When his mother threatens to scoop him out because he boasted to his classmates, ten-year-old Christopher Zimmerman, the youngest member of a family of aliens, goes on a journey through space, time, and other dimensions to escape his punishment.
Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Christopher appears to be an everyday 10-year-old boy, but he's actually an alien, or perhaps a mutant. The FBI isn't exactly sure what he is, but they're looking for him and his family in any case. His mother, meanwhile, surrounded by extraordinarily powerful and advanced communications equipment, runs their home with an iron fist. When Christopher begins telling stories in school about Shakespeare being a transvestite and the dinosaurs being wiped out by ESP?stories he can back up with an incredible amount of detail?Mother cracks down immediately. Christopher, she rules, is to be "scooped out," neutralized, turned into a pale shadow of himself. Determined to escape his punishment, the boy, aided by his grandfather and a time machine disguised as a bathroom, sets off on a bizarre and painfully humorous adventure through multiple universes. Kandel (Strange Invasion; Captain Jack Zodiac), is best known for rendering several of Stanislaw Lem's novels into English and has been twice nominated for a National Book Award for his translations. His latest novel?understated, surreal and intensely ironic?is unlikely to appeal to readers who see space opera as the epitome of good SF but should find an appreciative readership among admirers of the work of Lem and Philip K. Dick.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
Ten-year-old Pennsylvanian Christopher Zimmerman tells his classmates fantastic stories of traveling to the past and other worlds. For his boasting, his mother first disables his powers and, when he escapes with his grandfather, decides to kill him. When Panda Ray sends Christopher to the Sea of Isn't, where his mother can't hurt him, he learns how dangerous his powers really are. This humorous look at adolescence through an alien's eyes is recommended for YA and sf collections.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wow. What a stunner,
By A Customer
This review is from: Panda Ray: A Science Fiction Novel (Hardcover)
This is perhaps one of the most brutal and amazing children's books I have ever read. it starts as a simple fable about a little boy with strange powers and quickly becomes a frightening indictment of man's inhumanity to man. Kandel's writing style is remeniscent of Hawthorne's deconstructionist narrator in "The House of the Seven Gables" - omniscient and chatty, with just the right tone of menace. In addition, Kandel makes poetry and beauty of the mathematical aspects of the story. At one point, he describes the angles of a triangle in such luscious language you want to curl up with one, just to see what it would be like. I cannot recommend this book highly enough. I know it will haunt me for months....
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Very strange!,
By A Customer
This review is from: Panda Ray: A Science Fiction Novel (Hardcover)
This book is very different from any I have read. The plot is extremely imaginative, with lots of strange twists. It is also rather dark (believe me, no one wants a mother like the one in this story!!). Imagine an alien family here on earth, having very alien values, with all that implies. Imagine a race and chase through space and time and alternate realities, all written in a sort of dry, "postmodern" sort of way, as the protagonist tries to get away from a very strict mom, who has a unique way of punishing her chidren. This book is wonderful science fiction/literary candy. Having said all that, any one that really loves science fiction or fantasy should read this.Addendum added years later: After 7 years, I still believe this is one of the best science fiction books I've ever read (and I've read hundreds over the years -- maybe thousands -- in the 50 years I've been reading them!). I have reread it many times. After reading the other reviews, I think the problem is that some folks may bring a different set of expectations (valid in their own way)to books. I personally don't have to have everything linear (tho I generally prefer it). This is science fiction/fantasy for people who love words for themselves, and enjoy a new twist or two. It is extremely imaginative, you care about the characters, and it isn't just like everything else you've ever read. Give it a chance!
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wow. What a stunner.,
By
This review is from: Panda Ray: A Science Fiction Novel (Hardcover)
This is perhaps one of the most brutal and amazing children's books I have ever read. it starts as a simple fable about a little boy with strange powers and quickly becomes a frightening indictment of man's inhumanity to man.Kandel's writing style is remeniscent of Hawthorne's deconstructionist narrator in "The House of the Seven Gables" - omniscient and chatty, with just the right tone of menace. In addition, Kandel makes poetry and beauty of the mathematical aspects of the story. At one point, he describes the angles of a triangle in such luscious language you want to curl up with one, just to see what it would be like. I cannot recommend this book highly enough. I know it will haunt me for months..
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