Customer Reviews

The Wonder (Bison Frontiers of Imagination)

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
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1 star:		(0)

 

 

I had never heard of Beresford before I bought this book (The Wonder) and I must say that I was more than pleasantly surprised by this gem of a book. I think that "The Wonder" belongs to the classics of science fiction / psychology books.

It is the story of a child who is born with a supernatural intelligence, forced to live in a world with no equals to himself. It becomes clear to all who see the wonder that he is superior in intellect and so he becomes isolated from everyone. The wonder also knows of his own superior intellect and he is not interested in normal social interaction. The story deals with the deep psychological problems that higher intelligence brings with it, as well as Beresford's own philosophy of knowledge and life.

I am so pleased with this book that I am now looking for more Beresford novels, but they seem difficult to find (a buried treasure) .

I first read a story like this in college, and only recently discovered that the ground had been covered before, in "The Wonder". The atmosphere of this story is unrelentingly gloomy, and it's a slow read, or I would have given it 5 stars. That's a review based on my reaction, as much as the actual merit of this book.

This isn't so much science fiction as it is speculation. I've heard of actual child geniuses, even if they don't quite reach the level described by Beresford's book. Probably closer to Doogie Howser, in real life! I never quite reached a sense of wonder with this (no pun intended), but it's interesting as a period piece. The ending worked fairly well. I still prefer Olaf Stapledon's "Odd John," but obviously this came first.

The story of Victor Stott is said to be one of the first novels about a superman. That is true only in a limited sense. Victor has no unusual physical gifts, no superhuman strength. He is, however, intellectually superior to other humans, a super-genius. And Victor apparently knows of his superiority from the moment of his birth: he views others with a sort of disapproval if he acknowledges them at all, and seems able to control them (or maybe just repel them) with his stare. Yet he isn't conceited; it isn't worth his time to compare himself to others. Beresford writes: "He was entirely alone among aliens who were unable to comprehend him, who could not flatter him, whose opinions were valueless to him." Young Victor rarely communicates with others; he acknowledges their presence only when he needs someone to open a door or prepare a meal. Conversations aren't worthwhile to Victor because nobody has the intellectual capacity to understand him.

The novel's narrator is a journalist covering cricket matches when he meets Ginger Stott, who has a brief but magnificent career as the best bowler in the sport. It is a tribute to Beresford's writing ability that I was engrossed by the chapter that describes Stott's development as a bowler and the games he bowled, despite my complete ignorance about cricket (most of the time, I had no idea what the narrator was talking about). When Ginger's career ends, he decides to father a son who will carry on where he left off, and is despaired when Victor is born with a grossly enlarged head. The novel carries us through Victor's aloof life from the moment of his birth through his early childhood.

To a large extent the novel is about prejudice or fear of those who are different. The novel juxtaposes Victor and a somewhat older, developmentally disabled child with a similarly enlarged head; both are objects of scorn and dread among the villagers. To some extent, the prejudice against Victor is greater because Victor has ideas that are out of the ordinary. When a rector spends an hour lecturing Victor about religion, Victor makes one of his rare pronouncements: he informs the rector that his Bible stories aren't true. The rector responds by insisting that Victor be committed to an asylum.

The Wonder is also about the limits of knowledge and the nature of discovery. The philosophical implications of Victor's life are briefly discussed in the last chapter. Anyone with an interest in those topics should enjoy The Wonder, as should readers who are interested in the history of science fiction. But The Wonder is so well written and so interesting that it should appeal to a broader audience, as well.

Born very much advanced beyond his contemporaries, Victor Stott is woefully alone in a world that hates him. It's a minor novel to be sure, but important in the history of speculative fiction. This is from the beginning of the 20th century, predates "Odd John" and the other uber-men books.

Aside from a chapter or two on cricket which I found to be a bit dull (probably more to do with my lack of knowledge on the subject than the sport itself), this is a well-crafted and involving little novel. You should be able to get through it in a day or two as it's fairly short (as are the chapters); the font and pages aren't all that large either. The epilogue is particularly worthy of your time. An underrated British gem with a good sense of place and purpose.