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Only You Can Save Mankind (Johnny Maxwell Trilogy)

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Only You Can Save Mankind is the first book in Terry Pratchett's Johnny Maxwell trilogy. While this is considered juvenile or young adult fiction, it's a lot of fun for adults as well. It seems a little strange to journey with Terry Pratchett to a place other than the Discworld, but this little jaunt is quite enjoyable. Johnny Maxwell is a rather typical twelve year old boy; he's not smart or popular or rich, and he tends to prefer operating below the radar of those around him. He is living in Trying Times, basically having to take care of himself for the most part while his parents argue and come ever closer to splitting up. Like any kid, he enjoys a good computer game every now and then, and his friend Wobbler, born to be a hacker, supplies him with just about any illegally pirated game he could want. As earth's last remaining fighter, he has destroyed all but the last big alien ship in the game Only You Can Save Mankind when a message suddenly appears on the screen: We wish to talk. Thus begins a journey that takes him inside the game as the Chosen One, the human who will lead the alien ScreeWee race back to safety beyond The Boundary. The reptilian captain of the ScreeWee is tired of fighting; the human fighters appear out of nowhere, kill and destroy ships in her fleet, and keep coming back no matter how many times they are killed. She has seen what happened to the Space Invaders and would rather surrender than die fighting.

You don't have to remember playing Space Invaders to enjoy this book, but it does make the story a little more enjoyable. As always with Pratchett, the characters are well-developed and quite remarkable. I really liked Wobbler, the future hacker who designed a game of his own called Journey to Alpha Centauri to be played in real time, meaning all the thousands of years it would take to reach Alpha Centauri is how many years the game would take you to actually finish it. Beyond the comedy present in this story, there is also a message. The backdrop of the earth-based events of the book is the Persian Gulf War, and the juxtaposition of this war that is real but seems like a game with the computer game that becomes real for Johnny Maxwell conveys a message about violence and one's attitude toward it. It is not an overbearing theme, but it is there to some degree, helping make this short novel much more than just a juvenile read intended to entertain the reader and nothing else. This is a short book that never falters from beginning to end, and it houses much more in its pages than might be apparent at first glance. It is not as complicated or brilliant as the Discworld novels, but it is a fun read nonetheless, sure to entertain Pratchett fans while capturing the attention and interest of young readers.

This is a terrific story, with many classic bits and a very realistic portrayal of kids in primary school. Johnny's best friends include Wobbler (a computer hacker), Yo-less (named because he never says Yo), and Bigmac (who lives in the rough part of town).

Johnny Maxwell, while his parents are going through "trying times" and the Gulf War is getting going on the tele, was playing a shoot-em-up computer game when he found that the Mighty ScreeWee(tm) Empire had no interest in fighting back, and wanted to surrender. This becomes quite complicated.

There are deeper meanings, etc, but don't let them frighten you off a book that is also very entertaining for adult Pratchett fans. :)

Don't dismiss this as a simple Children's book, it's one of the most thought-provoking books I've ever read. It shows us how we portray warfare in the real world, particulary the Gulf War, and reduce it to a computer game on our television screens, a fun game where nobody really gets killed, excpet for "The Bad Guys".

Of course, after reading this book we understand that there really isn't any good or bad side in any war. I'd better stop now before I write a lenghty essay on this subject!

That's really the question, isn't it? The old saw says that one person can make a difference, but no one ever thinks that it's them so no one does anything. And no difference is ever made. That's what the question on the cover of the book points out, if not you, then who else will?

In this case, Johnny is that one person, one out of thousands, but the only one who listens and takes on the responsibility of trying to do something. He has no power in the "real" world; his parents are on the verge of splitting up and he feels like he's just drifting through life. But now he has both power and responsibility, as little as he thinks he wants either.

It's always been just a game to him; kill the aliens and advance to the next level. But what happens when the aliens surrender? When they place their lives in his hands, ask for his protection? They just want to go home, to escape the strange humans who attack them without provocation. Johnny has the challenge of not just helping them, but learning to see them as people instead of just "things." Because it's all too easy to kill a thing. When you let that "thing" become a person to you, become real instead of an object, then it's not easy anymore.

And that's the lesson here, in a story where the first Gulf War is always on the TVs and being discussed in the background. It's all too easy to wage war when you see your opponents as less than human. When they're nothing more than a target on a screen. It's a lesson that Johnny initially fights against learning, but one that he comes to accept, just as he accepts that he's the only one both willing and able to help these aliens who are becoming people to him.

Eventually he does have help in the form of a genius with the nickname of "Sigourney" (good ode to the "Aliens" franchise). A girl who despite her intelligence, is caught in the mindset of having to win at everything, even if it means killing everything. It's the hardest on her to learn that the ScreeWee are people, and the lesson doesn't drive home until it's nearly too late. Her character is a good commentary on the entire "kill 'em all!" mindset and the way high intelligence doesn't always negate prejudice or massive blind spots in morality.

As always with Terry Pratchett, I have the distinct feeling that a great deal of the humor is going far over my head in that British way that, as an American, I just can't grasp. However, the story itself is so solid, as are the characters and the messages, that it doesn't matter much. There are plenty of jokes that I did get and I enjoyed the rest of it for what it was. I'll be looking forward to seeing the other two books published here in the states.

Best known for his "Discworld" series, Terry Pratchett actually penned several books prior to starting that. One of those is "Only You Can Save Mankind," the first book of a young adult trilogy, which shows some of his initial roughness but is still convincing and enjoyable.

Johnny Maxwell is an extremely smart but otherwise ordinary English boy, who enjoys hanging out with his friends Wobbler, Yo-less, and Bigmac (their respective nicknames are all explained in the book) and exchanging pirated video games. One of these, "Only You Can Save Mankind," focuses on defeating reptilian aliens called ScreeWees.

But suddenly the ScreeWees surrender. Johnny is, unsurprisingly, quite taken aback: video game enemies are supposed to continue fighting, not surrender and ask him to stop firing. Then the game shows nothing but empty space. Johnny assumes that there is something odd about it, but nothing can prepare him for what it turns out to be: The ScreeWees are real aliens, who are attacked when someone uses the video game.

Though very different from his Discworld series, "Only You Can Save Mankind" has the stamp of a Terry Pratchett book. From the quiet hero who sees it all, to supporting characters called "Wobbler," it's all Pratchett. The conversations are Pratchett's usual slightly rambling, nuggets-of-wisdom dialogue. The narrative style is much rougher and starker than in this later books, without the polish to be found in his later books. However, he also adds in some swsssh and fplatfplatfplat sound effects whenever the video game is dealt with.

The ScreeWees are interesting and original, although I hope Mr. Pratchett has since learned that amphibians do not have scales. The humor is very unique and original, such as when the Captain tells Johnny to order Jumboburgers for an entire spacefleet, or the long-running Sigourney Weaver joke. On the other hand, he also provides some intelligent questions that are left for the reader to ponder, and an enjoyably whimsical plot: "What if video games were real acts of war?"

Johnny is an endearing hero in the mold of Pratchett's Discworld character Teppic, a young and slightly naive young boy with a quick brain and a very difficult situation. His supporters Kristy, Wobbler, Yo-less and Bigmac are all set apart by individual quirks like Wobbler's endearing lack of ethics, Yo-less's conscientous attitude, and Bigmac's appetite. The Captain doesn't appear much, but she is tough and easy to sympathize with.

Though hard to find in the United States, the Johnny Maxwell trilogy is well worth the read, especially for Pratchett fans.

What would you do if you were set to win a space simulation shooter and the enemy starship suddenly surrender? At first, Johnny Maxwell figures he'll shoot them anyway. He wants the end of game screen, wants to know that he, in the last experimental spaceship, actually did save mankind. But the alien starships have stopped shooting--and really seem ready to surrender to him. Accepting their surrender isn't easy--as Johnny discovers when he learns that he's abruptly become responsible for the safety of a huge fleet of starships--torn by internal dissention but needing food, protection from other starfighters, and hoping for a distant dream of safety and a homeworld of their own.

Johnny has a lot going on in his life--he's a 12-year-old kid, after all, so he's got school, friends, and 'The Troubles' at home (as his parents' gradually break up). The last thing he needs is a bunch of aligator-shaped space aliens depending on him. Still, he's given his promise--and other computer gamers keep hunting down the fleeing fleet and hammering away at it.

Author Terry Pratchett sets his book during the Gulf War and very real smart-bombs, joystick-launched killing, and anti-different propaganda form a highly serious backdrop for a story that manages to be simultaneously funny and thought-provoking. Shattered remains of ancient and extinct 'Space Invaders' add a poignant touch. Johnny's relationships with the alien captain, his friends, and especially Kirsty/Sigourney seem real and troubled, further adding to the story.

ONLY YOU CAN SAVE MANKIND is targetted at the grade 5-8 market and the writing is certainly accessible to that group. I wonder, though, whether Pratchett's concepts are a bit subtle for that age group. Older and adult readers will find a lot to like in this thoughtful story.

This is the first of Pratchett's two books about Johnny. The second is Johnny and the Dead. Johnny hides in his room playing his favorite video game, a game at which he has become an expert. When he receives a call for help...from the video aliens he has been blasting. Johnny ends up entering the game itself to become their defender, but how will he convince the other champion player to let them live?

The Johnny Maxwell trilogy is a great deal of fun. Pratchett's different perspective of the way the world works is thoroughly entertaining. It's not part of the Discworld series, but the same sense of humor pervades it. If you like Pratchett's other works, give it a read.

Johnny Maxwell is playing a video game called "Only You Can Save Mankind" when a strange message flashes on the screen: "We wish to talk." HUH? There's nothing in the manual about messages. The player is just supposed to shoot down the ScreeWee ships. When Johnny fires again, another message appears: "We surrender! PLEASE!" Johnny quits playing for the evening.

The next day, the ScreeWee captain appears on the screen and tells Johnny that they surrender. The ScreeWees want to go home, and they ask Johnny for safe conduct. He agrees even though he's not sure what he's complying with.

Meanwhile, Johnny's family is going through a very difficult time. His parents may be splitting up; they're certainly unhappy. Johnny mostly fends for himself and watches tons of television, especially news coverage of the war in progress in the Middle East.

Johnny starts waking up in the middle of the game --- actually sitting at the star fighter controls. It's just a dream. Or is it? It doesn't feel like one, or smell like one, either.

The ScreeWees vanish, leaving only space in all "Only You Can Save Mankind" computer games and in Johnny's nighttime adventures. Where are they? When he sees the ScreeWees again, other human players are attacking them. The humans die and they return to play again, but when the ScreeWees die, their lives are over.

The war images on TV are not all that different from what Johnny sees in the game. Which is reality? Which is a game?

This first book in the Johnny Maxwell Trilogy has literally everything to make it an amazing read: breathless adventure, humor that causes the reader to laugh out loud, a main character who anyone can relate to, unexpected friendships, plus huge dead-serious ideas to sink one's teeth into. It just doesn't get any better than this!

Twelve years old Johnny Maxwell loves to play computer games especially those with alien battles. His favorite game at the moment is ONLY YOU CAN SAVE MANKIND in which he battles the ScreeWee.

However, something weird out of virtual reality happens when a ScreeWee Captain announces to him that she and her troop surrender and ask for safe passage back to their sector of space. She explains that this is no game for when a ScreeWee dies they really are dead. A stunned Johnny does not know what to do with all these prisoners of war as he is only a preadolescent. Adding to his burden is when he sleeps he seems to enter the computer world in which he can only wake when he dies as the Americans bomb Baghdad in Gulf War I.

Written during the first Gulf War, ONLY YOU CAN SAVE MANKIND is a powerful condemnation of war as a means to solve disputes. The story line targets the preadolescent crowd, but adults will enjoy the action-packed tale as the bewildered hero makes a plea for peace. Making no apology with his in your face claim that we are all humans whether we live in America, Darfur, Iraq, North Korea or ScreeWee, Terry Pratchett argue we need to live together in peace and harmony instead of sending our young (that is someone else's children) to fight when we ought to seek respectful peaceful solutions to a crisis.

Harriet Klausner