70's book about Aliens turning humans into lobster type aliens

[serenegold]

I am looking for the name of a book about a alien race that looks similiar to lobsters and some humans end up with them and are transformed by surgical means into the aliens, with some success. I believe a feature of the aliens were that eating was considered a private matter done completely alone. Unless I have 2 different books mixed up. Any Ideas?

 

[Victoria Silverwolf]

This sounds like Cage a Man by F. M. Busby (1973), the first book in the Demu trilogy, followed by The Proud Enemy (1975) and End of the Line (1980.) I heard a story that Busby wasn't very happy with this cover art:

Although he called the aliens "lobster-like" because they had hard exoskeletons, the image shown here is much too literal.

 

[serenegold]

I think that may be it! Thanks! Now I'm going to see if I can find a copy. My son is a science fiction fan and I think he'll like this one.