Mitch Benn

Why is this book not better-known? If you're familiar with Mitch Benn's name at all, it's probably for writing and performing jokey satirical rock songs on Radio 4. This is a world away from that. the cover blurb bandies about names like Douglas Adams, Terry Pratchett and Roald Dahl, and while that's useful to a certain extent to give you an idea of the sort of genre you're gonna get, Mitch's style and voice are entirely his own.
Look, there are exactly two reasons why you might HATE this show more book. One: you just don't like science fiction as a genre; fair enough. Two: you struggle with and can't get past the unpronounceability of the alien names; also fair enough. But if you can pass over those two things you'll find a decent story about belonging, difference, and acceptance, some nice satirical and SF jokes (not too many actually) and two points – one near the start and one near the end – that will have you blubbing like a baby. I always feel vaguely foolish on the rare occasions that a book or a film make me cry, and those two bits of this novel made me feel very foolish indeed. show less

Humans are the plague to stay away from, according to beings from Fnrr, and all their extraterrestrial acquaintances. Humans eat animal flesh and shit on their beautiful planet.... they're too stupid for words. But one human, Terra, speaks the Fnrr-an language, and is about to change the way the beings from Fnrr think about them.

I'm not quite sure what to make of this book. Part of that is probably because it comes with a blurb from Neil Gaiman comparing it to Roald Dahl, Douglas Adams, and Terry Pratchett. That sets some very high expectations, which the book simply can't live up to.

The tone, structure, and protagonist would seem to make this a middle grade story, but I would only consider giving it to a child at the upper end of that range. There's a fair amount of brutal violence and death during the climax that show more doesn't seem quite appropriate. I wouldn't hesitate to give it to a child in the YA age range, but they might find the early parts a bit beneath them.

I also found myself falling out of the story many times, trying to figure out several science fictional questions such as why the sky might be pink and how Terra could breathe that atmospheric mix. The author also makes the unfortunate stereotype that science and frivolity have no place together and indulges in several old tropes such as aliens who have no concept of storytelling or fiction. My final complaint is that, while the text strongly implies that Terra is from the USA and the last bit seems to take place there, everyone involved uses a lot of Britishisms.

All of that sounds like I didn't much like the book, but I can't say that's really true. I'd even be willing to read the sequel. But this didn't really knock my socks off either. show less

Most aliens think that the earth is doomed. None of them can understand why we are so intent on ruining our only planet, especially as we haven’t developed the technology to get of it safely They are not going to help us either; can you imagine the chaos that would cause! One alien thinks that the earth is worth studying, partly for the places and partly for the other creatures; just not for the humans.

The Bradbury's were driving home whilst mid argument, as usual, and really weren’t show more expecting the lemon coloured and shaped spaceship to suddenly appear in front of them. Terrified, Mr Bradbury crashes the car. The parent’s climb out and run away as fast as they can. The alien discovers a child in the car. He decides that she need rescuing; from there, from Rrth and from humanity, and he decides to break every rule in the non-contact recommendations and takes her home.

Eight orbits later, Terra was about to enter formal education. As the only human on the planet Fnrr this was going to be very strange, very strange indeed. This is a time of change too, as the extraordinary world ofFnrr spirals into a terrible war.

Mitch Benn is best known for his funny songs and stand-up comedy, and this is his first venture into the realm of the novel. He has drawn on inspiration from various people, including Gaiman, Pratchett and Douglas Adams, whilst still ensuring that his own humour and voice stands out strongly. The concept of the human being the alien is a great one, and he has given her a plot that works really well too. It is definitely aimed at the younger audience, but that doesn’t make it any less readable or enjoyable. Great debut. show less