, su caracter extraordinario.
Si algo le gusta hacer a Sturgeon es ir descubriendo poco a poco los rincones de sus cuentos. Todo ello, sin recurrir —casi nunca— a artilugios posmodernos, ni caricaturas literarias; hay cierto aire de linealidad y realidad concreta en sus libros, ¡y vaya que hablamos de mundos con telépatas, sicigia, unicornios, vudú y música!
Hay un tratamiento muy original de La Ternura, de El Amor, de Lo Humano en los relatos de Ted; un asomo de... ¿de qué? Es como si Sturgeon estuviera respondiendo con cuentos a argumentos de escépticos, a un jurado que pone todo en tela de juicio solo por ponerlo.
De registros muy variados, esta serie de cuentos muestran lo extraño de una época en la que el hombre se afanaba en llamar normal a algo; en que se hacía un esfuerzo por negar la diversidad; sin embargo, un gran encanto de la buena fantasía, de la buena ciencia ficción, es que no importa qué tanto "la realidad alcance a la ficción" (o viceversa), esta sigue conservando su autenticidad, su rareza, su caracter extraordinario.
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December 15, 2007oh man. This guy has to be one of the most amazing sci-fi writers I’ve ever read. This is a book of his short stories, and I need to find more of his writing. One of my favorite things to think about was a description of a guy whose thinking process was a little bit different. A girl who he broke up with threw a fan at him. Most people would throw the fan back at the girl. He threw the girl at the fan... So good.
July 17, 2018
8/10
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September 14, 2025No rating for me.
I have read Sturgeon's novels before, they were brilliant, and this was my first short story collection and I found the same brilliance in them too. I had a soft spot for him, his ideas and stories are intriguing and fascinating, curiously I always felt sort of detached, at least emotionally. Nothing wrong with that, books kick differently and that is the beauty of them. But now I feel my fascination very burdened with the sexism and ableism in his stories, with age, my capacity to compartmentalize is lessened.
The collection pours a terrible longing to connect, the attempts to do so, mostly fail and when they succeed, it doesn't come naturally. But at least for me, it is no wonder, you would find just barely scratching the surface, the kind of homoerotic brotherhood of solid men (bruh!) that cant not make sense of women, besides desire, and reflecting their vain attempt, with the shallowness they see in said women. Huge food for thought, although not related to the bravery for his time, of exploring homosexuality and gender in some of the stories.
Another not cool fixation is the one of physical appearance and disabilities that bring pain and suffering to people and make monsters out of them (according to him, of course). It gives the curious effect of a very uneven blending of shallowness and depth. Openness and stale views.
The stories have offensive stuff, a boldness that was beyond his time, witty twists and fascinating ideas. The whole sad human package in a brilliant writer.
I have read Sturgeon's novels before, they were brilliant, and this was my first short story collection and I found the same brilliance in them too. I had a soft spot for him, his ideas and stories are intriguing and fascinating, curiously I always felt sort of detached, at least emotionally. Nothing wrong with that, books kick differently and that is the beauty of them. But now I feel my fascination very burdened with the sexism and ableism in his stories, with age, my capacity to compartmentalize is lessened.
The collection pours a terrible longing to connect, the attempts to do so, mostly fail and when they succeed, it doesn't come naturally. But at least for me, it is no wonder, you would find just barely scratching the surface, the kind of homoerotic brotherhood of solid men (bruh!) that cant not make sense of women, besides desire, and reflecting their vain attempt, with the shallowness they see in said women. Huge food for thought, although not related to the bravery for his time, of exploring homosexuality and gender in some of the stories.
Another not cool fixation is the one of physical appearance and disabilities that bring pain and suffering to people and make monsters out of them (according to him, of course). It gives the curious effect of a very uneven blending of shallowness and depth. Openness and stale views.
The stories have offensive stuff, a boldness that was beyond his time, witty twists and fascinating ideas. The whole sad human package in a brilliant writer.
November 3, 2021
Una auténtica sorpresa, la portada y el título engañan a lo que te encuentras después.
La primera historia de fantasía no marca para nada el resto de relatos, algunas de ellas de terror (las mejores), otras de amor (las más satisfactorias) y de ciencia ficción (las más desconcertantes).
El autor es un experto en dar cierres asombrosos que te dejan sin aliento.
La primera historia de fantasía no marca para nada el resto de relatos, algunas de ellas de terror (las mejores), otras de amor (las más satisfactorias) y de ciencia ficción (las más desconcertantes).
El autor es un experto en dar cierres asombrosos que te dejan sin aliento.
August 20, 2017
Una gran colección de cuentos fantásticos y de ciencia ficción. Todos tienen una temática muy interesante y te hacen pensar sobre el tema durante un tiempo, las ideas son muy originales aunque en dos de estos cuentos se repite una misma idea.
February 17, 2014
This is the second collection of Sturgeon short stories I have read thus far, and it most certainly will not be the last; since the man is a dashed literary miracle! His boundless talent and unfettered imagination renders much written today to little more than mediocre fan fiction.
I always find Theodore Sturgeon to be a great stylist of the short story form, and many of the heady tales in this magnificent collection of giddy phantasmagoria are tinged with dark genius! I can heartily recommend 'E Pluribus Unicorn' to all those who appreciate great literature without reservation. I just love the fact that Mr. Sturgeon is such an eclectic writer; a genre polymath able to write so fluently in any idiom.
'and so he droned on and on. Fuzzy crouched on his body, its soft ears making small masticating sounds; and sometimes when stimulated by some particularly choice nugget of esoterica, the ears drooled'
(I ADORE that not-so tender morsel from 'The Professor's Teddy Bear' - the ears drooled?????? What a truly fiendish image to insert in some poor soul's reeling mind!)
I always find Theodore Sturgeon to be a great stylist of the short story form, and many of the heady tales in this magnificent collection of giddy phantasmagoria are tinged with dark genius! I can heartily recommend 'E Pluribus Unicorn' to all those who appreciate great literature without reservation. I just love the fact that Mr. Sturgeon is such an eclectic writer; a genre polymath able to write so fluently in any idiom.
'and so he droned on and on. Fuzzy crouched on his body, its soft ears making small masticating sounds; and sometimes when stimulated by some particularly choice nugget of esoterica, the ears drooled'
(I ADORE that not-so tender morsel from 'The Professor's Teddy Bear' - the ears drooled?????? What a truly fiendish image to insert in some poor soul's reeling mind!)
July 10, 2015
What a creepy and disturbing mix of Sci-fi and horror stories! I say this in a good way. I took this book on vacation with me and found myself snatched from the peace and quiet of the northwoods and into the strange "worlds of mystery and monsters, terror and ethereal love, sudden death and miraculous life, jet-propelled shivers and humor". I enjoyed most of the 13 short stories that were created by Theodore Sturgeon's vivid imagination. Some stories felt a bit like Stephen King melded with Rod Serling. Creepy strange! A couple of the more scary ones (The Professor's Teddy Bear and Bianca's Hands) will definitely cause some nightmares. The tales that really stuck with me were: The Silken-Swift, The Professor's Teddy Bear, Bianca's Hands, Fluffy, and Die, Maestro, Die. If you are a sci-fi or horror story lover, this book is a "must read", if you can get your hands on it.
May 21, 2014
This was probably more like a "3" in the grand scheme of things, but short fiction doesn't always work for me, but this DID, so it gets a four.
Creepy stories! Not so much science fiction. But still interesting. And beautiful in many places. This dude has a real way with words (which I do not, obvs, I can't believe I just used that phrase,) which I was not expecting from a famous science fiction author.
I shall seek out more Theodore Sturgeon.
Creepy stories! Not so much science fiction. But still interesting. And beautiful in many places. This dude has a real way with words (which I do not, obvs, I can't believe I just used that phrase,) which I was not expecting from a famous science fiction author.
I shall seek out more Theodore Sturgeon.
January 16, 2026
El señor Sturgeon te invita a su mundo con un primer cuento fantástico con aires de relato medieval, muy rico y muy interesante. De ahí en adelante son viajes en el tiempo y en el espacio entre personajes de lo más variados que no dejan que te distraigas o ¡pum, te perdiste un gran mensaje! Así que atentx lectorx, aquí te embarcarás sin regreso, en uno y varios viajes entre mentes, sentimientos, aventuras y desventuras de extraordinaria sensibilidad.
October 3, 2021
4.5
This was my first experience reading Sturgeon. These are so well written, I was immediately drawn in to each story, even one as short as a page a half. I will definitely be reading more of his work!
This was my first experience reading Sturgeon. These are so well written, I was immediately drawn in to each story, even one as short as a page a half. I will definitely be reading more of his work!
January 28, 2024
Un libro que se debe releer cada cierto tiempo.
August 12, 2024
There are many Theodore Sturgeon anthologies available, but this is one of his best. You can currently read it at The Open Library. Although best known for his science fiction, he also wrote fantasy and horror. Samples of all three kinds are in this anthology.
Stories:
* "Essay on Sturgeon" by Groff Conklin.
* The Silken Swift -- one of the best unicorn stories ever written.
* The Professor's Teddy Bear -- nice monster story with a twist.
* Bianca's Hands -- damn, that was weird.
* A Saucer of Lonliness -- beautiful little sci-fi short story.
* The World Well Lost -- the tale of the Loverbirds on Earth.
* It Wasn't Syzygy -- a twisted love story.
* The Music -- shortest selection, not even two pages long, about in a man stuck in a hospital.
* Scars -- weird Western.
* Fluffy -- Fluffy is a cat. Fluffy is smarter than you think.
* The Sex Opposite -- an even more twisted love story.
* Die, Maestro, Die! -- does what it says on the tin, so to speak.
* Cellmate -- Bukowski would've had fun in this jail.
* A Way of Thinking -- the weakest story.
Stories:
* "Essay on Sturgeon" by Groff Conklin.
* The Silken Swift -- one of the best unicorn stories ever written.
* The Professor's Teddy Bear -- nice monster story with a twist.
* Bianca's Hands -- damn, that was weird.
* A Saucer of Lonliness -- beautiful little sci-fi short story.
* The World Well Lost -- the tale of the Loverbirds on Earth.
* It Wasn't Syzygy -- a twisted love story.
* The Music -- shortest selection, not even two pages long, about in a man stuck in a hospital.
* Scars -- weird Western.
* Fluffy -- Fluffy is a cat. Fluffy is smarter than you think.
* The Sex Opposite -- an even more twisted love story.
* Die, Maestro, Die! -- does what it says on the tin, so to speak.
* Cellmate -- Bukowski would've had fun in this jail.
* A Way of Thinking -- the weakest story.
March 2, 2013
This collection has been on my shelves so long. The edition I've marked here is not the one I have, but what does the cover matter when the stories inside are by Theodore Sturgeon? This is how short stories are supposed to be written.
April 10, 2017
"The Professor's Teddy Bear" may be the most horrifying story I've ever read, and "The World Well Lost" one of the most ahead of its time. The rest of the stories here are good and weird, and the word "syzygy" shows up a lot, which I've yet to successfully deploy in scrabble.
August 21, 2011
Some bizzare stories in this collection ... but the poem in 'The Saucer of Loneliness' just touches you.
October 19, 2011
Wow. A book of short stories, and they truly are amazing. Mostly disturbing, so know that up front. But absolutely fantastic!
September 6, 2014
Read "A Saucer of Loneliness". The problem begins when no reply comes.
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