Product Description
BOOK CLUB edition follows the Berkley/Putnam hardcover.May 1971 selection of the SFBC. Includes a foreword by the author and the stories: To Here and the Easel (1954); Slow Sculpture (1970); It's You! (1970); Take Care of Joey (1971); Crate (1970); The Girl Who Knew What They Meant (1970); Jorry's Gap (1968); It Was Nothing - Really! (1969); Brownshoes (1969); Uncle Fremmis (1970); The Patterns of Dorne (1970); Suicide (1970). ... Read more

Product Description
Meet Wolf Reger—traitor. Compared to him Benedict Arnold was a national hero and Judas Iscariot a paragon of virtue. At least that's the way it showed in the Major's notes….
But traitors aren't born that way. Something has to happen to them long before they turn against society. That's why, when you dig deep enough, you may find that the word traitor can be one hell of a misnomer!
... Read more

Product Description
Timshel was once the vacation spot of the galaxy, full of culture, naturalbeauty, and friendly, hospitable inhabitants. But now Timshel has cut itselfoff from the universe. No one is allowed to enter or leave. Concerned, theFederation has sent agents to investigate, but none have returned.

Captain Kirk and the crew of the Starship EnterpriseTM are shocked to discover the truth: the people ofTimshel have succumbed to an insidious new technology that guarantees everycitizen total pleasure, a soul-destroying ecstasy that has enslaved theirentire civilization. Kirk and Spock have faced many threats before, but nowthey face the most seductive menace of all: perfect happiness.

And the rest of the Federation may soon fall under the irresistible control ofthe Joy Machine. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Derivative, or at the very least nothing we haven't seen before.
I don't know whether it's fair to call this novel "derivative" or not; it's possible that Sturgeon's original ideas may have preceded "The Archons", "For The World Is Hollow And I Have Touched The Sky", "The Apple" "The Paradise Syndrome" and other original series episodes that virtually mirrored its plot, but in any case, we've seen it before. A computer-run society that eliminates violence and inefficiency at the cost of individuality? "The Archons" ,"For The World Is Hollow...", and "The Apple". Too easy access to too much pleasure causes brain rot? "The Paradise Syndrome", and perhaps the Next Generation episode "The Game". This story is competently written, but not exceptionally enough to make old, standard ideas seem fresh.

For Nostalgia Buffs
The Joy Machine read just like an episode of the Original Series. Had it been an actual episode, it would have been considered somewhere in the middle of the pack as far as favorite episodes go, IMHO. Nevertheless, even though it is filled with cliches, predictable twists, and a pat ending typicl of ROS episodes, I had a good time "visualizing" the novel as an episode. I gave it three stars because that was a neat experience. For literary merit (or close proximity there f) it deserves less.

For the Trekker completists only.

The Boredom Machine
I really wanted to read this book, when I first heard about it, but now I wish I never did. The story is okay, and could have made a good episode if it was filmed then, in the 60-s. Now it feels outdated. Also, it never should be a novel, but a short story, like those James Blish adaptations of original episodes.
At least then, with the loss of some scenes, the ending could be more convincing (SPOILER: the characters discussed a biblical scene once in a place where Joy Machine must have heard them, and in the end Kirk described the SAME scene to convince the Machine to turn off).
Lastly, I didn't like Mr. Gunn's style and it seemed to me he isn't very familiar with Trek universe. For example, Kirk said that he couldn't help the population of Timshel because of Prime Directive, although the planet is a member of Federation.

Things people don't realize
It was many years ago when Theodore Sturgeon wrote down his ideas for this book. He died before he actually was able to write it. When James Gunn was approached to write the book using Sturgeon's notes he wasn't sure he wanted to do it but agreed. The book was based on the original Star Trek and a lot has changed since then. Maybe the time for the book had passed but I thought it was very well done.

The story line is not original. Deja Vu all over again.
A quarantined pleasure planet, a drug-induced ecstasy, and a planet controlled by a computer: Where have I seen these themes used before? Oh yes. "Shore Leave," "The Apple," "The Return ofthe Archons," "For the World is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky(TOS)"; "When the Bough Breaks" (STTNG); and "Once Upona Planet" (Animated series). I agree with the first review. Bypassthis novel for better ones on the store shelves. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Three Brilliant Stories
This has two sensational Hard SF stories-Case and The Dreamer and If All Men Were Brothers...done in the usual Sturgeon style.The third story is really good, also.What more can I say?The last thing I read by Sturgeonalways seems to be my favorite! ... Read more

Product Description
First published in 1971, this collection of stories includes a foreword by the author and these stories: To Here and the Easel (1954); Slow Sculpture (1970); It's You! (1970); Take Care of Joey (1971); Crate (1970); The Girl Who Knew What They Meant (1970); Jorry's Gap (1968); It Was Nothing --Really! (1969); Brownshoes (1969); Uncle Fremmis (1970); The Patterns of Dorne (1970); Suicide (1970). ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

These Stories Made Me A Better Person

I really do think the stories in this book have made me a better father, husband, co-worker, brother, and son. In short, it's made me a better person.

Like Bradbury, Mr. Sturgeon had that great quality of being able to give the reader life lessons without preaching. I first read this book simply expecting to be entertained, but as I finished each story I found myself making mental notes as to what it was I'd learned about life.

JORRY'S GAP and SUICIDE both hit me like a ton of bricks. UNCLE FREMMIS, IT'S YOU and THE CRATE are all stories I'll never forget and SLOW SCULPTURE is an award winning classic.

Sturgeon's writing style is kinda beatnik at times, beautifully poetic at others, and always comes across as sounding true. His characters are the best. Some may not be very likeable, but nobody's perfect and it's in these little quircks of personality that each character becomes alive and believable. In being able to relate to these characters we can learn from them, because we care about them. They seem real and their problems seem real.

I won't tell you what I learned from each story because I think that would prevent you from learning anything and I wouldn't want to take that away from you.

Just read it.

These Stories Made Me A Better Person
I really do think the stories in this book have made me a better father, husband, co-worker, brother, and son. In short, it's made me a better person.

Like Bradbury, Mr. Sturgeon had that great quality of being able to give the reader life lessons without preaching. I first read this book simply expecting to be entertained, but as I finished each story I found myself making mental notes as to what it was I'd learned about life.

JORRY'S GAP and SUICIDE both hit me like a ton of bricks. UNCLE FREMMIS, IT'S YOU and THE CRATE are all stories I'll never forget and SLOW SCULPTURE is an award winning classic.

Sturgeon's writing style is kinda beatnik at times, beautifully poetic at others, and always comes across as sounding true. His characters are the best. Some may not be very likeable, but nobody's perfect and it's in these little quircks of personality that each character becomes alive and believable. In being able to relate to these characters we can learn from them, because we care about them. They seem real and their problems seem real.

I won't tell you what I learned from each story because I think that would prevent you from learning anything and I wouldn't want to take that away from you.

Just read it. ... Read more

Product Description
From a flaming sky, heat seared Earth's surface and vast forests and mighty cities flared and died. In a few weeks, mankind would be burned from the face of the planet.There was only one desperate chance-and only one man desperate enough to take it-Nelson, the "mad Admiral." ...-Back cover exerpt ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Taste Sturgeon's Caviar, Champagne Suggested!
Theodore Sturgeon (1918-1985) was a master short story writer. Here we have a very representative collection, originally published by Ballantine in 1955, collected from stories published in sci-fi, fantasy and mystery magazines, still it is a pity that this book is out of print; yet do not dismay all his stories has been recently published in a wonderful ten volume series!
Sturgeon's stories deals not only with classic sci-fi themes but he also thrives into fantasy and horror.
The present selection is mainly sci-fi with touches of the other genres.

First we'll take a look to sci-fi group.
"Microcosmic God" is a very smart tale, combining Sturgeon's keen imagination with a parable about investigators and administrators. Very interesting is the "content" of the lab, which I will not disclose.
"Medusa" is a classic deep space search carried out by a weird crew. The plot is intriguing and solved by the author with steady hand.
"Prodigy" is situated in post-holocaust scenery with humankind struggling to avoid mutant deviation (a similar basic premise is used by John Wyndham in "The Chrysalides") with odd results.
"Twink" follows the anguish and guilt felt by a father that has put his daughter life in jeopardy.

Now let's see the miscellaneous group.
"Shadow, shadow, on the wall" enters a mixture of fantasy and horror with family vignettes.
"Blabbermouth" describes a strange case of possession with typical Sturgeon's humor touches and a critical view of social relations.
"Ghost of a Chance" (aka "The Green-Eyed Monster") is a delicious tale about a couple- to-be and a nasty ghost.
The last story is from an indescribable genre a dark account full of psychological enquires, diving deeply into a character that has many traits in common with Lone from "More Than Human".

I wholeheartedly recommend this collection to sci-fi lovers and general public!
Reviewed by Max Yofre.

Fine Dish
This is a fine collection sampling the work of Theodore Sturgeon.It is missing what is arguably his most famous short story, "Killdozer!", but is nontheless an excellent representation of his work.Particularly noteworthy are "Microcosmic God", "Medusa", "Ghost of a Chance", "Blabbermouth", and "Shadow, Shadow, On the Wall."

Sturgeon's Finest Literary Dish!
Theodore Sturgeon (1918-1985) was a master short story writer. Here we have a very representative collection, originally published by Ballantine in 1955, collected from stories published in sci-fi, fantasy and mystery magazines, still it is a pity that this book is out of print; yet do not dismay all his stories has been recently published in a wonderful ten volume series!
Sturgeon's stories deals not only with classic sci-fi themes but he also thrives into fantasy and horror.
The present selection is mainly sci-fi with touches of the other genres.

First we'll take a look to sci-fi group.
"Microcosmic God" is a very smart tale, combining Sturgeon's keen imagination with a parable about investigators and administrators. Very interesting is the "content" of the lab, which I will not disclose.
"Medusa" is a classic deep space search carried out by a weird crew. The plot is intriguing and solved by the author with sure hand.
"Prodigy" is situated in post-holocaust scenery with humankind struggling to avoid mutant deviation (a similar basic premise is used by John Wyndham in "The Chrysalides") with odd results.
"Twink" follows the anguish and guilt felt by a father that has put his daughter life in jeopardy.

Now let's see the miscellaneous group.
"Shadow, shadow, on the wall" enters a mixture of fantasy and horror with family vignettes.
"Blabbermouth" describes a strange case of possession with typical Sturgeon's humor touches and a critical view of social relations.
"Ghost of a Chance" (aka "The Green-Eyed Monster") is a delicious tale about a couple- to-be and a nasty ghost.
Finally from an indescribable genre a dark account full of psychological enquires, diving deeply into a character that has many traits in common with Lone from "More Than Human".

I wholeheartedly recommend this collection to sci-fi lovers and general public!
Reviewed by Max Yofre.

You May Sample a Fine Literary Dish!
Theodore Sturgeon (1918-1985) was a master short story writer. Here we have a very representative collection, originally published by Ballantine in 1955, collected from stories published in sci-fi, fantasy and mystery magazines, still it is a pity that this book is out of print; yet do not dismay all his stories has been recently published in a wonderful ten volume series!
Sturgeon's stories deals not only with classic sci-fi themes but he also thrives into fantasy and horror.
The present selection is mainly sci-fi with touches of the other genres.

First we'll take a look to sci-fi group.
"Microcosmic God" is a very smart tale, combining Sturgeon's keen imagination with a parable about investigators and administrators. Very interesting is the "content" of the lab, which I will not disclose.
"Medusa" is a classic deep space search carried out by a weird crew. The plot is intriguing and solved by the author with sure hand.
"Prodigy" is situated in post-holocaust scenery with humankind struggling to avoid mutant deviation (a similar basic premise is used by John Wyndham in "The Chrysalides") with odd results.
"Twink" follows the anguish and guilt felt by a father that has put his daughter life in jeopardy.

Now let's see the miscellaneous group.
"Shadow, shadow, on the wall" enters a mixture of fantasy and horror with family vignettes.
"Blabbermouth" describes a strange case of possession with typical Sturgeon's humor touches and a critical view of social relations.
"Ghost of a Chance" (aka "The Green-Eyed Monster") is a delicious tale about a couple- to-be and a nasty ghost.
Finally from an indescribable genre a dark account full of psychological enquires, diving deeply into a character that has many traits in common with Lone from "More Than Human".

I wholeheartedly recommend this collection to sci-fi lovers and general public!
Reviewed by Max Yofre. ... Read more

Product Description
Dr. Lahna F. Diskin examines the life and work of American science fiction author Theodore Sturgeon. Starmont Reader's Guides to Contemporary Science Fiction and Fantasy Authors 7 ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Sturgeon is a master of short science fiction
This collection begins with "Extrapolation"-- a story about a woman whose faith in her husband changes the way the world looks at historic events. It ends with "The Incubi of Parallel X" whichconcerns itself with aliens, parallel worlds, and a new dark age. Along theway the stories (6 in total) wander through mysteriously murderedscientists and tripartate aliens who are forced to assume human flesh. Alsoentertaining are the anecdotes about various editors from Sturgeon's pastwhich preface every story.

Like Clifford Simak and Philip K. Dick, he'sas interested in character as in plot. The result is clear in thiscollection ofwell-written and very entertaining stories.

Excellent Short Fiction by a master!
Typical Sturgeon short stories, I thought they were all good until I got to the last one, The Incubus of Parallel X, and it took my breath away.Where in the world did he get his ideas? ... Read more

Product Description
Charlie Johns has been snatched from his home on 61 North 34thStreet and delivered to the strange future world of Ledom. Here,violence is a vague and improbable notion. Technology has triumphedover hunger, overpopulation, pollution, even time and space. But thereis a change Charlie finds even more shocking: gender is a thing of thepast. Venus Plus X is Theodore Sturgeon's brilliant evocationof a civilization for whom tensions between male and female and thehuman preoccupation with sex no longer exist.

As Charlie Johnsexplores Ledom and its people, he finds that the human precepts heholds dear are profane in this new world.But has Charlie learned allthere is to know about this advanced society?And why are the Ledomso intent on gaining Charlie's approval? Unsettling, compelling, andno less than visionary, here is science fiction at its boldest: anovel whose wisdom and lyricism make it one of the most original andinsightful speculations on gender ever produced.
Amazon.com Review
In Venus Plus X, Charlie Johns, a 20th-century man, awakes in a future in which hunger, overpopulation, bigotry, and war have been eliminated--and gender has vanished. Everything humanity knows about its divided nature is no longer true--and perhaps never was.

Theodore Sturgeon and Philip Jose Farmer were among the first SF writers to deal with sexuality in an open, adult manner. Sturgeon's approach was further distinguished by his uncommon awareness of sexual diversity and his passionate belief in the healing power of love. His story, "The World Well Lost" (1953), was the first SF work to present homosexuality sympathetically, and Venus Plus X (1960) was among the earliest SF works to explore and challenge gender-role stereotypes, and surely the first to do so with a vision of a single-sex, androgynous human race. --Cynthia Ward ... Read more

Customer Reviews (18)

Read the book, then read my review.
I'm glad, for one, that I did NOT read any of these reviews before I read this book.Theodore Sturgeon's writing style is not going to be the whiz-bang science fiction no-brainer rocket operas that people seem to be expecting when they pick up this book. He has a very poetic, almost Nabakov-like quality to his descriptions, and it's really beautiful at times, and sometimes, apparently, hard to accept for some readers.

His motives in VPX, as I see it, are the highest: to help us SEE ourselves, and maybe, create a better world now and in the future.

The reviewers who denounce this work more vehemently seem to not have learned the lesson that the human race IS destructive, and apparently cannot bring themselves to open their mind, as Charlie does (at first), to looking at it from the outsider perspective.

Others seem to be confused by the alternating "present-time" storyline that doesn't seem to make any sense... however, I think it is perfect, and all little anecdotes, but most especially the buildup of how "progressive" and "equal" the father thinks he is being (yet coddles and showers the female child with love, and gives the male child a handshake - and doesn't get why the boy is upset), foreshadows very nicely the reaction Charlie has at the end... and makes his seemingly turnabout reaction no surprise at all.

Charlie is representative of the better aspects of human society, and tries to keep an open mind, but Sturgeon shows with the end twists, that even the most "open" minds are still slaves to the generations of conditioning that the Ledom are trying to prevent... And that is only Charlie at his best....

Personally, I think the Ledom solution is practical, but in my life, I think we can enjoy "Vive la difference!" and grow to what the Ledom were trying to achieve, without artifically having to create it. But I'm an optimist.

Not so great...
My edition of this novel, Pyramid, fifth printing- July 1971 - states on the top of the front cover " One of the greatest science fiction novels ever written!' Well, I have to disagree. I found this book dull and a chore to read to the last page. In my opinion Sturgeon disregarded the narrative contract with the reader [creating characters you care about and a story line that keeps you turning the pages] in order to present his BIG IDEA. I have no problem with BIG IDEA books, science fiction bookcases are full of them, but the "greatest" have been entertaining.In 1960's I recall that this book was considered "very adult" in the small insulated SF community of that time. But the passage of almost fifty years has relegated this book to the level of an oddity - a footnote in the literature. Sturgeon [1918-85) was a gifted writer, sadly overlooked by reprint publishers. Most of his books are out of print but thanks to Amazon you can still pick up copies of More that Human, Case and the Dreamer, Sturgeon In Orbit, Sturgeon Is Alive and Beyond at reasonable prices. I have read these titles and recommend them as an introduction to this very fine writer but I don't recommend Venus Plus X.

Not Free SF Reader
An interesting look at society and how gender influences it. The
protagonist, Charlie Johns, in this story winds up in the society of
Ledom. In Ledom shumans only have one gender, and manage to
function quite happily in that fashion.

While there, Charlie is given a decent background briefing on their culture and technology.

Charlie is confused, and begins to suspect something might be rotten in the state of Denmark.

Agenda Driven
I felt ambushed by T. Sturgeon after I finished this book. It starts out as a fun, interesting time-travel adventure, but as the novel goes on, you get the uncomfortable sensation that Sturgeon has a sexual/gender agenda, and he certainly does. I liked a lot of the inventiveness of the little bubble-world, but stepping back from the book afterwords, it really is a perverse little bubble world. After finishing the book I went back and read his introduction, and Sturgeon strikes me as a bit of a nasty man. And what was the deal with the ending? Was that actually a nuclear war that was dropped like an A-bomb on the final page for no reason other than send the reader off with a bad feeling??
I'll give it two stars for colorful scenes and events but I felt Sturgeon purposely laid a downer on me.

Consciousness-raising, perhaps, but not enough fun
Charlie Johns wakes up after a plane crash only to find himself in a strange new world of advanced technology, unique social forms, and a conspicuous absence of gender.That's right, folks, all the citizens of the land of Ledom are functionally both male and female and consequently there are no longer two different sexes.Charlie's (and our) guide is a man/woman named Philos, a historian who wants Charlie's unbiased opinion about their utopia.At Charlie's side, we learn about Ledom's architecture, its clothing styles, its scientific achievements, its educational system, its worship of children, and of course, its total lack of sexually-derived problems, a theme that is driven home again and again.

For contrast, there are brief interludes that provide snapshots of life in 1950's-era America.These scenes invariably point out the failings in 20th Century society that the Ledom have ostensibly solved by abandoning two separate sexes.Many involve the subtle and almost harmless-seeming ways in which women are subjugated to men.Of course in today's climate of political correctness, many of these practices are dying out, but when this book was written in 1960, Sturgeon was expressing some pretty radical notions, (i.e. that financial competition between men was fundamentally sexual, or that it was not necessarily "natural" that a woman's place was in the home).There isn't much shock value in this book today, but it was the general availability of ideas like these that led to the massive social changes of the '60's and early '70's.

As the story is told from Charlie's point of view, we readily sympathize with his confusion, his loneliness, and his fear in this radically alien environment.Where is he?When is he?What happened to the world that he spent his life in?And what hope does he have of ever getting back?The gradual unraveling of these mysteries provides the tension that drives this fairly short novel.Not short enough, perhaps, since the lack of action and thinness of the characters wears pretty quickly.Skillful as Sturgeon is at making his point, he rarely manages to capture this reviewer's imagination.The beginning and middle sections of this book both seemed unnecessarily slow.Only toward the very end does the plot pick up as Charlie starts getting closer to finding out the truth about Ledom.

As is too often the case with Sturgeon's novels, he comes up with a truly brilliant idea for a story, but stretches it beyond his own ability to keep it interesting.Fans of "classic" science fiction will enjoy this novel, and those whose gender consciousness needs raising may find this book enlightening; but for the most part, time has caught up with the ideas in this book, and it isn't successful enough as an entertainment to stand without their psycho-social punch. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A perfect book for those who have never read Sturgeon.
Today, Theodore Sturgeon is best known as the author of two episodes of the original Star Trek, "Shore Leave" and "Amok Time".In the latter, he created the basics of the Vulcan culture that have been used and expanded in all future Treks.

But he was also a great short story writer, as good as Harlan Ellison and Ray Bradbury.If you have not read any of his short stories, "A Touch of Sturgeon" is a great place to start.

On the other hand, if you have read Sturgeon, be aware that all of the stories in "A Touch of Sturgeon" have appeared in earlier collections, and most have been reprinted many times.If you already have the Sturgeon collections "Aliens 4", "E Pluribus Unicorn", "A Touch of Strange", "The Golden Helix", "The Stars are the Styx", and "Sturgeon is Alive and Well..." then you already have all of these stories.

Fans of Sturgeon will want the complete stories series, the most recent volume of which is "The Nail and the Oracle". ... Read more

Product Description
Science-Fiction ... Read more