Now in Mass Market. An Epic Battle Against Mind-Controlling Alien Invaders as Only Robert A. Heinlein, the Best-Selling Grand Master of Science Fiction, Could Tell It. “One of the most influential writers in American literature.” —The New York Times Book Review.
First came the news that a flying saucer had landed in Iowa. Then came the announcement that the whole thing was a hoax. End of story. Case closed.
Except that two agents of the most secret intelligence agency in the U.S. government were on the scene and disappeared without reporting in. And four more agents who were sent in also disappeared. So the head of the agency and his two top agents went in and managed to get out with their discovery: an invasion is underway by slug-like aliens who can touch a human and completely control his or her mind. What the humans know, they know. What the slugs want, no matter what, the human will do. And most of Iowa is already under their control.
Sam Cavanaugh was one of the agents who discovered the truth. Unfortunately, that was just before he was taken over by one of the aliens and began working for the invaders, with no will of his own. And he has just learned that a high official in the Treasury Department is now under control of the aliens. Since the Treasury Department includes the Secret Service, which safeguards the President of the United States, control of the entire nation is near at hand .
Robert A. Heinlein was the greatest science fiction writer who ever lived. His novels have been translated into every literate language on the globe—over 25 million Heinlein books are in print in this country alone. For five decades, young readers of science fiction discovered Heinlein, then gone on to voraciously devour every Heinlein book they can get their hands on. His now-legendary Stranger in a Strange Land was the first hardcover bestseller by a science fiction writer. From 1975 on, every new Heinlein novel made the New York Times best-seller list and shipped a million copies, including The Number of the Beast, Friday, Job: A Comedy of Justice, The Cat Who Walks Through Walls, and To Sail Beyond the Sunset. In a career spanning half a century, he wrote over forty books, and four of his novels won Hugo Awards, an unequalled record for almost four decades. For the last three generations of readers, Heinlein is science fiction.
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Vendeur : BooksRun, Philadelphia, PA, Etats-Unis
Paperback. Etat : Very Good. It's a well-cared-for item that has seen limited use. The item may show minor signs of wear. All the text is legible, with all pages included. It may have slight markings and/or highlighting. N° de réf. du vendeur 0330022350-8-1
Quantité disponible : 1 disponible(s)
Vendeur : -OnTimeBooks-, Phoenix, AZ, Etats-Unis
Etat : good. A copy that has been read, remains in good condition. All pages are intact, and the cover is intact. The spine and cover show signs of wear. Pages can include notes and highlighting and show signs of wear, and the copy can include "From the library of" labels or previous owner inscriptions. 100% GUARANTEE! Shipped with delivery confirmation, if you're not satisfied with purchase please return item! Ships via media mail. N° de réf. du vendeur OTV.0330022350.G
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Vendeur : Mainly Fiction, Auckland, Nouvelle-Zélande
Paperback. Etat : Near Fine. Reprint. Size: 12mo - over 6¾" - 7¾" tall. N° de réf. du vendeur 010621
Quantité disponible : 1 disponible(s)
Vendeur : Crappy Old Books, Barry, Royaume-Uni
Paperback. Etat : Good. The Puppet Masters (1973) by Robert Heinlein Pan Science Fiction ISBN: 0330022350 Condition: Good Robert Heinlein?s The Puppet Masters begins with one of science fiction?s most enduringly unpleasant ideas: what if the person standing next to you is no longer entirely in charge of themselves? And what if the thing in charge is attached to their back? Originally published in the 1950s, The Puppet Masters is a classic alien-invasion novel in which extraterrestrial parasites arrive on Earth and begin taking control of human hosts. Not by negotiation, not by diplomacy and not with the faintest interest in cultural exchange. They simply climb aboard. The result is part invasion thriller, part Cold War paranoia and part very good reason to become suspicious of anyone wearing unusually loose clothing. The story follows a covert government team investigating reports of strange events and increasingly unsettling behaviour. At first, the situation is mysterious. Then it becomes obvious. Then it becomes considerably worse. The aliens, known as slugs, attach themselves to human beings and take control of their bodies, turning ordinary people into obedient extensions of an invading intelligence. Which raises a practical problem. How do you fight an enemy when the enemy looks exactly like your neighbour? Or your colleague? Or someone at the Ministry insisting there is absolutely nothing to worry about? Heinlein uses the idea with ruthless efficiency. The horror is not simply physical. It is social. Trust disappears. Normal behaviour becomes suspicious. Anyone might be compromised. And once that possibility enters the room, civilisation becomes rather difficult to organise. The novel was written during a period saturated with fear of infiltration, ideological subversion and hidden enemies. So yes, there is a Cold War atmosphere. Quite a lot of it. The aliens do not merely invade territory. They invade people. Which is a much more intimate and disturbing form of conquest. There is also a wonderfully Heinleinian streak of competence running through the book. His characters respond to catastrophe by analysing the problem, improvising solutions and generally behaving as though humanity might survive if everyone would stop panicking for five minutes and follow instructions. This is not the sort of alien-invasion novel where people spend half the book refusing to believe the evidence. The evidence arrives attached to somebody?s spine. At that point, scepticism becomes less useful. Heinlein also takes evident pleasure in the mechanics of the response. How do you detect the controlled? How do you quarantine areas? How do you communicate securely? How do you stop the parasites spreading through a population that is already partly compromised? And perhaps most importantly, how do you persuade the public to cooperate without causing mass panic? Governments, as usual, discover that the answer involves secrecy, emergency measures and a considerable amount of paperwork. The parasites themselves are particularly effective because they are physically unimpressive. No towering war machines. No elegant saucers. No majestic alien ambassadors. Just revolting little creatures that attach themselves to people and turn them into puppets. There is something almost insulting about it. Human civilisation spends thousands of years building cities, science, art and philosophy, only to discover that the existential threat resembles something you would remove from a drain. The title is therefore wonderfully literal. The hosts are puppets. The aliens are the masters. And everyone else is trying very hard not to become part of the cast. There is action, espionage, scientific problem-solving and plenty of the brisk political speculation Heinlein did so well. The novel moves quickly, but underneath the adventure sits a darker question about individuality. What remains of a person when their choices are no longer their own? And how much of human identity depends on the simple ability to say no? That gives the book more weight than a straightforward monster story. The invasion works because it attacks autonomy itself. Which is rather more unsettling than merely blowing up landmarks. For readers of classic science fiction, alien-invasion stories, Cold War thrillers or fiction involving deeply unpleasant things behaving like oversized biological remote controls, The Puppet Masters remains an entertaining and influential read. This 1973 Pan Science Fiction edition is in Good condition , suggesting it has survived the decades without being taken over by anything more threatening than previous owners. Available from Crappy Old Books , where all customers remain in full control of their purchasing decisions, as far as we know. N° de réf. du vendeur 7566
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Vendeur : Mainly Fiction, Auckland, Nouvelle-Zélande
Paperback. Etat : Near Fine. First Thus. A code no. inside front cover, otherwise unmarked. Size: 12mo - over 6¾" - 7¾" tall. N° de réf. du vendeur 030317
Quantité disponible : 1 disponible(s)
Vendeur : Zardoz Books, Westbury, WILTS, Royaume-Uni
First Edition. Etat : vg+. vg+ 1st Pan Books Ltd 1969 edition paperback In stock shipped from our UK warehouse. N° de réf. du vendeur 226918
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Vendeur : KULTur-Antiquariat, Boizenburg, MV, Allemagne
Broschiert. Etat : Sehr gut. 3. Auflage. 219 Seiten. Einband leicht berieben/angeschmutzt, ansonsten gut erhalten. ISBN: 0330022350 Der Versand ins Ausland ist gegen Zahlung der Portokosten möglich. Bitte nehmen Sie Kontakt mit uns auf. Sprache: Englisch Gewicht in Gramm: 1050. N° de réf. du vendeur 157774
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Vendeur : Bookwood, Melbourne, VIC, Australie
Pictorial Wraps. Etat : Very Good. Reprint. Pan Science Fiction. Mass market paperback. Printed in Great Britain. Slight handling wear, light creasing to front cover, otherwise a nice clean tight solid softcover copy. 220pp. SB-97. N° de réf. du vendeur 037503
Quantité disponible : 1 disponible(s)
Vendeur : Reading Habit, Buttaba, Newcastle, NSW, Australie
Paperback. Etat : Good. Reprint. Paperback, reprint, 126gms, 219 pages. Book is in good condition with minor general wear and tear and heavy page discolouration/spotting throughout. There is a small stamp and a pen inscription from a previous owner on the inside front title page, otherwise no other pre-loved markings. N° de réf. du vendeur SCIFIC3620
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Vendeur : Hubert Colau, LA BAZOCHE GOUET, France
Etat : very good. EDITION DE 1969. Poche bon état .Contenu propre . 1969.219 pages . PHOTOS SUR DEMANDE. N° de réf. du vendeur LW1666
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