The Man Who Fell to Earth

Brilliant. This a deceptively simple story, told in simple, uncomplicated prose, but with unexpected depth and relevance. It might come off as slightly trite now, as with most mid-20th century fiction set in "the near future" (the late 1980s, of all things!), but I'm sure in 1963 it was truly a sign of the times. What I'm sure hasn't lost its charge over the years is the tint of sadness, of individualized despair, that permeates the book and ultimately embitters the characters. No one escapes their self-destructive fears - not the American government, not the curious scientist, and most especially not the titular visitor who comes to save his world but can't even save himself. The film version, starring David Bowie, is far more surreal show more and symbolically charged (and, as with any Nicholas Roeg film, obsessed with sexuality), but the plot is almost completely the same, and anyone who enjoys one version of the tale should enjoy the other. Definitely worth seeking out. show less

4/5

A short and simple story about a humanoid from Mars who lands on Earth, with a plan to weave himself into human society, and find passage for the rest of his people. Of course, all things cannot go according to plan, and the alien finds himself becoming more and more like the humans he has studied, leading to the questioning of his own motives and values.

When I say simple, I'm mostly referring to the prose style, though there are occasional moments of real eloquence and beauty. Though the prose is typically short and to the point, that does not mean a lack of deeper meaning or theme. Tevis explores both addiction (specially alcohol addiction) and alienation in a sophisticated way. His message is crisp and clear within a lucid and show more fast moving plot. A lot of plates to juggle all at once, but Tevis does so with a certain amount of grace that I was captivated by. The characterization of Newton is excellent, and leads to an ending of his arc that is both believable and tragic.

In terms of flaws, this future USA feels incredibly dated, to the point that I'm confused as to why Tevis didn't just set the novel in 1963, when it was written. All of the same critiques could've been made about current U.S. Values, and the Cold War. It seemed needless, especially since things have barely advanced in this reality. I also thought that the characters outside of Newton were fine at best, but could've been more thoroughly explored.

This is deeply emotional book, one that moved me greatly. It was excellently paced, outside of a slight sluggishness in the middle, and I found it quite engaging to read. I do have a hard time including this in the science fiction genre, because outside of the surface level veneer this is much more about people than anything else. It's a human story, even though the human is from another planet. show less

I enjoyed this philosophical look inwards. Tevis does a good job of examining how much we can be influenced by those around us and the company we keep.

It's not really sci-fi if that makes sense. Tevis needed a character not from this world to show how easily any one or thing can fall into cycles of addiction, greed, self loathing, and malaise. Even when one has an important mission or goal.

The ending was very well done, perfectly conveying that despite how bleak things have become even of it is self wrought there can be hope; if we make that choice. We always have a choice.

Zoals met de schoonste scifi boeken - en met alle echt mooie boeken tout court - dekt de vlag zelden de lading en zit er onder de oppervlakte, onder het verhaal an sich - nog heel wat moois verborgen.

Vermomd als mens landt een man van een andere planeet op aarde om een oplossing te zoeken voor de laatsten van zijn soortgenoten die op de opgedroogde planeet tot ondergang gedoemd zijn. Met zijn technologische voorsprong zet hij een bedrijf op poten om alvast het nodige geld bij elkaar te krijgen, maar hoe langer hij op aarde is, hoe meer hij verrast wordt door de menselijke natuur, al dan niet positief. Hij identificeert zich steeds meer met mens zijn, waaruit twijfels en onzekerheid groeien of zijn lot en dat van zijn soort.

We wisten show more van bij aanvang dat dit boek ooit verfilmd was met David Bowie in de hoofdrol en toen we op bladzijde twee geconfronteerd werden met de fysieke beschrijving van het gelande buitenaards wezen vermomd als mens, zijn we helemaal overtuigd dat die rol Bowie op het lijf geschreven was.

Een boek dat leert over mens zijn of niet, met een goed uitgewerkte spanningsboog. Indrukwekkend is hoe Walter Trevis niet focust op wat mogelijk een spannende race tegen de tijd zou kunnen zijn, maar op het karakter, de twijfels en de onzekerheden van zijn hoofdrolspelers. Het boek is empathisch en doorleefd en kreeg een verrassende, aangrijpende en aandoenlijke plot mee. Erg mooi. show less

This short 1963 science fiction novel had a great premise and opening few chapters. The "what if" question here is this: what if a single highly advanced alien landed on Earth and needed to build a rescue ship for the rest of his kind? The early parts of the story - which feature the alien (Newton) rise to power and wealth were fascinating. I would have liked to have had 3-5 more chapters about Newton's rise to power and how he made that happen.

The middle section of the alien interacting (or rather suffering) from the attentions of the government were also compelling. There's a great passage in this section when Newton questions the seemingly endless and irrational questioning and processes that his government captors impose on him. The show more response: "Bowen shrugged his shoulders. 'Modern governments move in mysterious ways.'" The interrogation, the exploration of the political aspects of having an alien in custody were all quite interesting.

The ending of the book just felt like a let down after such a build up. I'll give the author this - it came as a surprise and it subverted expectations. show less

A David Bowie-like cat-loving alien comes to earth to save us and his own people but comes to trouble when he loses his alien-ness to the influence of humanity.

Themes of isolation, addiction, belonging and what it means to be human.

An alien comes, alone, to Earth. He lands in Kentucky and begins the process of making money to bring other survivors from Althea to save people from themselves.

I enjoyed the technologies he brings--and patents and sells--and the way he integrates himself into society. I also liked the physical differences between himself and humans, though I was a bit confused, it sounded like Altheans or humans are actually a split from the other? The best parts, though, were in his emotional state. Loneliness and secretiveness can wear anyone down, despite the research and prep done in advance.

So--interesting and well considered, but I wanted more from the ending.