T.J. Newton is an extraterrestrial from Anthea (never stated but quite obviously Mars) who is masquerading as a human and using his more advanced technology to make a big enough fortune to build a spaceship to rescue the few remaining survivors of his species from their dying planet to live on Earth.
This is obviously a classic made particularly famous by Bowie’s portrayal of Newton in the, probably more well-known, film of the same name. Written in the early sixties and set in the, then, future eighties Tevis uses Newton’s experiences to preach against the catastrophe towards which the world of the sixties seemed to be inexorably heading. Environmental issues are addressed but Tevis focuses mainly on his clear expectations of imminent worldwide political destruction. I must say I found this aspect of the book a little trying but I’m not sure how much of that is down to the fact that, despite Tevis’ clear expectations to the contrary, we did survive that era (though whether we will the next is more open to debate). There were also several desperately implausible events the worst of which is something of a spoiler.
The prose is excellent, as befits an author who taught English literature and creative writing at university, making it an easy and moderately short read. The characters are well drawn, if not particularly likeable and the plot well-constructed. But I found I struggled to really be gripped and convinced by the story, leaving me feeling somewhat ambivalent. Good but not excellent.
3/5 stars
This is obviously a classic made particularly famous by Bowie’s portrayal of Newton in the, probably more well-known, film of the same name. Written in the early sixties and set in the, then, future eighties Tevis uses Newton’s experiences to preach against the catastrophe towards which the world of the sixties seemed to be inexorably heading. Environmental issues are addressed but Tevis focuses mainly on his clear expectations of imminent worldwide political destruction. I must say I found this aspect of the book a little trying but I’m not sure how much of that is down to the fact that, despite Tevis’ clear expectations to the contrary, we did survive that era (though whether we will the next is more open to debate). There were also several desperately implausible events the worst of which is something of a spoiler.
In what world does Tevis think it likely that the US government would release to complete freedom a known extraterrestial, without any conditions or restraints? I mean, come on, if anything such a think was probably even less likely in the sixties than it is today.
The prose is excellent, as befits an author who taught English literature and creative writing at university, making it an easy and moderately short read. The characters are well drawn, if not particularly likeable and the plot well-constructed. But I found I struggled to really be gripped and convinced by the story, leaving me feeling somewhat ambivalent. Good but not excellent.
3/5 stars
