‘I warn you that what you’re starting to read is full of loose ends and unanswered questions,’ writes Jack Finney in the opening paragraph of “Invasion of the Body Snatchers.” It’s a statement that sets expectations but also starts to elevate the anxiety level.What if you were a respected doctor in the community and one of your patients pulled you aside and told you that they think their family members are not who they appear to be? You take them for their word, and after closer inspection and i...

“Tell me this: could these spores conceivably be some sort of weird alien organism with the ability to imitate, in fact, duplicate a human body? Turn themselves, for all practical purposes, into a kind of human being, indistinguishable from the real thing?”…Somewhere we had to find sanctuary, and there was none—not a home at which we dared to appear, not a face, even that of a lifelong friend, to which we dared risk appealing for help.A spoiler-free review of the novel:Something sinister is happ...

“Invasion of the Body Snatchers”, a science fiction classic film from 1956, may well have been the first sci-fi film I ever saw. It was broadcast on British television several years later, and I have been gripped and fascinated by the film every time I have seen it since. Directed by Don Siegel, it is one of those films which has endured through several remakes.Only in recent years have I discovered that it was based on a novel, called simply The Body Snatchers, written by Jack Finney. The story...

The Body Snatchers - What a extraordinary reading experience. Much of the fascination in turning the pages derives from the reader knowing this is a novel of science fiction - watching as the men and women eventually discover the body snatchers are aliens from outer space, hardly a giveaway as even the movie and more recent publications of the book carry the title Invasion of the Body Snatchers. The eerie atmosphere is established within the very first pages when the narrator, Dr. Miles Bennell,...

Wow, this was waaay better than I expected it to be! Hurray for pleasant surprises!I expected pure pulp. I figured this was a toss-off, dime-store sci-fi novel that benefited from the success of two film versions. I haven't actually sat down and watched either the 1956 or '78 movies (though I have seen The World's End, the Wright/Pegg loose take on it), so the plot hadn't been fully spoiled and reading the book would provide some surprises and a bit of entertainment. I got that and more!If Invas...

When my son called last night and asked what I was doing, I told him I had just finished reading Invasion of the Body Snatchers and was thinking of going down the basement to look for seed pods......(he cracked up)I think everyone pretty much knows this story, and oh what a blast it was reading this sci-fi novel from the past. This super fast-paced work was so much better than I thought it would be and had a far different ending from the movie version I remember. If I was not already familiar wi...

I’ve seen several of the film adaptations of this book, so I knew what to expect. I still found The Body Snatchers to be an exciting read. How much more so for those who read the book before the movies were released? I did feel though that the plot was let down by a weak ending.It is of course a book that has been endlessly analysed. One of the main theories is that it represents “Cold War paranoia” about the infiltration of communists into 1950s America. Alternatively the story is an allegory a...

They get you when you sleep...Dr. Miles Bennell is confused when a bunch of his patients come to him with the same complaint, their loved ones seem to have been replaced by emotionless impostors.His former girlfriend Becky and his friend Jack soon discover that the patients suspicions are true and an alien species of human duplicates, grown from plant-like pods is taking over their town.I've seen all of the adaptations of this book, so basically knew the plot, I guess why that's why I put off re...

This 1950’s Sci-Fi Classic certainly evokes the time period of small town America from whence this novel was originally written, but the chilling paranoia of infiltration still resonates today.The reader is instantly thrust into the story as Becky Driscoll explains to Doctor Miles Bennell that her cousin Wilma’s uncle Ira has been acting strangely.He appears to be himself, but it’s he’s characteristic traits are different...Human emotions is very central to the story.I love that the invasion had...

One of the most original SF novels I have ever read - the undercurrent commentary on socialization and identification of 'otherness' should put this book on the shelf of anyone studying social science; the way society falls apart is represented in a unique and chilling way that will stay with you long after you finish this book.