num_pages: 233
description: Theodore Sturgeon created very human characters with real, intensely observed emotions. More Than Human (1953) is his story of a Gestalt or group mind, not a chilly super-intellect but a painfully assembled band of talented misfits. Lone is telepathic but a literal idiot; Janie, an abused runaway girl, moves things with her mind; Bonnie &amp; Beanie, very young black twins, can teleport; Baby has a computer-like brain &amp; Downs syndrome. In part 1, this crippled Gestalt is movingly brought together from the wreckage of members' past lives. Part 2 sees Lone replaced by the psychologically damaged Gerry, a murderer at age eight: he must, agonisingly, confront his reasons for killing the benefactor who cherished them as individuals but menaced the all-important group. (The twins can't eat with the white folks; Baby should go to a home...) Part 3 artfully echoes the previous sections' long healing of Lone's body &amp; Gerry's mind, with the now-grown Janie defiantly rehabilitating an unfortunate victim of Gerry's misused talents. Although the Gestalt is now tremendously powerful, there's still one important factor missing: "Does a superman have super-hunger, Gerry? Super-loneliness?" Sturgeon wrote beautifully, from the famous opening--"The idiot lived in a black &amp; grey world, punctuated by the white lightning of hunger &amp; the flickering of fear."--thru moments of great poignancy, &amp; unexpected images, like a starved man seeing marmalade as stained glass. More Than Human won the International Fantasy Award &amp; holds up well today. This is recommended.--David Langford
language: English
title: More Than Human
titlecomplete: More Than Human
genres: Fiction, Science Fiction, American, Speculative Fiction, Science Fiction Fantasy, Classics, Novels, Fantasy, Audiobook, 20th Century
ratings_count: 17927
awards: awardedAt: -504892800000
name: International Fantasy Award
category: Fiction, awardedAt: 1072944000000
name: Retro Hugo Award
category: Best Novel
publisher: Vista / Cassell Group