tabitha_thorns's review against another edition
Wasn't gripping enough to renew when the return date came along
untamable_shrew's review against another edition
Just couldn’t get into it - there are 0 likable or relatable characters and the never ending pithy remarks make it really hard to read.
alliebookworm's review
3.0
Not Buckley's best. Definitely has that snark and commentary (both subtle and not-so-subtle) that I know and love from him, but not nearly as strong as his other works. The end got a little silly as well. Overall, not bad, but not great.
aurorabulgaris's review
4.0
I truly enjoy aliens/ufo stories (major x files fan here). And this particular way of handling the lore is absolutely amazing! I could totally buy into THAT type of conspiracy theory - it's much easier to combine with my scientific brain.
dhilderbrand's review
2.0
Not my favorite but it did make me smile. Comedy in writing is challenging. The premise was awesome!
slanderoid's review
2.0
Grade: D+
Synopsis:
This is the story of a resolute right-wing television news commentator who is ‘abducted by aliens’ twice. As one might expect, he responds to the first abduction with tight-lipped denial, but responds to the second abduction with unbridled acceptance. The protagonist then becomes willing to reduce his celebrity life to rubble to find the truth about alien abductions. This leads into Part 2, where the author explores the bureaucratic red flags that are raised when a renowned media figure tries to spread ‘fantastic’ ideas to the public and how the protagonist deals with them in his quest for honest answers.
Positive:
I feel that this author did well covering the intricacies of the subject, in that, there are only a few inconsistencies in the plot. The main character had some likable personality traits hidden beneath his abrasive exterior, and the rest of the cast supplemented the story well. Parts of the book are undeniably well-written; enough to keep the reader engaged throughout. The author had plenty of fun with the subject matter, which is important for both the reader and the author alike.
Negative:
The punchlines of most of the jokes become predictable and stale by Part 2. Never did I feel that the author allowed himself to follow the train of thought that aliens could actually exist, and the protagonist reflected it; the main character’s stance seemed veiled by superficiality. Overall, I felt that the plot was unsatisfying. Most of the characters lacked spontaneity (and most other components of the Human Element) and seemed more like placeholders to keep the plot in motion than personalities to which the reader could identify.
My honest opinion:
Aside from some minor twists, this book is exactly what I thought it would be. I’m really not sure why I continued reading it. Mostly, I wanted to know what would happen if someone like Bill O’Reilly was ‘raped by aliens’, I guess. Now that I’ve said that out loud, I think I might be a twisted son of a bitch.
My favorite new word:
Mammon (n.) - the personification of wealth and avarice as an evil spirit (from Wordnik / Wiktionary)
My favorite quotation:
“Doesn’t anyone have imagination enough not to believe in something?” #ThoughtProvoking
My least favorite quotation:
“Around them, scattered like masticated hamster bedding material, newspapers were piled and strewn.” #PoorWriting
Further reading:
Mahatma Gandhi (http://www.mkgandhi.org/bk123.htm)
Synopsis:
This is the story of a resolute right-wing television news commentator who is ‘abducted by aliens’ twice. As one might expect, he responds to the first abduction with tight-lipped denial, but responds to the second abduction with unbridled acceptance. The protagonist then becomes willing to reduce his celebrity life to rubble to find the truth about alien abductions. This leads into Part 2, where the author explores the bureaucratic red flags that are raised when a renowned media figure tries to spread ‘fantastic’ ideas to the public and how the protagonist deals with them in his quest for honest answers.
Positive:
I feel that this author did well covering the intricacies of the subject, in that, there are only a few inconsistencies in the plot. The main character had some likable personality traits hidden beneath his abrasive exterior, and the rest of the cast supplemented the story well. Parts of the book are undeniably well-written; enough to keep the reader engaged throughout. The author had plenty of fun with the subject matter, which is important for both the reader and the author alike.
Negative:
The punchlines of most of the jokes become predictable and stale by Part 2. Never did I feel that the author allowed himself to follow the train of thought that aliens could actually exist, and the protagonist reflected it; the main character’s stance seemed veiled by superficiality. Overall, I felt that the plot was unsatisfying. Most of the characters lacked spontaneity (and most other components of the Human Element) and seemed more like placeholders to keep the plot in motion than personalities to which the reader could identify.
My honest opinion:
Aside from some minor twists, this book is exactly what I thought it would be. I’m really not sure why I continued reading it. Mostly, I wanted to know what would happen if someone like Bill O’Reilly was ‘raped by aliens’, I guess. Now that I’ve said that out loud, I think I might be a twisted son of a bitch.
My favorite new word:
Mammon (n.) - the personification of wealth and avarice as an evil spirit (from Wordnik / Wiktionary)
My favorite quotation:
“Doesn’t anyone have imagination enough not to believe in something?” #ThoughtProvoking
My least favorite quotation:
“Around them, scattered like masticated hamster bedding material, newspapers were piled and strewn.” #PoorWriting
Further reading:
Mahatma Gandhi (http://www.mkgandhi.org/bk123.htm)
austinbeeman's review
5.0
Absolutely hilarious- even 20 years later. A searing satire of Washington DC’s priorities through the lens of the UFO abduction world. Highly recommended!
ashcomb's review
3.0
This was my first introduction to Christopher Buckley's political satires. I had heard good things about his writing, and I didn't have an excuse not to read the Little Green Men I had bought two months ago. So, I dived into the book about little green men (no surprise there; the proof is in the title) and American politics.
Little green men always get me excited, so much my husband says I have an unhealthy obsession. And like with the monsters I root for the little buggers. I'm the first one to open the doors for them to destroy the world, advertise the free open space in my head for their slugs to nestle in with their patios and swimming pools, but where I draw my line is abductions and probing. That is just weird guys!
Now you know where I stand and my dirty secrets are out, we can move on to the actual review. Buckley's Little Green Men was about abductions and invasive probing, but we can only blame ourselves about that, in so many twisted levels I would need a shrink to recuperate. Anyway, I had ambivalent thoughts about this book. There was only one relatable character, and he got more space in the middle of the book. The beginning was too slow, and the political picture and its relation to the main character could have been done quicker and without repetition. Middle being the strongest part of the book is an odd problem to have. Usually, it is the other way around.
One major beef I had with the book was its footnotes. They drove me crazy. I hated that they explained open jokes and references. I think he should have left such things for the reader to look up if they wanted to. I couldn't just skip them as I'm a completionist. Any unread footnotes and half-finished books haunt me. The thought I don't know what was said causes me to spiral into the madness of consoling myself with chocolate from white to dark.
Back to the point. I'm not sure how the book fits into Buckley's other books. This was a bit of a disappointment as I had high expectations. I know I give him another chance and Little Green Men wasn't bad. I know I have been bashing the book more than I have said good things about it, there were bits I enjoyed and a lot, and I don't regret picking up the book and owning it.
Little green men always get me excited, so much my husband says I have an unhealthy obsession. And like with the monsters I root for the little buggers. I'm the first one to open the doors for them to destroy the world, advertise the free open space in my head for their slugs to nestle in with their patios and swimming pools, but where I draw my line is abductions and probing. That is just weird guys!
Now you know where I stand and my dirty secrets are out, we can move on to the actual review. Buckley's Little Green Men was about abductions and invasive probing, but we can only blame ourselves about that, in so many twisted levels I would need a shrink to recuperate. Anyway, I had ambivalent thoughts about this book. There was only one relatable character, and he got more space in the middle of the book. The beginning was too slow, and the political picture and its relation to the main character could have been done quicker and without repetition. Middle being the strongest part of the book is an odd problem to have. Usually, it is the other way around.
One major beef I had with the book was its footnotes. They drove me crazy. I hated that they explained open jokes and references. I think he should have left such things for the reader to look up if they wanted to. I couldn't just skip them as I'm a completionist. Any unread footnotes and half-finished books haunt me. The thought I don't know what was said causes me to spiral into the madness of consoling myself with chocolate from white to dark.
Back to the point. I'm not sure how the book fits into Buckley's other books. This was a bit of a disappointment as I had high expectations. I know I give him another chance and Little Green Men wasn't bad. I know I have been bashing the book more than I have said good things about it, there were bits I enjoyed and a lot, and I don't regret picking up the book and owning it.