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mlou_'s review against another edition
3.0
I went from finding this book super boring to sort of enjoying it. I found the opening slow and uninteresting but that soon progressed past the first part. The sci-fi elements were good, but what made me enjoy it most was the commentary on American society and the sort of questioning that occurred between what makes a human and what is alien. I rated it quite low because I just wasn’t hooked on it though. I mean it took me almost 2 weeks to finish a 190 page book which says a lot.
barurik's review against another edition
4.0
It was okay, pretty slow book overall. There's only a few interesting plot points that kept me motivated to actually finish the book.
rkfrodge's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
4.5
I wanted a weird alien story. I got a story about how the pitfalls of humanity can take anyone down. Bravo Walter Tevis. Bravo.
onetrooluff's review against another edition
4.0
This was an interesting read, assigned by my brother. I suspect he got into it after reading a Bowie biography.
It's a story about an alien sent to Earth to pass as human while working on an important mission.... the story behind his planet and his mission gets revealed a little at a time, so I won't spoil it here.
I definitely think the events in this book are more plausible set in the '80s as today this guy would have a) set off a zillion red flags with the FBI, CIA and NSA even faster, and b) been 'outed' as an alien by social media in a relatively short period of time.
I really liked the concepts presented, especially about alien tech being accepted by companies but noticed by at least one top chemist (there had to be others that noticed, don't you think?). There are also a lot of moral questions here, about the aliens' intentions and human nature.
I'm really looking forward to watching the movie version. I wonder if the author wrote it with Bowie in mind, because, really, reading the description of the character, who else could possibly play him on screen?
It's a story about an alien sent to Earth to pass as human while working on an important mission.... the story behind his planet and his mission gets revealed a little at a time, so I won't spoil it here.
I definitely think the events in this book are more plausible set in the '80s as today this guy would have a) set off a zillion red flags with the FBI, CIA and NSA even faster, and b) been 'outed' as an alien by social media in a relatively short period of time.
I really liked the concepts presented, especially about alien tech being accepted by companies but noticed by at least one top chemist (there had to be others that noticed, don't you think?). There are also a lot of moral questions here, about the aliens' intentions and human nature.
I'm really looking forward to watching the movie version. I wonder if the author wrote it with Bowie in mind, because, really, reading the description of the character, who else could possibly play him on screen?
danlisle's review against another edition
4.0
Better than the movie. I think the reason for that is that The director of the movie forgot that some of the viewers might not have already read the book.
toc's review against another edition
3.0
Everyone knows the David Bowie movie. But if you haven't read the book then you don't know the story. And you want to know the story. `Nuff said!