The Ultimate Egoist

Starred review from August 30, 2010
Samuel R. Delany notes in his excellent foreword here that Theodore Sturgeon (1918-1985) is the master of near-future science fiction-a contention backed by the stories in this second volume (following The Ultimate Egoist) of a projected 10-volume series presenting all of Sturgeon's short fiction. There are some dated references in these tales, written in 1940 and 1941-a ``twelve-dollar French meal,'' ``an automobile mechanic $23 a week''-but only a few of the stories (such as ``Two Percent Inspiration'' in which the planet Mercury has a breathable atmosphere) seem merely quaint. The title tale, which reveals the symbiosis between an inventor and the community of microscopic beings he creates, is perhaps Sturgeon's best remembered. But it is stories such as ``The Golden Egg,'' ``The Anonymous'' and ``Shottle Bop'' that reveal the author's attention to the finer nuances of being human. Even the weakest entries here display Sturgeon's curiosity and refusal to write stock entertainment. The range of this volume-which ends at Sturgeon's first major writing block-is prodigious, and that the author produced such epiphaniac work as ``The Golden Egg'' and the title tale before his 24th birthday is cause for amazement. Everyone interested in SF's potential as abiding literature should cherish this volume.