Case and the Dreamer: Volume XIII: The Complete Stories of Theodore Sturgeon Sturgeon, Theodore

Name: Case and the Dreamer: Volume XIII: The Complete Stories of Theodore Sturgeon Sturgeon, Theodore
Price: 40.00 USD
Availability: InStock
Author: Sturgeon, Theodore; , Sturgeon, Noel; , Beagle, Peter S; , Notkin, Debbie; , Williams, Paul
ISBN: 9781556439346

✍️ Sturgeon, Theodore; , Sturgeon, Noel; , Beagle, Peter S; , Notkin, Debbie; , Williams, Paul

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📚 ABOUT THE BOOK

Dive into the final, boundary-pushing visions of a science fiction master, exploring love, identity, and the cosmic.

Theodore Sturgeon's "Case and the Dreamer" compiles the esteemed author's concluding short stories, penned between 1972 and 1983. This collection showcases his signature blend of sharp wit, imaginative concepts, and profound narrative depth, pushing literary boundaries with explorations of sexuality, war, and transpatial encounters. Featuring previously unreleased works alongside his poignant final tale, "Grizzly," this volume solidifies Sturgeon's legacy as a writer who fearlessly wove complex social commentary into genre-defying fiction, captivating both devoted fans and literary critics with his unique voice.

Key themes

{'title': 'Exploration of Sexuality', 'body': 'Sturgeon, often ahead of his time, delves into explicit and nuanced portrayals of human sexuality, including gay themes, challenging societal norms. "The Country of Afterward" exemplifies his willingness to tackle subjects previously deemed unpublishable, reflecting a bold artistic freedom in his later career, making these stories particularly resonant for their progressive insights.'} {'title': 'Conceptual Daring Narratives', 'body': 'From transpatial beings to profound meditations on love, Sturgeon consistently presents narratives brimming with inventive concepts. His stories transcend conventional genre boundaries, inviting readers into worlds where philosophical inquiry and imaginative speculation intertwine seamlessly, pushing the limits of speculative fiction and offering fresh perspectives on complex ideas.'} {'title': 'Incise Social Commentary', 'body': 'Beneath the fantastical elements, Sturgeon masterfully dissects pressing social issues like war and human relationships. His "sardonic sensibility" allows him to critique society with keen insight, offering poignant observations on the human condition that remain relevant and thought-provoking decades later, grounding his imaginative tales in relatable human experience.'}

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🏛 North Atlantic Books 📅 2010 📖 400 pages 📔 Hardcover 📐 Hardcover ISBN: 9781556439346

Fun fact

This collection brilliantly affirms Sturgeon's status as a visionary artist. It excels in showcasing his later, bolder explorations of human nature, sexuality, and the cosmic, cementing his place among science fiction's literary giants. While readers seeking his earliest, more traditional tales might be surprised by the mature themes, those eager for conceptually daring, emotionally resonant, and beautifully written speculative fiction will find this volume indispensable. A vital addition to any serious occult or esoteric library.

📝 Description: Case and the Dreamer: Volume XIII: The Complete Stories of Theodore Sturgeon Sturgeon, Theodore

James Blish called him the "finest conscious artist science fiction ever produced." Kurt Vonnegut based the famous character Kilgore Trout on him. And such luminaries as Harlan Ellison, Stephen King, and Octavia Butler have hailed him as a mentor. Theodore Sturgeon was both a popular favorite and a writer's writer, carving out a singular place in the literary landscape based on his masterful wordplay, conceptual daring, and narrative drive. Sturgeon's sardonic sensibility and his skill at interweaving important social issues such as sex--including gay themes--and war into his stories are evident in all of his work, regardless of genre. Case and the Dreamer displays Sturgeon's gifts at their peak. The book brings together his last stories, written between 1972 and 1983. They include "The Country of Afterward," a sexually explicit story Sturgeon had been unable to write earlier in his career, and the title story, about an encounter with a transpatial being that is also a meditation on love. Several previously unpublished stories are included, as well as his final one, "Grizzly," a poignant take on the lung disease that killed him two years later. Noted critic and anthologist Paul Williams contextualizes Sturgeon as both man and artist in an illuminating afterword, and the book includes an index to the stories in all thirteen volumes.

⭐ Reader reviews

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⭐ Esoterica editorial review Editorial rating 4.7/5

★★★★★

If you seek speculative fiction that challenges conventions, explores deep human emotions, and features masterful prose, this collection is for you. Fans of literary science fiction and those interested in the evolution of genre writing will find Sturgeon's late-career genius profoundly rewarding.

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❓ Frequently asked questions

This volume gathers his later stories, penned between 1972 and 1983, showcasing a mature and often more experimental phase of his writing. While perhaps not his earliest or most widely reprinted, they represent his final artistic explorations and are highly regarded.

Absolutely. While it highlights his later stylistic developments, the collection offers a strong introduction to his conceptual daring, narrative skill, and thematic depth, making it accessible and engaging for those new to his influential work. It demonstrates why he was a 'writer's writer'.

📖 Who should read this

🎯 Key themes and symbolism

Exploration of Sexuality

Sturgeon, often ahead of his time, delves into explicit and nuanced portrayals of human sexuality, including gay themes, challenging societal norms. "The Country of Afterward" exemplifies his willingness to tackle subjects previously deemed unpublishable, reflecting a bold artistic freedom in his later career, making these stories particularly resonant for their progressive insights.

Conceptual Daring Narratives

From transpatial beings to profound meditations on love, Sturgeon consistently presents narratives brimming with inventive concepts. His stories transcend conventional genre boundaries, inviting readers into worlds where philosophical inquiry and imaginative speculation intertwine seamlessly, pushing the limits of speculative fiction and offering fresh perspectives on complex ideas.

Incise Social Commentary

Beneath the fantastical elements, Sturgeon masterfully dissects pressing social issues like war and human relationships. His "sardonic sensibility" allows him to critique society with keen insight, offering poignant observations on the human condition that remain relevant and thought-provoking decades later, grounding his imaginative tales in relatable human experience.

💬 Quotes from the book

«A sexually explicit story Sturgeon had been unable to write earlier in his career.»

«An encounter with a transpatial being that is also a meditation on love.»

📜 Historical context

This volume captures Theodore Sturgeon's creative zenith, representing his final contributions to speculative fiction before his passing. Emerging during an era of significant social upheaval, his work consistently pushed against conservative literary boundaries, integrating mature themes like sexuality and conflict into the genre. He stood as a bridge between pulp fiction's imaginative scope and a more literary, introspective approach to science fiction.

📚 Glossary

Sardonic Sensibility
Transpatial Being
Writer's Writer

📔 Questions to reflect on

How does Sturgeon's exploration of previously taboo subjects, like explicit sexuality, influence your understanding of the scope and purpose of speculative fiction?
Consider the concept of a 'transpatial being' from 'Case and the Dreamer.' What philosophical implications arise when love transcends conventional spatial or dimensional boundaries?
Sturgeon's final story, 'Grizzly,' reflects on his own mortality. How might confronting one's own end shape the themes and tone of a writer's ultimate work?