A review by veryreaderie
The Puppet Masters by Robert A. Heinlein

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.