Nei suoi otto anni di vita Horty Bluett non ha mai conosciuto l'amore: i genitori adottivi sono violenti, i compagni di scuola crudeli. Così decide di scappare di casa, e si unisce a un luna park. Ma neppure lì è al sicuro, perché Horty non è un bambino come gli altri, ha delle facoltà speciali, e qualcuno vuole approfittarne. Il volume raccoglie 'The Dreaming Jewels', il capolavoro di Sturgeon, in una nuova traduzione, insieme ad altri romanzi e romanzi brevi ed è arricchito da uno scritto di Nicoletta Vallorani.

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, all contributors of laudatory forewords. The more than forty stories here showcase Sturgeon's masterful knack with clever, O. Henry-ish plot twists, sparkling character development, and 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.

The second of thirteen volumes that reprint all Sturgeon's short fiction covers his prolific output during 1940 and 1941, after which he suffered five years of writer's block. Showcasing Sturgeon's early penchant for fantasy, the first six selections include whimsical ghost stories, such as “Cargo,” in which a World War II munitions freighter is commandeered by invisible, peace-loving fairies. With the publication of his enduring science fiction classic, “Microcosmic God,” Sturgeon finally found his voice, combining literate, sharp-edged prose with fascinating speculative science while recounting the power struggle between a brilliant scientist, who creates his own miniature race of gadget makers, and his greedy banker. Every one of the stories here is entertaining today because of Sturgeon's singular gifts for clever turns of phrase and compelling narrative. As Samuel R. Delaney emphasizes in an insightful introduction, Sturgeon was the single most influential science fiction writer from the 1940s through the 1960s.

This is the last volume in a series that collects the complete short fiction of beloved and influential American science fiction author Theodore Sturgeon. This thirteenth volume of The Complete Stories of Theodore Sturgeon contains stories written during the years 1973 to 1983, with one exception, the previously unanthologized 'Tuesdays are Worse,' written in 1960. It also contains three unpublished stories, 'Seasoning,' 'The Mysterium' and 'Black Moccasins.'

As one of the prominent figures of what is called the 'golden age' of science fiction (along with authors such as Arthur C. Clarke, Isaac Asimov, and Ray Bradbury), Sturgeon's particular contribution to the field was a move away from 'space opera' and 'hard' or technical science fiction to closer considerations of social issues: love, sex, discrimination, war, and ambition. Sturgeon, like many great science-fiction writers, chafed at the way the genre was considered inferior and invented Sturgeon's Law ('90 percent of everything is crap') to express the unfairness of that stereotype.

Though he attempted to write for mainstream outlets (for example, in this volume, 'Tuesdays are Worse,' 'Black Moccasins' and 'Seasoning'), the genre markets for horror, science fiction and fantasy welcomed his exploration of the strange, the beautiful and sometimes the gruesome aspects of human existence. This volume has examples of Sturgeon's unusual range: lyrical fantasy such as 'The Singsong of Cecily Snow,' a western in 'The Sheriff of Chayute' and the sexually explicit 'The Country of Afterward.' In addition, there are several strong examples of Sturgeon's best science fiction, such as the long stories 'Case and the Dreamer,' 'Why Dolphins Don't Bite' and 'Harry's Note,' exemplifying the moving reflections on love and humanity that Sturgeon was known for throughout his career.

During the period covered in this volume, Sturgeon lived in Los Angeles, San Diego, and Springfield, Oregon, and entered a new relationship that would last the remainder of his life. His increasing struggle with lung fibrosis drew his attention to disease and illness, as reflected in the stories 'Not An Affair,' 'Grizzly' and 'Vengeance Is.' On May 8th, 1985, Sturgeon died in Eugene, Oregon, surrounded by his large family. He was 67.

This last volume of The Complete Stories of Theodore Sturgeon also contains a biographical essay, 'Theodore Sturgeon: Storyteller,' by Paul Williams, the editor of ten of the previous volumes, and an index to all of the stories in all of the volumes.

Theodore Sturgeon was a model for his friend Kurt Vonnegut’s legendary character Kilgore Trout, and his work was an acknowledged influence on important younger writers from Harlan Ellison and Robert Silverberg to Stephen King and Octavia Butler. His work has long been deeply appreciated for its sardonic sensibility, dazzling wordplay, conceptual brilliance, memorable characters, and unsparing treatment of social issues such as sex, war, and marginalized members of society. Sturgeon also authored several episodes of the original Star Trek TV series and originated the Vulcan phrase “Live long and prosper.”

This twelfth volume of North Atlantic’s ambitious series reprinting his complete short stories includes classic works such as the award-winning title story, which won both the Hugo and Nebula Awards in 1971, as well as “Case and the Dreamer,” a well-crafted tale of an encounter with a trans-spatial being that is also a meditation on love, and “The [Widget], the [Wadget], and Boff,” a creative exploration of the human ability to achieve self-realization in response to crisis. The book includes a new Foreword, an illuminating section of Story Notes, and a comprehensive index for the entire series.

This book contains ten major stories by the master of science fiction, fantasy, and horror written during the 1960s. The controversial “If All Men We re Brothers, Would You Let One Marry Your Sister?” shows the author's technique of “ask the next question” used in a way that shatters social conventions. “When You Care, When You Love” offers a prescient vision of the marriage of deep obsessive love and genetic manipulation, written long before actual cloning techniques existed. “Runesmith” constitutes a rare example of Sturgeon collaborating with a legendary colleague, Harlan Ellison. Included also are two other rarities: two detective stories and a Western that showcase Sturgeon's knack for characterization and action outside his usual genre. “Take Care of Joey” has been read as an allusion to the complex personal relationship between Sturgeon and Ellison, while “It Was Nothing, Really!” hilariously skewers the mores of the military-industrial complex. As always, these stories demonstrate not only Sturgeon's brilliant wordplay but also his timeliness, with “Brown-shoes” and “The Nail and the Oracle” standing out as powerful commentaries on the use and abuse of power that might have been written yesterday.

By the winner of the Hugo, the Nebula, and the World Fantasy Life Achievement Awards, this latest volume finds Theodore Sturgeon in fine form as he gains recognition for the first time as a literary short story writer. Written between 1957 and 1960, when Sturgeon and his family lived in both America and Grenada, finally settling in Woodstock, New York, these stories reflect his increasing preference for psychology over ray guns. Stories such as 'The Man Who Told Lies,' 'A Touch of Strange,' and 'It Opens the Sky' show influences as diverse as William Faulkner and John Dos Passos. Always in touch with the zeitgeist, Sturgeon takes on the Russian Sputnik launches of 1957 with 'The Man Who Lost the Sea,' switching the scene to Mars and injecting his trademark mordancy and vivid wordplay into the proceedings. These mature stories also don't stint on the scares, as 'The Graveyard Reader'—one of Boris Karloff's favorite stories—shows. Acclaimed novelist Jonathan Lethem's foreword neatly summarizes Sturgeon's considerable achievement here.

Written between 1955 and 1957, the 15 stories in And Now the News ... include five previously uncollected stories along with five well-known works, two cowritten with genre legend Robert Heinlein. Spanning his most creative period, these tales show why Sturgeon won every science fiction award given.

Sci-fi master Theodore Sturgeon wrote stories with power and freshness, and in telling them created a broader understanding of humanity -- a legacy for readers and writers to mine for generations. Along with the title story, the collection includes stories written between 1953 and 1955, Sturgeon's greatest period, with such favorites as "Bulkhead," "The Golden Helix," and "To Here and the Easel."

Kurt Vonnegut cites Theodore Sturgeon as the inspiration for his character Kilgore Trout. This volume includes 12 stories from 1953, considered Sturgeon's golden era. Among them are such favorites as the title story, "The Silken-Swift," "A Way of Thinking," "The Dark Room," "The Clinic," and "The World Well Lost," a story known for being very ahead of its time in advocating gay rights.

Kurt Vonnegut cites Theodore Sturgeon as the inspiration for his character Kilgore Trout. This volume includes 12 stories from 1953, considered Sturgeon's golden era. Among them are such favorites as the title story, "The Silken-Swift," "A Way of Thinking," "The Dark Room," "The Clinic," and "The World Well Lost," a story very ahead of its time in advocating gay rights.

Theodore Sturgeon was a genuine American master. Praised, revered, and even envied by the likes of Bradbury, Vonnegut, and King, his short stories contain some of his best work.

In "Thunder and Roses," soon after a nuclear Holocaust, a starlet gives one final performance during which she makes an odd request of the few remaining survivors. In perhaps his most praised story, "The Man Who Lost the Sea," a man riffs on memory and experience on the way to the story's powerful conclusion. And in the Hugo and Nebula Award-winning masterpiece, "Slow Sculpture," a young woman with a lump in her breast chances upon a strange healer. With unrivaled emotional impact, Theodore Sturgeon's stories are funny, lyrical, surprising, and provoking.

An idiot boy, runaway girl, a retarded baby and twin girls without any vocabulary are mysteriously drawn together to become something very different from the rest of humanity. Science fiction.

Baby Is Three is the sixth volume in the series devoted to the complete works of one of science fiction's titans. Like others in the series, this one includes extensive notes and background information on each story by editor Paul Williams. The early 1950s, during which this material was written, was the beginning of Sturgeon's greatest creative period. The title story for this collection was later expanded into the International Fantasy Award winning novel More Than Human. Sturgeon's whimsical, sardonic sense of humor lifts his work out of the mundane realm of genre science fiction. This wide-ranging collection shows precisely why he has been cited as a primary influence by authors as varied as Stephen King, Ray Bradbury, and Carl Sagan.

Winner of the Hugo, Nebula and World Fantasy Life Achievement Awards

'One of the masters of modern science fiction.'—The Washington Post Book World

Eight-year-old Horty Bluett has never known love. His adoptive parents are violent; his classmates are cruel. So he runs away from home and joins a carnival. Performing alongside the fireaters, snakemen and 'little people,' Horty is accepted. But he is not safe. For when he loses three fingers in an accident and they grow back, it becomes clear that Horty is not like other boys. And it is a difference some people might want to use.

But his difference risks not only his own life but the lives of the outcasts who provided for him, for so many years, with a place to call home. In The Dreaming Jewels, Theodore Sturgeon renders the multiple wounds of loneliness, fear, and persecution with uncanny precision. Vividly drawn, expertly plotted, The Dreaming Jewels is a Sturgeon masterpiece.

'An intensely written novel and very moving novel of love and retribution.'—Washington Star

A company of unusual, nearly monstrous people, each of whom possesses a particular extraordinary talent or faculty, acts in concert as a single superhuman, realizing a power that cannot corrupt. Winner of the International Fantasy Award. Reprint. 12,500 first printing.

A timid, barely literate drunk, Gurlick ingests an extraterrestrial spore that transforms him into a host for the Medusa, a powerful, hive mind with malevolent plans for Earth and its inhabitants. Reprint. 12,500 first printing.