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A review by kris_mccracken
More Than Human by Theodore Sturgeon
3.0
Long considered a classic in the genre, I found this one both enlightening and frustrating. It's constructed as three separate novelettes (the central one, "Baby is Three," was originally published in Galaxy) which together link up to tell a larger tale. This structure echoes the novel's theme: the creation and evolution of a Gestalt, a single being composed of disparate parts that are incomplete alone but together form a whole.
This is an idea that has its roots in psychiatry, and this is where my tension with the book emerged. The entire middle portion of the book is framed as a long psychiatric session, in which the Gestalt slowly, for the first time, achieves self-awareness. As such, the psycho-babble seems dated and jarred we me as a reader. The premise is sound enough, but I found the execution a little tedious.
This is something of a shame, as the central thesis is both worthy and profound. There is a real warmth and deep humanity not seen in many novels. For that alone, it is certainly worth reading. Ultimately, I read it as an observation of loneliness and social connection that is partially let down by a pedestrian style that tends to drag through with little indication of where everything is leading. In this sense, it’s more to be endured than enjoyed.
This is an idea that has its roots in psychiatry, and this is where my tension with the book emerged. The entire middle portion of the book is framed as a long psychiatric session, in which the Gestalt slowly, for the first time, achieves self-awareness. As such, the psycho-babble seems dated and jarred we me as a reader. The premise is sound enough, but I found the execution a little tedious.
This is something of a shame, as the central thesis is both worthy and profound. There is a real warmth and deep humanity not seen in many novels. For that alone, it is certainly worth reading. Ultimately, I read it as an observation of loneliness and social connection that is partially let down by a pedestrian style that tends to drag through with little indication of where everything is leading. In this sense, it’s more to be endured than enjoyed.