About book The Complete Stories Of Theodore Sturgeon, Volume II: Microcosmic God (1998)
This whole collection felt as if it was almost there. Almost moving; almost memorable; almost making me think and rethink.I almost really liked it.But I'm absolutely looking forward to the next one. Because the direction has been up and up.My impressions as I read:~ Recently, in one of my Bulgarian-language groups, we've been discussing which scenes can still scare the life out of us, as grown-up readers.I've just made a catch: the ending of "Shottle Bop." It terrified me when I first read it a couple of years ago, and it still does. Probably with its madness and inexorability. You know it's coming, and you have no control to change it.The funny part is that once I get over the shock, I start laughing. Just like the Wolfmeyer fellow. It's a stress release reaction, and thus another testament to the power of the scene.Besides, I've generally noticed that the writers who can terrify me the most are also those who can make me laugh the hardest. (Pratchett can be pretty scary, for instance towards the end of The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents; and Beagle's encounters with the primeval elder beings in The Innkeeper's Song give me the creeps.) There must be something here ....~ "Yesterday Was Monday" has obviously influenced a lot of people in the world of philosophical, tongue-in-cheek speculation. I wonder if David Eagleman read it before writing "Incentive" in Sum: Forty Tales from the Afterlives.~ Two things about "Microcosmic God" have swirled in my head since yesterday.One, the volume of preliminary work--research and idea generation--that Sturgeon put into it. It's staggering. And a stark reminder how little time most of us Bulgarian writers usually invest into germinating a story. (But man, don't we dazzle when it comes to philosophizing. :/ ) Of course, there're certain justifications for that: most of us write in between their paying jobs, we can't afford to spend the time, etc. However, the fact that writers such as Атанас П. Славов or Николай Теллалов exist proves that we can do it the Sturgeon way. (Or the Daniel Bensen way. I've had the pleasure and fortune of seeing how Daniel researches his fiction; it's both intimidating and inspiring.) It'll only take us more time--certainly more than the twenty-two years of being alive that were enough for Sturgeon.(This is more obvious, but here goes: "Microcosmic God" is an early herald of the A-bomb. When you think hard about things, sometimes you stumble upon pretty likely consequences. I'm sure Sturgeon wasn't the first one, but I don't know the early history of SF.)Two, I was taken aback by the immorality (amorality?) of the characters. All of them. Show me one good guy here. I'll show you two terrible things he does, or more. In that respect, I think Sturgeon was right to revile the story (although he says that "nobody is ever and altogether good" in one of his put-downs--does it mean he saw someone good there?). Also, it's full of cardboard characters. And has a distinct men-only feel. (Kidder may have Asperger Syndrome, judging from his inability to interact with other people, and his total inability to empathize with the Neoterics.)~ "Artnan Process" contains a miraculous mix.On the one hand, it's still quite amazing for its scientific rationale and plethora of turns and twists. I wish we could put so much time, so many ideas into each of our stories. (Incidentally, the scheme that the Martians impose on Earth in order to control it economically felt eerily similar to Григор Гачев's recent explanation of the scheme behind the conflict in Ukraine.)On the other hand, an intelligent race without a sense of humor? Same old power struggle brought over into space? Thank you, I don't smoke. (It's my ears.)You're cracking me up, Mr Sturgeon.
MG is the second of 13 volumes of Sturgeon's short stories! A prolific writer who actually took 10 yrs off from writing and still accumulated enough material for 13 volumes.! The stories in this 2nd vol. were all written from 1940-41 and TS's experience as a merchant marine is evident in them,,,,there are stories like Nightmare Island and Brat and Microcosmic God that are spellbounding and stratospheric in their imaginative brilliance... and starving artist as he was,,, his need to propel himself into the absurd and brilliant boundaries of imaginative fiction(to earn a living,,,he actually lived on bread and milk for weeks)were necessary .... imagine a three headed venus flytrap surrounded by milky white thistles,, engorging themselves on green manatees.....this is the kind of stuff TS was writing at this time! can't wait to get my paws on vol. 3...
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While it would be unfair to say that this is a better example of Sturgeon's Law than it is of Sturgeon's talent, I will admit that most of the stories in this collection are of interest mainly to to sf historians and Sturgeon completists - and only minor interest, at that. However, the book begins with a gem, 'Cargo', and also features 'Microcosmic God', 'Brat', and 'Yesterday Was Monday', which would justify its place on my limited bookshelf space even if I wasn't a Sturgeon completist, and as those stories are currently difficult to find in any other edition, possibly on your e-reader as well.
—Stephen Dedman
