Godbody | Literary Precedents

Godbody Literary Precedents

Given the essentially materialistic premises of science fiction, it is surprising how many writers in the field have played around with the notion of a Christ-like Messiah — at times for comic or satiric purposes, at times with quite serious intent. Robert A. Heinlein's Stranger in a Strange Land (1961), for which Sturgeon wrote a glowing blurb, explores many of the same themes as Godbody, including the attacks on organized religion and the close identification of sex and religious worship. Stranger in a Strange Land is perhaps in a very general sense a source of Godbody. But the differences are probably more instructive. Heinlein maintains at least a nominal science fiction framework and his tone and intent are almost purely satiric, while Sturgeon writes a straight fantasy that is, in its own way, genuinely and seriously religious. It is curious to see close friends make remarkably different books out of...
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