Beginning in the 60s and 70s, readers witnessed a fresh approach in the world of science fiction, an approach that switched its focus from outer space to inner space. This innovation came to be known as New Wave SF. Some of the New Wave authors include Michael Moorcock, J.G. Ballard, M. John Harrison, Brian Aldiss, Philip K. Dick, Samuel R. Delany, Thomas M. Disch, Norman Spinrad and Harlan Ellison.
If we search out a key precursor for this cutting edge, creative angle on science fiction, we have Theodore Sturgeon (1918-1985), prolific short-story writer and author of a string of novels, most notably his 1953 More Than Human.
More Than Human surely counts as one of the weirdest SF novels every written. In addition to positing one possibility in the next stage of human evolution, the three interconnecting novellas that make up Sturgeon's work incorporate themes that will come to dominate the New Wave - among their number: exploring the dimensions of sanity and madness, race and sexuality, the nature of identity and morality, the fluidity of our five senses, emphasis on psychiatry, probing the values of modern society.
More Than Human is a multifaceted novel raising a host of provocative philosophic questions. The story revolves around a number of children and young adults, all physically and/or emotionally damaged in their own way, children who, via strange, extraordinary psychic powers, unite (the term they use is “blesh”) into one mind and act as one unified organism. Theodore Sturgeon outlines their progress toward a developed gestalt consciousness (homo gestalt) envisioned as the next critical step in human evolution.
Does this sound in any way desirable? On the positive side, in his book One Mind, How Our Individual Mind is Part of a Greater Consciousness and Why it Matters, author Larry Dossey draws on the idea that all individual minds on our planet, human and non-human, participate in an infinite, all -inclusive level of consciousness, a way of perceiving consciousness going back to the ancient world, expressed in such texts as The Upanishads, positive in the sense that it is inclusive of everyone and such universal awareness can engender a greater appreciation and respect for all life on the planet.
But what if, as in More Than Human, only certain individuals have access to their own version of a unified gestalt? And what if they use paranormal powers for their own gain at the expense of others? Questions to keep in mind while reading Theodore Sturgeon's original, highly engaging classic.
American author Theodore Sturgeon, 1918-1985
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