Buddy Holly Is Alive and Well on Ganymede

Oliver Vale was conceived on the night Buddy Holly died in 1959. 30 years later, a broadcast of Holly interrupts regular TV programming. Holly says to contact Oliver Vale for assistance. It becomes apparent that this was no local broadcast interruption, but worldwide, and that it in fact originates from Ganymede, one of Jupiter’s moons. And it shows no sign of stopping.

Now everyone from the FCC to a Bible-thumping preacher with a broad reach to coach potatoes worldwide blames Vale for not being able to watch their regular shows. Vale goes on the run and has to contend with a bald hitman, a robot doberman, and a very angry Republican woman who uses the most creative swears and insults I have ever encountered. All this is interspersed show more with flashbacks to Vale's odd upbringing by a woman obsessed with rock and roll who was convinced that Atlanteans (of the famously lost city) are trying to get in contact with her and others of the world. What if she was right?

My dad recommended this book to me, which just goes to show how well he knows me. I have never read a weirder book than this one, and considering my reading tastes, that's really saying something. There was a rumor about a film version of this book bouncing around a few years ago. If it ever actually sees the light of day, I will be first in line to buy a ticket. It's weird and wonderful and funny. If you want a good laugh or just enjoy Buddy Holly, you should give this book a read. show less

Cory Doctorow cited it as one of the great books he was handing out in his early days in the bookstore. It sounded interesting, and luckily, a few days later, it was released under a CC license. I'm glad it was - it's a good read.

At some point during the late eighties, every television is America is hijacked by Buddy Holly, apparently broadcasting from some sort of biodome on Ganymede meant to look like "The Ed Sullivan Show". No one knows why this is happening, how, or what it means, but when Buddy Holly reads one of the signs in the studio "Call Oliver Vale for assistance", our main character who shares the same name knows he's in a heap of trouble.

My beef with the book is that it's not science-fiction. Humor, yes. Sci-fi, no. show more There's a strange broadcast, yes, but its existence is simply a macguffin to get characters moving. There are aliens, yes, but they never figure into the main plot. They don't act like aliens or do alien things. There are robots, yes, but its a robot dog who no one seems to care much about, especially when it regurgitates a beer can as a gift. There are no spaceships, lasers, xenobiotic life forms, or different planets. So why call this science-fiction? This is a chase novel with a science-fictiony-like thing at the beginning. It could be the same story without it. show less

It's funny, exciting, and I like the way it seamlessly blends golden age sc-fi, new wave sci-fi, and new-age themes into something wholly unique. It would have been a five-star book if not for two things:

1. Gretchen. I don't appreciate her characterization at all.

2. Sharon's POV chapters. I didn't really see the significance. While everything else came together really well, hers seemed like outliers. I didn't have a problem with her as a character, but her POV chapters seemed unnecessary.

Fun book. I am not a fan of science fiction but was drawn to this because of its title. Originally read it when it came out in 1991. TV all over the world is interrupted by a broadcast that appears to be Buddy Holly. It is determined that he is on Ganymede, one of Jupiter's moons. He spends his time singing songs and talking. The book relates the effect this has on the world and one person in particular, Oliver Vale, who has a connection to Buddy Holly. Fun, quick read with Vale's adventures and a lot of humor thrown in.

Absurdist science fiction at its best - aliens have contacted an earthling in Topeka through signals from Buddy Holly and it leads to an amazing chase through eastern Kansas and Oklahoma, reaching a climax in the snack bar of a drive-in movie theater in El Dorado, Kansas.

Great Book. Hysterically funny. Well written and very entertaining. No redeeming value what so ever. I really enjoyed the diversion,

This Campbell-award winning novel feels strongly rooted in the 1980s, just something that a reader has to accept, I think. It's fun, anyway. There's a rumor that it will be adapted into a film. The ebook version is in the public domain.