Customer Reviews

The Secret of Life.

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The Secret of Life is another delightful and bizarre ready by Rudy Rucker. This time we enter the world of the '60s, and the life of an alien, Conrad, sent by his own to live the life of a normal human being while exploring for them the meaning of life for humans. (Of course, Conrad doesn't know his true identity as a human body is fashioned for him and he is woven into the life of a Louisville family, altering their memories to include this second son.)

Will it be drugs, existentialism, love or simply the pursuit of meaning itself? Will Conrad want to remain a human once he realizes his true identity?

With a bit of exploration of alienated '60s youth and teen to young-adult life, you come to care enough about Conrad and his struggles to keep reading.

I say: worth it.

Surpassed by every other Rucker book I've read, I can only imagine this being enjoyed by someone who hasn't had their expectations set high by better works - perhaps an adolescent not yet assigned to read 'Stranger in a Strange Land' and 'The Catcher in the Rye' would find in this book something novel.