Good News From Outer Space (Paperback)

by John Kessel (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Kessel's ( Freedom Beach ) latest novel, a black comedy of pre-millenial hysteria set a decade in the future, is an outstandingly original work. George Eberhart, recently resuscitated from a "successful" suicide attempt by the newly perfected Han process--a scientific advance widely regarded as blasphemous--finds himself even more alienated from his trashy journalism job and his wife than he was before his "death." George becomes fascinated by a pattern of events that suggests a protean alien is traveling around the country playing sadistic games with unsuspecting earthlings, and he sets off to find the creature. While the novel is instantly enthralling and remains so for the first half, the focus then softens and the pace slackens. Writing in a intelligent, witty voice, Kessel creates full-fleshed adult characters in a somewhat uneven but still impressive achievement.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal
While televangelist Jimmy-Don Gilray mobilizes the state of North Carolina to await an alien-assisted Millennium, tabloid reporter George Eberhart uncovers an awful truth--the aliens are ahead of schedule. This clever story of cosmic (and comic) catastrophe by the co-author of Freedom Beach (with James P. Kelly, LJ 12/1/85) is recommended for both sf and general fiction collections.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Orb Books (March 15, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312890419
• ISBN-13: 978-0312890414
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #586,511 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If you haven't read it, you should, August 8, 2001

By	"chad597" (Indianapolis, IN USA) - See all my reviews

I first picked up my copy of this book off the shelf of some drugstore some years ago, and was utterly blown away by it. Full of weirdness, holier-than-thou mob frenzy, millienial fever, and even an alien, this Lewis Carroll-meets-Televangilism masterpiece kept me spellbound through the fourth and fifth readings. It is one of those that, while good the first time through, gets even better on subsequent reads.

I am warning you right now though, this book will be expensive for you. Why? Because you will be blown away by it, and you will make a friend read it. You will lend it to them, and never see it again. This is one of those books that will keep getting away from you until you break down and buy a copy to place in your secure book-vault.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A witty doom-sayers story with a twist., December 13, 1999

By A Customer

This is a great book to read if you like dark social commentary, sharp wit, and stories about doom-sayers and doom-nayers. Kessel is able to capture the chaotic nature of apocalyptic events and make the reader feel as though the he or she has been absorbed into the scene. I would highly recommend this book to any avid sci-fi reader.

5.0 out of 5 stars This book is good news even after the millenium is over., August 26, 2008

By	Stanley Hirtle "StanH" (Dayton OH USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

It is too bad that this book didn't get popularized in film or tv before the Millenium happened, as it is less likely to catch on now. This science fiction novel is actually a theological mystery. While a group of 80s style fundamentalists await the expected second coming of Christ (in a UFO, no less) the heroes discover that it may be already happening. People are encountering figures resembling significant people from their past, who confront their failings in ways that are sometimes judgmental and sometimes forgiving. Whether they are God or shape shifting aliens in a godlike role, the significant question is what meaning do they bring, if any, and will we be able to make sense of it? The result is a satisfying wrestle with these issues. It would be nice if this book got the attention it deserves.