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Baby is Three / ...And My Fear is Great
Baby is Three: The boy went to the psychiatrist because he needed help - but his problem was something no analyst could handle. He knew his name - but not his identity. He knew what he did - but not what he was. Worst of all, he didn't know how many of him there were.
...And My Fear is Great: The fear that lurked inside him was a demon that drove him to desperate measures of hatred and terror. It promised him all the riches of the earth. It carried him to a God-like power - until it met an even more
frightful monster outside!
Two complete novels
...And My Fear is Great: The fear that lurked inside him was a demon that drove him to desperate measures of hatred and terror. It promised him all the riches of the earth. It carried him to a God-like power - until it met an even more
frightful monster outside!
Two complete novels
127 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 1965
About the author
Theodore Sturgeon
727 books735 followersTheodore Sturgeon (1918–1985) is considered one of the godfathers of contemporary science fiction and dark fantasy. The author of numerous acclaimed short stories and novels, among them the classics More Than Human, Venus Plus X, and To Marry Medusa, Sturgeon also wrote for television and holds among his credits two episodes of the original 1960s Star Trek series, for which he created the Vulcan mating ritual and the expression “Live long and prosper.” He is also credited as the inspiration for Kurt Vonnegut’s recurring fictional character Kilgore Trout.
Sturgeon is the recipient of the Hugo Award, the Nebula Award, and the International Fantasy Award. In 2000, he was posthumously honored with a World Fantasy Award for Life Achievement.
Sturgeon is the recipient of the Hugo Award, the Nebula Award, and the International Fantasy Award. In 2000, he was posthumously honored with a World Fantasy Award for Life Achievement.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
May 9, 2022
Of these two novellas—both rather difficult to get, I would give 5 stars to “Baby Is Three” and three to “And My Fear Is Great”.
This has the original stand-alone of “Baby Is Three”. It can also be found in William Tenn’a superb anthology, “Children of Wonder” AKA “Outsiders: Children of Wonder” it is also In the title story in the complete Gateway Collection of Theodore Sturgeon. Of course, (with a rewritten ending) it comprises the central section of “More Than Human”. But I feel “Baby Is Three” as a stand-alone is much more satisfying. The attempt to force it into a narrative in which the characters and writing styles of the first and third sections of “More Than Human” are so different is not completely successful. Lone, in “The Fabulous Idiot” certainly is not the figure we meet in “Baby Is Three”. It is true that some might feel that the development of the concept of “Homo Gestalt” makes up for the episodic nature of the work and develops the theme more fully with the final section “Morality” but I find it the least engaging part of the book.
The companion story can also be found in that Gateway Series. It is the fourth story In “A Saucer of Loneliness”. It is more of a fantasy than science fiction and indeed appeared first in “Beyond Fantasy Fiction” in July of 1953. There is an interesting main character and There are some ideas which resemble thematic aspects of “Baby Is Three”. Sturgeon did love this story and considered it one of his favourites.
This has the original stand-alone of “Baby Is Three”. It can also be found in William Tenn’a superb anthology, “Children of Wonder” AKA “Outsiders: Children of Wonder” it is also In the title story in the complete Gateway Collection of Theodore Sturgeon. Of course, (with a rewritten ending) it comprises the central section of “More Than Human”. But I feel “Baby Is Three” as a stand-alone is much more satisfying. The attempt to force it into a narrative in which the characters and writing styles of the first and third sections of “More Than Human” are so different is not completely successful. Lone, in “The Fabulous Idiot” certainly is not the figure we meet in “Baby Is Three”. It is true that some might feel that the development of the concept of “Homo Gestalt” makes up for the episodic nature of the work and develops the theme more fully with the final section “Morality” but I find it the least engaging part of the book.
The companion story can also be found in that Gateway Series. It is the fourth story In “A Saucer of Loneliness”. It is more of a fantasy than science fiction and indeed appeared first in “Beyond Fantasy Fiction” in July of 1953. There is an interesting main character and There are some ideas which resemble thematic aspects of “Baby Is Three”. Sturgeon did love this story and considered it one of his favourites.
October 14, 2022
After a slow start, this story quickly built up into a fascinating psychological sci-fi journey. The protagonist is exploring a traumatic event hidden in his subconscious, and after a dynamic back and forth with a psychiatrist eventually finds it. And that discovery leads to a new dynamic for both the protagonist and the psychiatrist. Not only well written, but a thought provoking sci-fi conceit as well.
Note - this was read as part of Science Fiction Hall of Fame 2A
Note - this was read as part of Science Fiction Hall of Fame 2A
December 10, 2020
Neither of these—at about 60 pages each—is a novel, but they are excellent novellas, though both comparatively hard to find outside of Sturgeon's hardback retrospective collections and early paperbacks.
'Baby is Three' is the inspiration for the novel More Than Human, forming its middle section, though its appearance here is a satisfying tale in and of itself, as the potential leader of a group of X-Men-style gifted children talks his story through with a psychiatrist. There's a lot of material covered in relatively few pages, and Sturgeon nails the personalities of all his characters.
'...And My Fear is Great' is another tale of a gifted youngster seeking mentorship, though initially unappreciated here, which forms much of the tension; this story also has a religious and spiritual angle which would feature again in the excellent, posthumously published novel Godbody. Again, much is packed into the narrative (Sturgeon is—as the other story's eventual expansion indicates—not far off a novel's worth of material here, but he's concise and measured with it), with a conclusion that is satisfying but ripe with potential.
'Baby is Three' is the inspiration for the novel More Than Human, forming its middle section, though its appearance here is a satisfying tale in and of itself, as the potential leader of a group of X-Men-style gifted children talks his story through with a psychiatrist. There's a lot of material covered in relatively few pages, and Sturgeon nails the personalities of all his characters.
'...And My Fear is Great' is another tale of a gifted youngster seeking mentorship, though initially unappreciated here, which forms much of the tension; this story also has a religious and spiritual angle which would feature again in the excellent, posthumously published novel Godbody. Again, much is packed into the narrative (Sturgeon is—as the other story's eventual expansion indicates—not far off a novel's worth of material here, but he's concise and measured with it), with a conclusion that is satisfying but ripe with potential.
June 11, 2024
Baby Is Three by Theodore Sturgeon 1952
Read in The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Volume Two
June 2024
I only read “Baby Is Three”, not “...And My Fear is Great”
A boy sees a psychiatrist to figure out way . The story is build like a detective story with series of reveals. There seems to have been a psychology-fiction era of science fiction, other than that the connection to science fiction is very thin. I liked the suspense-type writing but not almost al the rest.
Read in The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Volume Two
June 2024
I only read “Baby Is Three”, not “...And My Fear is Great”
A boy sees a psychiatrist to figure out way . The story is build like a detective story with series of reveals. There seems to have been a psychology-fiction era of science fiction, other than that the connection to science fiction is very thin. I liked the suspense-type writing but not almost al the rest.
May 9, 2021
I have only read Baby is Three in this book but what a powerful story this classic is. It took some time to get into but grabbed me more every page.
January 1, 2022
Baby is Three is a charming short story. Strange tale, told as a mystery, solved in the end. Good writer, good characters. I'll keep reading his old stuff.
June 5, 2024
Expanded like a frightened blowfish into “More than Human”. It’s as if Truman Capote had tried his hand at sci-fi.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews