Microcosmic God

The Complete Stories of Theodore Sturgeon #2

by Theodore Sturgeon, Samuel R. Delany (Foreword), Paul Williams (Editor)

This second volume gathers together more work of one of the finest science fiction and fantasy short story writers of this century - Theodore Sturgeon. The stories in this volume include such classics as Cargo, Shottle Bop, Poker Face and Yesterday Was Monday.

Genres: Science Fiction, Short Stories, Fiction, Fantasy, Speculative Fiction, Collections, Science Fiction Fantasy

409 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 1, 1995

About the author

Theodore Sturgeon (1918–1985) is considered one of the godfathers of contemporary science fiction and dark fantasy. The author of numerous acclaimed short stories and novels, among them the classics More Than Human, Venus Plus X, and To Marry Medusa, Sturgeon also wrote for television and holds among his credits two episodes of the original 1960s Star Trek series, for which he created the Vulcan mating ritual and the expression "Live long and prosper." He is also credited as the inspiration for Kurt Vonnegut's recurring fictional character Kilgore Trout.

Sturgeon is the recipient of the Hugo Award, the Nebula Award, and the International Fantasy Award. In 2000, he was posthumously honored with a World Fantasy Award for Life Achievement.

Reviews

[Paul Bryant · Rating 2 out of 5]

This gets the same rating as Volume 1 in this series - FIVE STARS for the concept and the execution (the complete short Sturgeon in chronological order in THIRTEEN lavish volumes) but two stars for this particular volume because he was only 22 and 23 when he wrote these in 1940 and 1941 and just between me and you they aren't that good.

I checked and I think volume 4 (Thunder and Roses) is where they start getting great. You may wish to start there. I know it might feel wrong but you probably don't want to spend such a lot of time with such a very jokey young adult like Theodore was.

[Kalin · Rating 3 out of 5]

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 ... are here:

https://choveshkata.net/forum/viewtop...

[Gabi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Since I’m always in danger of sounding like hero worship when talking about Theodore Sturgeon, I let somebody else talk:

Samuel R. Delaney from his Foreword to Volume 2
„By the time I was twenty-one, Theodore Sturgeon was my favorite fiction writer of any genre, literary or paraliterary. […] Sturgeon’s tales had taught me, as much as or more than those of any other writer, the incredible range of effects words could whip up, sharp and electric, in the human psyche.“

While the stories in this second volume (ranging April 1940 – June 1941) are deeply human, but mostly on the mediocre side, with the exception of „Microcosmic God“, the volume itself again is a treasure for Sturgeon fans. In his foreword describes Samuel R. Delany his few meetings with Sturgeon and the impact he had on him and thus brings the author to life. The same goes for the extensive story notes by Paul Williams, mainly compiled from correspondence.

These collections are a labour of love, and I’m looking forward to the years, when Sturgeon was at his literary peak.

[Sheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Please imagine that I am giving this story collection 4.95 stars. Out of 17 stories, only 4 failed to completely captivate me. And out of the 13 completely captivating stories, 8 were SO FREAKING GOOD that I was cheering out loud by the end of them.
It's hard to pinpoint what makes Sturgeon so good (even in these early stories---apparently he got much better according to several reviewers) but I think it's a playfulness that does it for me. Not just humor (though there are laugh out loud funny lines in most of these stories)---more a feeling of joy. Like these tales of faeries and ghosts and changelings and Martians and mad scientists and time travelers were really FUN to write. And they are certainly FUN to read.
The second story in this collection, "Shottlebop", I first read when I was in high school, and it has stuck with me over these 40 odd years.
I have a feeling stories like "Yesterday Was Monday" (about a guy who somehow slips through a time loop, and encounters the fae who's job it is to construct the reality of each new day), and "Completely Automatic" (about a spaceship where something goes wrong with the auto controls, and the human crew members have to pool their long disused science knowledge to solve the crisis), and "Microcosmic God" (about a mad scientist who creates a tiny hyper-evolved civilization on a remote island)---and several others---will stick with me for the years I've got left.
Sturgeon was such a prolific writer that reading all his work seems daunting, but if it's all as joyous as this collection (or better?) I'm game to try.

[Stephen Dedman · Rating 3 out of 5]

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.

[Glen Engel-Cox · Rating 3 out of 5]

**** Cargo • (1940) • novelette
**** Shottle Bop • (1941) • novelette
*** Yesterday Was Monday • (1941) • short story
**** Brat • (1941) • short story
** The Anonymous • novelette
** Two Sidecars • short story
**** Microcosmic God • (1941) • novelette
** The Haunt • (1941) • short story
**** Completely Automatic • (1941) • short story
*** Poker Face • (1941) • short story
*** Nightmare Island • (1941) • novelette
** The Purple Light • (1941) • short story
** Artnan Process • (1941) • novelette
* Biddiver • (1941) • novelette
** The Golden Egg • (1941) • novelette
*** Two Percent Inspiration • (1941) • short story
*** The Jumper • (1942) • short story

Still early in Sturgeon's career, these stories showcase his development but many are flawed--rather than the insight into character, and the relationship between people, that Sturgeon became known for, most of these stories rely on twists or idiot plots to propel the narrative. Worthwhile reading for those seeking to understand how writers develop, however.

“Cargo” — A sweet little fantasy tale that takes advantage of Sturgeon’s history in the merchant marine. A gunrunner ship takes on a new cargo and something is wrong, or is it right? I felt it a bit long for the plot, but since so much of it is the details of how a tanker is run, and the there’s the interaction between the officers and the crew and the cargo, I suppose it needed to be that length. Enjoyable.

“Shuttle Bop” — Compared with “Cargo,” this has everything in it but the kitchen sink, and that’s implied. What starts off as a fairly mundane magic shop story—a fantasy trope about a mysterious shop that sells you anything, but what you wanted may not be what you need, or vice versa—transforms itself over time into a ghost story, then a confidence story, and then finally a tale of comeuppance. Like “Cargo,” what drives this is the details: the asides of the two ghosts that make up the main character’s business associates—a business idea and side characters that a modern author would have made an entire novel series out of. Enjoyable, but the pacing seems off, or at least, seems muddied, for the middle section goes on in such a way to distance the setup and payoff of the revenge theme, which seems to shift from the beginning—the jilted lover—to the end focused on his pride of place before his old friends.

"Yesterday Was Monday" — The idea centers around the idea that we are all actors in a grand play who aren’t aware of that fact and there’s lots of “folks” behind the scenes making sure things run smoothly. The protagonist somehow gets out of sync and jumps into the next act before its ready, sending him on a journey of discovery about the workings of the world. I enjoyed it, but felt it a slight story and not one of Sturgeon’s best by far.

“Brat” — A sweet little fantasy that starts off more like a Thorne Smith story and over time becomes a James Thurber story. The difference: Smith was a cynical writer, an heir of the Damon Runyon school where people will be people, warts and all, and we should be laughing at them, while Thurber also thought people would be people, and he found them amusing, but for their foibles, not their faults. The twist in this tale is the change in the characters—all but for the protagonist, but in the end, you know it’s coming for him, too. Recommended.

“The Anonymous” — Although unsold at the time, it is actually a fairly good story, a take on the old fantasy trope of “be careful what you wish for” made most famous in “The Monkey’s Paw” by W. W. Jacobs. Gabe is a handsome fellow who falls for the one girl, Chloe, who treats him less than adoringly, but she has a problem: she doesn’t know when to stop, so when a gypsy fortune teller gives her a wish, she ends up wishing for Gabe to look ordinary—so much so, that he can’t even be remembered by people who saw him just a few minutes before. When Chloe goes to correct her mistake with a second wish, everything comes to an even worse end. The problem with this story isn’t the plot, but that Sturgeon takes so long to tell it. The setup of how Gabe is oh so handsome and how Chloe doesn’t understand how she lands him takes at least half of the verbiage, so when you finally get to some scenes and plot, you’re almost to the end. Condensing this to a tighter story would have made this a perfect Twilight Zone episode.

"Two Sidecars" — A bit overly dramatic, but what Sturgeon was trying to do was capture the mindset of an alcoholic, so if it’s a bit maudlin and drawn out, then it’s a success. The plot, what there is of it, is pretty simple. Man wakes up in his convertible after driving it off the road, has a hell of a hangover but wants to get revenge on the woman who dumped him and the man she dumped him for, but he needs a least a couple of drinks before he can do so. Two drinks? Well, at least two drinks at once, again, and again, and again. And thus the story. It’s ok, but nothing to go looking for.

"Microcosmic God" — Again, Sturgeon’s stories from this time take awhile to develop, and the beginnings are rarely about show and all about tell—the very thing that modern writers are cautioned never to do. It’s not the lack of “scenes” or “action,” this telling thing, or even that the author is telling you a story, which works alright, but that Sturgeon is basically telling you the setup of the world, how things are different from what you know, prior to getting to the actual story. What makes it somewhat palatable is that Sturgeon had a style that made this kind of tell at least interesting rather than just dry. His descriptions of both Kidder and Conant establish their personalities fairly quickly, and the buildup of how Kidder makes his unusual discoveries, while not really feasible, at least is portrayed with panache (later, George R. R. Martin was to achieve something a little more feasible with “Sandkings”). And once the actual plot starts, then the story gets its action and its impetus to the end, with both a comeuppance and a warning. Still, I’d like it more if that early part could have been revealed through story rather than just dumped on the reader.

“The Haunt” — From the very beginning, this story is problematic for its misogyny. The protagonist, Bill, proposes to Miriam, and when she turns him down, he says to himself, “I’m going to shake her off her high horse, by all that’s unholy, if I have to kill her to do it.” Dude, no wonder she doesn’t want you, if that’s your attitude. So the protagonist cries in his beer with a friend who’s got some mechanical talent and they decide to hook up some equipment to make it seem like a house is haunted to scare this women so that Bill can rescue her. (My feeling is that if Sturgeon had been true to the characters, Miriam wouldn’t have any problems rescuing herself.) It gets worse from there, because of course the house is really haunted and Bill does rescue Miriam and then of course she agrees to marry him. Ugh. For the last couple of pages, I wanted a twist so badly, something to upset the applecart, but it never arrived. Not recommended.

“Completely Automatic” — A chemical engineering story. The framing device is ok—probably unnecessary, but it allows Sturgeon to comment on the story itself without having to work that into the story. The story itself is setup nicely, using the old standby of the new kid on board to justify the protagonists difference from all the old hands, complete with a desperation that none of the others might have felt. It’s not necessarily an exciting story, and I’m not entirely sure of the chemistry, not being of that persuasion, but it all seemed reasonable.

"Poker Face" — I’m not sure I entirely followed this story, which is somewhat about the fourth dimension, duration, but is really about conformity and non-conformity. For one, I’m not sure I cared for the set-up as the poker game, because I kept wondering why Face would reveal himself this way, and then I was unconvinced by the reveal, which made no sense of that had been said before. Still, it’s Sturgeon, and so it wasn’t awkward to read. I’m not sure I can recommend it, though.

“Nightmare Island” — There’s a problem with the narration early on in this, in the framing story between the American and the Governor, where Sturgeon seemed to have forgotten whose point of view he was in for a bit. I’m not sure why he needed the framing device as it is, but that seems to be the style for most of these earlier stories, where Sturgeon doesn’t just tell the tale, but writes about someone else telling the tale. The story itself is a bit more fantasy than science fiction, as it posits an earthbound organism that could not exist given physics. Otherwise, it’s an interesting adventure story.

“The Purple Light” — Another engineering story, but this one a speculation about nuclear engineering powering things. This one is problematic because the ending relies on knowledge that the reader doesn’t have. Sure, the reader understands that this is a future that is powered by atomic energy, and Sturgeon places an indication earlier in the story that these power plants are everywhere, but it’s one thing for a reader to understand that a small one person rocket is powered like that and extend it to even smaller bits of equipment. So, flawed, although interesting.

“Artnan Process” — An adventure story, as the science is pretty much suspect. I’d say its atypical Sturgeon, although it shares some similarities with later stories, just not as done as well here. The plot revolves around how the Martians are able to spy upon the Earth ship, and Sturgeon makes some bull about how the Martians are unable to determine truth from, well, not a lie, but gibberish. Then there’s the Artnan’s themselves, and the plot makes even less sense there. Not recommended.


“Biddiver” — Another SF adventure story, and the science in this one is the worst I’ve seen yet from Sturgeon. Why does entering the “Heaviside” do one thing to Biddiver and something else to the two brothers? Sturgeon’s best when he does character stories, but none of the characters here are interesting, and the change that occurred to the characters was driven by the idiot plot, rather than anything they actually did or wanted. Even the ending, with its comeuppance revenge seems just tacked on, rather than what the story had been leading to. In some ways, the story feels like an unholy marriage of two plots—the brothers and their rivalry, Biddiver and the instant wealth (a point that really just gets dropped). Don’t try to parse this one; pass it by.

“The Golden Egg” — An incredibly strange story, as you have no idea where Sturgeon plans to take this as he builds up the idea of this incredibly powerful, perfect being, who then finally decides what it’s like to be a man. Then the story emerges, and it’s a hoary tale of the ineffable nature of woman, and how a male can’t be perfect or else a woman won’t be happy with him. Like any cliche, there may be a grain of truth in this belief, but the expression of it here in this story is horribly unbelievable, even with the Egg’s perfect understanding. Sturgeon would later have a much more nuanced understanding of people, especially the relationship between lovers, that this early tale is hard to see as his.

“Two-Percent Inspiration” — Another SF adventure story, but a stronger one this time. The most awkward thing about it is the recursive nature of the young man enamored of SF and the description of the E. E. “Doc” Smith story that the man reads, although it does give Sturgeon a chance to expound upon the difference between science fantasy/adventure and real science, which he then promptly undercuts in the last paragraph. Oh, well. The plot itself revolves around a reveal that I could see coming, but still worked within the context of the story.

“The Jumper” — A war story with a bit of pseudo-scientific fantasy twist. The best parts of the story are in the early sections where the narrator relates how he came to be in a German POW camp and the introduction of Richter, the sadistic young brown shirt whose pleasure it was to inflict cruelty on the prisoners. The intro of the fantasy element is good, but the follow-up where they use this on Richter strains even the pseudoscience of the explanation. The ending is exciting, but leaves you wondering just how the narrator came to be able to tell you this story. Interesting, but flawed.

The story notes by Paul Williams are wonderful and provide an insight into how Sturgeon himself viewed many of these stories (he seemed to dislike most of them, calling them journeyman work), as well as placing them in context of Sturgeon's early output.

[Sumant · Rating 4 out of 5]

Took me a long time to finish this collection of short stories by Sturgeon, but there some quite fantastic stories in this collection. The namesake story of the book Microcosmic God is actually the story which introduced to Sturgeon, and it's a fantastic short story which I have reviewed previously.

Some of the short stories which I enjoyed in this book were

1. Fully Automatic
2. Microcosmic God
3. Two percent Inspiration
4. Shottle Bop
5. Artnan Process
6. Golden Egg

These are just few stories which I can remember at the top of my head, and which persisted with me throughout the book, but there many gems in this collection.

I give this book 4/5 stars.

[Nick · Rating 3 out of 5]

read this one from hearing about it while reading The Groundswell. Curious book. Short read. Interesting.

[Hugo · Rating 3 out of 5]

A backstep volume clearly demonstrating how this series is for the fan (even the aficionado) of Sturgeon rather than the novice, these are awkward tales where the author (even in his early 20s!) begins to discover his distinctive voice, veers into science fiction, and already begins to lay the humanist foundation that would later elevate his works.

Here, however, it is an uncomfortable birthing, Sturgeon discovering these traits while balancing the overwhelming urge to be a commercial writer (called by some 'hackwork') in an established field, and using his experience as a sailor to add verisimilitude to many stories set on spaceships, which unfortunately veer into the juvenilia of generic 'sci-fi adventure', albeit with much (MUCH) bigger ideas than his peers.

Some few of these stories work (or very nearly almost work): such tales as 'Shottle Bop', 'Yesterday Was Monday', 'Brat', 'Golden Egg', and the titular 'Microcosmic God', with Sturgeon's clear invention shining through, despite flaws such as taking far too long in the setup, valuing ideas over narrative (especially in finding a denouement), and over-complicating the science, at the point at which his stories are becoming predominately more about people.

[Michael O'Donnell · Rating 4 out of 5]

This second volume in ‘The Complete Stories of Theodore Sturgeon’ series covers work written in 1940 and 1941, and is a quantum leap in quality over the stories in the first volume. Sturgeon was now selling stories regularly to John Campbell for publication in Astounding and Unknown magazines, and had ceased writing the formulaic stories for newspaper syndication found in the first volume. All but two of the stories in this volume were published in Astounding and Unknown.

The highlight of the volume is the title story Microcosmic God, about a reclusive scientist who creates microscopic beings with accelerated evolution. The creatures’ technology soon overtakes that of humanity and the scientist becomes rich from exploiting their inventions, leading to jealousy and trouble from his banker.

All of the seventeen stories in this volume are readable and entertaining, with not a dud among them. A couple (Cargo and The Jumper) reflect the time they were written, being about refugees from the war in Europe and strange goings on in a prisoner of war camp, respectively. The Purple Light is also notable, as it is basically a re-write of a story from the first volume, with the location changed from a plane to a spaceship.

All in all a worthwhile collection of early Sturgeon works, in which any reader should find something to like.

[Lee Battersby · Rating 2 out of 5]

That Theodore Sturgeon was one of SF's great stylists, and humanist writers, is without question. But collecting everything he wrote, particularly in the early days when he was churning stories out to make enough to live on, exposes the reader to a lot of sub-standard material, and a lot of work that would be better left where it lay.

There is academic interest in such sub-standard work, undoubtedly, but from a purely reading point of view it's hard to churn your way through such dross as "The Anonymous" or "The Haunt"-- two of the most misogynistic and badly-written works outside of a late-era Heinlein novel-- to get through to minor classics like "Yesterday was Monday" or "Cargo". At times it's simply too hard a job to be enjoyed.

There is nothing in this volume to rival genuinely classic Sturgeon stories like "Slow Sculpture" or "Killdozer!", and whilst that's not necessarily the point of the book, or the series as a whole, it lessens the impact of those good stories which are present to have to deal with so many simply bad ones in between. as an exercise in scholarly archiving it's a worthy project, but as a pure reading experience, it falls short.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

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...

[Laurel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review of Yesterday was Monday.

I just love stories like this, with “little people” and a completely different look at life. A different look at time too.

Just imagine if our lives were a stage that someone reset every night while we were asleep. In this story Harry Wright wakes up a little too early, and finds himself on the wrong set! Wednesday, to be precise, instead of Tuesday. He discovers the world to be a pristine stage being “worn” by the various little people at work on the set, with humans like himself the “actors”.

This story did take a bit of figuring out initially. I was a bit confused by the actors and times and sets and little fellows, but eventually I figured it all out. And then it was simply delightful.

[Gretchen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I prefer later Sturgeon, and I want to find the other books in this series.

I think the chronological publishing is very interesting for watching him grow and develop on themes, but it does mean there's a certain sameness to many of the stories.

For me, the standouts are Cargo and Yesterday Was Monday. The latter is one of my favorite stories by him, but I already have it in another collection and we're trying to cut down on our shelf space.

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this second volume of Sturgeon's complete stories, we see him developing more as a writer of fantasy and starting to experiment with science fiction, most notably with "Microcosmic God," which I think is one of the best science fiction stories ever written (even though Sturgeon himself didn't care much for it). His best work was yet to come, but this is still an entertaining collection of stories.

[Jonas Persson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I only read the short-story Microcosmic God, and thought it was brilliant, especially considering when it was written. Very innovative, and mind-tickling idea.

[Book · Rating 5 out of 5]

Theodore Sturgeon is rightly considered a classic science fiction writer, one of the authors that you are supposed to read to have a complete grounding in history of the genre. This collection of short stories proves that case many times over. These are not just great science fiction tales, these are masterful short stories. In these stories Sturgeon had a way of conveying all you need to know about a character with one phrase or action, and moving the story along while delivering on big ideas and expanding your mind. I had a great time reading this and will definitely be moving on to read more by Sturgeon.

[Fynn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Brat was great. Shottle Bop and Microcosmic God were good. Oh and Poker Face was also nice.

But all in all it was pretty mediocre and by god, I do not want to read another story that takes place on a ship. Sturgeon was about 20 and in the merchant marine when he wrote the stories in this book and you can tell.

[Aisling · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fascinating selection of stories, mostly with a touch of Sci Fi. Amazing display of imagination and futuristic thinking. I especially loved the last story The Jumper which has a touch of dark humour about it.

[Peter Caldwell]

Very early Sturgeon. Some good writing, some hack work. Worth reading especially if you want to trace his development as one of SF’s greatest writers.

[Richard Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Most of these stories are possible, and a few are first rate.

[Oliver · Rating 4 out of 5]

Top 3 stories in my opinion (in order):

1. Microcosmic God
2. Brat
3. The Anonymous

[Jack · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some greats and some not-so-greats in this volume, so it’s a 3-star from me.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

In title story, scientist creates miniature civilization whose rate of evolution is faster than ours. Soon, they overtake our evolutionary capacity with wonderful results. Technological marvels magical and they have little world. As usual, Sturgeon takes simple premise and runs with it.

[Bee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read:

It - 2/5
Yesterday was Monday. Dec 22. - 3/5.