The Puppet Masters by Robert A. Heinlein

The Puppet Masters by Robert A. Heinlein
Signet Books, ISBN 0 451 07339 8
Price paid: 1,00$

The Puppet Masters tell the story of a battle between secret government agents and mind-controlling aliens from Titan. This might seem familiar if you have watched or read science-fiction stories in the last thirty years; many books and movies such as Invasion of the Body-Snatchers, The Faculty and The Thing take (sometimes heavily) from this story.

The book itself is not very long; about 170 pages. It was originally set to be longer but much was cut due to controversy at the time. A later edition, published in 1990, fills the 40 page omission. However, since the book at hand is the first edition, I cannot really comment on those missing pages.

The mistake one can often make when dealing with stories of this kind is to believe them to be unoriginal. The truth is, simply, that stories such as these are the originals; the subsequent movies and books, all with twists and departures, are all inspired by it (the same way many horror movies are inspired by Edgar Allan Poe or H.P. Lovecraft mythos).

In this case, strange alien slugs ride victims' back in order to control their mind. A secret agency with no name is charged to find the solution to the rapidly escalating problem. The story is excellent! Heinlein keeps from the easily exploitable themes of horror and paranoia, rather writing it the way we have come to see the fifties; good men versus unspeakable evil. The agency does what is deemed necessary to protect themselves and those not affected. They are ready to sacrifice whoever it takes to get rid of the bugs. This sentiment will be further exploited in Starship Troopers, another Heinlein classic.

The mentality might seem strange in the 21st century but one must remember that it was a particular time for the United States. World War II had ended and Russo-American conflicts caused gradual communist paranoia. Though the story deals with alien life forms, the tension felt at that time is very present in the book.

Is it worth a dollar?

This is the difference between a good science fiction book and a simple-minded exploitation novel. It is short, simple and extremely addictive. I found myself anxious to finish the book and each chapter gave way to new, juicy surprises, including a turn of events I had not anticipated. It is very well crafted and really worth the dollar paid.

It is absolutely worth a dollar. More. Buy it, whatever the price!