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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Invasion of Our Nightmares, February 19, 2005
This review is from: Invasion of the Body Snatchers (Paperback)
Miles is beckoned to his friend's house after several cases of people reporting their friends' family and loved ones are not themselves. As it turns out what was originally thought to be a possible case of mass hysteria turns out to be an invasion of a sleepy town by pod-like aliens who then take over the populace's appearances and identities.
Admittedly other reviewers summed this book up better than I, which I attribute partly to my not wanting to give any plot away (for those Amazonians that have not had the pleasure of reading this book yet), and partly because as one reviewer pointed out the alien invasion plot was hardly original even at the time of this title's publication. Writers of Finney's era seemed to thrive on metaphorically writing about the "red" threat of communism.
Finney may not have been the first or last to write on the theme but he did an exceptional job re-visiting other author's alien plots and using his unique style and imagination to write perhaps the seminal novel on the subject. From the opening pages I was scared. Reading each paragraph with a mounting sense of dread as Finney did an excellent job pacing his novel.
Certain scenes jumped out in this relatively thin tome(compared to some horror novels Body Snatchers is almost a novella with an economy of words to do the job of scaring readers) placed within the story for maximum effect. When Miles, and Jack discovered the "blank" slate of a body in Jack's basement I thought "oh sh*t" presumably as Finney intended I should.
As stated this isn't longest horror novel ever and there was no need for it to have been. Finney uses the perfect amount of words to tell his open ended tale of alien takeover elegently and with such an influx of paranoia in the text I reflected upone completion "they sure don't write them like that anymore but I wish they did."
In summation a classic in the genre in the purest sense of the phrase.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Pleasant, with remarkable passages :), January 8, 2000
This review is from: Invasion of the Body Snatchers (Paperback)
I had quite a good time with this novel. Even though there are now thousands of books about alien invasion, the plot of this one still remains original. Due to the nature of the aliens, which are indeed transmissible vegetable parasites (but I won't tell you more about them ;) ), the story does not contain the slightest violence: no serious fight, no bloody killing, no catastrophe. However, suspense, anxiety, mystery are at the rendezvous. Just imagine indeed what psychosis it would generate if there was a mortal epidemic of some sort in your immediate surrounding, epidemic that would pervert the mind. Think about the people you cross everyday, including your own family. Are they really safe? Can you trust them? Don't they plan to contaminate you? On the other hand, you can't eternally confine yourself at home. So, what can you do? It's exactly what the inhabitants of Mill Valley are confronted to, except that a very few of them will hazily suspect the nature of the epidemic; for the others, it will be too late. There are a lot of notable passages in this book. For instance, when Jack reads to Miles (the hero) and their wives his collection of newspaper clippings, all related to irrational events, it gives you the creeps, especially if you are still vividly aware of the context. It's crazy to see how this sequence adds to the malaise, even if the articles have nothing to do with their situation. Ahh, and the final face to face encounter in chapter 17 between Miles and the psychiatrist Mannie, then contaminated and no longer the same we knew at the beginning of the novel. I remember that fine piece of eloquence and philosophy: Miles still doesn't understand why the vegetables, the "pollen" in fact, came from so far away to poison terrestrial life and Mannie, softly, quietly, gives him a long but memorable speech in answer. I'd so much like to reproduce an extract of his words but late Mr Finney's editor would probably resent it -damn good old copyright ;) Beyond that, the author has a very good sense of humor. His character Jack Belicec is all but a self-caricature and he takes benefit of the opportunity to make self-publicity, his previous book "Time and Again" is even quoted! Don't worry, it spoils nothing. These were the positive points. Now, I confess 2 trifles prevents me from giving 5 stars. First, I think that sometimes Miles is too smart a hero. He figures things out a little too fast and unfortunately, I caught myself saying "Mmm... he's too smart to be true." Second, Jack Finney's conception of man and woman relationship flirts a little with machismo, i.e the man is always acting and the woman is always screaming or crying, you known, that sort of thing. It's undoubtedly worthy of the 50's but this conception got old so badly that it has become a misconception so... Well, anyway, "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" is rather a good book, easy to read and pleasant. You can go ahead :)
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Horror needs no blood, no demons-just FEAR, June 2, 1999
This review is from: Invasion of the Body Snatchers (Paperback)
An epidemic of a specific neurosis: all around you, people are claiming that their closest friends and relatives have been replaced by perfect impostors. They question their sanity. Then they recover. But you start to wonder, for a friend/family member seems a bit odd to you now... not like himself. You try to get help, but the roads out of the city are inexplicably worsening and your phone won't call out of the area. And then it hits you: THEY HAVE CONTROL... This story has been retold many times (the 50's serial, book, and movie; the retellings of both in the 70's; and that God-awful 1992 movie). The pure HORROR of its concept is so universal that the term "body snatcher" is used worldwide. Beware the pods: there are places in YOUR house they might hide. This novel is one of the best I've read. It combines decent (though sometimes stereotypical) characters with unbelievably tense action and story twists (not plot twists, though you might not be able to predict this one). The characters are believably human and the important loose ends are explained; Mr. Finney himself tells you that not all of them will be, which makes for an even better story. If you haven't seen the 1978 movie with Donald Sutherland: 1. You MUST see it. Don't drink much beforehand. 2. Don't expect the same story as the book; in fact, they're two opposed tellings of a wonderful horror concept.
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