If All Men Were Brothers, Would You Let One Marry Your Sister?
"If All Men Were Brothers, Would You Let One Marry Your Sister?" is a science fiction short story by American writer Theodore Sturgeon. It first appeared in Harlan Ellison's anthology Dangerous Visions in 1967.
Plot
[edit]An Earthman visits the planet Vexvelt, which is shunned by the rest of the colonized universe for unknown reasons. He finds it a utopian paradise, but then discovers to his shock and horror that incest is actively encouraged there.
Reception
[edit]Paul Kincaid has called it "beautifully constructed" and "oddly lyrical", and a story "upon which Sturgeon's reputation can comfortably rest", but noted that its tone can be "loud and hectoring", and conceded that the basic premise of Vexvelt being shunned for a reason nobody knows "doesn't altogether make sense".[1] Brian Stableford has described it as a "curious moral parable", whose "wild optimism (...) is as unappealing as it is unconvincing",[2] while Brian Aldiss felt that the title was "cutesy",[3] and Algis Budrys called the story "just plain terrible".[4]
Awards
[edit]- Nebula Award for Best Novelette (1967, nominated)[5]
References
[edit]- ^ Paul Kincaid (2007). "The SF Site Featured Review: The Nail and the Oracle, Volume XI: The Complete Stories of Theodore Sturgeon". SF Site. Retrieved October 14, 2017.
- ^ Stableford, Brian M. (1995-01-01). Outside the Human Aquarium: Masters of Science Fiction. Wildside Press LLC. p. 124. ISBN 978-0-89370-457-5.
- ^ Aldiss, Brian W. (1995-05-01). The Detached Retina: Science Fiction and Fantasy. Syracuse University Press. p. 88. ISBN 978-0-8156-0370-2.
- ^ Budrys, Algis (April 1968). "Galaxy Bookshelf". Galaxy Science Fiction. pp. 155–163.
- ^ "If All Men Were Brothers, Would You Let One Marry Your Sister?". The Nebula Awards® by the Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA®). Retrieved 2023-01-26.
External links
[edit]- If All Men Were Brothers, Would You Let One Marry Your Sister? title listing at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database
- Analysis with quotes at Everything2
- Quote at Oxford English Dictionary science fiction research website
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