As a general rule, books of Heilen I like them, despite their morality and their fascism (which I am not sure if it is fake and therefore caricatured, or if it is real... but well, the books are good and have rhythm), but this time, with «Puppet Masters»I have been unable to finish the book (and this happens to me very rarely).
This book was written in 1951 and the passage of time is noticeable:
- It is sexist to insulting extremes.
- The future in which the story takes place (more or less our present) is totally old-fashioned and tacky (not steampunk tacky, that would be fun… tacky, really tacky).
- The story is about aliens who come from Titan and occupy human bodies to invade Earth (it is very normal for the time, we could say that it is "a classic"... but it is a plot that is already very worn out... and on top of that we already know that there is nothing on Titan).
- Nothing worth mentioning happens in the book and the characters are not believable.
Well... maybe in 1951 it was interesting (it won 4 Hugo and 3 Locus awards), but now it is not worth buying or reading.
(… and by the way, the person who designed the cover of the book [which is the only thing that can be saved] I'm sure he didn't read it, it has nothing to do with the story)
2 responses
That's true, the passage of time is noticeable. Fortunately, we are evolving for the better in some aspects.
I would just like to ask a question that might lead to some reflection: are we sure that there is nothing (life) on Titan? Because according to the latest data from the probes sent there, it seems that there could be some kind of life. Maybe, I'm just saying maybe.
It is better not to be so blunt in denying it, because in the coming years we may find life in many places in the solar system and Titan is an excellent candidate for it.
On the other hand, thank you for the reviews you make. They are interesting and to my liking.
All the best,