Flowers For Algernon

By (author) Keyes Daniel
Short description/annotation:
Classic novel of a daring experiment in human intelligence.
Description:

Charlie Gordon, IQ 68, is a floor sweeper and the gentle butt of everyone''s jokes - until an experiment in the enhancement of human intelligence turns him into a genius.

But then Algernon, the mouse whose triumphal experimental transformation preceded his, fades and dies, and Charlie has to face the possibility that his salvation was only temporary.

Winner of the 1960 Hugo Award for Best Short Story, and subsequently expanded into a Hugo-nominated novel, Flowers for Algernon earned Daniel Keyes the honour of SFWA Author Emeritus in 2000 for his contribution to Science Fiction and Fantasy.

''Heartbreaking and beautiful. Required reading, as far as I am concerned'' - Wil Wheaton
''A masterpiece of poignant brilliance . . . heartbreaking, and utterly, completely brilliant'' - The Guardian
''Excellent . . . extremely moving'' - The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction


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Review quote:
This is one of the greats: a story and a central character that have stayed with me for thirty years, from the first moment I picked it up
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A masterpiece of poignant brilliance . . . heartbreaking, and utterly, completely brilliant
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A timeless tearjerker
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Excellent . . . extremely moving
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Unflinchingly honest . . . it will make you reflect on your own life . . . and completely and utterly break your heart
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A narrative tour de force, very moving, beautiful and remorseless in its simple logic
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Strikingly original
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A tale that is convincing, suspectful and touching
Biographical note:

Daniel Keyes (1927-2014)
Born in 1927 Daniel Keyes joined the US merchant marine aged 17. He won the Hugo for the short story that Flowers for Algernon was based on and the Nebula for the novel itself. He has a masters degree in English and American literature and is a Professor of English and Creative writing. He died in June, 2014.

Review quote: previous work:
A narrative tour de force, very moving, beautiful and remorseless in its simple logic - Science Fiction: 100 Best Novels