The Puppet Masters ~Robert Heinlein*
–1951 (originally serialized in Sept, Oct, Nov 1951 issues of Galaxy Science Fiction magazine.
–Signet Books
–175 pages
–4/5 stars
*this is the final book I completed in 2009
Sam, a member of a governmental agency so secret that it reports directly to the President of the United States, is called in to investigate reports of a flying saucer landing in rural Iowa. Far from a routine assignment, Sam is activated because every agent sent in to investigate up to this point has not reported back. Sam, the “Old Man”, and Sam’s female counterpart, Mary, soon discover that what humanity has always suspected is true–there is somebody out there–only they haven’t come to communicate, but to control.
What follows is tale of paranoia, fear, and fighting back from one of the undisputed masters of science fiction. The Puppet Masters unfolds in a style reminiscent of the novels that sparked my love of science fiction all those many years ago.
Published 5 years before the release of the film Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Heinlein’s story of visitors from “out there”, is fast paced and entertaining in the classic tradition of alien invasion tales. The Puppet Masters was written during the days when the United States was firmly entrenched in a Cold War with the Soviet Union. I’m generally intrigued by stories influenced by the politics of the Cold War period, in large part because I was born midway through and grew up with a ‘defined enemy’ and a fear of nuclear war. It is especially interesting to see the political predictions of a science fiction author of Heinlein’s caliber birthed out of this period of uncertainty.
The characters in many of these classic science fiction adventures are not overburdened with tremendous depth, but still I enjoy them for what they bring to the story. I have a soft spot for the kind of charming rogue that might be considered a cliche in genre fiction and Sam is one such rogue. He is a confident protagonist with just enough swagger to step into the role of hero but with enough self-effacement to avoid being an arrogant jerk. Mary is a red-headed beauty who is a skilled agent, possibly even more skilled than Sam himself. The Old Man is the kind of admirable curmudgeon that makes for a good boss and father figure in the organization. Together with the collective resources of their agency behind them, they face the growing threat with all the resources available to them, only to discover that it may not be enough.
I became a fan of Robert Heinlein a little less than a decade ago, reading some of his intriguing, decidedly adult science fiction. Over the last couple of years I have learned more about his juvenile novels, which are among his most popular and celebrated, and I am beginning to work my way through them. The Puppet Masters fits nicely between those two ends of the spectrum. It has the pacing and feel of his juvenile works though this story is entirely populated by adults. As one would expect in a story with a male and female protagonist, there is a touch of romance here, but it is all really tame by today’s standards. Unlike some of his later novels, anything adult here is implied rather than spelled out.
Both Sam and Mary are very likable characters to go on an adventure with. While most of us have seen or read this type of story before (imitation is the sincerest form of flattery), it does not detract from the enjoyment of this classic tale. There is enough suspense to keep the pages turning, it has the sense of wonder present in stories written in the 1950s, and its voice remains strong despite some minor dating. Most of what feels dated about this story is the fact that Heinlein set it in the ‘distant future’ of…2007. Heinlein predicts some things that have not occurred (flying cars) and others that seem very relevant looking at today’s technology (“skull” phones: phones embedded in the skull behind the ear. Truly “hands free”!).
My experience with The Puppet Masters was this: once I picked it up, I didn’t want to put it down. At 175 pages it is a very quick read. As did many of the classic science fiction authors who are still widely read today, Heinlein proves that an engaging, fun story can be told without drafting a magnum opus.
If you are interested in classic science fiction and/or are looking for a science fiction adventure that you can simply have a good time with, I would highly recommend checking out The Puppet Masters. Yes indeed, reading can be fun!
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I first saw this cover image in a memorial for the artist, Stanley Meltzhoff, in Spectrum 14. I knew right away that I was going to have to track down a copy of Heinlein’s book with that cover image. I was pleased to discover a copy at a Half Price Books early in 2009. Something about the image really captured my attention and it actually fits in nicely with a scene in the latter part of the story.
I love that cover! I will holding out to find a copy of this book with this cover as well. A good cover makes all the difference in the world as we know.
As for the ” distant future of 2007 “. That cracked me up. The skull phone sonuds just as annoying as a blue tooth to me. I would like one of those flying cars though to get through all this snow. 🙂
Thanks for another review of a Heinlein book I haven’t read yet. It sounds great and I will add it to my long list of books to acquire from the Grandmaster.
Jeff: I couldn’t agree more, a great cover just adds to the experience for me. 2007 was pretty funny. Reminds me of reading the novelization for Escape from New York when I was a kid, and seeing the film, which is set in 1997. I know big cities can be rough, but I don’t recall NYC being a walled-in penal colony in 1997!
The cars were cool, because the worked on the ground AND had flight capability. For longer trips you just blasted off and followed a set flight plan…interstates in the sky!
It’s an excellent sci-fi classic! Many people will read it and think it all sounds familiar, but as you said, imitation is flattery.
Love, Love, Love (almost) everything Heinlein ever wrote and this one is no exception. 😉
Astaryth: I haven’t read a whole lot of his work but I have to say that I’ve enjoyed everything I’ve read to this point (Friday, Time Enough for Love, Podkayne of Mars, The Puppet Masters, and the short story The Menace From Earth). I hope to read some more of his work as 2010 rolls on.
AlexJ: I agree!
Have you read Sixth Column ( also called The Day After Tomorrow ) by Heinlein. Jerry gave it to me to read several years ago which I did. I thought I then passed it onto you to read as well which I thought you did but maybe not as you didn’t list it above.
You did pass it on to me but I haven’t read it yet. I actually brought it up from the basement last week to put in my to read pile for the challenge. I’m either going to read it or Starship Troopers as my next Heinlein, I believe.
Haven’t read this but I do remember the film version from the early 1990s starring Donald Sutherland. I don’t think I’ve ever picked up any heinlein, must see if we have this somewhere…..
While Jerry loved the Sixth column I did not. It’s ok though. It’s been over two years since I’ve read it so the details are gone now but I remember thinking it wasn’t a story I would recommend to anyone to pick up as there first Heinlein book. I could think of so many better like Starship Troopers.
I remember hearing about that Puppet Masters movie as well but never have seen it. It’s from 1994 and besides Donald Sutherland it also has Richard Belzer in it who I enjoy on Law & Order SVU. It would be fun to watch one day after I’ve read the book.
Jeff: I read some stuff about the movie and it sounds like they based a lot of it off the novel and that it really sucked. I ordered a copy of Starship Troopers from ebay that I found that had a really fun retro cover on it. Wasn’t fond of the latest version and this one was cheap. I find it more fun to read these classics in the old versions if I can find them. Another oddity, I know. 🙂
Bride: Heinlein is a really good author to pick up, if the right books are chosen. I highly recommend you read the short story, The Menace From Earth. I know you can find it free online. Puppet Masters isn’t a bad one to start with either. I really enjoyed Podkayne of Mars as well…much more than my review indicates as I haven’t been able to get the story off my mind. Poddy is a really fun character to read.
I’ve read hardly anything by Robert Heinlein but I do own and have read this one a couple of times. Love it – your review is making me think about a reread.
I love the cover art to the 1950s and 1960s science fiction books more than I do the modern covers. They had an artistic style that was science fictional itself.
I wished there was a web site that featured them in an online gallery.
By the way, I was disappointed that in the movie version the characters didn’t show as much skin as the book suggests.
Also remember, this book was written just after the early saucer craze that started in the late 1940s.
Jim: Speaking of skin, it was interesting how that theme of some of Heinlein’s later novels crops up here in a much more innocent (probably not the right word) way here.
I too really love those old science fiction covers. There are modern ones that I like as well, but just the fact of knowing these covers are from another time period gives them that extra little something that just captures the imagination. I do think some cover illustrators have that “old soul” of former artists traveling with them. I look at the work of Stephan Martiniere, for example, and his work feels like it has a kinship to the work of John Berkey, just done with a different medium for a different age.
Cath: I can definitely see the re-readability of this book as it is so similar to other science fiction novels, in feel, that I find myself re-reading every few years.
Jim, my site over on Flickr has shots of most of my GP collection. You may enjoy some of those.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/gnomepress/sets/72157614671548428/
That’s a beautiful slideshow Aaron, thanks. But you know I’ve seen those covers before at your WordPress site. People should visit http://gnomepress.wordpress.com and read how you lovingly collect and describe those books.
Okay, time to go up in the attic and go through boxes. Thank goodness I am still putting away Christmas decorations. I can’t believe I didn’t read this many moons ago but not ringing a bell. I have a lot of Heinlein books up there, hmmm. I am feeling mighty generous, Carl. Will keep you posted. By the way, check your email for some personal news.
Decades have passed since I last read The Puppet Masters. What I remember most is the total trust and loyalty Sam had for his boss and organization. I wanted to grow up to be someone like Mary, but doubted my own ability to blindly follow orders.
Just discovered your site. I was trying to find the title Red Planet and found your Podkayne of Mars write-up. I love Heinlein discussions. Like Jim Harris, I was imprinted by Heinlein in the 60s.
Aaron and Jim – Thank you both for sharing the links to all the cool Gnome Press images and information.
Jeff: You should email that Gnome Press blog site to Jerry, he might enjoy it.
Christy: I love Heinlein discussions too, so please stop by and be a part of them as much as you want. I welcome your opinions. I wonder if we were more optimistic about our government and such organizations during WWII and the following Cold War period because it seemed like Communism and Fascism gave us a more defined enemy compared to what we have in contemporary times. I’m not sure, but it makes me wonder.
I want to read Red Planet at some point. If you haven’t read Podkayne, I would recommend it.
Cynthia: Heinlein books up in the attic. You are just too cool!!!
Jim: I’ve got another site for you to check out:
http://www.coverbrowser.com/covers/signet-books
It is not just science fiction, but there are some great signet sf and non-sci fi cover illustrations on the site. Picture quality isn’t the best, but still they are nice to see.
Aaron: Great site, I’ve bookmarked it. I agree with Jim, your Gnome Press site is top knotch! And it makes me slober with envy too! 😉
This is he same edition I have, read many, many years ago. Thanks for the memory the cover photo brought. I gobbled up every Heinlein I could find back then. I remember liking one called Revolt in 2100, but memories of books from decades back are unreliable things. I certainly liked this one, and Starship Troopers, and the juveniles, Farmer in the Sky, Podcane, Rolling Stones and the like. I heard it said some people prefer Puppet Masters to the later books, though I probably would pick The Green Hills of Earth or Methuselah’s Children myself. Though Stranger in a Strange Land was great at the time, I tried to reread it about ten years ago and couldn’t finish it.
Richard: You are welcome. It is a fantastic cover, isn’t it? I’m reading Starship Troopers now and am certainly getting into it. As you now know I’ve finished Green Hills and enjoyed it. Loved Podkayne, which I reviewed a few months ago. I have a copy of Revolt in 2100 downstairs. I’d like to reread Friday and Time Enough for Love someday because those were the two books that initially hooked me on Heinlein several years ago.
First off I have to say huge thank you to Carl as he gave me a copy of this book for Christmas. THANK YOU CARL !!!
Carl cracks me up when he says it is a fast read. Well maybe for him it is. 🙂 For me I blazed through it in a week and by my standards that’s a fast read for me. 🙂 I just kept thinking about it when I wasn’t reading it and looked forward to getting back to it whenever I had to put it down. I got a little concerned as I approached the end on how RAH was going to wrap everything up as I got so close the end but he didn’t let me down. Great ending. I felt some other books of his have had endings that weren’t satisfying for me ( Farmer in the Sky and Red Planet ) but this one worked well for me.
I have got to say I LOVED this book. This is easily one of my favorite adult’s that I have read from RAH so far. I think Carl’s description of an in between novel is very on target. While this novel dealt mainly with the action adventure core story the author took time out to give you some of his thoughts NOT too subtly on the institution of marriage and I believe promoted nudism. Maybe I’m wrong but that is what I read in my mind. I didn’t have a problem with it at all it’s just that I felt I saw a more assertive style in his writing placing his views less subtly than in his juvenile’s.
Anyway, Carl thanks a bunch again for getting me this book and I can’t wait to read some more Heinlein again soon. I’m glad we still have so much of his work to still devour. 🙂