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The Man Who Fell to Earth
Vintage movie tie-in
189 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published February 1, 1963
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About the author
Walter Tevis
57 books1,275 followersWalter Stone Tevis was an American novelist and short story writer. Three of his six novels were adapted into major films: The Hustler, The Color of Money, and The Man Who Fell to Earth. The Queen's Gambit has also been adapted in 2020 into a 7-episode mini-series. His books have been translated into at least 18 languages.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,814 reviews
December 21, 2022
This story is more psychological than science fiction. The main character, Thomas Jerome Newton, is an extraterrestrial from a planet called Anthea. He came to Earth in hopes of designing, manufacturing, and launching several spaceships to return to his home planet. His home planet has become a desert wasteland ravaged by nuclear war. He was chosen by his people to venture to Earth and undertake the rescue mission.
Newton uses the advanced technology from his home planet to earn millions and finance the manufacturing of the spacecraft but he falls short.
He stared at himself in the mirror for a long time crying. Then he spoke aloud, to himself, in English. "Who are you?", he said. "And where do you belong?"
And on the couch, Thomas Jerome Newton now lay drinking, his gin bottle open, his eyes glazed and staring at the ceiling in anguish... pg. 98
The longer he spends on Earth, he slowly changes and becomes more human-like. He enters a downward spiral as he develops a dependence on alcohol, starts to experience major depressive symptoms like loneliness, emotional and social alienation, demotivation, self-doubt, and self-pity. He eventually becomes stranded on Earth doomed a failure.
This was my first Walter Tevis novel and I enjoyed it. The readability and his ability to inject human emotion into the story was great. I would recommend this to anyone looking for something original and entertaining. Thanks!
November 22, 2022
SF Masterworks (2010- series) #81: A story with multiple points of view of an alien invasion, by one alien, Thomas Jerome Newton. What does he want, why does he need to amass huge sums of money? What happened when Newton met alcohol? And what happens to alien surrounded by billions of children, the human race? A deceptively simple, action-less and short story that uses science fiction to tell a very human story, that of alcoholism, loneliness and mankind's knowing walk to global self-destruction.
From the writer of The Hustler and The Color of Money, it came as a surprise to me, that he also wrote such notable science-fiction. A book written during the Cold War and as lot of art at the time is heavily influenced by it. The story also has aged really well, so it comes as no surprise that CBS are looking to make a TV show of it! There's not much to fault the story, but does feel like there's a bigger story going that we don't get to see because of the limited point of views of Newton and a scientist, Bryce that we're given. 7 out of 12/ Three Star read.
2020 read
From the writer of The Hustler and The Color of Money, it came as a surprise to me, that he also wrote such notable science-fiction. A book written during the Cold War and as lot of art at the time is heavily influenced by it. The story also has aged really well, so it comes as no surprise that CBS are looking to make a TV show of it! There's not much to fault the story, but does feel like there's a bigger story going that we don't get to see because of the limited point of views of Newton and a scientist, Bryce that we're given. 7 out of 12/ Three Star read.
2020 read
August 5, 2025
Haunting, unsettling and devastatingly real
Is he a friend or a foe? A destroyer or a preserver?
This is a story about T. J. Newton, an alien who has come to earth on a mission.
After multiple nuclear wars, his planet Anthea is dying, so he has come to Earth to use its resources to build a spaceship so the few surviving fellow Antheans can be transferred to Earth and be saved from extinction.
He has had years of training, observing human behavior. He believes he knows humans and their habits. He believes he can succeed.
What he doesn’t count on is the power of loneliness, emptiness, corruption and addiction.
What he doesn’t anticipate is the human frailty.
Is he a friend or a foe? A destroyer or a preserver?
This is a story about T. J. Newton, an alien who has come to earth on a mission.
After multiple nuclear wars, his planet Anthea is dying, so he has come to Earth to use its resources to build a spaceship so the few surviving fellow Antheans can be transferred to Earth and be saved from extinction.
He has had years of training, observing human behavior. He believes he knows humans and their habits. He believes he can succeed.
What he doesn’t count on is the power of loneliness, emptiness, corruption and addiction.
What he doesn’t anticipate is the human frailty.
November 26, 2020
“The man was very odd. Tall, thin, with white hair and a fine, delicate bone structure. He had smooth skin and a boyish face – but the eyes were very strange, as though they were weak, over-sensitive, yet with a look that was old and wise and tired.”
In short, he looks a lot like this:
Ground control to Major Thomas?
The eponymous Man Who Fell to Earth is one Thomas Jerome Newton, a rather commonplace name, not alienesque like Xarx or something along that line. Of course, his real name is very unlikely to be Thomas Jerome Newton; he is from a planet he calls “Anthea*”, but if he has an Anthean name it is never mentioned. He has come to Earth on a solo super-secret mission, so secret that he has to destroy the single-seat spaceship he came in on. Using his knowledge of hyper-advanced science he soon builds a business empire selling amazing new products like – uh – a high-speed film that develops itself, a new kind of TV, stereo systems, and various gadgets. Things were going according to plan until the pesky, primitive humans become his friends.Thrilling adventure Disillusionment, loss of identity and heartbreak ensue.
The Man Who Fell to Earth was first published in 1963, the story is set in 1985 and spans five years or so. This being the case some of the alien science is rather anachronistic in terms of our real-world science today; for example super high-quality films instead of digital photography. I suspect Arthur C. Clarke would have fared better with the imaginary gadgetry but this novel is clearly not about the science. The central theme seems to be loneliness and its impact on your goals. There are also observations about humanity’s lack of appreciation for the riches of our planet, the futility of war, and some satire of government bureaucratic incompetence.
Due to Earth’s higher gravity, Newton is physically weak and frail, but he also seems unlikely to have the strength of character to set up a business empire. While on a business trip he meets a hard-drinking hillbilly girl called Betty Jo who helps him out when he has an accident. They do not become romantically involved but he hires her as his personal assistant, he picks up her taste for gin and they soon go on benders together. After a few years on Earth with no way to communicate with his home planet Newton begins to feel lonely and miserable, he also feels that he has gone native in that he now thinks more like a human than an Anthean. The interrelationship between Newton and several characters he comes to call friends is quite sweet and touching.
There’s a starman…
A feeling of melancholy pervades throughout the book. Newton is not a happy alien even when things are going well for him, and when they go south the man who fell to earth probably wishes he had fallen somewhere else. Newton is a nuanced, sympathetic character. However, if you take out the “sym” part of sympathetic he is also that. It is hard to believe the Antheans chose him for this mission for his stamina.
The Man Who Fell to Earth is a very good read, I cannot find any serious flaw with it. However, I feel that the book ends too abruptly and somewhat inconclusively so I am holding back my often overly lenient five stars rating. I can recommend without hesitation if you like thoughtful, contemplative and somewhat philosophical sci-fi.
Notes:
* Anthea is implied to be Mars, but by 1963 scientists already suspect that there is no Life on Mars, so Tevis avoids using the name.
• Decades ago I saw the 1976 film adaptation , starring David Bowie, I thought it was weird and could not make heads or tails of it. The source material here is a breeze to read.
• There is a scene where Newton is interrogated by government agents, this is a notable scene because it is extremely well written and vivid.
• Don't read the goddam intro by Ken MacLeod before reading the novel because it's riddled with spoilers. Not cool Mr. MacLeod!
• Walter Tevis’ Mockingbird is fabulous, don’t miss it.
Quotes:
“There are times when you seem, to us, like apes loose in a museum, carrying knives, slashing the canvases, breaking the statuary with hammers.”
“How human he had become, to rationalize that way! He blamed her for his going native and becoming obsessed with vague guilts and vaguer doubts. She had taught him to drink gin; and she had shown him an aspect of strong and comfortable and hedonistic and unthinking humanity that his fifteen years of studying television had left him unaware of.”
“He felt like a man who has been surrounded by reasonably amiable, silly, and fairly intelligent animals, and has gradually discovered that their concepts and relationships are more complex than his training could have led him to suspect. Such a man might discover that, in one or more of the many aspects of weighing and judging that are available to a high intelligence, the animals who surround him and who foul their own lairs and eat their own filth might be happier and wiser than he.”
“It dismays us greatly to see what you are about to do with such a beautiful, fertile world. We destroyed ours a long time ago, but we had so much less to begin with than you have here.’ His voice now seemed agitated, his manner more intense. ‘Do you realize that you will not only wreck your civilization, such as it is, and kill most of your people; but that you will also poison the fish in your rivers, the squirrels in your trees, the flocks of birds, the soil, the water?”
In short, he looks a lot like this:
Ground control to Major Thomas?
The eponymous Man Who Fell to Earth is one Thomas Jerome Newton, a rather commonplace name, not alienesque like Xarx or something along that line. Of course, his real name is very unlikely to be Thomas Jerome Newton; he is from a planet he calls “Anthea*”, but if he has an Anthean name it is never mentioned. He has come to Earth on a solo super-secret mission, so secret that he has to destroy the single-seat spaceship he came in on. Using his knowledge of hyper-advanced science he soon builds a business empire selling amazing new products like – uh – a high-speed film that develops itself, a new kind of TV, stereo systems, and various gadgets. Things were going according to plan until the pesky, primitive humans become his friends.
The Man Who Fell to Earth was first published in 1963, the story is set in 1985 and spans five years or so. This being the case some of the alien science is rather anachronistic in terms of our real-world science today; for example super high-quality films instead of digital photography. I suspect Arthur C. Clarke would have fared better with the imaginary gadgetry but this novel is clearly not about the science. The central theme seems to be loneliness and its impact on your goals. There are also observations about humanity’s lack of appreciation for the riches of our planet, the futility of war, and some satire of government bureaucratic incompetence.
Due to Earth’s higher gravity, Newton is physically weak and frail, but he also seems unlikely to have the strength of character to set up a business empire. While on a business trip he meets a hard-drinking hillbilly girl called Betty Jo who helps him out when he has an accident. They do not become romantically involved but he hires her as his personal assistant, he picks up her taste for gin and they soon go on benders together. After a few years on Earth with no way to communicate with his home planet Newton begins to feel lonely and miserable, he also feels that he has gone native in that he now thinks more like a human than an Anthean. The interrelationship between Newton and several characters he comes to call friends is quite sweet and touching.
There’s a starman…
A feeling of melancholy pervades throughout the book. Newton is not a happy alien even when things are going well for him, and when they go south the man who fell to earth probably wishes he had fallen somewhere else. Newton is a nuanced, sympathetic character. However, if you take out the “sym” part of sympathetic he is also that. It is hard to believe the Antheans chose him for this mission for his stamina.
The Man Who Fell to Earth is a very good read, I cannot find any serious flaw with it. However, I feel that the book ends too abruptly and somewhat inconclusively so I am holding back my often overly lenient five stars rating. I can recommend without hesitation if you like thoughtful, contemplative and somewhat philosophical sci-fi.
Notes:
* Anthea is implied to be Mars, but by 1963 scientists already suspect that there is no Life on Mars, so Tevis avoids using the name.
• Decades ago I saw the 1976 film adaptation , starring David Bowie, I thought it was weird and could not make heads or tails of it. The source material here is a breeze to read.
• There is a scene where Newton is interrogated by government agents, this is a notable scene because it is extremely well written and vivid.
• Don't read the goddam intro by Ken MacLeod before reading the novel because it's riddled with spoilers. Not cool Mr. MacLeod!
• Walter Tevis’ Mockingbird is fabulous, don’t miss it.
Quotes:
“There are times when you seem, to us, like apes loose in a museum, carrying knives, slashing the canvases, breaking the statuary with hammers.”
“How human he had become, to rationalize that way! He blamed her for his going native and becoming obsessed with vague guilts and vaguer doubts. She had taught him to drink gin; and she had shown him an aspect of strong and comfortable and hedonistic and unthinking humanity that his fifteen years of studying television had left him unaware of.”
“He felt like a man who has been surrounded by reasonably amiable, silly, and fairly intelligent animals, and has gradually discovered that their concepts and relationships are more complex than his training could have led him to suspect. Such a man might discover that, in one or more of the many aspects of weighing and judging that are available to a high intelligence, the animals who surround him and who foul their own lairs and eat their own filth might be happier and wiser than he.”
“It dismays us greatly to see what you are about to do with such a beautiful, fertile world. We destroyed ours a long time ago, but we had so much less to begin with than you have here.’ His voice now seemed agitated, his manner more intense. ‘Do you realize that you will not only wreck your civilization, such as it is, and kill most of your people; but that you will also poison the fish in your rivers, the squirrels in your trees, the flocks of birds, the soil, the water?”
February 23, 2011
I had nearly forgotten why people start reading in the first place: the joy of an honest story. I'm so used to the writer as the essential protagonist, the writing as his conflict, and whether or not I want to throw away his book as his comedic or tragic end. But this just unfolds cleanly, without seeming consciously written at all. Never an "ohhh that was beautiful" and very rarely a distracting wince. I got deeply engaged without any self-discipline at all.
It's lightening-quick and so satisfying that I had to, for the first time, linger in a subway station to finish a book because I didn't want to wait until I got home. (And that precise location, my friends, was the enigmatic, Escher-like layer of the W 4th St. station, between the blue and the orange floors, quite possibly the smelliest place out there, just to attest to the refreshment of the reading experience.)
I have the DVD and cannot wait to watch it - maybe even tonight.
Why only 4 stars then? Because I'm still moonlighting as a snob. And, as such, switching back to Gravity's Rainbow and its two essential companions.
It's lightening-quick and so satisfying that I had to, for the first time, linger in a subway station to finish a book because I didn't want to wait until I got home. (And that precise location, my friends, was the enigmatic, Escher-like layer of the W 4th St. station, between the blue and the orange floors, quite possibly the smelliest place out there, just to attest to the refreshment of the reading experience.)
I have the DVD and cannot wait to watch it - maybe even tonight.
Why only 4 stars then? Because I'm still moonlighting as a snob. And, as such, switching back to Gravity's Rainbow and its two essential companions.
July 28, 2019
The Man Who Fell to Earth is my second Walter Tevis novel and unfortunately I didn’t like it anywhere near as much as I did The Queen’s Gambit.
Superficially it’s a sci-fi novel: the protagonist is Thomas Jerome Newton, an alien from the planet Anthea (Venus?), who comes to Earth to make enough money to build a rocketship to send back home and bring his people over to water-rich Earth. Alright, fine, that’s the premise and, very loosely, the plot. What it is in actuality? About a sad and lonely alcoholic who happens to be an alien.
What frustrated me the most was how little happened. Newton gets rich patenting alien tech. Then he continues to amass wealth. And he continues to amass wealth. He meets a couple people along the way. And he continues to amass wealth. He starts drinking. And he continues to amass wealth. And he continues to amass wealth. And… zzz…
It’s not a long novel (just under 200 pages) but it felt way longer because there’s almost nothing here to engage the reader. Knowing what little I do about Tevis’ life, I get that it’s basically about his lifelong battle with alcoholism and how having been a sickly child kept him weak and away from school so he couldn’t make friends which must’ve felt lonely and depressing.
Loneliness and depression lead to substance abuse - as an explanation for addiction, that’s totally believable if hardly revelatory. Except overstating this without exploring any deeper isn’t just unsatisfying but it’s also immensely tedious to read.
I wonder if the phrase “feeling like an alien” as a way of describing having trouble relating to others/social isolation originated with this book. Tevis also takes a dim view of the US government but that feature’s par for the course when it comes to alien stories.
It’s well-written and parts of it are mildly interesting - when Newton is interrogated by Federal agents at the end - but The Man Who Fell to Earth was mostly repetitive and very, very boring!
Superficially it’s a sci-fi novel: the protagonist is Thomas Jerome Newton, an alien from the planet Anthea (Venus?), who comes to Earth to make enough money to build a rocketship to send back home and bring his people over to water-rich Earth. Alright, fine, that’s the premise and, very loosely, the plot. What it is in actuality? About a sad and lonely alcoholic who happens to be an alien.
What frustrated me the most was how little happened. Newton gets rich patenting alien tech. Then he continues to amass wealth. And he continues to amass wealth. He meets a couple people along the way. And he continues to amass wealth. He starts drinking. And he continues to amass wealth. And he continues to amass wealth. And… zzz…
It’s not a long novel (just under 200 pages) but it felt way longer because there’s almost nothing here to engage the reader. Knowing what little I do about Tevis’ life, I get that it’s basically about his lifelong battle with alcoholism and how having been a sickly child kept him weak and away from school so he couldn’t make friends which must’ve felt lonely and depressing.
Loneliness and depression lead to substance abuse - as an explanation for addiction, that’s totally believable if hardly revelatory. Except overstating this without exploring any deeper isn’t just unsatisfying but it’s also immensely tedious to read.
I wonder if the phrase “feeling like an alien” as a way of describing having trouble relating to others/social isolation originated with this book. Tevis also takes a dim view of the US government but that feature’s par for the course when it comes to alien stories.
It’s well-written and parts of it are mildly interesting - when Newton is interrogated by Federal agents at the end - but The Man Who Fell to Earth was mostly repetitive and very, very boring!
October 20, 2020
How you could read this and NOT cast David Bowie in the movie I have no idea
November 15, 2023
Philip K. Dick, Elon Musk and several David Bowies sit in the first human city on Mars - Bradbury - and discuss Walter Tevis’ 1963 novel The Man Who Fell to Earth.
Elon: … notice how the tube and lock system keep the cold and thin atmosphere out while maintaining a comfortable living area inside.
Ziggy: Yeah, man, we just need some spiders, right?
PKD: Ah yes, spiders from Mars. David, I loved your performance in Nicholas Reg’s film so much that I included you in my novel VALIS.
David: Yes, Phil, and I was very much amused by my inclusion in that later work. While I channeled some of my otherworldliness from Ziggy into that performance, I was intrigued by Tevis’ portrayal of an alien.
Gareth: While Mars is never named, it is understood that his origin planet was likely Mars.
Aladdin Sane: This is Walter Tevis after all, and the narrative, while moving along at a good pace, gets depressing.
PKD: Another ubiquitous theme addressed here is substance abuse. Tevis struggled with alcoholism for most of his life and we see an odd but apparent reference to HG Wells in how Earth has effected our visitor.
Thin White Duke: I enjoyed the interactions with Betty Jo and Bryce. The alien is shown to develop human feelings and emotions.
Ziggy: Probably a recipe for disaster.
Elon: A highly advanced alien who goes native, a delicious idea and plot, but with all sorts of problems.
PKD: Thematically, this worked well and I liked his prose. Tevis’ language is inspired, he was a phenomenal talent.
Thin White Duke: But not as prolific as you, Phil.
David: Overall a very enjoyable novel by Mr. Tevis and I’ll read more from him but maybe take a break, he can get mired in depressive narration.
Gareth: Who wants to play chess?
[image error]
Elon: … notice how the tube and lock system keep the cold and thin atmosphere out while maintaining a comfortable living area inside.
Ziggy: Yeah, man, we just need some spiders, right?
PKD: Ah yes, spiders from Mars. David, I loved your performance in Nicholas Reg’s film so much that I included you in my novel VALIS.
David: Yes, Phil, and I was very much amused by my inclusion in that later work. While I channeled some of my otherworldliness from Ziggy into that performance, I was intrigued by Tevis’ portrayal of an alien.
Gareth: While Mars is never named, it is understood that his origin planet was likely Mars.
Aladdin Sane: This is Walter Tevis after all, and the narrative, while moving along at a good pace, gets depressing.
PKD: Another ubiquitous theme addressed here is substance abuse. Tevis struggled with alcoholism for most of his life and we see an odd but apparent reference to HG Wells in how Earth has effected our visitor.
Thin White Duke: I enjoyed the interactions with Betty Jo and Bryce. The alien is shown to develop human feelings and emotions.
Ziggy: Probably a recipe for disaster.
Elon: A highly advanced alien who goes native, a delicious idea and plot, but with all sorts of problems.
PKD: Thematically, this worked well and I liked his prose. Tevis’ language is inspired, he was a phenomenal talent.
Thin White Duke: But not as prolific as you, Phil.
David: Overall a very enjoyable novel by Mr. Tevis and I’ll read more from him but maybe take a break, he can get mired in depressive narration.
Gareth: Who wants to play chess?
[image error]
February 6, 2008
Brilliant. This a deceptively simple story, told in simple, uncomplicated prose, but with unexpected depth and relevance. It might come off as slightly trite now, as with most mid-20th century fiction set in "the near future" (the late 1980s, of all things!), but I'm sure in 1963 it was truly a sign of the times. What I'm sure hasn't lost its charge over the years is the tint of sadness, of individualized despair, that permeates the book and ultimately embitters the characters. No one escapes their self-destructive fears - not the American government, not the curious scientist, and most especially not the titular visitor who comes to save his world but can't even save himself. The film version, starring David Bowie, is far more surreal and symbolically charged (and, as with any Nicholas Roeg film, obsessed with sexuality), but the plot is almost completely the same, and anyone who enjoys one version of the tale should enjoy the other. Definitely worth seeking out.
March 29, 2021
I enjoyed this philosophical look inwards. Tevis does a good job of examining how much we can be influenced by those around us and the company we keep.
It's not really sci-fi if that makes sense. Tevis needed a character not from this world to show how easily any one or thing can fall into cycles of addiction, greed, self loathing, and malaise. Even when one has an important mission or goal.
The ending was very well done, perfectly conveying that despite how bleak things have become even of it is self wrought there can be hope; if we make that choice. We always have a choice.
It's not really sci-fi if that makes sense. Tevis needed a character not from this world to show how easily any one or thing can fall into cycles of addiction, greed, self loathing, and malaise. Even when one has an important mission or goal.
The ending was very well done, perfectly conveying that despite how bleak things have become even of it is self wrought there can be hope; if we make that choice. We always have a choice.
July 2, 2019
I was afraid of you then. I am afraid of you now. I have been afraid of all manner of things every moment I have spent on this planet, on this monstrous, beautiful, terrifying planet with all its strange creatures and its abundant water, and all of its human people. I am afraid now. I will be afraid to die here.
December 4, 2022
Powerful little tale of loneliness and despair illustrating both the wonder and tragedy that is humanity as discovered by a seemingly naïve yet exceedingly intelligent alien visitor who may be invader, savior, both or neither.
March 24, 2025
It's official - the Nicolas Roeg film version of this novel is garbage. ~ esp. compared with the book, of which the film uses... I don't know... 2%?
I'd seen the movie on its initial release, when about 20 minutes of Roeg's (ahem) 'vision' had been cut by the film's insensitive distributors. At the time, I hadn't of course read the Tevis source but, thinking back, it didn't seem to matter much; the film was essentially incomprehensible.
In recent years, I then saw the Criterion blu-ray which restores the excised footage. And lo and behold... it still didn't matter. It was still largely incomprehensible.
Roeg (a former DP, and an excellent one; he should have remained one) once said that, as a director he didn't really concern himself all that much with that 'pesky' thing called 'text'. And clearly he didn't. More's the pity.
Full disclosure: I'm not a Roeg fan. He fancied himself an... auteur. I also particularly detest how he butchered Daphne du Maurier's 'Don't Look Now'... but don't get me started.
Anywho.....
I'd read and enjoyed Tevis' Mockingbird' and 'The Queen's Gambit', but (good as they are) neither book quite prepared me for the game-changing wonder of 'The Man...'. It's a startling reading experience - as it takes science fiction to a unique and deeply personal level. If Thomas Jerome Newton isn't the most tragic alien protagonist ever, he's certainly near the top of that list of such.
Though I was bolstered by his drive and determination, I was also moved by his... well, alienation and loneliness: a stranger in an inferior land:
To make the novel less gloomy than it could have been, Tevis injects welcome humor:
I'd seen the movie on its initial release, when about 20 minutes of Roeg's (ahem) 'vision' had been cut by the film's insensitive distributors. At the time, I hadn't of course read the Tevis source but, thinking back, it didn't seem to matter much; the film was essentially incomprehensible.
In recent years, I then saw the Criterion blu-ray which restores the excised footage. And lo and behold... it still didn't matter. It was still largely incomprehensible.
Roeg (a former DP, and an excellent one; he should have remained one) once said that, as a director he didn't really concern himself all that much with that 'pesky' thing called 'text'. And clearly he didn't. More's the pity.
Full disclosure: I'm not a Roeg fan. He fancied himself an... auteur. I also particularly detest how he butchered Daphne du Maurier's 'Don't Look Now'... but don't get me started.
Anywho.....
I'd read and enjoyed Tevis' Mockingbird' and 'The Queen's Gambit', but (good as they are) neither book quite prepared me for the game-changing wonder of 'The Man...'. It's a startling reading experience - as it takes science fiction to a unique and deeply personal level. If Thomas Jerome Newton isn't the most tragic alien protagonist ever, he's certainly near the top of that list of such.
Though I was bolstered by his drive and determination, I was also moved by his... well, alienation and loneliness: a stranger in an inferior land:
... he felt disgusted, weary of this cheap and alien place, this loud, throaty, rootless, and sensual culture, this aggregate of clever, itchy, self-absorbed apes--vulgar, uncaring, while their flimsy civilization was, like London Bridge and all bridges, falling down, falling down.That said, he did also seem imbued with the considerably calm resignation of the confident entrepreneur, keeping his focus on his mission as he battled self-doubt and a nagging fatigue. Considering what he was laboring under, I found his overall spirit admirable.:
He felt momentarily like Henry Thoreau, and smiled at himself for the feeling. 'Most men lead lives of quiet desperation.'Newton's congenial contretemps with a trusted ally reveals just how much Earth-folk would need him... if they actually cared to stretch their perception and notice.
To make the novel less gloomy than it could have been, Tevis injects welcome humor:
"... I am carrying a weapon. I always carry it."I've read that this work was seemingly 'intended' as a metaphor for the experience of alcoholism. Even though there's a fair amount of drinking in these pages (esp. of gin), I don't really see that as the point. I think the book has a much, much larger concern - one that manifests itself in the (remarkably poignant) final chapter.
"An Anthean weapon?"
"Yes. A very effective one. You would never have made it across the floor to my bed."
Bryce inhaled rapidly. "How does it work?"
Newton grinned. "Does Macy's tell Gimbel's?"
October 29, 2019
This novel follows an extraterrestrial, arriving on Earth to see if he can find a way to bring his drought suffering people into the planet so that they might live.
This is one of my favourite science-fiction classics, and is truly worth the read, as an exploration, not only of science, but of the human nature and politics. We get a deep understanding of the main character, as he suffers for being an alien in a planet that will hurt him if they discover who he is, and the pressure of thinking of his people’s extinction.
I will tell you this, if it were a Greek play, it would be classified as a tragedy, and if you are like me, you might just weep tears of blood at the end and curse humanity for who we are and what we do, because of fear and ignorance.
This is one of my favourite science-fiction classics, and is truly worth the read, as an exploration, not only of science, but of the human nature and politics. We get a deep understanding of the main character, as he suffers for being an alien in a planet that will hurt him if they discover who he is, and the pressure of thinking of his people’s extinction.
I will tell you this, if it were a Greek play, it would be classified as a tragedy, and if you are like me, you might just weep tears of blood at the end and curse humanity for who we are and what we do, because of fear and ignorance.
February 26, 2024
Ein wundervoller Science-Fiction Klassiker aus dem Jahr 1963 ist mir hier in einer Paperback Neuauflage in die Hände gefallen. Ich kann mich irgendwie als Kind noch an ein paar Bilder der Verfilmung von 1976 mit David Bowie als Hauptdarsteller erinnern, die dann irgendwann auch im Fernsehen lief, aber leider ist der ganze Film nicht bei mir hängengeblieben. Wenn ich irgendwann Zeit habe, werde ich möglicherweise noch eine Book2movie Kritik aus dieser Rezension basteln. Bedauerlicherweise steht der Film derzeit nicht auf den gängigen Plattformen zum streamen bereit.
Der Einstieg in den Roman ist schon sehr interessant, man wird mitten ins spannende Geschehen geworfen und erst nach und nach erschließt sich der Hintergrund und Kontext dieser Begegnung der dritten Art. Unser Außerirdischer Thomas Jerome Newton ist humanoid, aber natürlich doch etwas unterschiedlich zu unserer Menschheit, wie zum Beispiel von der Anatomie her leichter und größer, hat nicht alle Organe, sieht wie ein Albino aus, kämpft mit der Schwerkraft und hat sich die Sprache und die kulturelle Angleichung für seine Mission von den Fernsehsendungen der Erde angeeignet. Er landet mit seinem Raumschiff irgendwo im ländlichen Amerika und versucht zuerst einmal nicht aufzufallen, keinen Skandal zu verursachen, sich anzupassen und Geld zu verdienen. Er zerstört sein Raumschiff und bestreitet mit dem Verkauf von Platinringen seinen primären Lebensunterhalt.
Bald schließt sich Newton mit dem Patentanwalt Farnsworth zusammen und verdient mit auf der Erde völlig neuen Verfahren der Filmentwicklung und anderen unglaublichen Innovationen sehr viel Geld. Durch diesen Innovationssprung wird der Hochschulprofessor Nathan Bryce auf ihn aufmerksam, der es irgendwann managen kann, für dieses Genie zu arbeiten. Bryce hat von Anfang an den Verdacht, dass solche plötzlichen Innovationen beim derzeitigen Stand der Technik gar nicht möglich sein können. Als rationaler Wissenschaftler verbietet er sich aber anfangs den absurden Gedanken, dass es sich um außerirdische Technologie handeln könnte. Eine weitere Protagonistin in diesem Roman stellt die Alkoholikerin Betty Joe dar, die Newton vor der Aufdeckung rettet, als er sich durch einen sehr stark beschleunigenden Lift die Beine bricht. Sie wird seine Haushälterin. Ansonsten lebt der Mann vom anderen Planeten sehr zurückgezogen, hat kaum Kontakt mit der Umwelt bis auf diese Menschen und seinen Chauffeur, der ihn überall hinbringt. Irgendwann beginnt Newton mit seinen durch Innovationen verdienten Millionen ein Raumschiff zu bauen.
Lange ist nicht klar, was der Humanoid eigentlich konkret hier auf der Erde vorhat. Ist er feindlich, will er kolonisieren, will er Ressourcen abgreifen? Warum ist er überhaupt gekommen? Was ist mit seinem Heimatplaneten passiert? Der ganze Plot ist derart gut aufgebaut, da sich erst nach und nach erschließt durch Hintergrunderzählungen, Gedanken von Newton und ein paar Gespräche mit Bryce, in denen sich Thomas öffnet, was passiert ist und welche Ziele unser als U-Boot lebender Außerirdische auf der Erde verfolgt.
Seine Zivilisation am Planeten Anthea ist dem Untergang geweiht, Ressourcen und Nahrung gibt es nur noch für ein paar Jahrhunderte. Seine Spezies hat sich in der Vergangenheit gegenseitig durch Atombomben fast ausgerottet, den Heimatplaneten zu einem recht humanoidenfeindlichen Ort gebombt und die Ressourcen ebenso sinnlos verschwendet – die Geschichte von Anthea hat fast was von den Osterinseln, nur mit modernster Technologie. Es gibt dort mittlerweile sehr wenig Wasser und Nahrung, Technik und Raumschiffe gibt es genug, aber nicht mehr ausreichenden Treibstoff, um diese zu betreiben. Deshalb ist er als Einziger seines Volkes mit seiner Mission durch eine Rettungskapsel auf der Erde gelandet. Das neue Raumschiff möchte er bauen, um sein Volk – ungefähr 300 Überlebende des Krieges – auf der Erde anzusiedeln. Es bleibt ihm aber nur ein kurzes Zeitfenster von ein bis zwei Jahrzehnten, denn die Erde ist auf demselben destruktiven Weg wie sein Heimatplanet und müsste mit geläuterten Außerirdischen infiltriert werden, bevor die Menschen denselben Fehler machen und ihre Heimat durch Atombomben zerstören.
Ihr seht also, sehr spannende ethische Fragen zu Wachstum, Gesellschaft, Kriegstreiberei aus der Sicht eines Außerirdischen, der sich durch die spärlichen Freundschaften mit unserer Spezies annähert und auch seine eigenen Ziele und Motive in Frage stellt. Irgendwann fliegt Thomas Newton auf und wird von Geheimdienst und FBI als das erkannt, was er ist. Auch sehr interessant zu lesen, was die Behörden einerseits wegen der Erkenntnis mit ihm anstellen und was sie von ihm wollen.
Besonders hervorzuheben in dieser Story ist die grandiose Figurenentwicklung und der Blick auf unsere und fremde Zivilisationen von außen. Das ist wirklich grandios und auch sehr spannend wie sich der Plot so nach und nach entwickelt.
Fazit: Ein Muss für alle Science-Fiction Fans. Aber auch für jene geeignet, die mit dem Genre normalerweise nicht so viel anfangen können, weil es ihnen zu technokratisch ist, weil erstens wenig technischer Kram erklärt wird und der Plot von der Gesellschaft, den Figuren, der Ethik, den Beziehungen und auch der Handlung lebt. Ein absoluter Buchstoffhöhepunkt mit einem uralten Werk. Danke an den Verlag, dass Ihr den Autor und den Roman reaktiviert habt.
Der Einstieg in den Roman ist schon sehr interessant, man wird mitten ins spannende Geschehen geworfen und erst nach und nach erschließt sich der Hintergrund und Kontext dieser Begegnung der dritten Art. Unser Außerirdischer Thomas Jerome Newton ist humanoid, aber natürlich doch etwas unterschiedlich zu unserer Menschheit, wie zum Beispiel von der Anatomie her leichter und größer, hat nicht alle Organe, sieht wie ein Albino aus, kämpft mit der Schwerkraft und hat sich die Sprache und die kulturelle Angleichung für seine Mission von den Fernsehsendungen der Erde angeeignet. Er landet mit seinem Raumschiff irgendwo im ländlichen Amerika und versucht zuerst einmal nicht aufzufallen, keinen Skandal zu verursachen, sich anzupassen und Geld zu verdienen. Er zerstört sein Raumschiff und bestreitet mit dem Verkauf von Platinringen seinen primären Lebensunterhalt.
Bald schließt sich Newton mit dem Patentanwalt Farnsworth zusammen und verdient mit auf der Erde völlig neuen Verfahren der Filmentwicklung und anderen unglaublichen Innovationen sehr viel Geld. Durch diesen Innovationssprung wird der Hochschulprofessor Nathan Bryce auf ihn aufmerksam, der es irgendwann managen kann, für dieses Genie zu arbeiten. Bryce hat von Anfang an den Verdacht, dass solche plötzlichen Innovationen beim derzeitigen Stand der Technik gar nicht möglich sein können. Als rationaler Wissenschaftler verbietet er sich aber anfangs den absurden Gedanken, dass es sich um außerirdische Technologie handeln könnte. Eine weitere Protagonistin in diesem Roman stellt die Alkoholikerin Betty Joe dar, die Newton vor der Aufdeckung rettet, als er sich durch einen sehr stark beschleunigenden Lift die Beine bricht. Sie wird seine Haushälterin. Ansonsten lebt der Mann vom anderen Planeten sehr zurückgezogen, hat kaum Kontakt mit der Umwelt bis auf diese Menschen und seinen Chauffeur, der ihn überall hinbringt. Irgendwann beginnt Newton mit seinen durch Innovationen verdienten Millionen ein Raumschiff zu bauen.
Lange ist nicht klar, was der Humanoid eigentlich konkret hier auf der Erde vorhat. Ist er feindlich, will er kolonisieren, will er Ressourcen abgreifen? Warum ist er überhaupt gekommen? Was ist mit seinem Heimatplaneten passiert? Der ganze Plot ist derart gut aufgebaut, da sich erst nach und nach erschließt durch Hintergrunderzählungen, Gedanken von Newton und ein paar Gespräche mit Bryce, in denen sich Thomas öffnet, was passiert ist und welche Ziele unser als U-Boot lebender Außerirdische auf der Erde verfolgt.
Seine Zivilisation am Planeten Anthea ist dem Untergang geweiht, Ressourcen und Nahrung gibt es nur noch für ein paar Jahrhunderte. Seine Spezies hat sich in der Vergangenheit gegenseitig durch Atombomben fast ausgerottet, den Heimatplaneten zu einem recht humanoidenfeindlichen Ort gebombt und die Ressourcen ebenso sinnlos verschwendet – die Geschichte von Anthea hat fast was von den Osterinseln, nur mit modernster Technologie. Es gibt dort mittlerweile sehr wenig Wasser und Nahrung, Technik und Raumschiffe gibt es genug, aber nicht mehr ausreichenden Treibstoff, um diese zu betreiben. Deshalb ist er als Einziger seines Volkes mit seiner Mission durch eine Rettungskapsel auf der Erde gelandet. Das neue Raumschiff möchte er bauen, um sein Volk – ungefähr 300 Überlebende des Krieges – auf der Erde anzusiedeln. Es bleibt ihm aber nur ein kurzes Zeitfenster von ein bis zwei Jahrzehnten, denn die Erde ist auf demselben destruktiven Weg wie sein Heimatplanet und müsste mit geläuterten Außerirdischen infiltriert werden, bevor die Menschen denselben Fehler machen und ihre Heimat durch Atombomben zerstören.
Ihr seht also, sehr spannende ethische Fragen zu Wachstum, Gesellschaft, Kriegstreiberei aus der Sicht eines Außerirdischen, der sich durch die spärlichen Freundschaften mit unserer Spezies annähert und auch seine eigenen Ziele und Motive in Frage stellt. Irgendwann fliegt Thomas Newton auf und wird von Geheimdienst und FBI als das erkannt, was er ist. Auch sehr interessant zu lesen, was die Behörden einerseits wegen der Erkenntnis mit ihm anstellen und was sie von ihm wollen.
Besonders hervorzuheben in dieser Story ist die grandiose Figurenentwicklung und der Blick auf unsere und fremde Zivilisationen von außen. Das ist wirklich grandios und auch sehr spannend wie sich der Plot so nach und nach entwickelt.
Fazit: Ein Muss für alle Science-Fiction Fans. Aber auch für jene geeignet, die mit dem Genre normalerweise nicht so viel anfangen können, weil es ihnen zu technokratisch ist, weil erstens wenig technischer Kram erklärt wird und der Plot von der Gesellschaft, den Figuren, der Ethik, den Beziehungen und auch der Handlung lebt. Ein absoluter Buchstoffhöhepunkt mit einem uralten Werk. Danke an den Verlag, dass Ihr den Autor und den Roman reaktiviert habt.
April 10, 2013
Only came to this book through a winding road of Valis by PKD in his description of David Bowie in the novel. PKD was influenced by Bowie in the movie "The man who fell to earth". I watched, thought it was interesting, and THEN finally read the novel, which, I'm sure most people will agree, was a lot better than the movie. That being said, I did like the book quite a bit, being an outsider type of novel with a lot to say about those earthling aliens. Fun read and well done, well worth being a classic, although perhaps it doesn't date as well as other novels. No heavy science, just a sociological discussion.
August 26, 2010
3.5 to 4.0 stars. I really struggled between giving this 3 or 4 stars and settled closer to 4 for one primary reason: the ending of the story was deeply emotional and I believe will stay with me for some time. Apart from the excellent ending, the rest of the story was well-written, moved along at a good pace and kept me interested.
March 21, 2019
- La maggior parte degli uomini vive una vita di quieta disperazione. - [Walden ovvero vita nei boschi- Henry David Thoreau]
(1963)-
Quanto ci è utile conoscere la biografia di Walter Tevis per cogliere aspetti importanti di questa storia?
Molto.
Moltissimo.
E così, leggendo che:
”(…) ha vissuto tra il nativo Kentucky e la meta finale delle sue peregrinazioni, New York, (…) con problemi di alcolismo sempre più gravi. (…) Era stato un bambino con problemi di salute, gracile, timido, solitario.”
...diventa veramente impossibile non farsi saltare all’occhio la dimensione speculare con il protagonista di questo romanzo:
Thomas Jerome Newton un personaggio assai particolare:
” Non era un uomo, eppure era molto simile a un uomo. Era alto uno e novanta, e certi uomini sono anche più alti; aveva i capelli bianchi come quelli di un albino ma la faccia era leggermente abbronzata, e gli occhi di un azzurro pallido. La struttura del corpo era oltremodo esile, le fattezze delicate, le dita lunghe, sottili, e la pelle quasi traslucida, priva di peli. Il volto faceva pensare a un elfo (…)”
Non riesco a parlare di questo libro senza svelare alcuni dettagli, ragion per cui li nascondo…
Come posso negare che mi è stato impossibile leggere questo libro senza vedermi continuamente davanti David Bowie?
Non posso negarlo, pertanto non lo farò.
D’altronde è quasi impossibile avere la mente completamente priva di condizionamenti figuriamoci quando una trasposizione cinematografica ha permesso ad un romanzo di varcare i confini a stelle e strisce e rientrare tra i cult della fantascienza.
(1963)-
Quanto ci è utile conoscere la biografia di Walter Tevis per cogliere aspetti importanti di questa storia?
Molto.
Moltissimo.
E così, leggendo che:
”(…) ha vissuto tra il nativo Kentucky e la meta finale delle sue peregrinazioni, New York, (…) con problemi di alcolismo sempre più gravi. (…) Era stato un bambino con problemi di salute, gracile, timido, solitario.”
...diventa veramente impossibile non farsi saltare all’occhio la dimensione speculare con il protagonista di questo romanzo:
Thomas Jerome Newton un personaggio assai particolare:
” Non era un uomo, eppure era molto simile a un uomo. Era alto uno e novanta, e certi uomini sono anche più alti; aveva i capelli bianchi come quelli di un albino ma la faccia era leggermente abbronzata, e gli occhi di un azzurro pallido. La struttura del corpo era oltremodo esile, le fattezze delicate, le dita lunghe, sottili, e la pelle quasi traslucida, priva di peli. Il volto faceva pensare a un elfo (…)”
Non riesco a parlare di questo libro senza svelare alcuni dettagli, ragion per cui li nascondo…
Come posso negare che mi è stato impossibile leggere questo libro senza vedermi continuamente davanti David Bowie?
Non posso negarlo, pertanto non lo farò.
D’altronde è quasi impossibile avere la mente completamente priva di condizionamenti figuriamoci quando una trasposizione cinematografica ha permesso ad un romanzo di varcare i confini a stelle e strisce e rientrare tra i cult della fantascienza.
November 5, 2012
no ray guns are fired or space battles waged in this poignant novel. there is a spaceship yes, but it is incapacitated after it deposits its passenger on earth. the passenger is an alien from a dying planet named anthea and he's looking for an escape - a place for the remnants of his people. his name on earth will be t.j. newton (sometimes called tommy) and this novel is his story, of how our world affects him, physically and emotionally, as he tries to achieve his mission.
there's not much more of a plot. this is a quiet novel, engaged with the dissolution of a human being not of earth by its influence, by his alienation. he is entirely outside and his loneliness and despair at the earth and the oblivion of its people is deeply felt. despite the fact that the novel is in some ways dated, it is also a wise indictment, a rumination on the world that we live in, how we choose to live in it, and the people that take it for granted. it seems only to get smaller and quieter toward the end... and then it winks out.
sad. it made me cry. and it was and made me really thoughtful. and apparently tevis said, it's fairly autobiographical.
i felt your pain, newton/tevis. i hope it made it easier to share the load.
* i have never seen the film. i can see why bowie was chosen to portray newton. i read that there's more sex in the film and it veers slightly away from the book in that regard. i can't imagine the film would be able to replicate the immersion in the disoriented and sad psyche of newton as he starts to realize he's not equipped to deal with being on earth; of being with him as he starts to crumble.
** i'd wanted to see the film before i realized there was a book because of its influence on the philip k. dick novel, VALIS. in fact there is a film based on the man who fell to earth in that book. i can perfectly understand how a film with such a premise would impress upon the mind of pkd -- its themes refract back from his own work. he was clearly taken by bowie in the role but a quick internet search doesn't show me any evidence that he actually ever picked up tevis' book in consequence of seeing the film but i can only think he would have approved of it.
there's not much more of a plot. this is a quiet novel, engaged with the dissolution of a human being not of earth by its influence, by his alienation. he is entirely outside and his loneliness and despair at the earth and the oblivion of its people is deeply felt. despite the fact that the novel is in some ways dated, it is also a wise indictment, a rumination on the world that we live in, how we choose to live in it, and the people that take it for granted. it seems only to get smaller and quieter toward the end... and then it winks out.
sad. it made me cry. and it was and made me really thoughtful. and apparently tevis said, it's fairly autobiographical.
i felt your pain, newton/tevis. i hope it made it easier to share the load.
* i have never seen the film. i can see why bowie was chosen to portray newton. i read that there's more sex in the film and it veers slightly away from the book in that regard. i can't imagine the film would be able to replicate the immersion in the disoriented and sad psyche of newton as he starts to realize he's not equipped to deal with being on earth; of being with him as he starts to crumble.
** i'd wanted to see the film before i realized there was a book because of its influence on the philip k. dick novel, VALIS. in fact there is a film based on the man who fell to earth in that book. i can perfectly understand how a film with such a premise would impress upon the mind of pkd -- its themes refract back from his own work. he was clearly taken by bowie in the role but a quick internet search doesn't show me any evidence that he actually ever picked up tevis' book in consequence of seeing the film but i can only think he would have approved of it.
September 7, 2018
Come si possono sbizzarrire gli autori di fantascienza nel creare i loro personaggi provenienti dai luoghi più remoti dell’universo, quasi nessuno altro, e il lato razionale e irrazionale che c’è in me ringrazia e evade con piacere immenso.
Questo uomo che, quasi letteralmente, precipita sulla terra, ci colpisce per la sua dolcezza, per il suo essere determinato, calmo e mai violento, per la sua imperturbabilità.
Dal punto di vista fisico poi è una scoperta: è molto alto, più di uno e novanta, ha ossa fragile e cave come quelle di un uccellino e pesa pochissimo così che il suo corpo leggero mal sopporta la forza di gravità terrestre, i capelli sono bianchi mentre il resto del corpo non ha peli, fatta eccezione per ciglia e sopracciglia, gli occhi celesti dallo sguardo dolce e mite, le dita lunghe e prive naturalmente di unghie aggiunte artificiali per sembrare più umano, non ha capezzoli che applica finti sopra il petto, né possiede appendice, ma quella nessuno può vederla e non è faccenda problematica, né possiede denti del giudizio.
E’ un vivente che deve sembrare umano, confondersi con gli umani assumerne identità corporea, anagrafica e storica, ma come gli umani è suscettibile ai sentimenti, all’amore, alla paura, al dolore fisico e alla solitudine.
Proviene da Anthea, un pianeta (immaginario) lontanissimo dal sole, freddo e perennemente spazzato da venti gelido, la cui popolazione è in pericolo, quasi decimata a colpi di guerre nucleari e rischia l’estinzione.
Newton, questo è il suo nome, ha un quoziente intellettivo che sbalordisce, una volta e mezzo superiore alla media terrestre, e possiede una cultura essenzialmente scientifica, vasta e approfondita.
E’ una specie di ingegnere chimico, esperto di elettronica, di materiali e delle loro proprietà di conduzione termica, di temperatura d’ignizione, di resistenza alla corrosione, da dieci anni ha studiato da lontano i terrestri guardando le loro trasmissioni televisive, ha imparato a conoscerne abilità, usi e costumi e si è preparato meticolosamente per un progetto complesso ma quasi impossibile: calare sulla terra con un veicolo spaziale monoposto, guadagnare in poco tempo sulla terra una moltitudine di soldi sfruttando le sue competenze tecniche e professionali e riuscire a finanziare la costruzione di una nave galattica che funga da traghetto per portare i pochi superstiti antehiani sulla terra.
Ci riuscirà, non ci riuscirà non mi è dato qui svelarlo, si può leggere il libro che è molto bello, sebbene un po’ lento nello svolgimento, e assai poco scenografico pur essendo fantascienza, ma, come nei migliori libri di fantascienza, non sfrutta facili effetti speciali mirabolanti, non ci sono razzi che viaggiano alla velocità della luce, non ci sono spade di raggi laser, ci sono soprattutto persone e Tevis, l’autore, indulge sulle loro dinamiche relazionali, sul rapportarsi reciproco nelle loro diversità, sul riconoscimento dell’umano nel disumano e viceversa, sulla diffidenza e la curiosità, mai sopite, per tutto quello che è l’altro da sé con la consapevolezza che gli errori, gli sbagli non hanno colore, sono uguali ad ogni latitudine del sistema solare, dei sistemi solari, è il destino che accomuna chi ha la possibilità di scegliere e così pure, scegliendo, di sbagliare.
Questo uomo che, quasi letteralmente, precipita sulla terra, ci colpisce per la sua dolcezza, per il suo essere determinato, calmo e mai violento, per la sua imperturbabilità.
Dal punto di vista fisico poi è una scoperta: è molto alto, più di uno e novanta, ha ossa fragile e cave come quelle di un uccellino e pesa pochissimo così che il suo corpo leggero mal sopporta la forza di gravità terrestre, i capelli sono bianchi mentre il resto del corpo non ha peli, fatta eccezione per ciglia e sopracciglia, gli occhi celesti dallo sguardo dolce e mite, le dita lunghe e prive naturalmente di unghie aggiunte artificiali per sembrare più umano, non ha capezzoli che applica finti sopra il petto, né possiede appendice, ma quella nessuno può vederla e non è faccenda problematica, né possiede denti del giudizio.
E’ un vivente che deve sembrare umano, confondersi con gli umani assumerne identità corporea, anagrafica e storica, ma come gli umani è suscettibile ai sentimenti, all’amore, alla paura, al dolore fisico e alla solitudine.
Proviene da Anthea, un pianeta (immaginario) lontanissimo dal sole, freddo e perennemente spazzato da venti gelido, la cui popolazione è in pericolo, quasi decimata a colpi di guerre nucleari e rischia l’estinzione.
Newton, questo è il suo nome, ha un quoziente intellettivo che sbalordisce, una volta e mezzo superiore alla media terrestre, e possiede una cultura essenzialmente scientifica, vasta e approfondita.
E’ una specie di ingegnere chimico, esperto di elettronica, di materiali e delle loro proprietà di conduzione termica, di temperatura d’ignizione, di resistenza alla corrosione, da dieci anni ha studiato da lontano i terrestri guardando le loro trasmissioni televisive, ha imparato a conoscerne abilità, usi e costumi e si è preparato meticolosamente per un progetto complesso ma quasi impossibile: calare sulla terra con un veicolo spaziale monoposto, guadagnare in poco tempo sulla terra una moltitudine di soldi sfruttando le sue competenze tecniche e professionali e riuscire a finanziare la costruzione di una nave galattica che funga da traghetto per portare i pochi superstiti antehiani sulla terra.
Ci riuscirà, non ci riuscirà non mi è dato qui svelarlo, si può leggere il libro che è molto bello, sebbene un po’ lento nello svolgimento, e assai poco scenografico pur essendo fantascienza, ma, come nei migliori libri di fantascienza, non sfrutta facili effetti speciali mirabolanti, non ci sono razzi che viaggiano alla velocità della luce, non ci sono spade di raggi laser, ci sono soprattutto persone e Tevis, l’autore, indulge sulle loro dinamiche relazionali, sul rapportarsi reciproco nelle loro diversità, sul riconoscimento dell’umano nel disumano e viceversa, sulla diffidenza e la curiosità, mai sopite, per tutto quello che è l’altro da sé con la consapevolezza che gli errori, gli sbagli non hanno colore, sono uguali ad ogni latitudine del sistema solare, dei sistemi solari, è il destino che accomuna chi ha la possibilità di scegliere e così pure, scegliendo, di sbagliare.
June 3, 2020
Önce kapaktaki David Bowie ilgimi çekti, gittim filmin fragmanını izledim. Sonra burdaki yorumları okuyup iyice meraklandım.
Ardından bilimkurgu grubunun başına ekşidim bunu okuyalım diye.
Sonra korktum beklentim çok yükseldi ya hoşuma gitmezse diye. Hiç öyle olmadı, hatta finali beklediğimin dışında gerçekleşti.
Başka bir gezegenden tek başına gelen insansı uzaylının yalnızlığını, dışlanmışlığını okuyoruz aslında. Çok daha ileri bir teknolojiye rağmen tüm kaynakları tüketip çaresiz kalmış bir gezegenden dünyaya gelen 'Newton' ise bu teknoloji ile dünyanın kaynakları ile bir şeyler yapmaya çalışıyor.
Sonrasında bazı kişilerin ilgisini çekiyor ve karakterin 'insanlaşmaya' ait korkularını okuyoruz. Dünyanın geleceğine dair kaygılarını ve uyarılarını bu şekilde yansıtmış yazar. Kaynaklarınızı dikkatli kullanın diyor belki de :))
Filmi de çok merak ediyorum.
"O dönemde sadece bilime inanıyordum. Yıldızların fethi. Atomun gizleri. Bir kargaşa dünyası içindeki biricik umudumuzdu o."
🖖
Ardından bilimkurgu grubunun başına ekşidim bunu okuyalım diye.
Sonra korktum beklentim çok yükseldi ya hoşuma gitmezse diye. Hiç öyle olmadı, hatta finali beklediğimin dışında gerçekleşti.
Başka bir gezegenden tek başına gelen insansı uzaylının yalnızlığını, dışlanmışlığını okuyoruz aslında. Çok daha ileri bir teknolojiye rağmen tüm kaynakları tüketip çaresiz kalmış bir gezegenden dünyaya gelen 'Newton' ise bu teknoloji ile dünyanın kaynakları ile bir şeyler yapmaya çalışıyor.
Sonrasında bazı kişilerin ilgisini çekiyor ve karakterin 'insanlaşmaya' ait korkularını okuyoruz. Dünyanın geleceğine dair kaygılarını ve uyarılarını bu şekilde yansıtmış yazar. Kaynaklarınızı dikkatli kullanın diyor belki de :))
Filmi de çok merak ediyorum.
"O dönemde sadece bilime inanıyordum. Yıldızların fethi. Atomun gizleri. Bir kargaşa dünyası içindeki biricik umudumuzdu o."
🖖
January 2, 2023
Rating 4.35
While I generally prefer drama or humor, I'd happened upon the Showtime series and enjoyed it immensely though like many adaptation, creative liberties are taken to a fault. In the original story, Newton is central to the plot; in the series, he's replaced by Faraday played by Chiwetel Ejiofor; Newton is played by Bill Nighy who only appears in a few episodes and when he does, its far and away different from the book.
Thomas J. Newton is from the planet Anthea and arrives on Earth for a research expedition. His frail anatomy and ability to see infrared require a 'costume' that gives him a human appearance. Not long after he arrives he meets Nathan Bryce, a PhD researcher who soon becomes awed by Newton's knowledge. Rather than incorporate spoilers, suffice it to say that Newton creates a series of ground breaking technologies that are patented and in a matter of no time, becomes a multi-millionaire and forms World Enterprises.
Newton is introverted with a unique warmth about him and as his status grows, he builds a complex in KY where Bryce is his cohort. A multi-year project to build a 'ferry' begins and during this period we are introduced to Mary Jo and his housekeeper who refers to Newton as "Tommy". As the plot moves towards closure, Newton and Bryce are arrested by an unknown arm of the CIA who takes their time studying his purpose and anatomy. Having tapped the phones, they are aware of his origin and plans for the ferry.
Tevis is a brilliant author who engages the reader with unique plot, characters and premise and for those unaware, wrote "Queen's Gambit", "The Hustler" and "Color of Money" which were all adapted to screen. Where genre is concerned, I'd categorize this as 'mild science fiction' though drama seems more fitting. Having loved Queen's Gambit and this story, I plan to read his others and highly recommend you do as well!
While I generally prefer drama or humor, I'd happened upon the Showtime series and enjoyed it immensely though like many adaptation, creative liberties are taken to a fault. In the original story, Newton is central to the plot; in the series, he's replaced by Faraday played by Chiwetel Ejiofor; Newton is played by Bill Nighy who only appears in a few episodes and when he does, its far and away different from the book.
Thomas J. Newton is from the planet Anthea and arrives on Earth for a research expedition. His frail anatomy and ability to see infrared require a 'costume' that gives him a human appearance. Not long after he arrives he meets Nathan Bryce, a PhD researcher who soon becomes awed by Newton's knowledge. Rather than incorporate spoilers, suffice it to say that Newton creates a series of ground breaking technologies that are patented and in a matter of no time, becomes a multi-millionaire and forms World Enterprises.
Newton is introverted with a unique warmth about him and as his status grows, he builds a complex in KY where Bryce is his cohort. A multi-year project to build a 'ferry' begins and during this period we are introduced to Mary Jo and his housekeeper who refers to Newton as "Tommy". As the plot moves towards closure, Newton and Bryce are arrested by an unknown arm of the CIA who takes their time studying his purpose and anatomy. Having tapped the phones, they are aware of his origin and plans for the ferry.
Tevis is a brilliant author who engages the reader with unique plot, characters and premise and for those unaware, wrote "Queen's Gambit", "The Hustler" and "Color of Money" which were all adapted to screen. Where genre is concerned, I'd categorize this as 'mild science fiction' though drama seems more fitting. Having loved Queen's Gambit and this story, I plan to read his others and highly recommend you do as well!
March 17, 2016
Ashes to ashes, funk to funky, we know Major Thom’s a drunkard, strung out in heaven’s high, hitting an all-time low . . .
March 13, 2021
I last read The Man Who Fell to Earth (1963) in the late 1970s as a Bowie obsessed teenager. Subsequent multiple viewings of the wonderful Nic Roeg directed film version, which stars Mr Bowie as Thomas Jerome Newton, left the differences between film and book quite muddled in my mind. It turns out there are a few fairly superficial differences in the plots, but nothing significant.
The Man Who Fell to Earth is a mere 209 pages and, despite being almost 60 years old, still packs a punch and stands the test of time. Like all the best Science Fiction it holds a mirror up to our own world and makes for an incisive and impressive examination of the human condition
Thomas Jerome Newton is the eponymous man who fell to earth, except he's not a man but an alien from a far off planet hoping to rescue his own dying species. He is able to pass himself off as human and, using his advanced technological knowledge, creates a very profitable corporation. His mission, which always felt like a long shot, becomes ever more futile. In part due to his treatment at the hands of the humans he encounters, and also because he gradually starts to feel more human than alien. Melancholy pervades this novel: Newton is conflicted about his role and is a nuanced and sympathetic character.
I recently read The Queen's Gambit, also by Walter Tevis, and it is an excellent novel about chess. Along with that novel, I also heartily recommended The Man Who Fell to Earth, particularly if you enjoy philosophical, provocative and contemplative sci-fi.
4/5
Thomas Jerome Newton is an extraterrestrial from the planet Anthea, which has been devastated by a series of nuclear wars, and whose inhabitants are twice as intelligent as human beings. When he lands on Earth - in Kentucky, disguised as a human - it's with the intention of saving his own people from extinction.
The Man Who Fell to Earth is a mere 209 pages and, despite being almost 60 years old, still packs a punch and stands the test of time. Like all the best Science Fiction it holds a mirror up to our own world and makes for an incisive and impressive examination of the human condition
Thomas Jerome Newton is the eponymous man who fell to earth, except he's not a man but an alien from a far off planet hoping to rescue his own dying species. He is able to pass himself off as human and, using his advanced technological knowledge, creates a very profitable corporation. His mission, which always felt like a long shot, becomes ever more futile. In part due to his treatment at the hands of the humans he encounters, and also because he gradually starts to feel more human than alien. Melancholy pervades this novel: Newton is conflicted about his role and is a nuanced and sympathetic character.
I recently read The Queen's Gambit, also by Walter Tevis, and it is an excellent novel about chess. Along with that novel, I also heartily recommended The Man Who Fell to Earth, particularly if you enjoy philosophical, provocative and contemplative sci-fi.
4/5
Thomas Jerome Newton is an extraterrestrial from the planet Anthea, which has been devastated by a series of nuclear wars, and whose inhabitants are twice as intelligent as human beings. When he lands on Earth - in Kentucky, disguised as a human - it's with the intention of saving his own people from extinction.
February 15, 2020
3.8⭐
Very original for it's day and still. A well written and very different take on first contact. Bottom line, don't mess around with the humans...they're nasty.
Very original for it's day and still. A well written and very different take on first contact. Bottom line, don't mess around with the humans...they're nasty.
June 15, 2020
This is sad, and every single character has a drinking problem (the book should come doused in the scent of gin), but it was also really good.
July 26, 2022
So this book is freaking me out a bit because it takes place in my city so when it states "The Brown" or "The Seelbach" or just simply states Louisville I feel like I should go outside and see if David Bowie is going to land in my front yard because that would be a BIG amazing just one ginormous AMAZING
Srsly how can anyone read this book and not picture Bowie as Newton ? So that's worth an extra star a Dark Star
But I don't like how the previous page ends and the next one begins it seems a bit disjointed? And since I'm not at all experienced in physics or mechanics I have a difficult time imagining some things. Also it's like early 1900s with all of this gin! Good lord I have one friend who could maybe drink them under the table with some Moscow Mules lol
Loved this! The farther I got in the book, the farther I got from all of the manufacturing speak it became more emotional? is that the word I want? anyway I could see Newton as a human in my mind going thru an extremely difficult time. So I realize this book was published way too early for Tevis to have had Bowie in mind but Damn Bowie is uncannily cast in my mind. I need this movie STAT
Srsly how can anyone read this book and not picture Bowie as Newton ? So that's worth an extra star a Dark Star
But I don't like how the previous page ends and the next one begins it seems a bit disjointed? And since I'm not at all experienced in physics or mechanics I have a difficult time imagining some things. Also it's like early 1900s with all of this gin! Good lord I have one friend who could maybe drink them under the table with some Moscow Mules lol
Loved this! The farther I got in the book, the farther I got from all of the manufacturing speak it became more emotional? is that the word I want? anyway I could see Newton as a human in my mind going thru an extremely difficult time. So I realize this book was published way too early for Tevis to have had Bowie in mind but Damn Bowie is uncannily cast in my mind. I need this movie STAT
October 29, 2022
Ein Buch von 1963, das brandaktuell ist.
Walter Tevis hat keine Eile. Er nimmt sich richtig viel Zeit für die Schau auf die Menschheit im Bombenbastelwahn und ihrer Zerstörungswut.
In großen Teilen verhandelt er die Themen in der Gedankenwelt der Protagonisten, wie sie die Welt wahrnehmen, beobachten, sich selbst dort einordnen, sich hinterfragen. Dabei wird derbe was an Hochprozentigem weggeschluckt, während Tevis uns auf harte psychologische Verhandlungen mitnimmt und insbesondere aus dem Bereich der Ethik einiges durchspielt.
Tja das Ende, keine Ahnung 🤔 An sich passte das alles schon. Fühlt sich komisch an. Hinterlässt mich sehr nachdenklich….
Walter Tevis hat keine Eile. Er nimmt sich richtig viel Zeit für die Schau auf die Menschheit im Bombenbastelwahn und ihrer Zerstörungswut.
In großen Teilen verhandelt er die Themen in der Gedankenwelt der Protagonisten, wie sie die Welt wahrnehmen, beobachten, sich selbst dort einordnen, sich hinterfragen. Dabei wird derbe was an Hochprozentigem weggeschluckt, während Tevis uns auf harte psychologische Verhandlungen mitnimmt und insbesondere aus dem Bereich der Ethik einiges durchspielt.
Tja das Ende, keine Ahnung 🤔 An sich passte das alles schon. Fühlt sich komisch an. Hinterlässt mich sehr nachdenklich….
November 21, 2015
Dünyaya düşen bir adamın insanlaşmasını konu edinen "Dünyaya Düşen Adam"ı okurken elimden bırakamadım. En ağırından bir uzaylı hikayesi okuyacağımı zannederken kitap bittiğinde buram buram yozlaşma kokan, aslında bir insanın hikayesini okuduğumu farkettim.
Kitabın, David Bowie'nin başrolünü üstlendiği bir de filmi çekilmiş. Konu olarak ayrı düştükleri baya bir nokta var diyorlar, o yüzden kitabı hali hazırda bu kadar kaliteliyken filmine hiç bulaşmaya gerek yok.
Kitabın, David Bowie'nin başrolünü üstlendiği bir de filmi çekilmiş. Konu olarak ayrı düştükleri baya bir nokta var diyorlar, o yüzden kitabı hali hazırda bu kadar kaliteliyken filmine hiç bulaşmaya gerek yok.
October 20, 2012
Questo libro va letto. Va letto per una serie di motivi che sono questi:
1)L'idea L'autore, grazie all'espediente sci-fi dell'alieno che sbarca segretamente sul nostro pianeta, ci permette di avere un punto di vista "laterale", rispetto al mondo civilizzato che ci circonda: scienza, società, politica. Rielabora efficientemente il concetto di alienazione nella società post-moderna e post-industriale.
2)Lo stile Uno stile asciutto, essenziale nel descrivere pensieri e rapporti dei personaggi, ma non per questo non pregno di significato. Tevis sa cosa vuole dire e cosa far dire ai suoi personaggi, ce l'ha chiaro in mente e sa come dirlo. Non c'è ridondanza, non c'è tautologia. Non è uno di quegli autori che ti sfianca con lo stesso concetto fino a fartelo entrare nella zucca. Il messaggio è semplice, chiaro, sta soltanto al lettore coglierlo.
3)L'intreccio Il ritmo è misurato, mai troppo lento, mai troppo accelerato. Non è quello che si definisce un page-turner (che di solito son schifezze, nda), ma i colpi ed i cambi di scena si susseguono armoniosamente, dando al lettore il tempo di elaborare e fare propria la storia. Non c'è la volontà di spiazzare il lettore ("ed ora qualcosa di completamente diverso"), ma di condurlo per mano fino al centro della storia.
Detto questo, quando un autore azzecca queste tre cose, per me non c'è null'altro da chiedere.
1)L'idea L'autore, grazie all'espediente sci-fi dell'alieno che sbarca segretamente sul nostro pianeta, ci permette di avere un punto di vista "laterale", rispetto al mondo civilizzato che ci circonda: scienza, società, politica. Rielabora efficientemente il concetto di alienazione nella società post-moderna e post-industriale.
2)Lo stile Uno stile asciutto, essenziale nel descrivere pensieri e rapporti dei personaggi, ma non per questo non pregno di significato. Tevis sa cosa vuole dire e cosa far dire ai suoi personaggi, ce l'ha chiaro in mente e sa come dirlo. Non c'è ridondanza, non c'è tautologia. Non è uno di quegli autori che ti sfianca con lo stesso concetto fino a fartelo entrare nella zucca. Il messaggio è semplice, chiaro, sta soltanto al lettore coglierlo.
3)L'intreccio Il ritmo è misurato, mai troppo lento, mai troppo accelerato. Non è quello che si definisce un page-turner (che di solito son schifezze, nda), ma i colpi ed i cambi di scena si susseguono armoniosamente, dando al lettore il tempo di elaborare e fare propria la storia. Non c'è la volontà di spiazzare il lettore ("ed ora qualcosa di completamente diverso"), ma di condurlo per mano fino al centro della storia.
Detto questo, quando un autore azzecca queste tre cose, per me non c'è null'altro da chiedere.
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