Invasion of the Body Snatchers: A Novel

Philip Kaufman, who directed the 1978 film version, has suggested that "Invasion"'s pod people can be understood as a political metaphor, saying in 2018: "It's as valid now as it was then, maybe more so ... you get that scary 'poddy' feeling. There's a kind of contagion that's going on here." This political resonance extends beyond the 2016-2018 period to which Kaufman most clearly referred. In addition the book's not just an evocative plot. It doubles as inventive literary fiction. Indeed, it's an example of literary genre fiction at its best. We feel the loses the sensitively drawn characters experience as the invasion advances.

Invasion of the Body Snatchers / B002VACTHEI bought this audiobook on the recommendation of a friend and I'm still uncertain how to rate it, especially as I haven't rated the book text itself elsewhere. I'll try to address both here, the book content and the quality of the audio book.The audiobook itself is quite good. The narration is strong and does a lot to flesh out the narration voice -- indeed, I think the narrator manages to make an otherwise forgettable or even unlikeable character very sympathetic. The wry humor and deep weariness of the narrative voice comes through loud and clear, and it does a lot towards creating the atmosphere that this book is trying to evoke: when a major plot point is that the weary heroes cannot sleep or all will be lost, it's a plus to have a weary-sounding narrator. And it works very well as a whole.The book itself I'm less enthused over. I recognize that this is a book from the 1950s and was revolutionary in its own way, but sometimes it doesn't feel like it has aged well. There's some casual misogyny here that may be distracting to the reader, and the heroes don't always face their apocalypse very sensibly. Readers will figure out major plot points long before the characters do, which makes them sometimes seem willfully obtuse. (This is one of the unfortunate side-effects of modern readers being genre-savvy to this form of literature, I suppose.)Early in the stages of the apocalypse, the reasons given for why the heroes can't go to the authorities for help seem sort of flimsy, culminating at a point where they manage to call someone in Washington in order to register concern only to be talked out of it because, meh, it all seems kind of silly so nevermind. I get that this is supposed to be a commentary on the inefficient authorities against internal threats, but you'd think once you got through the phone lines, you'd at least TRY to register that stuff is about to go very, very badly.Overall, if you already know you enjoy this book, I think you'll be pleased with the audiobook version. If you've heard of the book because it was groundbreaking for its time, and if you don't mind some of the usual flaws of 1950s science fiction -- genre-ignorant characters and sometimes very slow pacing -- then you may well enjoy this book. I give it 3 stars for the text and 5 stars for the narration itself.~ Ana Mardoll

I have watched the 1978 movie with Donald Sutherland but I have never read the book until now. To me, it was just as scary!The story is set in a small town and folks begin going to their doctor to complain that something is just not right with their loved ones.The doctor's name is Miles and at first he thinks that the townspeople are imaging things. Then he sees a pod person growing itself.Miles and his three friends fight and try to survive the town from being overcome with the aliens.Even though this book was written in 1955, it still scared me! The details given about the bodies being formed or growing was crazy. I now know where a lot of my favorite SciFi movies got their ideas from.The only thing I didn't like was how weak anddelicate Finney made the women characters out to be. It was close to the end before one of the women got a little courage. I know from my history lessons that women were not puny in 1955 that entertainment made them out to be.Overall I really loved the book and I think all you horror/SciFi buffs will love it too!

The author loosely develops a fascinating concept that later provided a veritable sandbox of inspirations and interpretations for years of analysis. This book has been combed over for allegorical meanings through the years, mostly brought on by the various film adaptions. Finney himself denied having had any such agenda other than pure entertainment.Even still, it is easy to read into this work a tale that strives to spotlights the virtue of individuality in the face of conformity. Whether the mashing conglomeration of society is brought about by political ideology, mob mentality or consumerism, doesn’t really matter.The writing is easy to read and the plot plods along at a nice pace, without speeding up too much or slowing down too little. The story pauses enough times at well-crafted scenes of horror to create a lasting impression of the core storyline. The dialog felt somewhat stilted, if not dated or formal (sort of like an old 1950’s TV show).The book has been criticized for its lack of scientific plausibility or credible character developments. However, this story isn’t really meant to be hard Scifi or an in-depth character study. The book is built around a high concept and contains a decent suspense plot that is tempered with Scifi elements. In that sense it largely succeeds. There is also a dogged relentlessness pervading the story that keeps pace throughout and helps to keep the horror aspect in play.The story centers around a medical doctor operating in a rural town as a general practitioner. He’s divorced and an old flame/fellow divorcee is back in town for him to get excited about. His love interest draws him into the main plot when she asks him to look in on a relative that has a peculiar medical concern that cannot be explained. From there things slowly develop based on the increasing incidences of people acting strangely and the stakes are periodically raised a level along the way. The author does delve into the science behind the story a bit when he uses the doctor and a psychologist to both unravel as well as confuse the mystery.There are some interesting passages about the different faces people wear in society and what it means to be a person, along with some loose social commentary that gets flipped on its head when it comes from an alien perspective.The ending has also been criticized for this book and the film versions did not feel the need to follow it. It’s an ending, it works, but that’s about it. Reminds me a bit of an H. G. Wells ending, but less original given the publication date.The very idea of “pod people” comes from this book. Without having even read this book or watched any of the films, most people will have a general idea of what this means. That, in itself, demonstrates how strong the concept is and how well it was developed by the author.Podcast: If you enjoy my review (or this topic) this book and the movie based on it were further discussed/debated in a lively discussion on my podcast: "No Deodorant In Outer Space". The podcast is available on iTunes, Tune-In Radio, Stitcher, Google Play Music, YouTube or our website.

first of all, i am not reviewing this novel in book form, i am reviewing the audio c.d collection. secondly, this has no bearing on the novel itself as i consider "invasion of the body snatchers" to be an undisputed masterpiece of science fiction and of modern literature. the point is, this c.d collection clearly states on the front cover that this recording is unabridged: this is simply incorrect and misleading. on c.d number 3 on track 11 or 12, some of the text from the novel was removed completely and replaced with several words that bear no relation to the novel at all, i have taken the trouble to verify this. i felt and still feel disappointed and also rather cheated and short-changed by this development. please be aware of the above.

Interesting story but did not grip me like the films did .

Happy with order.

great book great service

During the 1950s, many sci-fi and horror stories were released to the public. In pulp fiction publication, movies, radio dramas, television shows, the genre was a popular topic for audience members and readers. And among these releases, if some of them were forgettable or done on the run, others stood the test of time for multiple reasons. For their story, themes, timelessness, and their memorable scenes. Qualities present in Jack Finney’s classic The Body Snatchers, also titled as The Invasion of the Body Snatchers, which most might have known it thanks to the movie adaptations of that novel.In 1953, in the small Californian town of Santa Mira, a strange plague of paranoia is spreading; hysteric people claiming that their relatives/friends are not the same anymore. That somebody or something has taken their place and replaced them with a cold, emotionless copy of themselves. A hysteria that all these people drop days later, claiming that they were mistaken. A situation that doctor Miles Bennell notices from his patients since a week, and from Becky Driscoll, an ex-girlfriend who has returned to Santa Mira. Like him, she is divorced and like his patients, she tells him one of her cousins claims her dad is not her dad anymore. And then comes another panic from his friends the Belicecs, a couple who find a naked body in their closet, growing into the appearance of Jack Belicec. A frightening situation Miles also finds out in Becky’s house, where she lives with her dad, as a body who looks like her is growing in her basement. Right away, Miles gets Becky out of there so that she can stay at his place. But as these two rekindle their relationship, the nightmare evolves. And as the days go by, more shocking revelations appear. Confirming that an evil force has seized Santa Mira, and may destroy other communities if nobody stops it.In its themes, The Body Snatchers has been perceived into multiple interpretations. Some saw it as a denunciation of McCarthyism or against Communism. But it can be seen as a denunciation against the culture of conformity and emotional frigidity within suburbs. Especially in the 1950s as a certain philosophy of normality and good appearances was vehiculated back then. Most of it due by the conservative mentalities partly influenced by politicians like McCarthy. Which does explain why some readers and viewers of the movie treated it as an anti-McCarthy piece. Though I wonder if this reaction wasn’t due also to World War 2; as the fear of another international conflict terrified politicians and authorities so much they saw or imagined monsters everywhere. Therefore, they fed images of conformity and normality in the medias (movies, publicities, television, radio, and news) to educate enough the public in not thinking deviant thoughts. So in a way, the novel is a reflection of what some in the 1950s felt. That the American dream the medias and the government were selling was false and muzzled up their personalities.But of course, Jack Finney’s novel is a great sci-fi horror story. Presenting through tense description and the exclusive point of view of Miles Bennell his perspective of the events at Santa Mira. Which is important to remember as some felt the ending did not present everything that happened outside of his perspective. For though I won’t reveal the ending, it is clear that other people were aware of what was going on and fought on their own. As to whether or not a group of people or an organization did something that we haven’t seen and caused the ending we got, this is up to readers to make up their minds. Because although the end is definitive, and different from the two movie daptations of 1956 and 1978, what happens outside of Miles’s point-of-view is worth thinking of. Another way to analyze and reread this story.In its prose, the novel is concise. At 190 pages, the twenty chapters are easy to read and they offer a great range of dialogues and dramas. As to whether or not the scientific realism of the events is plausible or not, that depends on the perspectives of some readers. But either way, the charisma of that story makes up any possible implausibility in the story. Charisma also present in the location of Santa Mira, who is depicted as the ideal american town. And among the tragic events we see, that encounter Miles and Becky have with their local librarian (a woman I always see performed by actress Eleanor Audley) is heartbreaking and sad. A reminder that what has happened in their town has hurt those they love.In its publication, the book has been offered in various paperback editions. Even recent ones with very modern and computer made montages. But personally, I find the original 1950 and 1960s covers much more interesting as they make us dive into the era’s mentality. So if you have the chance to find one of these 1960s editions from Dell, don’t hesitate, the printing quality is excellent.As for the movie adaptations, though of course they differ from each other and from the novel, I see them as great interpretations of the original story Jack Finney gave us. And personally, I would not be surprised that this novel is still remembered and read worldwide thanks to the 1956 movie and its success as it motivated people to read the novel and to discover the 1978 remake.So whether or not you are a fan of the movies or not, reading The Body Snatchers is a must as it presents a great sci-fi adventure, alongside a great time capsule of the 1950s and its culture back then of idyllic suburbs and the fear of anti-conformity.A classic of that era and of Sci-Fi literature. A classic of the 1950s.