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squidgy_ish's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
Peak 50's sci-fi. I read The Puppet Masters for a paper on Cold War paranoia, and for that purpose it was perfect. However I started regretting some life choices about 5 pages in and it didn't get better.
Heinlein certainly has some thoughts about gender, sexuality, and society, and boy does he not let it rest. It! is! Constant! How did he make it plot-critical that this one woman is so hot that she can literally detect aliens? NEVER in her life has she encountered a man who didn't "respond" to her - how spooky! Must be the slugs! Then of course she falls for the protagonist (who is just SO cool you guys. SO competent and strong and masculine. He's like, smarter than the President OMG), they get married (hello there, Heinlein's "futuristic" views on marriage), and she loses any remaining speck of free will about halfway through. Oh, and in case you were waiting with bated breath for another one of Heinlein's ever-present "things" to come in, never fear! The U.S. President executive-orders everyone to go topless. And then nearly full nude. And then more countries follow suit. For the alien emergency, of course. No other reason. Thanks, Heinlein. Really cool of you. Very necessary.
Disregarding Heinlein being Heinlein, the horror is cool. The gross and squishy bits are gross and squishy, and it successfully evokes that terror of neighbor fearing neighbor. The little pieces sprinkled in about how the world has changed after nuclear World War Three (it's set in 2007) are thought provoking. Washington, D.C. is all egg-shaped now, flying cars and ray guns, etc. And yet no communications satellites! It's always interesting to see that "proper" retrofuturism.
Anyway. I was looking for a source on Communist paranoia and this book fulfilled that purpose. I would put The Puppet Masters firmly in its category as a product of its time, through and through. I can't in good conscience recommend that anyone put themselves through it. I guess come prepared with the mental equivalent of a spray bottle against the ghost of Heinlein.
Heinlein certainly has some thoughts about gender, sexuality, and society, and boy does he not let it rest. It! is! Constant! How did he make it plot-critical that this one woman is so hot that she can literally detect aliens? NEVER in her life has she encountered a man who didn't "respond" to her - how spooky! Must be the slugs! Then of course she falls for the protagonist (who is just SO cool you guys. SO competent and strong and masculine. He's like, smarter than the President OMG), they get married (hello there, Heinlein's "futuristic" views on marriage), and she loses any remaining speck of free will about halfway through. Oh, and in case you were waiting with bated breath for another one of Heinlein's ever-present "things" to come in, never fear! The U.S. President executive-orders everyone to go topless. And then nearly full nude. And then more countries follow suit. For the alien emergency, of course. No other reason. Thanks, Heinlein. Really cool of you. Very necessary.
Disregarding Heinlein being Heinlein, the horror is cool. The gross and squishy bits are gross and squishy, and it successfully evokes that terror of neighbor fearing neighbor. The little pieces sprinkled in about how the world has changed after nuclear World War Three (it's set in 2007) are thought provoking. Washington, D.C. is all egg-shaped now, flying cars and ray guns, etc. And yet no communications satellites! It's always interesting to see that "proper" retrofuturism.
Anyway. I was looking for a source on Communist paranoia and this book fulfilled that purpose. I would put The Puppet Masters firmly in its category as a product of its time, through and through. I can't in good conscience recommend that anyone put themselves through it. I guess come prepared with the mental equivalent of a spray bottle against the ghost of Heinlein.
medea_jade's review
adventurous
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
I read this books years ago and remembered loving it. I think I would have enjoyed it more reading a physical copy again as I did not love this reader. He did female voices very poorly and a lot of his sort of side character voices were frankly weird. All kinda slow and drawling.
The story itself is a classic. In many ways Heinlein was ahead of his time. The sexism is overt yet you also get the sense that the author himself didn’t necessarily believe it, only wrote it because it’s what was expected.
It’s an exciting plot with lots of twists. Truly this author is one of the fathers of modern sci fi. Much better than say the likes of Asimov who wouldn’t know a descriptive adjective or a diverse cast if they slapped him in the face.
The story itself is a classic. In many ways Heinlein was ahead of his time. The sexism is overt yet you also get the sense that the author himself didn’t necessarily believe it, only wrote it because it’s what was expected.
It’s an exciting plot with lots of twists. Truly this author is one of the fathers of modern sci fi. Much better than say the likes of Asimov who wouldn’t know a descriptive adjective or a diverse cast if they slapped him in the face.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexism
Minor: Animal cruelty and Animal death
crowfood's review against another edition
4.0
It is hard to find a half-decent female character in science fiction novels from the period in which this was written. You won't find any here.
The only real female character starts with a leg up. She is one of the top agents for the top-secret Section. Things go predictably downhill from there. She is also "super hot" and can spot the titular invaders because they're not attracted to her smokin' bod. She soon submits to the protagonist's ridiculous demand of marriage, and thereafter her dialogue more or less consists of "whatever you say, dear." Sigh.
That aside, the rest of the story is a classic that seems to have set the precedent for countless later imitations.
The only real female character starts with a leg up. She is one of the top agents for the top-secret Section. Things go predictably downhill from there. She is also "super hot" and can spot the titular invaders because they're not attracted to her smokin' bod. She soon submits to the protagonist's ridiculous demand of marriage, and thereafter her dialogue more or less consists of "whatever you say, dear." Sigh.
That aside, the rest of the story is a classic that seems to have set the precedent for countless later imitations.
bookwormerica's review against another edition
5.0
Something about a heinlein book that just drags you in.
gon8go's review against another edition
4.0
classic book, fast action but the romantic plot seemes forced.
the idea of everyone taking tempus pills to slow the perception of time deserves its own book.
the idea of everyone taking tempus pills to slow the perception of time deserves its own book.
thomcat's review against another edition
3.0
Hard to rate this. The science is good, once past the premise, and a darn sight better than the other alien invasion and body snatcher plots of the seventies. The female main character, though, brings the rating down. I cringe while reading lines like "Oh, I am being weak and womanish." Yes, attitudes were different 60 years ago, but I've read plenty of pulp where the female characters were either differently shaped men or completely ignored - either is preferable to the Heinlein approach.
Note to self - time to re-read Friday. Written 33 years later, and I think I remember a much better female lead.
Note to self - time to re-read Friday. Written 33 years later, and I think I remember a much better female lead.
veryreaderie's review against another edition
1.0
This book is probably a lot easier to read if you're not a woman. The exhaustive (and weird—pleasingly mammalian? arrogant breasts?) descriptions of female bodies wore on me, and the main character just had nothing to pull me back in. Occasional clever insights were peppered throughout, and if I'd liked the MC more the adventure might have been enjoyable, but I couldn't help feeling like Sam was a pretty useless guy who always took things out on the wrong people, had a victim complex a mile wide, and generally didn't deserve the admiration of the people around him. Certain well-done plot twists edge this towards an "it was okay", but then I remember the love interest saying she fell in love when the MC slapped her and it settles back down. Everything about the actual parasites was fairly interesting and thought-provoking; I just wish I'd been able to experience the story through a different character.
suzannekm's review against another edition
2.0
Yes I read another Heinlein. This time partly for a class and partly to see if I still dislike his writing. I do.
antoneh's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5