"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 it "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
 | This article about a science fiction short story (or stories) published in the 1960s is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |