Theodore Sturgeon
The Dreaming Jewels (1950)
Author: Theodore Sturgeon
Genre: Science Fiction (Philosophical)
Plot Summary:
Eight-year old Horty finally escapes his abusive and unloving adoptive parents after one particularly bad night when three of his fingers are severed during a confrontation. He leaves behind everything but his favorite toy, a broken Jack-in the-box named Junky, and stows away on a carnival truck. The carnival feels like a place he can belong for a time. However, the freak show in which Horty finds himself may be even more dangerous than his home. The carnival owner, nicknamed "The Maneater", has discovered a secret that leads him down the path of obsession. When Horty's fingers begin to grow back it is clear that he is no ordinary child and his life may depend keeping this hidden. SPOILER: The Maneater has stumbled upon extraterrestrial life on Earth and has learned to harness this alien power for evil. Horty must defeat him or risk falling under his control.
Geographical Setting: America
Time Period: Mid-Nineteenth century
Appeal Characteristics:
The pacing of The Dreaming Jewels is measured. There is not much detail and plenty of dialogue. However, the ideas involved require some reflection. In addition, the multiple points of view of the story slow the pace as the reader jumps back and forth between perspectives. Much of the book's appeal is in its characterization and its storyline. The frame is not the author's focus. The setting of the carnival and Horty's childhood town are not described extensively. These are just places for the characters to interact and are not much more than backdrop. Main characters and secondary characters are well developed and interesting. Motivations are revealed slowly. This is a coming of age story in which the reader sees the characters grow and change over years. The shifting point of view gives the reader insight into the interior life of several people important to the story. Sturgeon's style is simple, poetic and lyrical which may be an appeal element for some readers. This gives the novel a tone much like a fairy tale which may appeal to younger readers. The storyline is layered and complicated with many surprises and revelations along the way. Readers may also be engaged by the levels of meaning Sturgeon creates. The reader is led to consider how exactly one can define a human being. In addition, the author draws a parallel between the alien life in the novel and the idea of God.
Read-alikes: Ray Bradbury would be a good read-alike suggestion for a fan of Theodore Sturgeon. Both authors concentrate on character development in their novels and short stories and both authors create intricate plots with many revelations and surprises. Bradbury's Something Wicked This Way Comes is a story of a carnival that rolls into a small town and starts granting wishes and the two boys that save their neighbors from the evil within themselves. This selection shares the carnival setting of The Dreaming Jewels as well as the focus on a young protagonist fighting evil. Peter Crowther's Songs of Leaving would satisfy a reader drawn to the style of The Dreaming Jewels. This is a collection of short stories including several tributes to Bradbury's stories. Some favorites in the anthology include "The Invasion", "Palindromic" and "A Worse Place than Hell" a speculative tale exploring the premise that Abraham Lincoln is suddenly transported to twentieth century New York City. Crowther writes with a similar simple and poetic style as Sturgeon. In addition, his focus is on, like Sturgeon, characterization rather than action. For those readers drawn to the coming of age aspect of the storyline in the Dreaming Jewels, a good choice might be Frank Herbert's Dune. The storyline, also a tale about newly discovered power beyond the ordinary, is complicated and jumps from many points of view like Sturgeon's novel. The well developed characters growing over a long time frame may also appeal to fans of The Dreaming Jewels. Set twenty thousand years in the future, Dune is the story of Paul, who must realize the full potential of his psychic abilities and seize power from an evil Emperor in a world of deceptive and ever-changing alliances. Readers that enjoyed Sturgeon's focus on the interior life of the characters may like Roger Zelazny's The Dream Master. This is a story that revolves around a psychoanalyst whose job involves sharing dreams with his patients and adjusting them along the way. Zelazny's storylines are full of twists and turns like the Dreaming Jewels, and although the settings are exotic, the focus is on the characters. Zelazny writes relatable characters, often in the process of finding themselves, which may appeal to readers of The Dreaming Jewels. Zelazny's Lord of Light shares Sturgeon's theme of Mankind's relationship with God. In this novel, the Gods are immortal astronauts living who have, with the help of technology and the luxury of time, developed Godlike powers and rule over the inhabitants of a colonized planet until Sam, formerly Buddha, decided to stand against them. David Almond also shares Sturgeons simple and elegant writing style and Skellig would be a good suggestion for young adult readers of The Dreaming Jewels. This is another story of a young relatable protagonist with whom reader strongly emphasizes. Skellig is a part man, part owl creature that Michael finds injured in his garage one morning. He decides to secretly help Skellig regain his strength. This mysterious creature is somehow connected, however, to Michael's seriously ill baby sister. This story, like Sturgeon's, can work as simple adventure story, but also deals with themes of life and death in an unstable world.
Red Flags: Mild violence, sexual situations
|top|
|
