More Than Human
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 Cover of first paperback edition (Ballantine Books, 1953) |
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| Author | Theodore Sturgeon |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Science fiction novel |
| Publisher | Farrar, Straus & Young |
| Released | 1953 |
| Media type | Print (Hardcover & Paperback) |
| Pages | 233 pp |
| ISBN | NA |
More Than Human is a science fiction novel by Theodore Sturgeon published in 1953. It is one of his best-known works. It is a fix-up of three previous novellas: The Fabulous Idiot, Baby is Three, and Morality. It won the 1954 International Fantasy Award, which was also given to works in science fiction. It was additionally nominated in 2004 for a "Retro Hugo" award for the year 1954.
Simon & Schuster published a graphic novel version of More Than Human in 1978, titled Heavy Metal Presents Theodore Sturgeon's More Than Human. It was illustrated by Alex Nino and Doug Moench.
[edit] Plot introduction
The novel concerns the coming together of six extraordinary people with strange powers who are able to "blesh" (a portmanteau of blend and mesh) their abilities together. In this way, they are able to act as one organism. They progress toward a mature gestalt consciousness, called the homo gestalt, the next step in the human evolution.
[edit] Plot summary
The first part of the novel, The Fabulous Idiot narrates the birth of the gestalt. In the beginning, we are introduced to the world of Lone, referred to as the "Idiot", a young adolescent male with a telepathic ability who lives on the street. His encounter with a young lady, Evelyn, is shown, the first person he has mentally and physically connected with. He is eventually adopted by a poor farmer, but Lone leves after he learns that the farmer's wife is expecting a baby. Lone is soon joined by Janie, a child with a telekinetic gift, and the twins Bonnie and Beanie, who cannot speak but possess the ability to teleport. The farmer's wife dies after giving birth to a "Mongoloid" baby, whom Lone takes. The baby is then on referred to as Baby. Baby has a phenomenal mental capacity and thinks almost like a computer. Baby helps Lone build an anti-gravity generator. Together, Lone, Janie, the twins and Baby form what will be later called the homo gestalt.
The second part of the novel is Baby is Three, which occurs several years after The Fabulous Idiot. The character Gerry Thompson is introduced, a mentally disturbed and abused street urchin. Gerry is shown having a psychotherapy session, trying to piece his memory back together. We learn that Gerry was taken in by Lone after being close to death. Lone was killed in the woods, and Gerry subsequently became the leader of the gestalt. They were soon adopted by Evelyn's sister, Alicia. They were educated and fed under her care. Soon, however, Gerry learned that domestication and normalization had weakened their gestalt. He killed Alicia, and the group returned to living alone in the woods. We learn at the end of this section that Gerry has gained Lone's telepathic abilities, making his psychiatrist forget what he had told him.
The third and concluding part of the novel is Morality. Again, it occurs several years after the previous part. This section of the novel tackles what the gestalt is missing to complete its evolution. The character of Lt. Hip Barrows is introduced, a man who worked for the air force who now suffers from memory loss. He is taken care of by Janie, who nurses him back to health. He soon remembers what had happened in the past seven years. He discovered some odd effects while he was working for the air force, and was led to discover the anti-gravity machine that was built by Lone. Gerald mentally attacked Hip, driving him to a mental breakdown and amnesia, after discovering that Hip would reveal this discovery. Hip confronts Gerry, and becomes the last part of the gestalt, its conscience.
