One can look in several directions for precedents or possible sources for More Than Human. A number of science fiction novels, most notably Olaf Stapledon's Odd John (1936), deal with mutants outcast because of their very superiority to the rest of humanity. Odd John, however, lacks the humanistic optimism that characterizes Sturgeon's novel. Sturgeon's ultimate vision of a godlike humanity may also owe some debt to Stapledon, especially in Last and First Men (1930) and Star Maker (1937). Another parallel appeared the same year as More Than Human, Arthur C. Clarke's Childhood End's (1953), similar in its vision of humanity evolving to a godlike state but lacking Sturgeon's emphasis on ethical maturity as a necessary condition and the powerful emotional impact of his characterizations.