Comments
The Ultimate Egoist, the first volume of The Complete Stories of Theodore Sturgeon, contains the late author's earliest work, written from 1937 to 1940. Although Sturgeon's reach was limited to the lengths of the short story and novelette, his influence was strongly felt by even the most original science fiction stylists, including Ray Bradbury, Arthur C. Clarke, and Gene Wolfe, each of whom contributes a laudatory foreword. The more than 40 stories here showcase Sturgeon's masterful knack with clever, O. Henry-ish plot twists, sparkling character development, and almost archetypal, why didn't I think of that? story ideas. Early Sturgeon masterpieces include "It," about the violence done by a creature spontaneously born from garbage and mud, and "Helix the Cat," about an inventor's bizarre encounter with a disembodied soul and the cat that saves it. Sturgeon's unique genius is timelessly entertaining.
Table of Contents:
Forewords by Ray Bradbury,
Arthur C. Clarke, and Gene Wolfe
Stories:
Heavy Insurance
The Heart
Cellmate
Fluffy
Alter Ego (prev unpub)
Mailed Through a Porthole
A Noose of Light (prev unpub)
Strangers on a Train (prev unpub)
Accidentally on Porpoise
The Right Line (prev unpub)
Golden Day
Permit Me My Gesture
Watch My Smoke
The Other Cheek
Extraordinary Seamen
One Sick Kid
His Good Angel
Some People Forget
A God in a Garden
Fit for a King
Ex-Bachelor Extract
East is East
Three People (prev unpub)
Eyes of Blue
Ether Breather
Her Choice
Cajun Providence
Strike Three (prev unpub)
Contact!
The Call
Helix the Cat
To Shorten Sale
Thanksgiving Again (prev unpub)
Bianca's Hands
Derm Fool
He Shuttles
Turkish Delight
Niobe
The Long Arm
The Man on the Steps
Punctuational Advice
A Place of Honor
The Ultimate Egoist
It
Butyl and the Breather
Look Around You (poem)
Mahout