Audible Book Review: Venus Plus X by Theodore Sturgeon

This was an interesting science fiction focused on a genderless society.

Venus Plus X
By: Theodore Sturgeon
Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki

Length: 6 hrs and 26 mins
Release date: 02-24-09
Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.
Genre: Fantasy, Science Fiction
My Rating: 4.0 of 5.0 Overall; Story 3.75; Narration 4.0.

Source: 12/2020 Audible Plus Catalog. Publisher's Summary
Charlie Johns has been snatched from his home and delivered to the future world of Ledom, where violence is a vague, improbable notion and technology has triumphed over hunger, overpopulation, pollution, and even time and space. But there is a change Charlie finds even more shocking: gender is a thing of the past. This is a civilization in which tensions between male and female and the human preoccupation with sex no longer exist.
Charlie finds that the human precepts he holds dear are profane in this new world. But has Charlie learned all there is to know about this advanced society? And why are the Ledom people so intent on gaining Charlie's approval?
Unsettling, compelling, and no less than visionary, Venus Plus X is Theodore Sturgeon's brilliant, original, and insightful speculation on gender and civilization.
©1988 The Theodore Sturgeon Literary Trust (P)2009 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Review:
Charlie has woken up some place strange. He is continually reminding himself who he is. He soon learns he is in a futuristic world known as Ledom. Initially they won’t tell him where he is or if he has traveled through time.

This new world is different from the one Charlie remembers. Charlie wants to go home to Laura, but the leaders here ask him first to learn all about them. Technology has resulted in a civilization with no hunger, no overpopulation, no pollution, no violence, and more. One of the changes is in the people of the community.

The people are human like, but not quite. Gender no longer exists although pairings are present, and children are raised by a family unit as well as in a full community setting. Education is not as Charlie knows it but is done by technological input for each member of the society.

There are parts of the society that are beautiful. Charlie is awed at the use of music and the group relationship with music. If it weren’t for his longing for Laura, Charlie might be willing to stay in this utopian society. It seems right and possible until his guide takes him to the edge of the protected development and shows him the truth.

I enjoyed the world building of the setting. I always love the irony of true science fiction. The irony of this story is fitting today as much, if not more than, when published in 1960. The concept and discourse on the genderless nature of the people will make the reader/listener ponder the vision, implications, and reactions. The writing does include a lot of ‘lecturing’ by the characters rather than active showing. This made it a little less engaging. Still, I recommend this as a vintage, classic science fiction for serious readers of the genre.

Audio Notes: Stefan Rudnicki’s deep, direct narration fit the story. It just put me in the mood for the science fiction irony. Rudnicki provided distinct voices and captured the characters. The narration enhanced my listening experience for this work.

Source: 12/2020 Audible Plus Catalog This qualifies for 2022TBR, 2022Audiobook, and 2022Alphabet (V title) goals.