Godbody [Hardcover]

Theodore Sturgeon (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 3, 1986

He came to a small American town and suddenly nothing was the same. Meek and mild men discovered the raw power of lust. Sensually starved women learned the ecstasy of fulfillment. Was he good or evil? Should he be worshipped or destroyed? A bold triumph for one of the great ground-breaking writers of our time.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

When Sturgeon died, in May of last year, he left behind an ouevre that included some of the best stories and novels in the science fiction genre. His later work was weak, however, and this last novel demonstrates the author at both his best and worst. The plot is skimpy, the characterizations virtually nonexistent, but this short novel is written with an energy and conviction that make it absorbing. The story concerns a Christlike being named Godbody who suddenly appears in a small town with a message of loveas sacred, life-affirming, the salvation of the individual and the worldwhich he is able to communicate merely by touching a person. Inevitably, his message is too threatening, and he is murdered, but not before he has opened the minds and hearts of several people, who will now go off to live a new, revolutionary life. Even as he unfolds his story in expert fashion, Sturgeon is able to express his passion, and the book is capable of moving the reader. Robert Heinlein has contributed a foreword and Stephen Donaldson an afterword, and both have interesting, perceptive things to say about Sturgeon. Paperback rights to NAL; Science Fiction Book Club alternate.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 159 pages
• Publisher: Dutton Adult (April 3, 1986)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0917657616
• ISBN-13: 978-0917657610
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,579,000 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Magic realism on a sexual Christ figure, March 18, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Godbody (Signet) (Paperback)

A Christ figure comes to a small American town, bearing a message of love and compassion, expressed through making love. Some hear the message and are changed, others seek to destroy it. Despite the focus on love through sex, this is not camouflaged pornography, but a sincere attempt to present this vision by a master of speculative fiction.

Sturgeon presents the story through the first-person accounts of the people in the town, and handles this technique well.

Robert Heinlein, Stephen King, and Stephen Donaldson all praise the book highly.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Find this book and read it, October 22, 1999

By 

Chris Rubino ([e-mail]) (San Diego, California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Godbody (Hardcover)

This was my favorite book for quite a while. I read it while I was young, a teenager. I don't like it any less now, but I am no longer dealing with the same issues and don't think about it as much. It is to Sturgeon's credit, though, that every reader review here has given the book the highest possible rating. He was an enormously underrated American author; better than anyone else in SF and as good as any American author of the 20th century (though to appreciate his skills, you'd have to read more than just Godbody). Fortunately, his short stories are being collected and released, the first five volumes being available currently through Amazon. As for Godbody, it is available in libraries (particularly in big cities), in used book stores, and through used book searches. Email me if you have difficulty finding it.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not SF But Sturgeon's BEST Work, September 22, 1998

By 

George Romas "Technologist" (Maryland, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Godbody (Hardcover)

Steinbeck's "Of Mice and Men" is a short, yet poignant story about relationships between people. "Godbody" is also a short, equally poignant story about the relationships between people and God. Sturgeon's final book is his most important, and will bring you a new awareness of yourself and your beliefs.