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krystofsubr's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
itsnicholaslashay's review against another edition
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Medical trauma, and Alcohol
sidus's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
akizico's review against another edition
4.0
Classic Tale
It is a story that we hear too often, suspicious governments dissecting the success of individuals wanting to do good, trying to turn them to their own selfish power.
It's a good quick read that still questions the type of world we live in.
It is a story that we hear too often, suspicious governments dissecting the success of individuals wanting to do good, trying to turn them to their own selfish power.
It's a good quick read that still questions the type of world we live in.
thecianrice's review against another edition
5.0
Wish I had read this earlier in my life. I really liked it.
theaurochs's review against another edition
4.0
Whilst slightly dated, like a lot of sci-fi from the era; this is a very powerful work of fiction.
A man from Anthea (whilst never confirmed, it's pretty much guaranteed to be what we call Mars) comes to Earth in a last ditch effort to save his dying civilisation. Earth, the Antheans reason, is similar to their own planet and civilisation in earlier days. He, T.J. Newton, has the wisdom and knowledge of the advanced and yet doomed Anthean civilisation; they ultimately fought each other to the brink of collapse with nuclear weapons, and wasted what remained of the natural resources of their planet.
When he arrives on Earth though, Newton finds that a lot of things don't quite match up with what he had learned from television broadcasts. He finds himself drawn to alcohol, and a downward spiral of depression. All the while he endeavours to create a fortune on Earth with his advanced knowledge of engineering so that he can use the resources to build a rescue vessel to return to Anthea. He sees the constant misuse of his inventions- the classic dilemma of a pure scientist whose work is used to create weaponry, or even just unethical diversions; toys, media etc. This is framed explicitly as a reflection of the Manhattan project, which one of the other scientist characters in the book had worked on.
Ultimately the US government become suspicious of his incredible inventiveness, and have the most believable reaction to an extraterrestrial- they throw the book at him to ensure his patents and paperwork are up to scratch.
As the novel continues, Newton becomes more and more jaded, ultimately deciding that humanity, and by extension the Antheans, are just not worth saving, and therefore abandons his whole enterprise.
Surprisingly relevant and deeply poignant, this is a quality novel that deserves its place among the classics of early sci-fi.
A man from Anthea (whilst never confirmed, it's pretty much guaranteed to be what we call Mars) comes to Earth in a last ditch effort to save his dying civilisation. Earth, the Antheans reason, is similar to their own planet and civilisation in earlier days. He, T.J. Newton, has the wisdom and knowledge of the advanced and yet doomed Anthean civilisation; they ultimately fought each other to the brink of collapse with nuclear weapons, and wasted what remained of the natural resources of their planet.
When he arrives on Earth though, Newton finds that a lot of things don't quite match up with what he had learned from television broadcasts. He finds himself drawn to alcohol, and a downward spiral of depression. All the while he endeavours to create a fortune on Earth with his advanced knowledge of engineering so that he can use the resources to build a rescue vessel to return to Anthea. He sees the constant misuse of his inventions- the classic dilemma of a pure scientist whose work is used to create weaponry, or even just unethical diversions; toys, media etc. This is framed explicitly as a reflection of the Manhattan project, which one of the other scientist characters in the book had worked on.
Ultimately the US government become suspicious of his incredible inventiveness, and have the most believable reaction to an extraterrestrial- they throw the book at him to ensure his patents and paperwork are up to scratch.
As the novel continues, Newton becomes more and more jaded, ultimately deciding that humanity, and by extension the Antheans, are just not worth saving, and therefore abandons his whole enterprise.
Surprisingly relevant and deeply poignant, this is a quality novel that deserves its place among the classics of early sci-fi.
tittypete's review against another edition
4.0
A spaceman comes to earth looking for a place to set up shop. He comes from a planet that's all dried out from nuclear war. So he introduces some alien film processing technology and makes a mil. He tries to parlay that money into building a spaceship for his friends back home but the feds find out he's a spaceman and he gets stuck in interrogations for so long he misses the space opportunity. Also they blind him and he becomes a drunk. In the end he gives up on his dreams in order to pursue gin. Grim parallels.
Love,
Mitch
Love,
Mitch
millennialbookreview's review against another edition
4.0
The Man Who Fell to Earth is a novel that has lost its significance since its release. While I would say it counts as a “classic” sci-fi work, some of the elements that made the novel ground-breaking don’t feel novel, nearly sixty years later. The genre has changed since then, causing some parts of the story to feel less impactful. At the same time, the core of the story has stood the test of time. I’d recommend the novel to any science fiction fan, even though it did not blow me away.
My full review can be found here
My full review can be found here
8yalan8's review against another edition
3.0
A science fiction classic, that I’ve found a bit harder to get myself into. The book is short, but it feels like it could have been even shorter and still deliver.
An alien (who is looks like a true human) has come to earth, and he is on a mission to design, manufacture and launch spaceships to return to his home planet. His home planet is devastated, and he is a chosen one to turn events to a better scenario. He has some advanced technology up his sleeve.
Themes of not fitting into society, loneliness, demotivation, self – pity are at hand. Themes seem timeless and important, but somehow thoughts and conclusions about society are applicable to the time the book was released. I expected to find more universal and timeless aspects in the story.
The book has a lot of focus on alcohol. This could be also related to the decade of that time, but there was such a huge focus on the alcohol, I kept thinking – why? If we have so much of this one aspect, it must be relevant to the story, everything is for a reason, and I struggled to put my finger on the “why?” question. I googled, and it seems that the author himself had a problem with drinking. No judgment here, but maybe that’s what fascinated him so much/he’s too obsessed with this, that it has transferred to the book content too much. It didn’t do anything relevant to the story and throwing it out of the story would have been beneficial.
The end of a book is abrupt and inconclusive. When I finished the book, it occurred to me that the beginning of a story, where the alien looks like a human (without normal explanation) sounds unconvincing, and the ending left me with kind of the same vibe. To be honest, I expected more. I adored “The queen’s gambit”, wanted to read more of W.Tevis work, but this one was a let down for me. Bumping up to 3 stars only because of the psychological aspect of a book.
An alien (who is looks like a true human) has come to earth, and he is on a mission to design, manufacture and launch spaceships to return to his home planet. His home planet is devastated, and he is a chosen one to turn events to a better scenario. He has some advanced technology up his sleeve.
Themes of not fitting into society, loneliness, demotivation, self – pity are at hand. Themes seem timeless and important, but somehow thoughts and conclusions about society are applicable to the time the book was released. I expected to find more universal and timeless aspects in the story.
The book has a lot of focus on alcohol. This could be also related to the decade of that time, but there was such a huge focus on the alcohol, I kept thinking – why? If we have so much of this one aspect, it must be relevant to the story, everything is for a reason, and I struggled to put my finger on the “why?” question. I googled, and it seems that the author himself had a problem with drinking. No judgment here, but maybe that’s what fascinated him so much/he’s too obsessed with this, that it has transferred to the book content too much. It didn’t do anything relevant to the story and throwing it out of the story would have been beneficial.
The end of a book is abrupt and inconclusive. When I finished the book, it occurred to me that the beginning of a story, where the alien looks like a human (without normal explanation) sounds unconvincing, and the ending left me with kind of the same vibe. To be honest, I expected more. I adored “The queen’s gambit”, wanted to read more of W.Tevis work, but this one was a let down for me. Bumping up to 3 stars only because of the psychological aspect of a book.