Read Selected Stories eBook Theodore Sturgeon

Product details File Size 4975 KB Print Length 450 pages Publisher Open Road Media Sci-Fi & Fantasy; 1st Vintage Books ed edition (April 30, 2013) Publication Date April 30, 2013 Language English ASIN B00CADHJEU

Selected Stories eBook Theodore Sturgeon Reviews

• Full Contents
  1. Thunder and Roses
  2. The Golden Helix
  3. Mr. Costello, Hero
  4. Bianca's Hands
  5. The Skills of Xanadu
  6. Killdozer!
  7. Bright Segment
  8. The Sex Opposite
  9, The [Widget], the[Wadget], and Boff It
  10. A Way Of Thinking
  11. The Man Who Lost The Sea
  12. Slow Sculpture
  13. A Biography of Theodore Sturgeon
• Theodore Sturgeon was one of the greatest of all science fiction authors, even if he never acquired the fame of some of his contemporaries like Heinlein or Asimov. That may be due, in part, to the fact that he wrote very few novels, and only one great novel-- More Than Human. But he wrote more than 200 shorter pieces, some of the best of which are included in this volume.
  
  Any fan of Sturgeon will quibble about some of the choices made in this collection, but the stories here all range from very good to superb, and they show Sturgeon's range-- the stories include supernatural horror ("It," "Killdozer"), psychological horror ("Bianca's Hands," "Bright Segment"), near-future science fiction ("Thunder and Roses"), far-future science fiction ("The Golden Helix"), literary experimentation ("The Man Who Lost the Sea"), and more. But all of the stories have three things in common-- beautiful prose, psychologically-astute characterization, and a deep sense of love for humanity, despite its failures and foibles. Very highly recommended.
• Each story is so very different than the next. However they all share one trait in common excellence! The variety is amazing. The story Killdozer is nothing like the cheesy TV movie I remember from my youth. From a group of people living together in a boarding house to a malevolent swamp thing to A voodoo doll The stores are brought to life with an amazing writing style.
  
  Sturgeons law is that 90% of anything is crap. This book contains the other 10%. Enjoy!
• A collection of 13 Sturgeon stories, written from roughly 1940 to 1980, but I didn’t find them to feel dated at all. These are character driven stories, relying more on character interaction than story line, and the variety of settings kept me interested. Some really thoughtful pieces here. My 3 favorites were
  
  The Man Who Lost the Sea
  The Golden Helix
  Slow Sculpture
  
  Nice collection.
• Theodore Sturgeon is one of the greatest writers in our century, so those ratings that appeared at the start of this interaction are kind of absurd? Let me go ahead and quote a version of Sturgeon's Law; "90% of everything is crap. And that's how you know what the good stuff is." This is the good stuff.
• Having just read so many short stories by the same writer I find that I would be unable to recognize another. Every story has its own singular style. From the nuts and bolts mechanical details of Killdozer to the emotional intensity of Slow Sculpture, but no two alike. Several were familiar from many years ago but I had never taken note of the writer's name.
• Some respected authorities in SF say that Sturgeon was better than Vonnegut - who must have either felt some insecurity or paid homage to Sturgeon with his character Kilgore Trout. Sturgeons are, however, much bigger fish than trout.
  
  I concur, having read the standard opus of both masters. These short stories are great, from the adventurous killdozer to the devolution of humans into ancestral species. Sturgeon manages to be funny, erudite, and subtly deep, without ever being pompous. Vonnegut is often unable to avoid the latter. Who else but Sturgeon can make you feel a bit sad over the 'death' of a pile of leaves that kills people?
  
  I recommend this for readers who enjoy moderately hard to hard SF, but actually like to have character development, wide-randing themes and prose second to none in the writing they consume.
  
  I'm surprised Hollywood has not picked up half of these stories for films. Then there could actually be a novel SF flick on the big screen, as happened when Phil Dick was mined starting in the early 80s. Even better, an independent filmmaker should option one of these gems.
• I first read this years ago when I saw it on the shelf of a local bookstore, and have since read it several times cover to cover, and recently read it again on kindle. This is just a sample of Sturgeon's genius, but a wonderful sample at that. For the most part, it is science fiction, but Sturgeon was one of those rare writers who transcended every genre. What he wrote was true literature. His stories stick to the ribs, burrow into the mind, touch the heart and soul with undeniable power.