Invasion of the Body Snatchers

This is a wonderfully inventive story that has spawned three films. Well written, the book tells the tale of a small town through the eyes of its young doctor, Miles Bennell. It seems the town is undergoing a drastic change which is as subtle as it is deadly. It seems that all the townspeople are not what they seem. They look the same. They sound the same. Their memories are intact. Still, they are just not the same. Those who have noticed this, suddenly end up retracting their concerns days later. Something is not right in the town of Mills Valley, and Dr, Bennell knows it. Those large seed pods that are suddenly showing up every where are at the root of it. Their unearthly presence is connected to the profound changes that the people of Mills Valley are undergoing, and Dr. Bennell will stop at nothing to save his beloved town and the world from the invasion of the body snatchers. This is a great story by a wonderfully inventive writer. Jack Finney is a masterful story teller. He expertly weaves a tale that will keep the reader riveted to the pages of this book. It is no wonder that three films based upon this book have been made, "The Invasion of the Body Snatchers" (1956), The Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978), and Body Snatchers (1994). All three are worth watching.

This is a wonderfully inventive story that has spawned three films. Well written, the book tells the tale of a small town through the eyes of its young doctor, Miles Bennell. It seems the town is undergoing a drastic change which is as subtle as it is deadly. It seems that all the townspeople are not what they seem. They look the same. They sound the same. Their memories are intact. Still, they are just not the same. Those who have noticed this, suddenly end up retracting their concerns days later. Something is not right in the town of Mills Valley, and Dr, Bennell knows it. Those large seed pods that are suddenly showing up every where are at the root of it. Their unearthly presence is connected to the profound changes that the people of Mills Valley are undergoing, and Dr. Bennell will stop at nothing to save his beloved town and the world from the invasion of the body snatchers. This is a great story by a wonderfully inventive writer. Jack Finney is a masterful story teller. He expertly weaves a tale that will keep the reader riveted to the pages of this book. It is no wonder that three films based upon this book have been made, "The Invasion of the Body Snatchers" (1956), The Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978), and Body Snatchers (1994). All three are worth watching.

I read this book in a single sitting, it was so good! True, I am a lover of science fiction, but Finney's sharp and precise writing skills really appealed to me. The book is quite different from the 1978 movie, but just as good. Two times whilst reading, my blood was chilled by the unnerving descriptions. When Finney writes, he really gets into character, and the result is amazng. You can actually feel the creeping horror and desperation of the characters, which only adds to the suspense and makes the ending all the more marvelous. A truly great classic!

An epidemic of a specific neurosis: all around you, people are claiming that their closest friends and relatives have been replaced by perfect impostors. They question their sanity. Then they recover. But you start to wonder, for a friend/family member seems a bit odd to you now... not like himself. You try to get help, but the roads out of the city are inexplicably worsening and your phone won't call out of the area. And then it hits you: THEY HAVE CONTROL...This story has been retold many times (the 50's serial, book, and movie; the retellings of both in the 70's; and that God-awful 1992 movie). The pure HORROR of its concept is so universal that the term "body snatcher" is used worldwide. Beware the pods: there are places in YOUR house they might hide.This novel is one of the best I've read. It combines decent (though sometimes stereotypical) characters with unbelievably tense action and story twists (not plot twists, though you might not be able to predict this one). The characters are believably human and the important loose ends are explained; Mr. Finney himself tells you that not all of them will be, which makes for an even better story.If you haven't seen the 1978 movie with Donald Sutherland:1. You MUST see it. Don't drink much beforehand.2. Don't expect the same story as the book; in fact, they're two opposed tellings of a wonderful horror concept.

This book was serialized in "Collier's" magazine in the 1950s, and for the six weeks or so that it ran many people could talk of nothing else. It was amazing. It was almost as big as the O.J. trial was in the '90s. I haven't read it in over 40 years, but thank goodness it introduced me to Jack Finney. You'll eat it up!