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bunrab's review against another edition
4.0
"More than Human" has long been one of my favorites, and it was a good re-read. Surprisingly, I had never read "The Long Tomorrow" and it was nice to get a chance to read it. "The Space Merchants" was still funny. Of course I didn't read these when they first came out - I didn't learn to read until 1957 and it was a few years after than before I was up to this level, but still, these stories were only 12-15 years old or so when I did read them, and SF hadn't changed that much in those years, so when I read them, they were still some of the best stuff around. Now, of course, they seem rather dated - but still, they're damn good writing, and there's a reason they're classics of the genre. Those of you who are somewhat younger than I, you really should read a bunch of these older novels - see what it is that spawned the writers of today.
greeniezona's review against another edition
4.0
The Space Merchants by Frederik Pohl & C.M. Kornbluth
So many aspects of this book felt like such familiar tropes that I was constantly wondering if this was the book that spawned them all, or if it was borrowing as well from what had already been established in the genre.
At times the book is pretty stiff, but really, it takes unrestrained capitalism and a rigid class system to an extreme end and offers up a pretty disturbing dystopia. But then often undermines itself as a commentary with a protagonist who for most of the book doesn't really believe the critique (and in the end, may only be pretending to get the girl), and by implying this is still a meritocracy by how easily and quickly he gains mobility and reputation after being flung to the bottom of the ladder, based on his education and ability to write.
Also a bit disjointed (but with two authors and multiple editors, it's easy to see why). But there are memorable scenes and interesting concepts. Overall I enjoyed it quite a lot.
More than Human by Theodore Sturgeon
This was my least favorite book of the four. At times startlingly original, wickedly funny, or deeply touching, there were long stretches in between where I felt alienated from all of the characters, confused about what was going on, or totally bored. Each of the characters has special abilities, and though they develop strong bonds with each other, they struggle to find a morality that fits being in a world where none are their equals. For much of the book, this results in no discernible morality at all, which was off-putting. Though I was relieved that the ending attempted to rescue the book from being some Randian fantasy.
The Long Tomorrow by Leigh Brackett
In a post-apocalyptic world, who would survive? In Brackett's book, it's the Amish and Mennonites who are least bothered by the sudden absence of a power grid, amongst all the other amenities provided by industrialization, and so it is no surprise that the narrative of the Destruction becomes that God passed judgement against our wicked, lay ways, and both technologies and cities (any settlement over a certain size), are not just forbidden, but outlawed.
But what technologies would be left behind, possibly preserved in secret enclaves? And what becomes of the basic human inclination to learn and to discover, when being interested in such secrets can provoke a lynching? And even if you intellectually reject the prejudices of your childhood, might some be programmed too deep to be conquered?
Very interesting. And I'm not just saying that because it's the only novel in the collection written by a woman.
The Shrinking Man y Richard Matheson
Sometimes familiar, often bitter, generally an adept metaphor for male anxiety in an impersonal, often uncaring world, it is the story of a man who shrinks one-seventh of an inch a day. Progressively alienated from a world not designed for him, unable to take even himself seriously as a man, it seems sure to be a long slide to a desperate end. Yet the ending is shockingly hopeful! I probably never would have read this book had it not been included here, and I'm glad that I did.
So many aspects of this book felt like such familiar tropes that I was constantly wondering if this was the book that spawned them all, or if it was borrowing as well from what had already been established in the genre.
At times the book is pretty stiff, but really, it takes unrestrained capitalism and a rigid class system to an extreme end and offers up a pretty disturbing dystopia. But then often undermines itself as a commentary with a protagonist who for most of the book doesn't really believe the critique (and in the end, may only be pretending to get the girl), and by implying this is still a meritocracy by how easily and quickly he gains mobility and reputation after being flung to the bottom of the ladder, based on his education and ability to write.
Also a bit disjointed (but with two authors and multiple editors, it's easy to see why). But there are memorable scenes and interesting concepts. Overall I enjoyed it quite a lot.
More than Human by Theodore Sturgeon
This was my least favorite book of the four. At times startlingly original, wickedly funny, or deeply touching, there were long stretches in between where I felt alienated from all of the characters, confused about what was going on, or totally bored. Each of the characters has special abilities, and though they develop strong bonds with each other, they struggle to find a morality that fits being in a world where none are their equals. For much of the book, this results in no discernible morality at all, which was off-putting. Though I was relieved that the ending attempted to rescue the book from being some Randian fantasy.
The Long Tomorrow by Leigh Brackett
In a post-apocalyptic world, who would survive? In Brackett's book, it's the Amish and Mennonites who are least bothered by the sudden absence of a power grid, amongst all the other amenities provided by industrialization, and so it is no surprise that the narrative of the Destruction becomes that God passed judgement against our wicked, lay ways, and both technologies and cities (any settlement over a certain size), are not just forbidden, but outlawed.
But what technologies would be left behind, possibly preserved in secret enclaves? And what becomes of the basic human inclination to learn and to discover, when being interested in such secrets can provoke a lynching? And even if you intellectually reject the prejudices of your childhood, might some be programmed too deep to be conquered?
Very interesting. And I'm not just saying that because it's the only novel in the collection written by a woman.
The Shrinking Man y Richard Matheson
Sometimes familiar, often bitter, generally an adept metaphor for male anxiety in an impersonal, often uncaring world, it is the story of a man who shrinks one-seventh of an inch a day. Progressively alienated from a world not designed for him, unable to take even himself seriously as a man, it seems sure to be a long slide to a desperate end. Yet the ending is shockingly hopeful! I probably never would have read this book had it not been included here, and I'm glad that I did.
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