Venus Plus X

Rating:
Summary: Deconstructing gender
Review: "Venus Plus X," by science fiction giant Theodore Sturgeon, tells the story of Charlie Johns, an ordinary modern man who is whisked to the land of the Ledom, a new breed of human hermaphrodites. Charlie is challenged by his hosts to learn all about their culture; through his eyes, the reader also discovers the brave new world (to borrow a phrase) of the Ledom.

Sturgeon covers Ledom technology, religion, history, anatomy, and education. He includes an ironic parallel narrative about an ordinary 20th century human family; this second narrative frequently comments on our own culture's obsession with gender.

"Venus" is a compelling story of love, loss, and knowledge. It is part of an intriguing science fiction tradition of deconstructing societal ideas on sexuality and gender; for companion texts in this vein, try Ursula K. LeGuin's "The Left Hand of Darkness" and Carolyn Ives Gilman's "Halfway Human."

Rating:
Summary: Consciousness-raising, perhaps, but not enough fun
Review: Charlie Johns wakes up after a plane crash only to find himself in a strange new world of advanced technology, unique social forms, and a conspicuous absence of gender. That's right, folks, all the citizens of the land of Ledom are functionally both male and female and consequently there are no longer two different sexes. Charlie's (and our) guide is a man/woman named Philos, a historian who wants Charlie's unbiased opinion about their utopia. At Charlie's side, we learn about Ledom's architecture, its clothing styles, its scientific achievements, its educational system, its worship of children, and of course, its total lack of sexually-derived problems, a theme that is driven home again and again.

For contrast, there are brief interludes that provide snapshots of life in 1950's-era America. These scenes invariably point out the failings in 20th Century society that the Ledom have ostensibly solved by abandoning two separate sexes. Many involve the subtle and almost harmless-seeming ways in which women are subjugated to men. Of course in today's climate of political correctness, many of these practices are dying out, but when this book was written in 1960, Sturgeon was expressing some pretty radical notions, (i.e. that financial competition between men was fundamentally sexual, or that it was not necessarily "natural" that a woman's place was in the home). There isn't much shock value in this book today, but it was the general availability of ideas like these that led to the massive social changes of the '60's and early '70's.

As the story is told from Charlie's point of view, we readily sympathize with his confusion, his loneliness, and his fear in this radically alien environment. Where is he? When is he? What happened to the world that he spent his life in? And what hope does he have of ever getting back? The gradual unraveling of these mysteries provides the tension that drives this fairly short novel. Not short enough, perhaps, since the lack of action and thinness of the characters wears pretty quickly. Skillful as Sturgeon is at making his point, he rarely manages to capture this reviewer's imagination. The beginning and middle sections of this book both seemed unnecessarily slow. Only toward the very end does the plot pick up as Charlie starts getting closer to finding out the truth about Ledom.

As is too often the case with Sturgeon's novels, he comes up with a truly brilliant idea for a story, but stretches it beyond his own ability to keep it interesting. Fans of "classic" science fiction will enjoy this novel, and those whose gender consciousness needs raising may find this book enlightening; but for the most part, time has caught up with the ideas in this book, and it isn't successful enough as an entertainment to stand without their psycho-social punch.

Rating:
Summary: Consciousness-raising, perhaps, but not enough fun
Review: Charlie Johns wakes up after a plane crash only to find himself in a strange new world of advanced technology, unique social forms, and a conspicuous absence of gender. That's right, folks, all the citizens of the land of Ledom are functionally both male and female and consequently there are no longer two different sexes. Charlie's (and our) guide is a man/woman named Philos, a historian who wants Charlie's unbiased opinion about their utopia. At Charlie's side, we learn about Ledom's architecture, its clothing styles, its scientific achievements, its educational system, its worship of children, and of course, its total lack of sexually-derived problems, a theme that is driven home again and again.

For contrast, there are brief interludes that provide snapshots of life in 1950's-era America. These scenes invariably point out the failings in 20th Century society that the Ledom have ostensibly solved by abandoning two separate sexes. Many involve the subtle and almost harmless-seeming ways in which women are subjugated to men. Of course in today's climate of political correctness, many of these practices are dying out, but when this book was written in 1960, Sturgeon was expressing some pretty radical notions, (i.e. that financial competition between men was fundamentally sexual, or that it was not necessarily "natural" that a woman's place was in the home). There isn't much shock value in this book today, but it was the general availability of ideas like these that led to the massive social changes of the '60's and early '70's.

As the story is told from Charlie's point of view, we readily sympathize with his confusion, his loneliness, and his fear in this radically alien environment. Where is he? When is he? What happened to the world that he spent his life in? And what hope does he have of ever getting back? The gradual unraveling of these mysteries provides the tension that drives this fairly short novel. Not short enough, perhaps, since the lack of action and thinness of the characters wears pretty quickly. Skillful as Sturgeon is at making his point, he rarely manages to capture this reviewer's imagination. The beginning and middle sections of this book both seemed unnecessarily slow. Only toward the very end does the plot pick up as Charlie starts getting closer to finding out the truth about Ledom.

As is too often the case with Sturgeon's novels, he comes up with a truly brilliant idea for a story, but stretches it beyond his own ability to keep it interesting. Fans of "classic" science fiction will enjoy this novel, and those whose gender consciousness needs raising may find this book enlightening; but for the most part, time has caught up with the ideas in this book, and it isn't successful enough as an entertainment to stand without their psycho-social punch.

Rating:
Summary: Imaginitive Mind Twister/Gender Bender
Review: Interesting and in the end, somewhat disturbing look at cultural norms and discrimination, through the vehicle of a stranded time-traveler trapped in a future of androgens evolved from human ancestry. All is well until a dreadful secret is discovered - maybe what the main character is lead to believe is "natural" is not all that natural after all.

Rating:
Summary: Hallelujah!
Review: My copy of "Venus Plus X" is old: priced on its cover at 40 cents, if not a first edition then close to it, a paperback whose brittle pages have all separated from the spine and cover and had to be turned with the greatest care lest some unwary movement reduce the entire book to a handful of leaf litter. But I love the book - I have read it three times and every time enjoyed it, from the fantastic world of the Ledom with its bright overcast sky and its buildings like architecture by Dali, to characters like the enigmatic Philos or bewildered Charlie Johns himself, to Sturgeon's conversational-poetic language . . . for that matter, almost everything about the book! So I am incredibly happy to see it back in print: I can now read "Venus Plus X" without fear of accidental destruction!

Also I can now recommend it to all my friends and know that they'll read the book - as they should. Because although Ursula Le Guin's "The Left Hand of Darkness" may be the most famous work of science-fiction dealing with an androgynous society, as well as contemporary gender issues, "Venus Plus X" is every bit as good and occasionally a great deal weirder. Part of this is the style. The perspective, when it deals with Charlie Johns in the world of the Ledom, is outsider-only: the reader knows only what Charlie Johns knows and must believe only what Charlie Johns believes. When Charlie Johns' world is turned inside-out and upside-down, so is every single (pre)conception that the reader has held about the Ledom since the book's opening. It's wonderful. And although at first I wondered why Charlie Johns' story was periodically interrupted by the life and times of some random middle-class suburban family living on Begonia Drive, there is a very definite reason for their inclusion in the story, and it's wonderful too. More than that, I probably shouldn't say: part of the fun of "Venus Plus X" is the discovery. (Not that the book doesn't work a second time around; it's just a better read if you go along without any idea of what's ahead. That way you're nice and unsuspecting when Sturgeon pulls the rug, not to mention the floor, out from under your feet.) And what kind of wacky title is "Venus Plus X" anyway? It's explained - later on, of course. Just read the book. It was a classic when it came out, it deserves to remain a classic now. (And now you don't have to worry about pulverizing your copy with a sneeze . . .)

Rating:
Summary: Novel ideas but a traditional message
Review: My reaction to this book seems to be a little different than that of others. Had I not read others' favorable reviews, this book would have frustrated me. The second running commentary about a "modern" family and its neighbors did provide a little humor but mainly just served to interrupt the flow of the main story. I expected some kind of grand ending which would embrace the secondary story and clearly show its meaning and purpose, but the ending did not really accomplish that to my satisfaction. As far as the presentation of homosexual themes in this story, I found nothing very controversial or nontraditional in its presentation. Our "homo sap." protagonist Charlie Johns encounters homosexuality, is confused by its practice, and actually delivers a biting criticism of that kind of lifestyle; he in fact goes so far as to say that over 99% of the men in his world would want to destroy the Ledom just because they accept and practice homosexuality. In an even larger sense, the utopian aspects of Ledom society seem to be overstated by some reviewers and certainly by the guy who wrote the words on the front and back covers of my rather old copy of the book. While Charlie Johns is seemingly very impressed by Ledom society at one point, I didn't really understand why he suddenly felt that way. Moreover, his views quickly change as his guide Philos shows him some of Ledom's secrets. I can't really go into the heart of this matter without giving something away to the future reader, so let me just say that clearly all of the Ledom are not blissfully happy nor do they even claim to be an ideal society.

This book does succeed in delivering a powerful ending. While I expected a late twist, I did not really expect the ending Sturgeon gave me, and this largely made up for the dissatisfaction I felt regarding the secondary "modern life" story. The ending makes this book the classic it is, but the main story is thoroughly enjoyable throughout. A man is somehow snatched from his own world into that of a strange new world inhabited by a small, largely sexless society which purports to keep all its citizens equal, happy, and free. In return for a trip back home, Johns agrees to study the society objectively (objectivity being something the Ledom lack); the new society rather quickly reveals a layer of conflict and isolated unhappiness hidden behind a mask of equality and utopia. Interestingly, Charlie Johns (and the Ledom) learns more about home sap. society than he does Ledom society. In essence, the book serves not as a critique but more of a study of human life, honing in on two issues: sexuality and religion. Sturgeon offers a number of interesting ideas on society, but these seem to me to be ideas only and not prescriptions or even suggestions. To my mind, Sturgeon actually lauds the greatness of human society despite whatever ills it certainly possesses.

Venus Plus X is an important, influential, successful example of social science fiction, proving that science fiction is at its best when it deals with the large, abstract issues of mankind rather than focusing exclusively on the technical aspects and believability of a future or alternative science. You can learn something about yourself by reading this book, and that is a grand accomplishment indeed for any writer in any genre.

Rating:
Summary: Utopian Tract
Review: Sturgeon's gifts largely desert him when he turns from fantasy with a subversive subtext to an openly preachy, didactic tract, reminiscent of Bellamy's "Looking Backward". In his earlier days, he did not dare reveal his criticisms of contemporary society in quite so overt a manner, and was forced to adopt the more interesting subterfuges of metaphor and allegory - transparent enough, but making the message both acceptable and (more importantly) interesting. To find the ideas of this book as such truly provocative, I think it would be necessary to have read very little.

The story is not so much slow as nonexistent. The purely Utopian sections are interleaved with a more interesting treatment of contemporary (late 1950's) American life, in which the underlying message is presented in Sturgeon's normal ironical manner. This is quite good, but there is too little of it. The Utopian sections begin to come alive around page 188, with just twenty more pages to go, at which point some plot twists enliven matters, finally. It's a pretty rough slog to get that far.

This has, by and large, no more literary value than a religious tract. If one wants to see some provocative ideas about sex, religion, and so on, there is much more entertainment to be found in the philosophical writings of Bertrand Russell, which are lively and unfettered by the Utopian format. Or for imaginative fiction, one will have more luck with dystopias - Brave New World, 1984, Fahrenheit 451 - than with Utopias, which are almost inevitably dull, preachy, didactic affairs.

Sturgeon first tried to write for "the slicks", then found a bit more space for his kind of writing in the F&SF genre. It seems that by 1960 the cultural climate had opened up to the point where he felt he could just say outright what he wanted to, with a minimum of sugar-coating. No doubt this was exhilarating at the time, and he wasn't the only one to get carried away in this manner. (I first read this novel around 1962, and in that context it was readable.)

I think Sturgeon forgot momentarily that the business of the writer is - writing. Still, I'm happy to see the reprint, and interested enough in Sturgeon to enjoy him at his worst. But if you are just making his acquaintance, start with "More than Human".

Rating:
Summary: contemporary context
Review: The most important thing about good speculative fiction is that it can push the boundaries of common preconception; it can cause a reader to really examine their thoughts and values and think 'what if?' Venus Plus X was probably more significant in its message 40 years ago when it was written, but taking its premise in context of it being written in 1960 makes reading it extremely worthwhile today.

This book is most often compared to The Left Hand of Darkness (another fine book!). This is a fair comparison - both novels deal with an intense examination of gender roles. However, The Left Hand of Darkness was written nearly 10 years later. A lot happened in the intervening time. Venus Plus X was even more stand-apart in its theme for its time.

Today's reader will probably not feel the message as strongly as an original reader. BUT! we have an advantage. We are able to read this magnificent book AND see 40 years into the future at the same time. We can see that we have not progressed as far as we probably should have - this book is not insignificant in its message even today.

Recommended.

PS - Thanks to Vintage for rereleasing classic scifi works by such greats as Sturgeon and PKD!

Rating:
Summary: A precursor
Review: Theodore Sturgeon was really bold and brave advancing gender and sex issues in the tame 1960! Love the description of the strange society and the ever-intriguing finale. This book predates Left Hand of Darkness of Ursula LeGuin and the Wraeththu series of Storm Constantine.I'd have appreciated less socio-anthropological dissertations and a more dynamic plot. The "everyday's life" inserts are really dull and uninteresting. But the time-travel story and the description of the androgynous Ledom is perfect! Charlie Johns' reaction on apprehending the truth reveals the age of the book, but for some aspects it is still shocking!

Rating:
Summary: A fine utopia indeed
Review: When this book came out I'm sure it was highly contraversial (or would have been, if science fiction wasn't generally ignored as a "serious" genre) since it basically tried to show that logically there were no differences between the male and female genders and that a race consisting of only one gender might not only succeed but prosper at the same time. And not as a forced totaliarian camp where all freedom and free will are squashed in favor of the "Utopian State" indeed here Sturgeon shows us that with a little love it's quite possible for anything to work and that differences really aren't that important as long as there's love. Coming from anyone else, it would probably come off as trite but Sturgeon has this gift probably because he was utterly sincere. He may not have believed that this utopia would ever come into being, but he believed firmly in the feelings and emotions behind it and that comes through on every page. Be warned, this is no slambang action science fiction book where multiheaded aliens shout heated cliches to slim suited astronauts with laser guns as everyone races around the galaxy. Frankly, not much happens here. Charlie Johns in transported to a future world where humanity as we know it is gone and in its place is a utopia consisting of a single gender, where children are worshipped above all else and harmony and peace are the order of the day. They want Charlie's thoughts on such a utopia and so show him around, most of the book is concerned with showing this world and the prose is some of Sturgeon's most exuburent, crackling with emotion. Sure there are mysteries to be solved and details to puzzle out but for the most part this is Sturgeon showing us a perfect world. And he does it without being sappy or preachy, the closest the book comes to that is one somewhat interesting section where Philos writes a letter to Charlie Johns detailing the lack of differences between guys and gals and why people perceive those differences. Even better, the narrative is interspersed with the life of a normal family, showing us just how totally normal people can have such biases. Even you or I. My favorite part is when the parents take their kids to watch a movie at a drive in and don't want them to see a sex scene, but bring them front and center when the graphically violent Western starts. This book is ignored I think in favor of the more well known "More Than Human" but it doesn't deserve that, it ranks as something that should be at the top of just about everyone's reading list, especially if they want something thought provoking.