K-Pax [Mass Market Paperback]

Dr. Gene Brewer (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 15, 2001

Psychiatrist Gene Brewer doesn't have a diagnosis for the mysterious new patient who calls himself "prot" (rhymes with goat). But this strange and likeable man cannot be--as he claims--from the planet K-PAX.

Or can he? Prot knows facts about space that are confounding the experts. He is soon revealing Dr. Brewer's own deepest pains and most sublime longings. And his tales of K-PAX have other patients competing to go along with him when he heads "home". Now the doctor is racing the clock to find prot's true identity before he losses a man whose "madness" might just save them all. . .

Published in a dozens countries with movie rights sold to the producer of Field of Dreams, K-PAX has touched the hearts and expanded the horizons of readers around the world. It promises to join Robert Heinlein's classic Stranger in a Strange Land as a moving, thought-provoking masterpiece of modern-day fiction.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This gripping first novel is a moving study of split-personality disorder and of a psychiatrist's desperate efforts to rescue a tragically lost soul. A patient calling himself "prot" and claiming to be a visitor from the planet K-PAX, an idyllic world without wars, government, sex or religion, is brought to the Manhattan psychiatric institute run by a character named... Gene Brewer (who is a psychiatrist, not a retired molecular biologist like his creator). Self-assured, wisecracking prot, who seems to possess arcane knowledge of subjects ranging from astronomy to paleontology, announces that he will return to K-PAX on August 17, just two months away. Before then, though, he enlists fellow patients in his fantasy; some of them, touched by his humanity, show marked improvement. Moreover, when Brewer invites prot home for a July Fourth barbecue, the man's mere presence seems to trigger dramatic changes in the psychiatrist's family. Brewer's daughter confesses that she's a lesbian, while his son, a pilot, divulges his deep-seated fear of flying, and switches careers. Aided by Giselle, a sleuthing reporter whose mawkish crush on prot strikes one of the few false notes here, Brewer finally brings out the repressed personality of a man scarred by trauma. Throughout, the narration's matter-of-fact, clinical tone makes this touching and suspenseful story all the more convincing. Film rights to Lawrence Gordon for Universal Pictures; audio rights to Brilliance.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Presented as the case study of a man brought to a psychiatric hospital for treatment who insists that he is from a planet called K-Pax, this novel is narrated by the attending psychiatrist. Using hypnosis and other therapeutic techniques, Dr. Brewer finally decides that "prot," as the man calls himself, is really the alter ego of Robert, a man whose wife and child were murdered. But if he is Robert, how does he know so much about astronomy, how is he able to cure other mental patients, and how can he vanish from the hospital periodically? The reader is left to decide whether or not to believe prot's story, since the ending is deliberately ambiguous. While this first novel does not stand out in terms of plot, writing, or character development, it is a pleasant read with moments of genuine humor. A good secondary purchase.?Nancy Pearl, Washington Ctr. for the Book, Seattle
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Paperbacks (January 15, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312977026
• ISBN-13: 978-0312977023
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (54 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #834,507 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Alien or psycho? That's missing the point!, September 25, 2001

By 

SF Signal "John D." (Houston, TX USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: K-Pax (Mass Market Paperback)

PROS: Descriptive, brisk writing style. Interesting story.
CONS: Somewhat predictable, mis-marketed as sf.
BOTTOM LINE: An enjoyable book I would gladly recommend

BRIEF SYNOPSIS: A psychiatrist gets a new patient who claims to be a visitor from the planet K-PAX.

Alien visitor or mental patient? The truth is not revealed until the very end, so the book is mainly about the relationship between doctor and patient on present-day Earth. So, it's a stretch to call this science fiction just because a psychiatric patient claims to be from another planet. Although the patient/visitor named "prot" (rhymes with goat - no capitals, please!) can describe the planet with vivid detail, it's mainly a general fiction book.

Classification aside, it's a quick and fun read! The book cover contains a quote calling it a "mixture of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and Starman." However, it's more of a mixture between Cuckoo and Field of Dreams. The story is mostly set in a psychiatric ward like Cuckoo and contains the "emotional healing" aspects of Field of Dreams. Alien or psycho? That's missing the point!

The story moves briskly...always a good thing. This book could have easily been padded with another 100-200 pages, but thankfully, it's just the right length (228 pp) for the story it contains. The writing style is clear, detailed and always interesting. With the clarity of writing, it's obvious that much of the psychiatrist's family life is based on Brewer's own experience; sure enough, Brewer's website reveals some personal details that mirror those of his characters.

I do fear that the current sequel and forthcoming 3rd book might be stretching a good premise too far, but, overall, K-PAX is a really good novel.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Is he an extraterrestrial? Or is he just on another planet?, April 12, 2004

By 

Stephen Pletko "Uncle Stevie" (London, Ontario, Canada) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: K-Pax (Mass Market Paperback)

+++++

This book (first published in 1995) by Gene Brewer consists of sixteen chapters (or "sessions") and, as well, has a prologue, epilogue, and even a short glossary. It is a novel that is very easy to read and that held my interest right to the end.

The story is about a man who claims to come from the utopian world called K-pax (a planet "about seven thosand light years [away and] in...the constellation Lyra"). This man is the prot-agonist of this story and calls himself "Prot" (pronounced pr-OAT) meaning (on his world) "sojourner" or traveler.

Eventually, Prot ends up in a mental institution and the psychiatrist who treats him is Dr. Gene Brewer. (Notice that the doctor has the same name as the author.) The entire book is mainly about the interaction between Prot and Dr. Brewer.

When reading this novel, you'll find that Prot has wit, humor, and much knowledge (especially in sciences like astronomy and physics and in philosophy). Dr. Brewer finds Prot quite rational and he later says, "I had never experienced a case like this, one for which I couldn't seem to find any handle."

Dr. Brewer asks his astronomy friends to formulate astronomical questions for Prot. Prot answers all these questions (despite the fact that these answers were known only by a few eminent space scientists). As well, Prot demonstrates certain otherworldly abilities. Thus, both Dr. Brewer and the reader don't know whether Prot is indeed an extraterrestrial or a traumatized human suffering from "hysterical amnesia and delusion."

Prot has a positive influence on all people he meets especially on Dr. Brewer, his family, and other patients in the institution. This gives the novel a certain warmth and charm. Also, the author Brewer, through his character Prot, offers interesting social commentary. My favorite is in the form of questions: "Is [K-pax] any duller than on Earth? Whose inhabitants spend most of their lives trying to get laid, watching sitcoms on television, and grunting for money?" Through his character of Dr. Brewer, the author reveals and explains certain psychological concepts.

Suspense is created when Prot tells Dr. Brewer that he must eventually return to K-pax. As well, even though all the other patients want to go with him to his utopian world, he promises that only one can come with him. As the announced date of his "departure" approaches, the question asked by Dr. Brewer and his staff is as follows: "What will happen when this day arrives?" As well, the other patients wonder whom Prot will choose to go with him.

By the end of the book, most but not all of the questions posed throughout the novel are answered. In other words, the novel ends on an ambiguous note. (However, some readers may not find the ending ambiguous.) In fact, the last sentence of this novel is by Dr. Brewer and reads: "And sometimes at night I go out and look up at the sky, toward the constellation Lyra, and I wonder..."

Note that this novel is the first in a trilogy. The next novel is entitled "K-PAX II: On a Beam of Light" and the last is entitled "K-Pax III: The Worlds of Prot."

Finally, the 2001 movie entitled "K-PAX" is good but not as detailed as the novel. You don't have to read the book first in order to understand the movie. However, if you want to understand the finer nuances of the movie, I recommend reading the novel first.

In conclusion, this is a fascinating novel that will hold your attention to the end. Dr. Brewer states that Prot's story "taught me about myself." I believe that Prot's story will also teach the reader about himself/herself!

+++++

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Captivating character study and social commentary, November 12, 2000

By 

Dr. Christopher Coleman (HONG KONG) - See all my reviews

This review is from: K-Pax: A Novel (Hardcover)

I picked this book up and read it in one day, at two sittings. It's an intriguing novel done as a psychiatric case study of the main character, "prot", a homeless man who believes himself to be from the planet K-PAX. The story is a voyage of discovery into prot's character and a social commentary on the ills of our time. Although there are touches of sadness, the overall quality of the book is optimism. I didn't find it as compelling as the other reviewers, although it was certainly enjoyable and well done. I don't see this as a must-read for sci-fi fans at all--it isn't by any means a science fiction novel. Rather, for those of you interested in the human condition and in people; for those of you willing to take a touch of magical realism with your reality, this will be a good read.