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Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Venus Plus X, by Theodore Sturgeon

Theodore Sturgeon is an award-winning, classic sci-fi author.  He was highly influential, having written dozens of short stories and novels, and had his fingers in such outlets as Star Trek and The Twilight Zone.  So I was looking forward to reading one of his novels.  I started with Venus Plus X and was not impressed. 

There's a strong tradition in sci-fi of novels that present a futuristic, utopian society through the eyes of a present-day character.  In Venus Plus X, Charlie suddenly finds himself in Ledom, which turns out to be a far-distant future earth.  (Sturgeon is not above using such silly tricks as making the name of his future society so cheesily named: model in reverse. . . .)  The problem with many stories in this genre, including Venus Plus X, is that it's barely a story.  It's mostly a description of this future world.

In Lodem, the future race is all bisexual.  It's just weird and not inspiring or entertaining.  Maybe I'll read another Sturgeon novel or some of his stories, but Venus Plus X did not make me a fan.



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