READ ANY GOOD SCI FI LATELY?
The science fiction I’ve read tends to be humorous and deal with aliens. Favorites are Douglas Adams, Spider Robinson, and Roger Zelazny. I enjoy watching science fiction movies, especially those dealing with giant insects that are devouring the earth. (I attend the “Insect Fear Film Festival” at the University of Illinois in February). But there aren’t a lot of books with this theme.
I recently picked up “The Interlopers” by Alan Dean Foster. An archaeologist on a dig in South America discovers ancient writings. When back in the US, he has a chemist mix up a batch of a secret potion described in the writings. After drinking the mysterious liquid, the archeologist can see that many natural substances, such as stones and plants, harbor disgusting creatures with slimy bodies and little pointy teeth . When someone brushes up against a stone, the creature will jump on them and become a parasite, and suck out their vital juices, ala Dr. Strangelove. The person will then become cranky or possibly murderous.
The fact that he can now see the creatures and evade their tentacles and fangs angers the creatures, and they invade his wife, Kelli. She lies near death at the hospital when the archaeologist is visited by a member of The Society, a group formed to battle the creatures. Together they attempt to rid Kelli of her parasites and avert a world war.
I generally enjoyed Foster’s writing, characters, and dialog. The setting was unimportant except for the beginning and end of the book. I would have liked the creatures better had they been a long dormant biological terror, mutant insects, or alien beings, although I’m not really sure what they were. They were more fully described than any of the characters in the book.
Some suggestions for similar books are:
Michael Crichton, “Prey.” Stay-at-home dad Jack Forman is hired as a consultant at Xymos, a biotechnology firm. They produce nanoparticles, tiny manmade machinery, that have run amok and threaten to destroy life as we know it. This would be a meatier read than “The Interlopers;” Crichton goes into depth describing the scientific basis of his novels.
Stephen King, “Desperation.” A rogue cop waylays travelers on the road through tiny Desperation, Nevada. But he is no ordinary cop, he is possessed by the evil force Tak, who will take human souls and turn them into killers. More well developed characters and evil forces than in Foster’s book.
Jonathan Aycliffe, “The Talisman.” A statue recovered from a Babylonian ruin has evil influences over Tom Alton’s family.
Bentley Little, “The Return.” Excavations at an Anasazi pueblo site uncovers pottery shards that portray contemporary people who are working at or living near the site. A series of horrible deaths are believed to be the work of the ancient Mongollon Monster.
Michael Talbot, “The Bog.” An archaeologist excavates bodies from a peat bog—they are all over centuries old and have something horrible in common.
Jack Cady, “Haunting of Hood Canal” The body of a child molester is dumped into the water of Hood Canal, unleashing a deadly fury in its depths. The water then begins sucking cars into its vortex, and an evil force takes over the peaceful town.
Greg Bear, “Blood Music.” A genetic engineer creates microscopic genetic computers and injects them into his own bloodstream. From Kirkus, “Bear fans know he can outwrite nearly all SF competitors and go so deep into science that few readers can follow…”
Howard V. Hendrix, “Better Angels.” An alien artifact is discovered in the LaBrea tarpits, proving that the earth was visited by an advanced civilization during the prehistoric era.
The science fiction I’ve read tends to be humorous and deal with aliens. Favorites are Douglas Adams, Spider Robinson, and Roger Zelazny. I enjoy watching science fiction movies, especially those dealing with giant insects that are devouring the earth. (I attend the “Insect Fear Film Festival” at the University of Illinois in February). But there aren’t a lot of books with this theme.
I recently picked up “The Interlopers” by Alan Dean Foster. An archaeologist on a dig in South America discovers ancient writings. When back in the US, he has a chemist mix up a batch of a secret potion described in the writings. After drinking the mysterious liquid, the archeologist can see that many natural substances, such as stones and plants, harbor disgusting creatures with slimy bodies and little pointy teeth . When someone brushes up against a stone, the creature will jump on them and become a parasite, and suck out their vital juices, ala Dr. Strangelove. The person will then become cranky or possibly murderous.
The fact that he can now see the creatures and evade their tentacles and fangs angers the creatures, and they invade his wife, Kelli. She lies near death at the hospital when the archaeologist is visited by a member of The Society, a group formed to battle the creatures. Together they attempt to rid Kelli of her parasites and avert a world war.
I generally enjoyed Foster’s writing, characters, and dialog. The setting was unimportant except for the beginning and end of the book. I would have liked the creatures better had they been a long dormant biological terror, mutant insects, or alien beings, although I’m not really sure what they were. They were more fully described than any of the characters in the book.
Some suggestions for similar books are:
Michael Crichton, “Prey.” Stay-at-home dad Jack Forman is hired as a consultant at Xymos, a biotechnology firm. They produce nanoparticles, tiny manmade machinery, that have run amok and threaten to destroy life as we know it. This would be a meatier read than “The Interlopers;” Crichton goes into depth describing the scientific basis of his novels.
Stephen King, “Desperation.” A rogue cop waylays travelers on the road through tiny Desperation, Nevada. But he is no ordinary cop, he is possessed by the evil force Tak, who will take human souls and turn them into killers. More well developed characters and evil forces than in Foster’s book.
Jonathan Aycliffe, “The Talisman.” A statue recovered from a Babylonian ruin has evil influences over Tom Alton’s family.
Bentley Little, “The Return.” Excavations at an Anasazi pueblo site uncovers pottery shards that portray contemporary people who are working at or living near the site. A series of horrible deaths are believed to be the work of the ancient Mongollon Monster.
Michael Talbot, “The Bog.” An archaeologist excavates bodies from a peat bog—they are all over centuries old and have something horrible in common.
Jack Cady, “Haunting of Hood Canal” The body of a child molester is dumped into the water of Hood Canal, unleashing a deadly fury in its depths. The water then begins sucking cars into its vortex, and an evil force takes over the peaceful town.
Greg Bear, “Blood Music.” A genetic engineer creates microscopic genetic computers and injects them into his own bloodstream. From Kirkus, “Bear fans know he can outwrite nearly all SF competitors and go so deep into science that few readers can follow…”
Howard V. Hendrix, “Better Angels.” An alien artifact is discovered in the LaBrea tarpits, proving that the earth was visited by an advanced civilization during the prehistoric era.
