Status
Available
Call number
Publication
Barcelona Acervo D.L. 1978
Description
Thomas Newton is an extraterrestrial, one of only 300 left on his home planet. Using his superior intelligence and skills, Newton amasses a small fortune and a business empire, but soon must battle unexpected foes: the CIA, alcoholism, loneliness, himself. An utterly absorbing psychological study of one man's struggle to survive on the 20th-century Earth.
User reviews
LibraryThing member andreablythe
An alien lands in Kentucky from Anthea with half a dozen gold rings in his pocket and a plan. His body is trial, his bones birdlike. He is fragile, but approaches a lawyer with dozens of patentable inventions that will very quickly make him very rich.
This book presents a science fiction in a
This book presents a science fiction in a
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simple straightforward way. The clean prose reveals more about the loneliness of ordinary life than the strangeness of this alien in humanities midst. What is strange seems so ordinary and what we accept as ordinary seems so strange. It's a lovely exploration of an alien among us, so real it almost becomes a metaphor for our own alienation in the world. Both beautiful and sad. Show Less
LibraryThing member andyray
This was an introductory book of Tevis for me, and my response is to immediately obtain at least two more as this prose is much better than the movie, even with David Bowie playiang an excellent Thomas Newton. Of course, one art form invites comparison to the other so I shall see the movie again
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forthwith. Where do we sequester these excellent writers that one falls upon by mistake or accident., Rather to have rlead this writer than Samuel Johnson or some other verbose wag of prissy parsimony. Show Less
LibraryThing member Dreesie
An alien comes, alone, to Earth. He lands in Kentucky and begins the process of making money to bring other survivors from Althea to save people from themselves.
I enjoyed the technologies he brings--and patents and sells--and the way he integrates himself into society. I also liked the physical
So--interesting and well considered, but I wanted more from the ending.
I enjoyed the technologies he brings--and patents and sells--and the way he integrates himself into society. I also liked the physical
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differences between himself and humans, though I was a bit confused, it sounded like Altheans or humans are actually a split from the other? The best parts, though, were in his emotional state. Loneliness and secretiveness can wear anyone down, despite the research and prep done in advance.So--interesting and well considered, but I wanted more from the ending.
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LibraryThing member andersocheva
A series of patents in the fields of chemistry and electronics, held by the mysterious World Enterprises Corporation, are slowly revolutionising everyday technology: 3D television, super high-definition self-developing film, a smoke- and odourless gunpowder replacement for toy guns, and dozens of
A very short and concentrated novel of Newton's rise and fall, set in the far future of 1985-1990. If anything, it is too short: there is hardly any time for anything to happen. I liked the descriptions of Newton going native, but I would have liked to see more of him as an alien. (I have no idea how it compares to the film starring David Bowie; although I've had it on video for years I never found the time to watch it.)
Apparently, the original edition was set in 1972-76; Tevis changed the years for this edition, and revised some other parts of the text (e.g. adding a reference to Watergate). I guess this was done to coincide with the film.
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other inventions. The owner of World Enterprises is the reclusive Thomas Jerome Newton, a man seen by very few people and with even fewer friends, and found exceedingly eccentric, in a quiet and unobtrusive way, by those who see him. Very few even suspect the truth behind the advanced patents and his polite but strange demeanour: Newton is not human. He is an alien on a mission to save his people, and the inventions are just the quickest way to amass the fortune needed to build a spaceship to transport the few hundred remaining of his people from his dying planet to Earth. But the rescue mission is not going as planned...A very short and concentrated novel of Newton's rise and fall, set in the far future of 1985-1990. If anything, it is too short: there is hardly any time for anything to happen. I liked the descriptions of Newton going native, but I would have liked to see more of him as an alien. (I have no idea how it compares to the film starring David Bowie; although I've had it on video for years I never found the time to watch it.)
Apparently, the original edition was set in 1972-76; Tevis changed the years for this edition, and revised some other parts of the text (e.g. adding a reference to Watergate). I guess this was done to coincide with the film.
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LibraryThing member unapersson
Classic new wave science fiction novel about an alien who lands on earth to try and raise the funds to start work on a special project. Years of training do little to prepare him for the reality of interacting with human culture and he begins to question his whole reason for being here.
LibraryThing member Lyndatrue
I was astonished to see this copy of this rara avis. While David Bowie did decent work in the movie based on this book, there was a subsequent remake which should have caused Tevis to rise up from his grave and smite down the desecrators.
I don't think Tevis is an author who can be categorized
I don't think Tevis is an author who can be categorized
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(Wikipedia entry to the contrary), and this visionary book stands on its own. Best read from the vantage point of then (1963) rather than now. Show Less
LibraryThing member xuebi
An excellent piece of sci-fi writing, but more so a parable of the Fifties and of the Cold War, the constant talk of the Other and the dangers it posed. Beyond that it is an evocation of existential loneliness and most of all it is true and saddening representation of alcoholism.
LibraryThing member librisissimo
Okay, it's a sixties book. War is bad. It's less an sf book than an ideological exploration, but I'm not entirely sure what the author actually accomplished.
LibraryThing member CurrerBell
What I've read is the Kindle eBook, and it's got significant revisions from the original 1963 edition. I rate the version I read at 3½*** but maybe the original is better.
LibraryThing member Cheryl_in_CC_NV
Long time ago I think I read the book. Longer time ago I saw the movie... kinda (I was on a date, and distracted). So I basically know the premise. And the plot isn't much more than the basic premise, really. The story is all about the feelings of the characters, and the writing style. I think.
I
I have enjoyed Tevis's Mockingbird (I think) and wish I were interested in his other books' subjects so I were sufficiently motivated to read them.
Oh, and there was a lot of alcohol in this. I guess lots of the pages were actually 'Gin is awful' 'Is he drunk' 'Drinking in the morning is better cuz you have more control' 'Humans are interesting because they've invented this means to enjoy a pleasant relaxing buzz' and 'Gin is now my drink of choice.'
I
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say I think... because the only thing I could think about while reading this is the fact that the descriptions of the Anthean were written as if Tevis already knew David Bowie and knew that the artist would be willing to act in a movie of Tevis's book. Which is of course unlikely as the book was written in 1963 and Space Oddity is from 1969. I have no idea if the book is any good. In fact, I don't know if the movie is any good (the bits on youtube make me suspect not). But Bowie's performance is probably tremendous.I have enjoyed Tevis's Mockingbird (I think) and wish I were interested in his other books' subjects so I were sufficiently motivated to read them.
Oh, and there was a lot of alcohol in this. I guess lots of the pages were actually 'Gin is awful' 'Is he drunk' 'Drinking in the morning is better cuz you have more control' 'Humans are interesting because they've invented this means to enjoy a pleasant relaxing buzz' and 'Gin is now my drink of choice.'
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LibraryThing member gbelik
This was quite a short novel. An extraterrestrial arrives on earth with advanced technology which enables him to make a fortune with which he will build a ship to bring the few remaining people from his planet to Earth. Things do not go quite as expected. Quite a touching story.
LibraryThing member saroz
Brilliant. This a deceptively simple story, told in simple, uncomplicated prose, but with unexpected depth and relevance. It might come off as slightly trite now, as with most mid-20th century fiction set in "the near future" (the late 1980s, of all things!), but I'm sure in 1963 it was truly a
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sign of the times. What I'm sure hasn't lost its charge over the years is the tint of sadness, of individualized despair, that permeates the book and ultimately embitters the characters. No one escapes their self-destructive fears - not the American government, not the curious scientist, and most especially not the titular visitor who comes to save his world but can't even save himself. The film version, starring David Bowie, is far more surreal and symbolically charged (and, as with any Nicholas Roeg film, obsessed with sexuality), but the plot is almost completely the same, and anyone who enjoys one version of the tale should enjoy the other. Definitely worth seeking out. Show Less
LibraryThing member closefriend
One of the saddest books I've read, but exactly like it would be if a being from another planet came to earth and couldn't get back home.
LibraryThing member ghr4
Walter Tevis's The Man Who Fell to Earth is a contemplative and tragic science fiction tale concerning an alien from the distant planet Anthea who comes to earth seeking to save his dying world and its inhabitabts from extinction. With overt allusions to the Greek mythology of Icarus, an Athenian
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who, unable to tread that narrow path between complacency and hubris, flew too too close to the sun, fell into the sea, and ultimately drowned. Initially the extraterrestrial Newton exhibits great determination and confidence, only to sink into despair after outside forces intervene, and, dreams dashed, he finally succumbs to a most common human frailty. Though I found Tevis's prose rather ordinary and nowhere near the poetic beauty that some have suggested, this is nevertheless a deeply moving story, which also resonates as a compelling portrait of alienation, the bitter amalgam of isolation and loneliness. Show Less
LibraryThing member lycomayflower
Well, this was strange. Written in the sixties but set in the eighties, this is the story of an alien who comes to earth with plans to build a ship to send back to his planet to bring the rest of his people (which is a small number--they are dying out) to earth in order to manipulate the people of he fails, partly because he is desperately lonely, partly because humans get in his way, and partly because he becomes an alcoholic. I was perplexed by this story from the beginning, maybe because Tevis gets the eighties so very, very wrong (I mean, he wasn't to know, of course, but if there was any real speculation on his part here, it was poor), and that made it quite hard to invest in the story. I also felt held at a distance from all of the characters, and the story worked out in pretty much exactly how I figured it would--which was not terribly compelling. Perhaps this is one of those books that really needed to be read when it was written. For me it was just this side of a dud.
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earth into not blowing themselves up with nukes. How he is going to do that is somewhat part of the story. Ultimately, Show Less
LibraryThing member stephanie_M
Very rarely is there a book that has been so perfect. One of the very few times where every word, every scene, every bit of dialog was exactly where it should be.
This is a deceptively simple story, told in uncomplicated prose, but with unexpected depth and relevance. What I'm sure hasn't been lost
This is a deceptively simple story, told in uncomplicated prose, but with unexpected depth and relevance. What I'm sure hasn't been lost
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over the years is the wash of sadness, and the individualized despair that permeates the book, and ultimately embitters the characters. No one escapes their self-destructive fears - not the American government, not the curious scientist, and most especially not the other-worldly visitor who comes to save his world but can't even save himself. Definitely worth seeking out. Highly recommended. 4.5 stars Show Less
LibraryThing member iansales
This is one of those rare cases where I’ve seen the film – several times – before I read the book. And the film isn’t exactly a faithful adaptation. It covers the main points, but the movie is very much about its visuals and the book is just a bog-standard early 1960s sf novel that’s
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actually set in the early 1960s. Which at least means mean wearing hats is plausible. The title character is Thomas Jerome Newton, an alien from Anthea – implied to be Mars – who has infiltrated Earth – ie, the US – in order to save his home world. He introduces technological innovations from his planet and so makes a vast fortune, which he uses to build a spaceship. But the government are suspicious and eventually arrest him. The CIA uncover his secret, but they keep it from the FBI, who bungle their investigation and blind Newton. The point of the book is that Newton is discovered. And despite a long list of technological innovations introduced by Newton, the government still manages to fuck things up. I’m surprised this was considered a shocking perspective in 1963, especially in the US, a nation famous for its distrust of its government (to be fair, for good reason). But the idea of an alien not being an actual evil invader seems to have struck US sf fans as something, well, entirely novel. Seriously? That says more about US sf fandom than it does this book. Which is otherwise ordinary, and you would be better off watching the film as it’s more rewarding. Show Less
LibraryThing member waldhaus1
An ET from our solar system comes to earth hoping convince humans to avoid nuclear war. A clever rendition of an ET.
LibraryThing member PilgrimJess
Thomas J Newton, came from another planet in human form to make a lot of money and build a spaceship but did he want to save the Earth or destroy it?
Walter Tevis wrote this book in 1963, and in today's digital age some of Newton’s revolutionary inventions are rather dated – new types of camera
The 1960's was the height of the Cold War and consequently and the world's main concern was the fear of Nuclear War (Mutually Assured Destruction) and whilst today that fear has lessened the book in the age of global warming is still relevant, where today the main fear is global warming. Newton has already seen what war has done to his own planet, where its natural resources have either been exhausted or severely degraded. He can't believe the seemingly unlimited availability of water and his appreciation of a simple glass of pure water is unfortunately shared by many on our own planet, particularly in Africa, today.
The ending is very sad. Newton potentially has much to offer the Earth but finishes up a blind, lonely, disillusioned “man”. Newton comes to realise that he will never go back home and is unsure even if he wants to. The US Government locks him up in a detention centre but when he refuses to help them develop new weapons, they don't know what to do with him and simply releases him despite him having the knowledge, skills and experience to help in other ways. In our troubled times where so many people are migrating from one country to another for various reasons this gives it added relevance. A study not just of an alien, but also alienation.
Now I should point out that I'm not really a Sci-Fi fan, but I don't think that you have to be to get something out of it. Yet somehow, I also felt that there was something missing and it failed to really grip me. But I would still recommend others giving it a go, my copy only had some 96 pages so it's possible to read in one sitting.
Walter Tevis wrote this book in 1963, and in today's digital age some of Newton’s revolutionary inventions are rather dated – new types of camera
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film stock, amplifiers and a new way of petrol refining but this book is really about alienation and loneliness rather than great technological advances. Newton comes to realise that he will never see his home planet or family ever again.The 1960's was the height of the Cold War and consequently and the world's main concern was the fear of Nuclear War (Mutually Assured Destruction) and whilst today that fear has lessened the book in the age of global warming is still relevant, where today the main fear is global warming. Newton has already seen what war has done to his own planet, where its natural resources have either been exhausted or severely degraded. He can't believe the seemingly unlimited availability of water and his appreciation of a simple glass of pure water is unfortunately shared by many on our own planet, particularly in Africa, today.
The ending is very sad. Newton potentially has much to offer the Earth but finishes up a blind, lonely, disillusioned “man”. Newton comes to realise that he will never go back home and is unsure even if he wants to. The US Government locks him up in a detention centre but when he refuses to help them develop new weapons, they don't know what to do with him and simply releases him despite him having the knowledge, skills and experience to help in other ways. In our troubled times where so many people are migrating from one country to another for various reasons this gives it added relevance. A study not just of an alien, but also alienation.
Now I should point out that I'm not really a Sci-Fi fan, but I don't think that you have to be to get something out of it. Yet somehow, I also felt that there was something missing and it failed to really grip me. But I would still recommend others giving it a go, my copy only had some 96 pages so it's possible to read in one sitting.
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LibraryThing member burritapal
An incredibly sad book, and oh-so-well written.
LibraryThing member mahsdad
Thomas Newton is a alien who comes to Earth to help save his dying planet. He comes with all his advanced knowledge, lives among us and becomes a rich industrialist, building technologies that will allow him to build a rescue ship to save his wife and the survivors. But "human" foibles, alcoholism,
It was the basis of the David Bowie movie in 1976 and Showtime series starring Chiwetel Ejiofor. I want to read more of his stuff. He wrote 6 novels, 4 of which have been movies or shows. This, plus The Hustler, The Color of Money and The Queen's Gambit
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and the government gets in his way to thwart his plans. A very beautiful book, I'm glad I read it.It was the basis of the David Bowie movie in 1976 and Showtime series starring Chiwetel Ejiofor. I want to read more of his stuff. He wrote 6 novels, 4 of which have been movies or shows. This, plus The Hustler, The Color of Money and The Queen's Gambit
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LibraryThing member TerriS
Written in 1963, this is a "futuristic" story set in the 1980's of an alien who comes to Earth to try to save his the people of his own planet and Earth's people too. Of course, it doesn't turn out exactly as he expects. I liked how it was written, how the author tried to write it as set in the
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future, but you could tell he was still in a 1960's mindset. It is short and an interesting read. I first read it in 1978 and still enjoyed it in "the future" of 2017!! Show Less
LibraryThing member ragwaine
Cool but I'm not sure why the alien didn't save his people. I'm sure that's a major part of the book too. Aged well.
LibraryThing member baswood
Extra Terrestrial Goes Native in U.S.A
Tevis was not a pulp science fiction author, but his one famous science fiction novel: The man Who Fell To Earth (1963) was successfully filmed starring David Bowie and has also been published in the science fiction Masterwork Series. Tevis had success with
T J Newton walks into a small town in Kentucky pawns a gold ring and hires a patent lawyer to set in motion a series of new inventions that could transform some aspects of life on earth. He has a five year plan to become a multi-billionaire to enable him to develop his own space research project. He is a gangly tall human like being who has trouble in earths heavy gravity and employs a close circle of workers to further his aims.
The novel charts his progress and also that of Bryce a chemical engineer and scientist who is suspicious of T J Newtons aims, becoming convinced that he is an alien. The character of T J Newton and his struggles with ill health are well developed as are the small circle of people around him. The politics on earth have reached a dangerous stage where nations are flexing their new atomic muscles, but T J Newton is given the time to establish his new patent inventions and all our sympathies are with this uncomfortable figure as he quietly goes about his business. He employs Betty Joe a mature woman who likes to drink as a nurse and helper and he gradually takes to alcohol himself. As his project develops he starts to question his own motives and becomes more reclusive.
The mystery surrounding T J Newton is revealed to the reader well before the story ends, but it is T J Newton's own integration into the United States and the lack of interference from the government that holds the interest. The strangeness surrounding this lonely figure on an earth that seems to be heading for destruction makes this a 3.5 star read.
Tevis was not a pulp science fiction author, but his one famous science fiction novel: The man Who Fell To Earth (1963) was successfully filmed starring David Bowie and has also been published in the science fiction Masterwork Series. Tevis had success with
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The Hustler, The Color of Money and the Queens Gambit, which were also filmed. He was a quality popular writer and member of the Authors Guild.T J Newton walks into a small town in Kentucky pawns a gold ring and hires a patent lawyer to set in motion a series of new inventions that could transform some aspects of life on earth. He has a five year plan to become a multi-billionaire to enable him to develop his own space research project. He is a gangly tall human like being who has trouble in earths heavy gravity and employs a close circle of workers to further his aims.
The novel charts his progress and also that of Bryce a chemical engineer and scientist who is suspicious of T J Newtons aims, becoming convinced that he is an alien. The character of T J Newton and his struggles with ill health are well developed as are the small circle of people around him. The politics on earth have reached a dangerous stage where nations are flexing their new atomic muscles, but T J Newton is given the time to establish his new patent inventions and all our sympathies are with this uncomfortable figure as he quietly goes about his business. He employs Betty Joe a mature woman who likes to drink as a nurse and helper and he gradually takes to alcohol himself. As his project develops he starts to question his own motives and becomes more reclusive.
The mystery surrounding T J Newton is revealed to the reader well before the story ends, but it is T J Newton's own integration into the United States and the lack of interference from the government that holds the interest. The strangeness surrounding this lonely figure on an earth that seems to be heading for destruction makes this a 3.5 star read.
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Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
1963
Physical description
223 p.; 18 cm
ISBN
8470022512 / 9788470022517