146. The Man Who Fell to Earth by Walter Tevis
Review
“The Man Who Fell to Earth” by Walter Tevis is a book, which deals with the invisible perspectives of life - The motivating factors that drive humans to certain actions as a result of invisible pressures and how one deals with this and how the most motivating of tasks can be corrupted. It is written in a very honest and realistic perspective, where the motivations of the characters are slowly unveiled. It deals in addiction and the causes and effects of this, which is very realistic, considering that the author himself dealt very much with problems.
What makes this a marvellous book is the sheer amount of anger, that the characters portray and how alcohol is used to dull this anger and in turn also dull the pain that follows. It reads as a warning to how drugs and mind-altering substances can dull initiative and even the most noble of endeavours. And once these noble endeavours have been dulled, the drugs can be used to dull the pain that follows. It makes for a sad, though excellent, reading of the destruction of potential.
I do not have many comparisons to make to this book, as I have rarely read anything as introspective as this in the world of science fiction (It is probably more likely to find similar books among more classical writers of introspective fiction). Perhaps the best cases I can think of are: “The Forever War” by Joe Haldeman and “Dying of the Light” by George R. R. Martin from the world of science fiction.
Score: 9/10
Seeing that this is the first book I’ve read by Walter Tevis, I thoroughly enjoyed it. The raw emotion that he portrays is captivating and the depth of the motivations of the characters can be heartbreaking. It is written from a place of personal experience and this shows.