The Man Who Fell to Earth

The Man Who Fell to Earth by Walter Tevis (1963) I was watching The Hustler (1961) for the hundredth time when it occurred to me, it might be my favorite movie. It’s more about alcoholism, and countless other things, even, than pool or gambling, and as sad as it is, I never get tired of it. I wonder who wrote it, I thought—and I hadn’t realized it’s adapted from Walter Tevis’ novel—and I was always meaning to read something by him, so I decided to check out The Man Who Fell to Earth (I never saw the film, or films, based on it, or TV series). So, this book was somewhat of a surprise, in that it’s a really low-key, believable space alien story. I really like how he limits the scope to a few characters, and to a few episodes that are separated by stretches of time—so it’s a succinct, but full, depiction of the extraterrestrial’s journey. I also like how the few characters represented in this saga aren’t just the wealthy, powerful, and brilliant—but normal people, with their weaknesses, failings, and loneliness. I guess I can say the book surprised me—in the extent that it differs from the other extraterrestrial stories I’ve read and seen in movies and TV shows. On the other hand, it felt familiar and connected with life observations and experience. It’s more about alcoholism, and countless other things, even, than speculative science and space travel and other worlds.