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The Joyous Invasions
Contents:
To Marry Medusa (1958)
The Comedian's Children (1958)
The [Widget], the [Wadget], and Boff (1955)
To Marry Medusa (1958)
The Comedian's Children (1958)
The [Widget], the [Wadget], and Boff (1955)
192 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1965
1 person is currently reading
94 people want to read
About the author
Theodore Sturgeon
720 books767 followersTheodore 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
December 24, 2018
5/10. Media de los 6 libros leídos del autor : 6,5/10
Relatos. Y no soy de relatos. De Sturgeon leed "Venus mas X". 9/10.
Relatos. Y no soy de relatos. De Sturgeon leed "Venus mas X". 9/10.
January 15, 2025
Man it's such a breath of fresh air to read something not only good but. Different. Creative. With a varied vocabulary.
...of course, I usually read bad YA books, on purpose, so pretty much anything meets that criteria. But it's always fun to jump into a pulp sff/horror collection. This has only three stories, meaning they're of a fair length. I thought, as i come out of illness, I'd only read one a day— but read them all in one sitting instead!
TO MARRY MEDUSA
I'd heard of this one somewhere ahead of time. It's the most striking of the collection, and perhaps the best on that metric— I'm not going to rank or rate these stories because I'm not sure how to. I definitely enjoyed it. Sturgeon has a humour about him I came to greatly appreciate, his prose is often long and meandering but turns out a good result — and a sense he's having Fun with it. I too love a bit of alliteration, and he has a sense for using just enough it doesn't stand out or feel silly. Just a little, for a treat.
The story is about a grand hivemind which, upon landing on earth and absorbing into a homeless man, is confused to find humanity isn't a hivemind. All advanced species it's encountered before are... clearly humanity's collective 'broke' somehow! There's a lot of fantastic, top tier, I kiss my fingertips writing about hiveminds and how they feel and function, and the whole story is both bitter and hopeful. Quite a harsh delight.
THE COMEDIAN'S CHILDREN
While a bit more straight forward— it could be a Twilight Zone episode— it might be my favourite overall. I simply enjoy a story with a bit of mystery that follows through, investigates, and concludes fairly neatly. A mysterious disease wrecks children on a futuristic earth, and one comedian dominates the airwaves with his huge telethons begging for help researching and curing it. But there's more going on here than it seems.
It is again, so straight forward a story is can't divulge much more. But I enjoyed it immensely and was properly excited to see it through
THE [WIDGET] THE [WADGET] AND BOFF
This one's described on the back as 'a real charmer' and yeah, it is! There's very little sci-fi about it, in fact the sci-fi elements add so little you could argue the story is stronger without them. I don't mind— there's some fun jokes around it.
The story follows an eclectic group living in the same boarding house. It's rather cozy in a way— they're all troubled in ways they can't fully realize at first, and the story follows events that cause them to come to terms with their feelings and issues and move to resolve them. They're a batch of relatable, lovable, human characters.
One storyline of note follows a man who in modern day I'd qualify as probably having OCD— obsessive rambling thought patterns that one day cause him to realize he's suicidal. But he can't puzzle out why, he just remains fixated on this thought. Over the story he figures it out— he thinks he's different, not Typical, not an Average Man... because of his general lack of interest in sex (and romance). This book is from 1965, and reading such a relatable perspective of an anxious adult man struggling with societal expectations around sex and relationships really surprised me! Of course it's not seen as we would today, but a huge portion of the story is him talking about these feelings. He's even rather disturbed by seeing sexual explicit movie posters because he doesn't see the appeal like others do, and Feels this disconnect between the pop culture image of sexual desire and himself. If you're aromantic ot asexual, it probably will feel familiar— that realisation (like I very much had) that everyone around you, all of culture, seems obsessed with these things, places them above everything else... that feeling that something must be Wrong with you for not understanding.
So while the story does mention "the sick/insane/incomplete/distorted" including a way a bit dismissive of those without any interest in sex, it was the goddamn 1960s— of its time there and showing so much more understanding to the concept than many do today. He fears even how being Abnormal marks you in society as a Freak and target. Trye today, so much more so back then. The realisation the man has about the Average Man not being real, that people who aren't Normal by default must outnumber this ideal... his thoughts when he accepts this were really good!
"So it was that Halvorsen's reasons for not living ceased to be reasons; with the purest truth he could say I am not unmanned; I am not unfit; I am not abnormal... and I am not alone"
—THE [WIDGET] THE [WADGET] AND BOFF
Yeah, that's how it feels for so many people, especially aspec and arospec!
The other character's journeys are also good, but his really stood out. Also, the 3 year old kid— i guess i don't read a lot of kids in fiction, but I've never seen such a realistic and charming kid. I was truly like. 'OMG he's so cute' about this short story toddler.
...of course, I usually read bad YA books, on purpose, so pretty much anything meets that criteria. But it's always fun to jump into a pulp sff/horror collection. This has only three stories, meaning they're of a fair length. I thought, as i come out of illness, I'd only read one a day— but read them all in one sitting instead!
TO MARRY MEDUSA
I'd heard of this one somewhere ahead of time. It's the most striking of the collection, and perhaps the best on that metric— I'm not going to rank or rate these stories because I'm not sure how to. I definitely enjoyed it. Sturgeon has a humour about him I came to greatly appreciate, his prose is often long and meandering but turns out a good result — and a sense he's having Fun with it. I too love a bit of alliteration, and he has a sense for using just enough it doesn't stand out or feel silly. Just a little, for a treat.
The story is about a grand hivemind which, upon landing on earth and absorbing into a homeless man, is confused to find humanity isn't a hivemind. All advanced species it's encountered before are... clearly humanity's collective 'broke' somehow! There's a lot of fantastic, top tier, I kiss my fingertips writing about hiveminds and how they feel and function, and the whole story is both bitter and hopeful. Quite a harsh delight.
THE COMEDIAN'S CHILDREN
While a bit more straight forward— it could be a Twilight Zone episode— it might be my favourite overall. I simply enjoy a story with a bit of mystery that follows through, investigates, and concludes fairly neatly. A mysterious disease wrecks children on a futuristic earth, and one comedian dominates the airwaves with his huge telethons begging for help researching and curing it. But there's more going on here than it seems.
It is again, so straight forward a story is can't divulge much more. But I enjoyed it immensely and was properly excited to see it through
THE [WIDGET] THE [WADGET] AND BOFF
This one's described on the back as 'a real charmer' and yeah, it is! There's very little sci-fi about it, in fact the sci-fi elements add so little you could argue the story is stronger without them. I don't mind— there's some fun jokes around it.
The story follows an eclectic group living in the same boarding house. It's rather cozy in a way— they're all troubled in ways they can't fully realize at first, and the story follows events that cause them to come to terms with their feelings and issues and move to resolve them. They're a batch of relatable, lovable, human characters.
One storyline of note follows a man who in modern day I'd qualify as probably having OCD— obsessive rambling thought patterns that one day cause him to realize he's suicidal. But he can't puzzle out why, he just remains fixated on this thought. Over the story he figures it out— he thinks he's different, not Typical, not an Average Man... because of his general lack of interest in sex (and romance). This book is from 1965, and reading such a relatable perspective of an anxious adult man struggling with societal expectations around sex and relationships really surprised me! Of course it's not seen as we would today, but a huge portion of the story is him talking about these feelings. He's even rather disturbed by seeing sexual explicit movie posters because he doesn't see the appeal like others do, and Feels this disconnect between the pop culture image of sexual desire and himself. If you're aromantic ot asexual, it probably will feel familiar— that realisation (like I very much had) that everyone around you, all of culture, seems obsessed with these things, places them above everything else... that feeling that something must be Wrong with you for not understanding.
So while the story does mention "the sick/insane/incomplete/distorted" including a way a bit dismissive of those without any interest in sex, it was the goddamn 1960s— of its time there and showing so much more understanding to the concept than many do today. He fears even how being Abnormal marks you in society as a Freak and target. Trye today, so much more so back then. The realisation the man has about the Average Man not being real, that people who aren't Normal by default must outnumber this ideal... his thoughts when he accepts this were really good!
"So it was that Halvorsen's reasons for not living ceased to be reasons; with the purest truth he could say I am not unmanned; I am not unfit; I am not abnormal... and I am not alone"
—THE [WIDGET] THE [WADGET] AND BOFF
Yeah, that's how it feels for so many people, especially aspec and arospec!
The other character's journeys are also good, but his really stood out. Also, the 3 year old kid— i guess i don't read a lot of kids in fiction, but I've never seen such a realistic and charming kid. I was truly like. 'OMG he's so cute' about this short story toddler.
January 8, 2017
Estimated date read
March 11, 2009
The first and the third stories in this trilogy of novella's share a a somewhat related theme are are the stars of the collection.
In the first "To Marry Medusa", a collective consiousness of humankind is triggered by an alien hive mind attempting to absorb humanity into it's self.
In the last ""The [WIDGET:], the [WADGET:] and Boff", an alien experiment on humans to trigger an almost dormant function of the brain is the subject. This function is an instinctive reflex that taps into the collective consciousness of humankind.
Once again I am astounded by Sturgeon's boundless imagination and vision. He set a high standard for SF which, unfortunately, was rarely lived up to by those that followed.
In the first "To Marry Medusa", a collective consiousness of humankind is triggered by an alien hive mind attempting to absorb humanity into it's self.
In the last ""The [WIDGET:], the [WADGET:] and Boff", an alien experiment on humans to trigger an almost dormant function of the brain is the subject. This function is an instinctive reflex that taps into the collective consciousness of humankind.
Once again I am astounded by Sturgeon's boundless imagination and vision. He set a high standard for SF which, unfortunately, was rarely lived up to by those that followed.
April 10, 2017
Three novellas dealing with three different invasions by three very different forms of aliens.
The first and strongest of the stories is more apocalyptic in nature, changing the whole face of humanity. I wasn't sure what to make of it at first, especially with a rather graphic depiction of date rape right near the start, but it eventually settled into a more understandable order, even if the final shape of human society was beyond real comprehension. I liked that the aliens involved had such a hard time grappling with the nature of human identity, just as humans had problems understanding the aliens.
The second story has a much more human focus, dealing mostly with events on earth. I could see it being made into a movie, or updated into an episode of a show like Black Mirror. It has a very solid beginning, middle and end.
The third story seemed much weaker and a little daffy, although it does pose some interesting psychological questions. On the whole it's a little saccharine though, and although the method of reporting the alien transcript was interesting, the overall effect seemed more comedic than giving an impression of their actual aims or thoughts.
All of the stories are dated in that they are true to their time. I would expect stories based in the 50s-60s to be at least a little sexist (although maybe not to the point of having a woman actually run into a burning room to save her clothes and magazines). The style of writing overall is also a little dated, with the flow of the story often interrupted by long pages of exposition without action or dialogue. It made some parts difficult to read, but with a little work I was able to extract the juices out of the story and simmer them down to the good parts. They probably would not be good stories for people who do not have the patience to put up with dated writing and stereotypes, however.
The first and strongest of the stories is more apocalyptic in nature, changing the whole face of humanity. I wasn't sure what to make of it at first, especially with a rather graphic depiction of date rape right near the start, but it eventually settled into a more understandable order, even if the final shape of human society was beyond real comprehension. I liked that the aliens involved had such a hard time grappling with the nature of human identity, just as humans had problems understanding the aliens.
The second story has a much more human focus, dealing mostly with events on earth. I could see it being made into a movie, or updated into an episode of a show like Black Mirror. It has a very solid beginning, middle and end.
The third story seemed much weaker and a little daffy, although it does pose some interesting psychological questions. On the whole it's a little saccharine though, and although the method of reporting the alien transcript was interesting, the overall effect seemed more comedic than giving an impression of their actual aims or thoughts.
All of the stories are dated in that they are true to their time. I would expect stories based in the 50s-60s to be at least a little sexist (although maybe not to the point of having a woman actually run into a burning room to save her clothes and magazines). The style of writing overall is also a little dated, with the flow of the story often interrupted by long pages of exposition without action or dialogue. It made some parts difficult to read, but with a little work I was able to extract the juices out of the story and simmer them down to the good parts. They probably would not be good stories for people who do not have the patience to put up with dated writing and stereotypes, however.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews