The Puppet Masters

This novel, published in 1951, is incredibly entertaining as well as chilling. It's about an alien invasion where the aliens attach themselves to the backs of humans and control them. It's similar to Invasion of the Body Snatchers and Star Trek's "Operation: Annihilate" and I wondered if they were inspired by Heinlein's book.

I loved the three main characters. Sam "Elihu" Nivens grows from a womanizing operative to a married man in love. He eventually takes over as head of the Special Department from his father, The Old Man. I liked his character arc and thought it was deftly handled.

How the President and Congress handled this alien invasion was also believable from their initial skepticism to their political partisanship in spite of the alien threat.

The plot is fast-paced and the dialogue is snappy. It will keep you riveted up to the very end with its thrilling conclusion.

Like most of the SF from this era, this novel centers around Man's fear of not being in control, of someone or thing taking possession of his mind and making him do things he is aware of but can't prevent.

The narrator is Elihu, though he goes by his operative name of "Sam" through most of the story. Like his Biblical namesake, he's younger than some and his wisdom is in opposition to those older than he. As the other Elihu states he doesn't feel that suffering is necessarily the punishment for sin, but perhaps as a warning and/or protection against worse sin, so does Heinlein's Elihu give his own opinions on why the invasion occurs.

The story takes place in '07. (I'm supposing this is 2007, since the novel itself was written in 1951).

When a flying saucer lands in the Midwest (which always seems to be the chosen area these invaders select), Sam, his father, and another agent, Mary, go to investigate. Sam's immediately attracted to Mary but she's no pushover, and fends him off...at first. Sam's father is head of the secret government agency which seeks to fight the invaders, though their relationship isn't given straightaway. It's only after Sam is possessed and put through considerable torture to determine the "invaders' weaknesses, that he called the Old Man "Dad."

As is expected in this type story, their report is disbelieved and ignored by everyone in authority until it's almost too late. Only when parts of the country black out, does the reality sink in. What follows is outright war, in which they discover the invaders are from Titan, one of Saturn's moons, and also that Mary may have more information about the invaders than even she knows.

Though the invaders are destroyed and the country reunited through its victory, the story ends on what can only be called a "pessimistically optimistic" note. Like the soldiers in "Starship Troopers," The Earthlings rejoice in their victory and want to prevent it happening again. In their newly-discovered weaknesses as well as their strengths in the face of opposition, they look to taking the next wart to the Titans' own backyard where they will prevent another invasion or die trying. Either way, the former invaders will know they've met a foe which will fight.

Concerning the date when this novel was written, one might expect it to be dated today, but as a true classic, it withstands the test of time. It's interesting to see what inventions and customs Heinlein sets in place in this so-called future, such as the procedure Sam goes through to get a marriage license.

This novel is owned by the reviewer and no remuneration was involved in the writing of this review.

The premise is trite by science fiction standards-aliens taking over people's brains, and the survivors scrambling to try to stop them. But Heinlein takes this idea in a perfectly credible way.

A secret agency's members hear about space aliens supposedly landing in Iowa-a hoax, or not? Not, as it turns out, and they are dangerous. Two problems crop up-how to convince the President of this fact, and how to find out enough about the aliens, who manage to take over much of the central USA, to defeat them without wiping out a lot of innocent people. if possible. Even with the aliens' presence and powers quickly and irrefutably proven, it takes time to convince both the government and the public of their danger-and even then, what to do with this enemy humanity knows little about?

The book is humorous in a way-people have to be nearly naked so that they can be seen not to have an alien attached to them, but the problem of trying to kill the aliens without killing millions of people is frightening, and indeed, many people have to be hurt and killed as a result of the aliens' actions.

"The Puppet Masters" was Heinlein's brilliant tale of an alien invasion of Earth. In a way similar to "Invasion of the Body Snatchers", it weaves a terrifying tale of hive mind organisms that latch onto terrestrial bodies and take control of them. Our hero, a veteran agent with a youthful outlook but enough missions behind him to be approaching middle age, narrates the story. Heinlein had a rare gift for stunning first person narrative, and this is one of his best.

In this novel he creates a tangible sense of foreboding and a sense of inevitable defeat that reminds me of nothing so much as "On the Beach" ... people trying to lead normal lives with their world on the brink of ending. And when Sam is taken by one of the invaders, rescued, and then faces having to voluntarily take on a "Master" again, Heinlein saddles the reader with an unforgettable sense of revulsion and fear.

The book was made into a moderately well received movie starring Donald Sutherland as the head of the ultra secret/elite agency at the forefront of attempting to save humanity. While the movie does a good job of conveying the sense of the book, nothing about it has the depth or feeling that comes through in Heinlein's story.

Like "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress", "Glory Road", and "Stranger in a Strange Land", "The Puppet Masters" is a bridge novel somewhere between Heinlein's Boy Scout-like juveniles and his later series of sex-heavy sci-fi. It depicts nudity and sexual attraction, but doesn't get too detailed.

Highly recommended.

Let us point out the obvious weakness of Heinlein's _The Puppet Masters_ (1951)-- obvious, that is, to modern readers, not to contemporary readers of the _Galaxy_ serial: It is a piece of Cold War paranoia. The 1950's were filled with novels and movies of alien invasions. Aliens represented a Fearful Other-- which at that time were Communist Spies. And there is no doubt that Heinlein means for us to be fearful of his slimy, mind-controling aliens:

If they were _not_ truly intelligent, I hope I never live to see us tangle with anything like them which _is_ intelligent. I know who would lose. Me. You. The so-called human race. (3)

There are some scenes of posession with the cold-minded and emotionless aliens aliens that are genuinely chilling:

Floating just beyond the wall, face down, was the body of a man-- a human, Earth-born man-- about forty or fifty years old. His arms were curved across his chest and his knees were drawn up, as if he were sleeping.
I watched him, thinking terrible thoughts. He was not alone; there were more beyond him, male and female, young and old, but he got my attention. I was sure that he was dead; it did not occur to me to think otherwise. Then I saw his mouth working-- and I wished he were dead. (172)

Of course, this is sometimes offset by a bit of over-the-top-patriotism, as when the heroes first encounter one of the slugs on one of their agents:

"The poor devil," the Old Man said softly.
"Huh?_That_?"
"No.-- Barnes. Remind me to see that he gets a Purple Heart, when this is over. If it ever is over." The Old Man straightened up and thumped around the room, as if he had forgotten completely the thing nestling in the crook of Barnes's arm. (14)

What modern readers may sometimes forget is that _The Puppet Masters_ is an extraordinarily imaginative piece of paranoia. Who but Heinlein would have cooked up such a clever way for the aliens to begin their invasion-- by using a fake flying saucer at an Iowa farmhouse to trap tourists? Who but Heinlein could have portrayed events that would lead to "bare back" sessions of Congress or public nudity in the United States? And only Heinlein could have imagined headlines like:

"BE WARY OF CROWDS"
"A MAN WEARING A COAT IS AN ENEMY-- SHOOT!" (89)

Heinlein is the author who could figure out how the parasites could bypass even these drastic precautions.

The main organization against the aliens is a Super Seccret Service run by the autocratic and somewhat ruthless Old Man. We eventually learn that the "Old Man" is also the hero's father. The hero eventually marries the heroine, Mary. But she plays other roles as well. Early in the novel, she poses as the hero's sister. Later, through a misunderstanding, the hero believes that Mary is a traiterous bitch. When this hatred is straightened out, the Old Man reveals that his wife (the hero's mother) was actually much like Mary.

The Secret Service, then, is like an odd kind of family. Not the dysfunctional families that appear in some of Heinlein's later novels. But as a counterpart to the cold, ruthless, calculating puppet masters. We might be emotional, prejudiced, short-shighted, and frequently stupid... but Heinlein makes it clear why he prefers humanity, for all of its faults.

I will close with an odd piece of bibliographical trivia. H.L. Gold, the brilliant editor of _Galaxy_, was notorious for making unauthorized changes in author's stories without their permission. He made some changes in the magazine serial of _The Puppet Masters_. Heinlein was furious at Gold's meddling. He never submitted a novel to one of the Galaxy magazines until long after Gold had retired as editor.

Robert A. Heinlein's _Three By Heinlein_ (1951) is an omnibus of three Heinlein classics: _The Puppet Masters_ (1951), _Waldo_ (1942), and _Magic, Inc._ (1940). The first was originally a three-part _Galaxy_ serial; the second was a novella in _Astounding_; and the third was a novella in _Unknown_. None of these novels are part of Heinlein's Future History sequence. But all are Heinlein at his imaginative best.

_The Puppet Masters_ is a paranoid novel _par exellance_. Earth is being invaded by sluglike aliens that can control human minds. The invasion might have gone undetected were it not for the Super Secret Service run by the "Old Man" and his tough band of agents.

Nobody but Heinlein could have cooked up the outrageous method that the aliens first use to invade the Earth. And nobody but Heinlein could have predicted the logical future America in which topless nudity is required. Or the methods that the aliens use to counter _that_.

There is a strange kind of family relationship in the Secret Service. We eventually learn that the hero's father is in fact the Old Man. And while he marries the heroine, she sometimes seems to play the role of a sister to him. Still, this family is not nearly as dysfunctional as some of the families portrayed in some of Heinlein's later novels.

As other critics have noted, alien invasion stories flourished in the 1950's. The aliens were a metaphor for the Others (which were then Communist Spies). Whether or not you agree with Heinlein's politics (and there is a certain feeling of desperation to the novel), it is hard to quibble with the skill at which he tells his tale.

_Waldo_ is, if you will, a chararacter study. We open with Waldo Farthingwaite-Jones, all-around genius, performing ballet and about to do brain surgery and talking amiably to reporters. How did he get this way?

We flash back to Waldo of years ago. He is a scientific genius, right enough. But he is a physical and emotional cripple with a hatred of most of mankind. He is a recluse, living by himself in a space station. Earth encounters a large-scale technical problem. Power devices that _shouldn't_ fail are going out, one by one. Earth does not want, but needs, the genius of Waldo to solve the problem. Waldo is initially reluctant to solve the problem. What he does not realize-- not at first-- is that the solving of this problem will be the making of him.

As most readers know, nowadays, the mechanichal arms invented for handling radioactive material can be found in labs at Oak Ridge and elsewhere and are nicknamed "waldoes" after their fictional inventor.

_Magic, Inc._ is set in a "far future" world where where magic rather than science has developed as a way of understanding the world.* In Heinlein's tale, Magic, Inc. is an organization of racketeers who sell "protection" from "accidenttal" magical damage. They make the mistake of picking on Archie Fraser, an honest bussinessman. He teams up with a licensed (but irreverent) magician, an elderly witch, and an African witch doctor. The fun comes in watching these four give the gangsters a taste of their own medicine. My favorite line comes from Amanda the witch when they have descended into Hell: "Satan Mekatrig...do you wish to try your strength with me?" (424)

Recommended. This is Heinlein at his best.

"Aliens take over human minds" was the plot of more than one Star Trek episode - and of nearly every episode of Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea - but the concept was still fresh when Heinlein wrote The Puppet Masters. Rarely has it been employed more successfully. Heinlein was a great believer in the rugged individualist's desire and ability to fight for freedom, a feeling he captured brilliantly in The Puppet Masters.

Published in 1951, during the time Heinlein was busy turning out juvenile novels, The Puppet Masters is very much an adult novel. The hero (using the cover name "Sam") openly lusts after a fellow agent, comments upon her physical attributes, considers calling an escort agency, and takes pills to wake up or to sharpen his wits or to extend his sense of time (and enjoys the high). Heinlein had some fun with the obvious way to make sure the person you're talking to doesn't have an alien riding on his back: by presidential order, nudity becomes the required fashion. Daring stuff for 1951!

The story moves quickly, Sam's reluctantly heroic actions are plausible, and Heinlein invests Sam with a full personality - and an opinionated one, as one expects from a Heinlein hero. The Puppet Masters has more of a thriller feel than some of Heinlein's more cerebral novels. Ignoring the fact that Russia seems less a threat now than it did six decades ago, the novel has aged well, and should retain its appeal to the modern reader. I enjoyed it, reading it for (I think) the first time this year.

"Were they truly intelligent? By themselves, that is? I don't know and I don't know how we can ever find out..."

While the idea of alien parasites infiltrating humanity is pretty much standard sci-fi now (from Jack Finney to "Stargate SG-1"), Robert Heinlein was pretty early on the concept. And "The Puppet Masters" remains a chilling story to this day -- he wove together some brilliantly vivid writing, some climatic twists, and an intelligent look at how the threat of alien slugs would change our society almost overnight.

Sam (an agent for a top-top-top-secret government organization) accompanies the Old Man and his new partner Mary to a site where a UFO supposedly crashed in rural Iowa. Unfortunately, they soon encounter bizarre gloppy alien creatures that attach themselves to a host's back -- and it turns out that one of them sneaked along with the Old Man's team, back to Washington.

With Iowa completely possessed and the government threatened by alien manipulation, all of humanity suddenly is in danger -- countries start bickering, people become hysterical, and almost everybody is practically naked. As the United States tries to keep the aliens contained, Sam and Mary must find a weakness in the puppet-masters that won't kill the host as well. And the answer may lie long ago in Mary's half-forgotten past...

"The Puppet Masters" is a true classic -- it spawned "Invasion of the Body Snatchers," "The Faculty" and even a "Star Trek" episode. Not only is a chilling look at a quiet alien invasion via "body-snatching" slugs, it's also a pretty intelligent look at the societal changes that might come from alien parasites -- clothes aren't worn, pets become lethal, and an atmosphere of distrust where anyone may become a possessed killer.

The biggest problem with Heinlein's writing is the sexist attitudes towards "females," which is smugly condescending at best. Otherwise he comes up with a pretty solid "future" Earth that is just a little more advanced than we are and a few wars down the road (World War III is mentioned), but not too different in the ways that count (if you can overlook now-anachronistic stuff like a communist Russia).

And Heinlein unrolls a slow-moving sci-fi tale that's heavy on the social/political stuff, some horrific moments (S "All planets are ours") and a rapid romance between Sam and Mary. His style has a delightfully, deceptively casual flair and some snappy dialogue ("Cosmetics?" "Your own ugly face will do"), but he also does a brilliant job with the more atmospheric, intense moments of the book -- such as a blissed-out, hag-ridden Sam drifting around Washington.

Sam makes a good sharp-tongued, quick-witted hero who still has time to feel sorry about killing a poor innocent cat, although Mary is somewhat two-dimensional until the end of the book (when we find out more about her). The Old Man is perhaps the most compelling character: an incredibly smart and ruthless chief of a government agency, who cares deeply about his estranged son but is still willing to put almost everything on the line to save humanity.

Aliens taking over human bodies is something of a cliche now, but "Puppet Masters" is a suitably chilling look at the trope's origins. If you can get past the antiquated attitudes towards women, it's a brilliant little book.

Copyrighted in 1951, The Puppet Masters showcases early Heinlein, already showing the style and content that would lead to him receiving the first Grand Master Award for science fiction. The book is entertaining not because of its fantastic vision of the future, but for the reason novels are usually entertaining - plot and character.

The story unfolds as a mysterious crash occurs in rural Iowa. Government agents are sent to investigate but do not return. The main protagonist, also an agent, a female agent, and the agency leader are dispatched. They realize something is out of the ordinary, eventually uncovering an invasion of aliens with the ability to enslave th eminds of humans, creating virtually indistinguishable puppets that then further their cause of global dominion. The story follows the three's struggles to first convince humanity of the threat, then ultimately find a way to fight back..

Set in a world that would put it near the present day, the book often misses the mark in terms of predicting the future. Information technology today is beyond anything Heinlein imagined, and transportation and military technology today still lag behind his vision. These are minor quibbles, though, as anyone who can't suspend disbelief enough to accept this as an alternate reality really has no business reading alien invasion stories in the first place.

Heinlein's characters are entertaining, incredibly skilled, and for want of a better term, "old school" in their approach to the various competencies the different genders bring to the business of protecting humanity. Heinlein has been accused of misogyny, but to me that rings hollow, as the female lead here is (typically for Heinlein) the most competent and mentally tough of the main characters. If believing that men have a duty to protect women from harm is misogynistic, then I guess you'll have to send me to re-education camp as well.

I went into the book more or less expecting the above from Heinlein. The Puppet Masters was one of the few of his books I had not read. I've enjoyed his other works, and this one did not disappoint. The one unexpected treat was seeing his early views on Soviet Russia. Apparently the aliens invaded in the territory of "the Commissars" as well, but it was much more difficult to detect. In Heinlein's mind, there appears to have been little difference between a soul-destroying collective administered by an alien hive mind and the same thing administered by a Politburo. As some have suggested, this allegory may have been Heinlein's purpose in writing the book..

So, for a timelessly entertaining early work by Heinlein with the bonus of seeing his incredible prescience regarding the USSR, The Puppet Masters is certainly worth your time.

5 stars.

I am not a Science Fiction fan at all. I have only seen the original Star Wars movie, for example. It's just not my thing.

Then my friend told me about this book, The Puppet Masters by Robert Heinlein, and how people were overtaken by alien slugs and he was curious about how people "are overtaken by slugs of belief, of thought, of ego, of... of... of..."... well, he didn't say exactly that, but I understood.. even more, I think which is...

What might happen if we purposefully infected the world with forces of light?

Intriguing. So I read.

I loved, loved, loved Heilein's writing voice. It was almost like film noir. What was not to love about Sam? I swear I had heard his voice many times in films from the 40's. I could hear him using words like "dame" and say she was something like "a tall glass of water..." you know the kind of guy!

Anyway, I loved that immediately and the short, punchy, fast paced chapters draw in even those of us who aren't into science fiction really easily.

What impressed me... more than anything else... was how Heilein was able to wave some significant themes into the book itself. My favorite quote from the book is this one:

"Luck is a tag given by the mediocre to account for the accomplishments of a genius."

I agree with it wholeheartedly.

I also appreciate Heinlein's treatment of the lead woman in this book. Yes, ofcourse she is beautiful, but as significant as her beauty is her confidence, her intellect, her insights and her partnership with the men in her life.

It is intriguing to read about today (the book starts in July, 2007) from a "What will it be like then?" from 1951. We aren't flying around in rockets... (what a disappointment!) but there IS no more "Iron Curtain"... I bet that would have surprised Mr. Heinlein!

This one is worth reading, even if you don't think you like Science Fiction.

"Were they truly intelligent? By themselves, that is? I don't know and I don't know how we can ever find out..."

While the idea of alien parasites infiltrating humanity is pretty much standard sci-fi now (from Jack Finney to "Stargate SG-1"), Robert Heinlein was pretty early on the concept. And "The Puppet Masters" remains a chilling story to this day -- he wove together some brilliantly vivid writing, some climatic twists, and an intelligent look at how the threat of alien slugs would change our society almost overnight.

Sam (an agent for a top-top-top-secret government organization) accompanies the Old Man and his new partner Mary to a site where a UFO supposedly crashed in rural Iowa. Unfortunately, they soon encounter bizarre gloppy alien creatures that attach themselves to a host's back -- and it turns out that one of them sneaked along with the Old Man's team, back to Washington.

With Iowa completely possessed and the government threatened by alien manipulation, all of humanity suddenly is in danger -- countries start bickering, people become hysterical, and almost everybody is practically naked. As the United States tries to keep the aliens contained, Sam and Mary must find a weakness in the puppet-masters that won't kill the host as well. And the answer may lie long ago in Mary's half-forgotten past...

"The Puppet Masters" is a true classic -- it spawned "Invasion of the Body Snatchers," "The Faculty" and even a "Star Trek" episode. Not only is a chilling look at a quiet alien invasion via "body-snatching" slugs, it's also a pretty intelligent look at the societal changes that might come from alien parasites -- clothes aren't worn, pets become lethal, and an atmosphere of distrust where anyone may become a possessed killer.

The biggest problem with Heinlein's writing is the sexist attitudes towards "females," which is smugly condescending at best. Otherwise he comes up with a pretty solid "future" Earth that is just a little more advanced than we are and a few wars down the road (World War III is mentioned), but not too different in the ways that count (if you can overlook now-anachronistic stuff like a communist Russia).

And Heinlein unrolls a slow-moving sci-fi tale that's heavy on the social/political stuff, some horrific moments (S "All planets are ours") and a rapid romance between Sam and Mary. His style has a delightfully, deceptively casual flair and some snappy dialogue ("Cosmetics?" "Your own ugly face will do"), but he also does a brilliant job with the more atmospheric, intense moments of the book -- such as a blissed-out, hag-ridden Sam drifting around Washington.

Sam makes a good sharp-tongued, quick-witted hero who still has time to feel sorry about killing a poor innocent cat, although Mary is somewhat two-dimensional until the end of the book (when we find out more about her). The Old Man is perhaps the most compelling character: an incredibly smart and ruthless chief of a government agency, who cares deeply about his estranged son but is still willing to put almost everything on the line to save humanity.

Aliens taking over human bodies is something of a cliche now, but "Puppet Masters" is a suitably chilling look at the trope's origins. If you can get past the antiquated attitudes towards women, it's a brilliant little book.

"Aliens take over human minds" was the plot of more than one Star Trek episode - and of nearly every episode of Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea - but the concept was still fresh when Heinlein wrote The Puppet Masters. Rarely has it been employed more successfully. Heinlein was a great believer in the rugged individualist's desire and ability to fight for freedom, a feeling he captured brilliantly in The Puppet Masters.

Published in 1951, during the time Heinlein was busy turning out juvenile novels, The Puppet Masters is very much an adult novel. The hero (using the cover name "Sam") openly lusts after a fellow agent, comments upon her physical attributes, considers calling an escort agency, and takes pills to wake up or to sharpen his wits or to extend his sense of time (and enjoys the high). Heinlein had some fun with the obvious way to make sure the person you're talking to doesn't have an alien riding on his back: by presidential order, nudity becomes the required fashion. Daring stuff for 1951!

The story moves quickly, Sam's reluctantly heroic actions are plausible, and Heinlein invests Sam with a full personality - and an opinionated one, as one expects from a Heinlein hero. The Puppet Masters has more of a thriller feel than some of Heinlein's more cerebral novels. Ignoring the fact that Russia seems less a threat now than it did six decades ago, the novel has aged well, and should retain its appeal to the modern reader. I enjoyed it, reading it for (I think) the first time this year.

Alien possession of human bodies is one of the oldest stories in science fiction. It had been done before The Puppet Masters and it certainly has been done since. However, nobody has done it any better than Heinlein. The Puppet Masters is classic science fiction from one of the genre's great masters.
The Puppet Masters is told in the first person and the narrator lets the reader know early that a war has been won but at great cost. The reader does not learn until the novel is over what those costs were and herein lies the suspense. It is only as the novel proceeds and reaches its climax that the reader learns the full power of the enemy and the devastation that they have caused. Imagine a World War II novel in which 90% of it is set in the first 6 months of 1942, defeat and frustration are at every turn. The heroes of The Puppet Masters go through the stages of their own disbelief, growing awareness, trying to convince others what is happening, and finally getting a response. Every effort to check the invasion is frustrated and the end is in sight before a solution is found. The tension builds steadily to a thrilling climax.
The world in which The Puppet Masters is set is not our earth. The reader has to imagine a world that had a small-scale nuclear war, had space travel earlier than we did, and in which communism still survives. It is a solar system in which Venus is not a hellhole and on which man could live. All of these were possible when Heinlein wrote The Puppet Masters some 50 years ago. Diversion from our history is a common problem with reading older science fiction but if one can make the adjustment, the novel works very well.
The Puppet Masters has some of Heinlein's ongoing themes; his distrust of government and politicians, his strong belief in the military, and even a hint of a positive view of free love. Stronger yet is the theme of succession i.e. a son meeting his father's demands and continuing the next generation. However, the overpowering theme is the right of individuals to make their own choices be they good or bad.
Heinlein uses metaphor and foreshadowing in the novel. I wondered if the masters were a metaphor for communism or the bomb and Heinlein rather clumsily confirmed my hypothesis. The war against the masters might also be a metaphor for WWII or the cold war. Alternately, it could be any war in which people have to fight for freedom against an oppressor. The Puppet Masters may be morally simplistic in this regard but it definitely has an uplifting message. It is also a cautionary tale. Once Pandora's Box is opened, it cannot be closed.
I did have a couple of bones to pick with Heinlein as the novel is set almost exclusively on the American East Coast and mid-west. His knowledge of geography beyond that appears poor. For example, he refers to the "tractless Canadian forests". The area of Canada referred to is the prairies where trees are few and far between. Was Heinlein using artistic license or cliche? This and other minor examples of chauvinism don't detract significantly from the novel.
Some of Heinlein's later novels got silly. The Puppet Masters requires some suspension of disbelief but it is one of his best. It is a true classic.
The following comments refer to the audio version only. The tape was one of the best organized of any tapes I have heard. At the start of each side the reader announced what the story was, what tape it was and what side of the tape it was. He also repeated the last line from the previous side. The reader had an out of breath style and occasionally I could hear the pages turning. The reader did sound like he was the right age for the narrator and his style suited the novel.

This fast-paced action-packed adventure is a sparkling example of Heinlein's early post-juvenile output. As such, there's virtually none of the sexual obsession, social commentary and philosophical maundering that some find so offensive, although fans of his later work may find this book low on substance.
The characters are pretty good (for sci-fi, anyway), and their relationship goes through some development before they fall for each other, plus their bantering conversation is a substantial improvement over the dialogue in most genre fiction. Of course the plot is straight out of H.G. Wells, as an alien race invades the earth and only a secret organization of government agents can act against them. The real strength of this novel is the breezy reality Heinlein brings to his story, and the clever (and all too believable) means the slugs use to control the country without the general populace ever knowing the difference. Surely this is Heinlein's interpretation of the Communist witch hunts of the twenties and fifties, when even someone you thought you knew well could prove to be a deadly enemy. The horror element should probably not be overemphasized, although this book was surely much scarier forty years ago. The whole concept of having an inhuman thing hanging on your back and controlling your every action is perhaps more creepy than grisly, and may not impress too many modern readers, but this particular reader found it quite disturbing enough, thank you.
Demonstrating a command of technique largely absent from his later novels, Heinlein's tightly controlled point of view puts the action right in your face, and keeps the reader in sympathy with the hero throughout. This is an excellent book for younger readers, even though it's not aimed at them specifically, and it's also a top choice for fans of sci-fi escapism; just don't expect it to change your life.

Science fiction stories about aliens that form a symbiotic relationship with humans have been popular in the science fiction literature for a long time. One of the earliest short stories on this theme probably was Clark Ashton Smith's "The Vaults of Yok-Vombis" in 1932. The first full length novel based on this theme was Heinlein's "The Puppet Masters." It was also Heinlein's first full-length science fiction novel for adults. It first appeared as a serial in the Sept. 1951 issue of Galaxy magazine. A film based on this book was released in 1994. This story, written in a very "hard-boiled" style reminescent Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett, begins with a landing of a flying saucer in Iowa. At first it is thought to be a hoax (as in Wells' "War of the Worlds"). However, it is soon apparent that it is not. The aliens, believed to be from Titan, form a parasitic attachment to humans and are able to completely control the thoughts and movements of the human host. The problems facing the non-infected humans includes how to defeat the aliens without killing the host (a similar problem facing the hero in Card's "Xenocide" (1991)). They also have a problem at convincing Washington politicians that there is a crisis. Others have suggested that the novel is an allegory of the times in the late-1940s and early-1950s of the paranoia caused by the Cold War. (However, care should be exercised here. Some of the earlier reviewers have compared this book with the paranoa associated with the McCarthy hearings. Although Senator McCarthy was much in the news in 1950 and 1951, the actual hearings didn't begin until long after Heinlein's book was published.) There is another interesting aspect. The novel is written in the first person. On two occasions, the narrator himself, the government agent Sam Cavanaugh, gets infected by the aliens and then the narration shifts to the alien's viewpoint. This was a major novel in the history of the development of science fiction literature and all serious students should read it.

This is a fabulous science fiction tale with all the classic Heinlein elements: a quick-witted, lusty, smart-alecky protagonist; a luscious babe love interest; a wildly fantastic plot that that is well crafted enough to almost seem possible; and plenty of action. Parasites capable of inhabiting humans' minds and bodies threaten to take over the world unless a father, son, and wife team can stop them. In turn, all are inhabited by the "slugs."
In addition to being a first-rate science fiction work, this is a coming of age story of sorts, since the hero works for a secret service agency run by his cranky old man. It is also a realistic love story between "Sam" and his wife "Mary" that has its share of turmoil, especially as the two attempt to delve into Mary's forgotten past.
Readers will have trouble believing this story was written more than fifty years ago- the technology and science described are that good, and the plot is that well-paced and tight. The Puppet Masters holds up to any contemporary science fiction, and may even exceed today's offerings because of its originality. Furthermore, this tale's paranoid theme of "trust no one" (i.e., because he or she could be inhabited by a parasite), while written originally under the specter of the cold war, is as timely as ever in view of the recent terrorist attacks. This country ought to mobilize to detect the villains among us as effectively as the future USA of The Puppet Masters.

This book has sort of dated badly with its depiction of a cold war and an attitude on Communism that is many years out of date but other than that the plot itself is typical Heinlein, which means that it's darn good. Simply put he went for the simple this time out and the premise is that alien invaders who can steal our minds are trying to take over the Earth. The aliens aren't given much personality and if you're looking for ET sort of interactions this isn't going to happen, the aliens never really talk and most of the time they only show up so the humans can kill them. In fact this is mostly a celebration of why we should be so glad the military is around and that in the end the best way to get rid of something is to just annihilate it. Yeah, whatever you say, Rob. Fortunately he tends to tone down the radical stuff this time out (for an example of when he doesn't go read Starship Troopers, otherwise very good as well) and what we're left with is great fun, Heinlein throws in everything, suspense, terror and heck even a little romance for those interested in that sort of stuff. What we're left with is a depiction of paranoia that is very interesting and those ideas that are weird that he uses are fairly harmless (i.e. why do we wear clothes and if you're wondering what I'm talking about just go read the book). In other words it's not essential Heinlein but is just a small step below. Hey good enough for me.

"The Puppet Masters" was first published in 1951 as a manuscript of approximately 60,000 words, eliminating some 36,000 words from Heinlein's original story. The cuts were made because of concerns about the book's length and the controversial (sexual) nature of some of the passages eliminated. Of course, what was risqué in 1951 is extremely tame by today's standards and in 1990, two years after his death, Heinlein's original version was finally published. I read the shorter version of "The Puppet Masters" sometime in the early 1960s but this review is based on my just completed reading of the long version.

When a flying saucer lands in isolated Grinnell, Iowa, it appears to be business-as-usual, just another hoax put together by a couple of Iowa farm boys with nothing better to do. Or is it? All the "Old Man" knows for sure is that he sent several agents to Iowa to investigate the landing and that none of them have been seen or heard from since. That is why he decides to go to Iowa along with two of his best agents, "Sam" and "Mary," posing as a family of tourists in Grinnell to get a firsthand look at the flying saucer. What they see is an obvious hoax, a ship that would fool no one for long. What they learn before barely escaping Grinnell, however, is shocking.

The citizens of Grinnell, Iowa, are being controlled by alien parasites that have attached themselves to the spinal columns of their victims. Since the parasites are hidden by the clothing of those they control, all appears normal to unsuspecting humans until they, too, are saddled with a Puppet Master of their very own.

The "Old Man" and his two agents return to Washington D.C. where they face the difficult task of convincing the President and his staff that the threat from Iowa is real. Seeking evidence that will finally convince government authorities that the U.S. has been invaded by an alien culture, Sam returns to Iowa with two agents and a live camera capable of broadcasting "stereo" images back to Washington. Needless to say, things do not go well for Sam and his crew but he accidentally returns with the proof he needs to make his case: an agent who has been taken over by one of the alien "slugs." Thus, begins America's fight for survival but, despite the best efforts of America's military, the entire center of the U.S., from north to south, is soon lost to the Puppet Masters.

"The Puppet Masters" is very much a novel of its time. Heinlein, for instance, makes comparisons between what it is like for an American living under the control of a Puppet Master and what it is like to live behind the Iron Curtain or in communist Russia. Sam comes to the conclusion that the two experiences must be very similar, maybe even worse for the unfortunate Europeans and Russians. Too, modern readers are likely to find Heinlein's attitude toward women to be sexist, and at least a bit offensive, because his female characters, unless they are elderly, are always described in terms of their attractiveness, first, and their abilities, second. And, while this long version of the novel does include Sam's sexual escapades, his romance with Mary, and references to orgies and the like, it is all presented in a very 1950s squeaky clean manner. It is the kind of thing that appealed mightily, of course, to teenage male readers of the era.

"The Puppet Masters" holds up surprisingly well today despite the fact that it was one of the first alien invasion novels of its type, one in which those being invaded by aliens took the initiative to fight back. One could not likely have read the novel during the 1950s without thinking of America's cold war with Russia and all the horrors that might suddenly spring from that standoff. Mr. Heinlein knew his audience well and "The Puppet Masters" became a science fiction classic.

The Puppet Masters by Robert Heinlein has to be my favourite book on the planet, which is quite something, considering I read a lot and don't particularly like the other Robet Heinlein stuff that much (it's okay, better than most, but nothing compares to *this*!) TPM is a book that keeps you thinking, long after you've read it. The characters are well-developed and engaging, and stretch the gamut from black to white. There are no Satans in this book, and likewise, there are no saints. Everyone (or thing) has it's faults. I love the style of writing... descriptive and fluid. Overall, this book is extremely realistic. There are some creations that have yet to be created (such as the plane cars) but Heinlein doesn't so much write about them as possibilities... rather, he states that they exist, and weaves his words so well that you come away looking for the yellow pages in order to look up the nearest plane-car dealership. The aliens (both the Titans and their *masters*) are awesome, like the title of this review states. The Titans (those cruel, slimy little buggers that attach themselves to human backs and penetrate into the spinal cords with long whip-like tentacles) evoke a sense of dread in the reader that can't be compared to any other monster. Dracula, Werewolves and 'gray' aliens with probes fall miserably short of developing the same sense of thready-pulsed fear.
The plot is basic... in a nutshell, an alien ship crashes in a forest in the states in the year 2007 and people begin to act 'odd'. Of course, no one knows what is happening, save for a small, motely group of survivalists bent on overcoming the invasion of this hostile ET organism. Because the creature is 60% brain mass, and doesn't have any eyes or ears, or any viable means of ambulating itself, it attaches itself to human 'hosts'... who it then disposes of when it's finished with. On a scarier note, these little buggers seem to share a 'collective' brain, and their understanding of our species increases in leaps and bounds, while the human understanding of this strange nemesis slows to a trickle. Canny and manipulative, what scared me most about the Titans was the way they almost seemed to take pleasure in 'destroying' the hosts... *shudder*
The main character is Elihu Nivens (Sam Cavanaugh until well into the book), a young man who is struggling with keeping a bold face for his cagey, bitingly cruel father, and the new partner he's been set up with... Mary. Mary is a cool, collected, intelligent red head who keeps Sam's hormones pumping and may be the driving force that keeps him alive when the alien invasion heats up. But this isn't no 'knight in shining armor' tale. Sam and Mary have their moments... from funny, to downright... painful. *winces* In fact, their frequent interactions are SO realistic, one can't help but wonder if Heinlein had real-life models to work with. The closest example I can think of is the first or second season relationship between Mulder and Scully of "The X-Files".
Towards the climax of this novel, my heart was *pounding* violently (I'm seriously not joking) and my eyes were, to use a cliche, glued to the pages. I took it to school, and got snapped at by more than a few teachers for not paying attention to the garbage they were 'teaching'.
I haven't read this book since age 12 (five years ago) but I *still* love every single crafted page. I expect to find it under the tree this year, and I can't wait until Saturday morning, for that reason alone. I can't recommend this book enough. It's possibly the best thing to hit the sci fi genre since it's inception. It's gorgeous, inventive, scary, nostalgic (in a weird way the reader yearns for the fictional world Heinlein has created, even in the midst of such chaos and horror), original, chalk-full-of-ideas and one crucible of a tale. When it's all over, and the alien's are defeated, the tale boils down to showcase the surviving nature of the homo sapien species. In one word: AWESOME!
A book so great, it almost reads itself.

The Puppet Masters is one of Heinlein's most entertaining novels. A fairly quick read, it provides a wealth of enjoyment for both young and old alike. The earth is being invaded by hostile alien forces, but few people recognize this fact or choose to believe it for this is no typical invasion. These extraterrestrials are slugs who attach themselves to human hosts, thereby controlling them and giving the appearance of normalcy to those around them (and, more importantly, to typically slow-witted politicians). Our protagonists, mysterious agents of some murky, top-secret government agency in the early 21st century, enter the fray when a flying saucer supposedly lands in Iowa and is quickly proclaimed a hoax. They are soon able to figure out what is actually going on, though, and they manage to convince a reluctant President of the seriousness of the matter. Soon Schedule Bare Back is in force, requiring all citizens to wear nothing (or next to nothing in the case of women) above their waists--slug-invaded hosts bear a discernible hump on their backs where the aliens imbed themselves. These aliens are smart, though, and the government is typically naïve and slow to respond, so eventually the fate of the nation depends on the work of our three heroes.
The protagonists are typically peculiar Heinlein characters. The hard to read Old Man runs the show, while "Sam" and "Mary" conduct much of the field and security work, Mary is a beautiful, mysterious female agent, and naturally Sam immediately falls head over heels in love with her. Together, they identify the means by which the slugs propagate, eventually developing first-hand knowledge of the slugs despite their best intentions and precautions. As compelling as the slug crisis is, the interrelationships between the Old Man, Sam, and Mary are even more interesting. One never truly knows a Heinlein character, and there are some surprising twists and turns in the evolution and past histories of the important ones here.
The tidbits we are given about life in the 21st century and the recent past history of America are slipped in rather slyly; America did win World War III, we learn, but did not escape a limited nuclear attack; the defeated yet unbowed Soviets remain Communists (drawing a perfectly legitimate question in the mind of Sam as to how much difference it would make for the Soviets to fall victim to slug control), and marriage has become a business contract available for periods of six months up to the old-fashioned yet rarely selected lifetime commitment.
This is basically an action-packed alien invasion story of an unusual sort, driven along unflaggingly by Heinlein. The science of this science fiction is present but by no means takes away from or slows down the story whatsoever. Even as incredible wartime events unfold rapidly, we are continually treated to a character study of sorts of our heroes. This is not sociological science fiction, yet there is much in that vein to draw one's eye. Certainly, a Cold War influence can be felt in these pages, especially early on when it seems all but impossible to tell who is an enemy and who is not. The issue of civil liberties is brought up when the government basically demands all citizens to live and work essentially nude (because that is the only way to tell whether Joe Schmo is walking around with a slug or not) The novel is not politicized however, with the exception of allusions to government's predictable weaknesses and failures. The bare-bones skeleton of the tale is rather common fare, despite the unusual nature of the aliens here, but Heinlein's incredible characterization, subtle references to psychological and sociological issues, and unique manner of telling a story make this a thoroughly enjoyable novel.

Classic. So much came from Heinlein, though few young readers of sci-fi really understand that these days. The lead character shares the typical Heinlein-hero voice: matter-of-fact, intentional, resourceful, direct.

The plot: Alien spacecraft land in the middle section of the United States, bringing masters -- pale, slug-like disc-shaped creatures who can take over the minds of humans. Politicians are typically short-sighted, and the masters are winning. No more spoilers. If you haven't read Heinlein, you are in for a revelation. If you have, but missed this one, what are you waiting for?

The Puppet Masters (1951) is a standalone SF novel. It is set in the present era on a timeline where Russia is still ruled by the communist party and the USA has a base on the Moon. Armed satellites orbit the Earth and watch for threats down below.

In this novel, Sam Cavanaugh is visiting a site near Des Moines where a flying saucer has become a tourist attraction. He is actually an agent in the Section, a black agency reporting directly to the President.

Charles M. Cavanaugh is Sam's uncle, accompanying him to the site. He is actually the head of the Section.

Mary Cavanaugh is Sam's sister. She is actually another agent in the Section.

In this novel, Sam is awakened by his imbedded phone and ordered to report for duty. He enters one of the many entrances to the agency headquarters and reports to the Old Man. There he learns his cover identity and is introduced to his sister.

As they fly, Charlie briefs them on a saucer landing. They travel as tourists to the site of a fake flying saucer and buy tickets to see the attraction. Charlie decides to not enter the cramped mockup and they return to the car.

They try to check out a nearby site where the real saucer landing had been photographed by a military satellite. On the way, Mary tells them that several of the men at the fake saucer site seemed to not respond to her sexuality. She calls them "harem guards".

The Cavanaughs cannot get to the site of the real saucer, so they fly into Des Moines to investigate the broadcast station that carried the first reports. Charlie impersonates a federal communication official and gets into the manager's office. There Mary signals that the manager is a harem guard. The manager abruptly moves toward a drawer and Sam burns off his legs.

The manager is dead, but something is moving on his back. Sam puts on agent gloves and cuts off the manager's jacket. A slug-like creature is riding high on the back. They chivvy the slug into a film can and take it back to headquarters, but it dies on the way.

In the capitol, Charlie goes to the president with the story and cannot get him to believe the evidence. The agency sends Sam back with two other agents to try to capture another specimen. Everything goes wrong, but when they get back to the agency, Mary signals that one of the other agents is not responding properly. They remove the slug and put it on a disabled ape.

This tale spends a major chunk of the text showing how the president and congress cannot believe the evidence that the Section has provided. The politicians only start to believe in the slugs after having personally been possessed by the slugs or having seen the creatures riding someone else.

Sam and Charlie start calling the slugs "puppet masters" because the creatures ride humans like horses, but also have full use of their minds and memories. Sam gets to see the puppet masters from the inside when one catches and rides him. Later the humans regain others who have had such experiences. All would rather die than be recaptured.

This work has an Introduction that discusses the story itself and its significance. It also has an Afterword that speaks of the personal feelings of a reader who had read this story in her teen years. They both explain the tale as an allegory about war and despotism. Not a specific war or despot, but all wars and all despots.

This work does not belong in any series. Yet it fits into the theme of human tenacity and ingenuity that stands out in all of the author's works. Read and enjoy!

Highly recommended for Heinlein fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of alien invasions, human perseverance, and true romance.

-Arthur W. Jordin

Originally posted, with links, at Fantasy Literature.

Unfriendly aliens from Titan have arrived on Earth and are planning to conquer us. To do this, the slug-like beings latch onto the backs of their human hosts and take over their bodies and minds. The aliens are rapidly spreading in the Midwest and they’ve managed to infiltrate the Treasury Department. To make world domination go even faster and easier, they’re planning to get the President of the United States. That’s why Sam Cavanaugh, secret agent, has been called in from his vacation. He’s teaming up with Mary, a beautiful red-head, to stop the invasion. But Sam and Mary soon learn that even secret agents are susceptible to alien body snatching…. and falling in love.

There’s plenty of action in The Puppet Masters — chases, capture, torture, escape, reconnaissance missions, hide-outs, vehicle crashes, parachute landings, vigilantes, and even a plague. And since this is Robert A. Heinlein, along the way there’s also plenty of skimpy dressing and nudity, an “insta-love” marriage, men paddling women’s behinds, a girl fight, some racist speech (“that’s mighty white of you”) and a lot of sexism. Sam’s boss says “most women are damn fools and children,” Sam praises Mary for not chattering at breakfast, and Mary — remember that she’s a government agent — doesn’t help when she stupidly declares “why ask me, darling? I don’t have an analytical brain.”

Those are just a few examples out of many I could point out. I have a feeling that Heinlein never expected his novels to be read by anybody who wasn’t a white man. I really hate that about Heinlein’s novels for adults, but at least this story has an exciting plot and some point other than all that icky stuff (I say this because some of his novels don’t). Interestingly, this novel was considered to risqué for publication in 1951 and some of its scenes were deleted. Blackstone Audio’s version, expertly read by Tom Weiner (one of my favorites), is the unedited version.

In his introduction to The Puppet Masters, William H. Patterson Jr tells us that the story’s appearance was timely when it was first serialized in Galaxy magazine in 1951. The Kenneth Arnold UFO sightings had recently occurred, the term “flying saucer” had just entered our vocabulary, and Americans were also worried about soviet spy planes. It was a time of paranoia and The Puppet Masters, one of the first novels about aliens in flying saucers, helped feed the frenzy and spawned a stream of books and movies of similar theme (including one of my favorite cheesy movies, Invasion of the Body Snatchers). But Patterson points out that Heinlein’s story is always timely because it’s not so much about extraterrestrial aliens as it is about “the real aliens among us.” Heinlein himself, who rarely analyzed his own work for us, calls The Puppet Masters a “diatribe against totalitarianism in all its forms.” And today’s readers will immediately recognize its relevance at a time when Americans are debating the cost of national security at the expense of individual privacy.

. . . from one of the greatest Sci-Fi authors of all time.

"The Puppet Masters" is a novel concerning an alien infestation of the Earth -- and how that invasion is dealt with. No plot spoilers -- just a few thoughts:

1) This novel was written in the 1950's -- a time in which Heinlein was moving away from the Sci-Fi juveniles at which he had excelled, and was moving into adult fiction. What would become his "future history" was developing -- but was not fully developed.

2) A super-secret spy agency is a device that Heinlein would use again (notably in "Friday") but in the mind of this reviewer, "Puppet Masters" is the better book by far.

3) As other reviewers have noted, this is a book written in the 50's, but narrated from the early 21st century. It is most interesting to see some of Heinlein's predictions about how 21st century life might look.

4) As in many of his other novels, Heinlein's female lead is red-haired.

5) Although this novel was written many years prior to "Starship Troopers", one can easily see similarities in Heinlein's attitude about honor, devotion, service, and military strength. Could "Starship Troopers" have been written, had not "Puppet Masters" preceded it?

All in all, this is a novel which I can recommend without any reservation whatsoever.

Five Stars.

This was my first Heinlein work and remains my favorite, about an alien species that lands on Earth and parasitizes human beings and, in doing so, control people’s minds and bodies (animals as well). The protagonists trying to stop the spread of the infection work for an FBI-like government agency. You get an intense feeling for the paranoia that results from the invasion. As usual with Heinlein, it was well written as to plot, dialogue and characters.
A movie was made of this boo, which was pretty faithful to the story, but which failed to evoke the atmosphere of paranoia and of being besieged.

The Puppet Masters by Robert Heinlein has to be my favourite book on the planet, which is quite something, considering I read a lot and don't particularly like the other Robet Heinlein stuff that much (it's okay, better than most, but nothing compares to *this*!) TPM is a book that keeps you thinking, long after you've read it. The characters are well-developed and engaging, and stretch the gamut from black to white. There are no Satans in this book, and likewise, there are no saints. Everyone (or thing) has it's faults. I love the style of writing... descriptive and fluid. Overall, this book is extremely realistic. There are some creations that have yet to be created (such as the plane cars) but Heinlein doesn't so much write about them as possibilities... rather, he states that they exist, and weaves his words so well that you come away looking for the yellow pages in order to look up the nearest plane-car dealership. The aliens (both the Titans and their *masters*) are awesome, like the title of this review states. The Titans (those cruel, slimy little buggers that attach themselves to human backs and penetrate into the spinal cords with long whip-like tentacles) evoke a sense of dread in the reader that can't be compared to any other monster. Dracula, Werewolves and 'gray' aliens with probes fall miserably short of developing the same sense of thready-pulsed fear.
The plot is basic... in a nutshell, an alien ship crashes in a forest in the states in the year 2007 and people begin to act 'odd'. Of course, no one knows what is happening, save for a small, motely group of survivalists bent on overcoming the invasion of this hostile ET organism. Because the creature is 60% brain mass, and doesn't have any eyes or ears, or any viable means of ambulating itself, it attaches itself to human 'hosts'... who it then disposes of when it's finished with. On a scarier note, these little buggers seem to share a 'collective' brain, and their understanding of our species increases in leaps and bounds, while the human understanding of this strange nemesis slows to a trickle. Canny and manipulative, what scared me most about the Titans was the way they almost seemed to take pleasure in 'destroying' the hosts... *shudder*
The main character is Elihu Nivens (Sam Cavanaugh until well into the book), a young man who is struggling with keeping a bold face for his cagey, bitingly cruel father, and the new partner he's been set up with... Mary. Mary is a cool, collected, intelligent red head who keeps Sam's hormones pumping and may be the driving force that keeps him alive when the alien invasion heats up. But this isn't no 'knight in shining armor' tale. Sam and Mary have their moments... from funny, to downright... painful. *winces* In fact, their frequent interactions are SO realistic, one can't help but wonder if Heinlein had real-life models to work with. The closest example I can think of is the first or second season relationship between Mulder and Scully of "The X-Files".
Towards the climax of this novel, my heart was *pounding* violently (I'm seriously not joking) and my eyes were, to use a cliche, glued to the pages. I took it to school, and got snapped at by more than a few teachers for not paying attention to the garbage they were 'teaching'.
I haven't read this book since age 12 (five years ago) but I *still* love every single crafted page. I expect to find it under the tree this year, and I can't wait until Saturday morning, for that reason alone. I can't recommend this book enough. It's possibly the best thing to hit the sci fi genre since it's inception. It's gorgeous, inventive, scary, nostalgic (in a weird way the reader yearns for the fictional world Heinlein has created, even in the midst of such chaos and horror), original, chalk-full-of-ideas and one crucible of a tale. When it's all over, and the alien's are defeated, the tale boils down to showcase the surviving nature of the homo sapien species. In one word: AWESOME!
A book so great, it almost reads itself.

Not Heinlein at his best but, reading the comments from the author himself in the introduction, he realises that it has faults. In his defence it is one of his early works. A bit wooden at times but still worth checking out. Will admit at being surprised that a film version was made 22 years ago. Never seen it and the reviews are far from complimentary but may buy the dvd.

Ray Smillie

This is not only one of the best alien invasion yarns since H. G. Wells, it's one of the best horror stories of the last fifty years. Sam (not his real name) is an agent for a very, very secret department of the U.S. government -- so much so that not even the government's other secret agencies know about his outfit. The Old Man (his boss) calls him in one day to go and investigate a purported flying saucer landing in Iowa, together with another agent, a stunning redhead named Mary (not her real name, either). Needless to say, the landing ain't a hoax -- though the invaders try to make it look that way. But the aliens are parasites the size of a dinner plate who attach themselves between a human being's shoulder blades and hook into the spinal cord, thereby putting themselves in complete control of the host. It's going to be a very nasty, very paranoid war. And Heinlein is in top form telling it, especially the section in which Sam himself becomes a victim. This novel, though now more than half a century old, reads better than most of the author's other books from that period, and I was puzzled for years why it was never made into a film. Well, that happened in 1994, but the result was pretty bad -- almost as bad as the film version of STARSHIP TROOPERS. Let's have a *good* film based on this book!

This book is typical middle-period Heinlein: good, fast action; threatening premise (slugs from outer space threaten to take over Earth and destroy humanity); and the usual Heinlein '50s sexism (That Bob! Always putting women on a pedestal so he can look at their legs! I've no doubt he was a remarkable man, but he ALWAYS judges women by their appearance, even while he shows us female doctors and military officers, slipping the female pronouns in when we're not looking). As the action builds, the protagonist reveals more of Heinlein's macho, pro-military stance (military and police action are our only hope). While I admire the portrayal of the organization and quick action that would be needed, and I agree that Earth ought to be defended from invaders, I think Heinlein, uh, *enjoys* his holy war a little too much. All I'm saying is, in the age of militias and pro-gun types, it's a little creepy. (Wonder what Bob would have to say to today's "patriots," though.) And the action stops dead at least twice, once for a romantic interlude and once for a power struggle back at headquarters. And the futuristic flying cars are always fun. Overall, a pretty good book.

---a note about the "6" ranking. This is a good book. It's just not as meaningful, IMHO, as other Heinlein works. ( Most notably Stranger in a Strang Land)

A taunt Sci-Fi thriller, this book could have been a great movie. Too bad they screwed it up. That shouldn't hold one back from reading the book. This was, when I first read it 9-10 years ago, one of the most frightening alien invasion stories ever. It still is. No space wars, no super laser guns, just a silent enemy that can, in most cases, walk amongst us undetected. Heinlein was brilliant in his analysis of how fast an invader like this could spread and the ending...wow! It's a shame the American movie public wasn't ready for what the Dean had in mind. The police-state mentality of the vigilanties sounds like the current anti-terrorist rehetoric taken up just one or two small notches. A good read all-around.

"The Puppet Masters," in its fully restored version, is one of the best science fiction novels of the fifties. Fast-paced, exciting, and chilling, the novel whips us through the alien infestation of Earth, while creating a running commentary on the Cold War mentality of the fifties. Today, it may be hard to understand why everyone was so frightened of the Communists; what with the Soviet Union's collapse and the chumminess we seem intent on pursuing with other so-called Communist governments. But reading this novel makes a reader feel the genuine terror of a species that robs humanity of their free will and liberty, which is precisely what the totalitarian government tried to do in the Soviet Union. Along with George Orwell's "1984," this book needs to be read as a constant reminder of what can be lost if we do not stand vigilant against those who would rule us. Heinlein, as always, drives us with his plotting and narrative surprises; as always, when we're done with one of his works, we have ideas buzzing around our heads for weeks and years afterwards.

Alien slugs land in Iowa and begin attaching themselves to the neck of the human they completely control. Where do they come from? Are they intelligent themselves? Do they have a plan? How do they spread? How the devil do you stop them? A classic of paranoia, probably the best known story in print using what has since become a B-movie plot device. Well-handled, as always, by Robert Heinlein at his peak. A story that pulls you along until the end. Don't miss this. The excellent film version stars Donald Sutherland.

If there is somewhere in the Twilight Zone a Hall of Fame of Freedom, Robert Heinlein has an honored place there. This is not only an incredibly suspensful novel, it is a treatise on freedom, duty and courage.
If you don't regard Heinlein as one of the best sf writers in the history of the genre, he at least would be in the top three, and I would rate him first. This novel was one of his finest. It is the best of the best.
Alien parasites are taking over humans and agents from a secret government agency must combat them and save the nation and the world. This may sound like a cliche but in Heinlein's hands it is masterful. At first, the parasites attach themselves to the back of their victims, between the shoulder blades. The reader may be scratching at that area any number of times before he finishes the book.
the characters are sound and solid. They are typical Heinlein heroes but they are also individuals. Read the book for the first time almost forty years and I have never forgotten the last few lines.
Many, shall we say, elite writers have dismissed Heinlein but their books are long forgotten, His books may be remembered forever.

I was about 13 years old when I read this book in its' first issued paperback form in the late 1950's. The original book cost 35 cents and the cover showed a man making a call from a phone booth while on the background behind him was a flying saucer that had landed. To this day I consider it one of the best science fiction books written. So many concepts were introduced in it, including organ donor banks (which are now reality). The plot built up nicely and held your interest and attention. The characters in it were quite believable and the action exciting. For some reason the "Pass Christian Saucer" line always stuck in my head. Probably since I didn't know where it was until I looked it up. To sum it up briefly, it's a GOOD read!

Going in to this book I was skeptical because I had only read one of Heinlein's other books (The Moon is a Harsh Mistress) and absolutely hated it. But from the very first chapter "Puppet Masters" had me hooked. The idea - aliens taking over the world by controlling human beings - is by now a cliche, what with Invasion of the Body Snatchers, the Faculty and other similar tales out there. But even if the idea seems tired I know that you can like this book, because I thought I was tired of it too. As I said, you get hooked early. It really was hard for me to put this book down in a lot of parts. But what is truly scary about the subject matter is how realistically Heinlein portrays it. The way the aliens move their forces outward, how the characters react, and even the final resolution are all reasonably plausible enough to make you paranoid about crowds of people (but then perhaps I'm just gullible). Outside of the story itself, "Puppet Masters" makes a lot of intelligent statements about our fear of assimilation, and ties in to the Cold War effortlessly. Being far too young to know firsthand the paranoia and fear that people must have lived in, "Puppet Masters" becomes all the more intriguing because it helps show the reader the hysteria that our nation must have felt.

Rip roaring good story. A real page turner. It was made into an excellent film The Puppet Masters. I recommend the film as well.

"Were they truly intelligent? By themselves, that is? I don't know and I don't know how we can ever find out..."

While the idea of alien parasites infiltrating humanity is pretty much standard sci-fi now (from Jack Finney to "Stargate SG-1"), Robert Heinlein was pretty early on the concept. And "The Puppet Masters" remains a chilling story to this day -- he wove together some brilliantly vivid writing, some climatic twists, and an intelligent look at how the threat of alien slugs would change our society almost overnight.

Sam (an agent for a top-top-top-secret government organization) accompanies the Old Man and his new partner Mary to a site where a UFO supposedly crashed in rural Iowa. Unfortunately, they soon encounter bizarre gloppy alien creatures that attach themselves to a host's back -- and it turns out that one of them sneaked along with the Old Man's team, back to Washington.

With Iowa completely possessed and the government threatened by alien manipulation, all of humanity suddenly is in danger -- countries start bickering, people become hysterical, and almost everybody is practically naked. As the United States tries to keep the aliens contained, Sam and Mary must find a weakness in the puppet-masters that won't kill the host as well. And the answer may lie long ago in Mary's half-forgotten past...

"The Puppet Masters" is a true classic -- it spawned "Invasion of the Body Snatchers," "The Faculty" and even a "Star Trek" episode. Not only is a chilling look at a quiet alien invasion via "body-snatching" slugs, it's also a pretty intelligent look at the societal changes that might come from alien parasites -- clothes aren't worn, pets become lethal, and an atmosphere of distrust where anyone may become a possessed killer.

The biggest problem with Heinlein's writing is the sexist attitudes towards "females," which is smugly condescending at best. Otherwise he comes up with a pretty solid "future" Earth that is just a little more advanced than we are and a few wars down the road (World War III is mentioned), but not too different in the ways that count (if you can overlook now-anachronistic stuff like a communist Russia).

And Heinlein unrolls a slow-moving sci-fi tale that's heavy on the social/political stuff, some horrific moments (S "All planets are ours") and a rapid romance between Sam and Mary. His style has a delightfully, deceptively casual flair and some snappy dialogue ("Cosmetics?" "Your own ugly face will do"), but he also does a brilliant job with the more atmospheric, intense moments of the book -- such as a blissed-out, hag-ridden Sam drifting around Washington.

Sam makes a good sharp-tongued, quick-witted hero who still has time to feel sorry about killing a poor innocent cat, although Mary is somewhat two-dimensional until the end of the book (when we find out more about her). The Old Man is perhaps the most compelling character: an incredibly smart and ruthless chief of a government agency, who cares deeply about his estranged son but is still willing to put almost everything on the line to save humanity.

Aliens taking over human bodies is something of a cliche now, but "Puppet Masters" is a suitably chilling look at the trope's origins. If you can get past the antiquated attitudes towards women, it's a brilliant little book.

'The Puppet Masters' is a fun read that works off familiar territory: aliens invade Earth and inhabit the bodies and minds of humans. Robert Heinlein has a very smooth writing style which enables the reader to get into the story and not get weighed down by excessive details, as is often the case with science fiction novels. The author does a good job with characterizations and building suspense; at times 'The Puppet Masters' is a real page-turner.

Unfortunately the book runs out of steam in the last hundred pages or so; it's as if Heinlein didn't know how to exactly pull the story together and build a satisfactory conclusion. While the end itself is good the author comes close to ruining it by added elements which seem totally contrived.

Bottom line: overall a most worthy read, .. enough so for me to seek out other works by Heinlein.

"Were they truly intelligent? By themselves, that is? I don't know and I don't know how we can ever find out..."

While the idea of alien parasites infiltrating humanity is pretty much standard sci-fi now (from Jack Finney to "Stargate SG-1"), Robert Heinlein was pretty early on the concept. And "The Puppet Masters" remains a chilling story to this day -- he wove together some brilliantly vivid writing, some climatic twists, and an intelligent look at how the threat of alien slugs would change our society almost overnight.

Sam (an agent for a top-top-top-secret government organization) accompanies the Old Man and his new partner Mary to a site where a UFO supposedly crashed in rural Iowa. Unfortunately, they soon encounter bizarre gloppy alien creatures that attach themselves to a host's back -- and it turns out that one of them sneaked along with the Old Man's team, back to Washington.

With Iowa completely possessed and the government threatened by alien manipulation, all of humanity suddenly is in danger -- countries start bickering, people become hysterical, and almost everybody is practically naked. As the United States tries to keep the aliens contained, Sam and Mary must find a weakness in the puppet-masters that won't kill the host as well. And the answer may lie long ago in Mary's half-forgotten past...

"The Puppet Masters" is a true classic -- it spawned "Invasion of the Body Snatchers," "The Faculty" and even a "Star Trek" episode. Not only is a chilling look at a quiet alien invasion via "body-snatching" slugs, it's also a pretty intelligent look at the societal changes that might come from alien parasites -- clothes aren't worn, pets become lethal, and an atmosphere of distrust where anyone may become a possessed killer.

The biggest problem with Heinlein's writing is the sexist attitudes towards "females," which is smugly condescending at best. Otherwise he comes up with a pretty solid "future" Earth that is just a little more advanced than we are and a few wars down the road (World War III is mentioned), but not too different in the ways that count (if you can overlook now-anachronistic stuff like a communist Russia).

And Heinlein unrolls a slow-moving sci-fi tale that's heavy on the social/political stuff, some horrific moments (S "All planets are ours") and a rapid romance between Sam and Mary. His style has a delightfully, deceptively casual flair and some snappy dialogue ("Cosmetics?" "Your own ugly face will do"), but he also does a brilliant job with the more atmospheric, intense moments of the book -- such as a blissed-out, hag-ridden Sam drifting around Washington.

Sam makes a good sharp-tongued, quick-witted hero who still has time to feel sorry about killing a poor innocent cat, although Mary is somewhat two-dimensional until the end of the book (when we find out more about her). The Old Man is perhaps the most compelling character: an incredibly smart and ruthless chief of a government agency, who cares deeply about his estranged son but is still willing to put almost everything on the line to save humanity.

Aliens taking over human bodies is something of a cliche now, but "Puppet Masters" is a suitably chilling look at the trope's origins. If you can get past the antiquated attitudes towards women, it's a brilliant little book.

Another early Heinlein masterpiece. This book is signifigant for several reasons. First, it has a standard type plot (alien invasion) but is told with a twist, and from a different viewpoint than are most novels of this type. Also, this has the most believable cast of characters that I have ever encountered in the Heinlein universe. Out of all the RAH's I have read I think this one would make the best movie (actually, there is a movie of it, but I've never been able to find it). This is seamless science fiction (though it is rather light on actual science): tight plot, believable characters, exquisite dialogue, and a sense of suspense. What more could you ask for? Read this book.

This is the first Heinlein novel I have read and I was pleased with my choice. This book is neither scary nor quick moving but it does make you stop and think about some of the things we have that are taken for granted. The idea of being controlled by a foreign body and losing all freedom can be a frightening thing. The idea that you would like the loss of control is even worse.
In this book Sam Cavanaugh is a secret agent who with Mary and "The Boss" has to confront alien slug like creatures who hop on spinal cords to take control over that entities mind and body. In order for humankind to be saved, Sam has to have a coming of age and become the leader he is meant to be.
This is a good book and you will enjoy being taken over for a while.

Having read three other Heinlein novels, I found this one to be good, but quite dated, as has been mentioned below. (It was originally published in 1951.) Some of the dialogue is silly and unbelievable, and some of the references are obscure. Nonetheless, I enjoyed this fun, quick read that is very creepy in parts! (Probably more of a 3.5 stars though, but I'll round up because of my respect for the author!) It's also clear to see that modern sci-fi novels have Heinlein to thank for some of its content and direction. I recommend Tunnel in the Sky, The Door Into Summer and Double Star.

At 50, you should never read a book you liked at 14.

Masters (extraterrestrial slugs) are turning humans into slaves and the world is divided. Problem is that even in the "free" territory only relationships Heinlein could imagine are master : slaves relationship. Love interest of our hero is intelligent woman and when she marries him, she turns into obedient slave with very limited vocabulary ("yes, dear"). The boss of our hero (and his father) is his master until the moment they switch the roles and afterwards he's just a slave. Etc. I started wondering why they're so dead set against those slugs. :(

This novel really hasn't aged well.

Earth is invaded, but not in the manner of most books. The aliens come in
and take over the people they are attached to (hence the title, The Puppet
Masters). And a secret government agency is tasked with finding out how
far the aliens have penetrated humanity and stopping the invasion. Read
the book after seeing the movie, and as almost always, the book is better.
Heinlein at his best, with lots of humor and political commentary hidden
within.

"Puppet Masters" is Heinlein's scariest novel. For those who like tales of horror, this is a masterpiece. I wasn't happy with it because I don't like horror tales. Nevertheless, it deserves high marks!

Besides the horror, Heinlein writes plenty of good science fiction into this yarn, I have read H. G. Wells story of space invasion from Mars and listened to a recording of the radio broadcast that nearly froze America into a panic. This is a better tale with more horror!

If you enjoyed "Alien", you will love "Puppet Masters".

"The Puppet Masters" by Heinlein has not aged well at all. Written originally in the early 1950s the book still has a lot of Cold War references. "Iron Curtain" USSR ect..... Even though it is supposedly set in around 2000 AD. There are flying cars, heat rays, and individual implanted telephones, which are kind of interesting, but all locked into a 1950s feel of the USA.

The plot involves aliens arriving and becoming masters over humans by attaching their slug-like bodies to human hosts. They land in several places, but most of the action, what little their is, revolves around Iowa and middle America.

There just is not much action. Lots of talking. Lots of planning and reporting. Overall, the book is rather boring as an action novel.

The plot revolves around three basic characters, whose names are not consistently used in the book.. Sam, the narrator, a secret agent. The Old Man, a sort of leader of a super secret spy group, and Mary another secret agent.

Positives. Some interesting gizmos as mentioned above.
Set in the Heinlein Solar System, well sort of. So there were inhabitants on Mars, Venus, and now Titan. The alien slugs take over the "elfin" Titan natives. But Heinlein also calls the slugs the Titans.

Negatives:
Slow.
Very sexist dialogue. Mary, a secret agent, is never at the same level as the males who do the same role. She uses her "feminine ways" to detect slugs on clothed males. She then goes off with Sam for some get away marriage and honeymoon in the middle of an alien invasion. Ridiculous. Sam threatens to spank her, and is often just misogynistic, but it feels like Heinlein wrote Sam as a "compassionate male" but he is rudely sexist.
The Old Man is an inconsistent character who later is revealed to have a different relationship to Sam. It comes out of no where and is just stupid.
Lots of Cold War idioms and phrases.
Lots of talk about people going around nude because of the slugs. It felt like Heinlein was looking for excuses to get Mary naked and discuss her body. A skin tight suit would serve the same purpose, (to expose where the slugs are attached) yet Heinlein goes for full nudity instead.
A minor character, a nurse, is stereotypical and another example of Heinlein's misogyny.

My grade, D+

The Puppet Masters was produced by Robert Heinlein during his late-40s/early 50s Boys Life phase, when many of his stories and novels (Space Cadet, Red Planet, Farmer in the Sky, etc.) featured juvenile protagonists and were aimed at teenaged audiences. Puppet Masters was supposed to be different with adult characters and a more sophisticated plot that not so subtly evoked the then-current Red Scare.

Certainly, the story of parasitic space aliens invading Earth and taking over humans as hosts was novel enough that it inspired a host of imitators, not least the movie Invasion of the Body Snatchers. So give it props for innovation.

Unfortunately, the book is bogged down by some pretty lame human drama featuring a first person narrator who seems astonishingly immature for someone who's supposed to be a high-level government agent, and, at least for early 21st century readers, some rather dated and patronizing views of women. Also, the attempts at humor rising out of the need to disrobe in order to prove one isn't under the control of the aliens are not just childish but undercut the sense of suspense and terror that such a story should evoke. More dissonance comes from the caricatured portrayals of the president and other senior government officials, who are played for laughs and seem straight out of the Marx Brothers and Duck Soup.

Heinlein had by this point in his career shown that he was capable of far better as he had already published a number of tales that explored serious issues in serious ways (see for example Beyond This Horizon or the two stories —"Universe" and "Common Sense"—later published as Orphans of the Sky, as well as some of the early future history stories collected in The Past Through Tomorrow and Off the Main Sequence). Up into the early 1940s, Heinlein was writing better science fiction than just about anyone else, in my opinion, so I find his descent into juvenilia after World War II very disappointing. And Puppet Masters really belongs in that juvenilia period not just chronologically but in tone and approach, which is unfortunate because it has a great premise.

A dated story? Yes, but one that can be related today. Alien invasion or commies or the fact the invasion may come from a group within your own kind when motivated by an ouside force. I have been reading Heinlein for 30 yrs and I can say that this is far above the Sci-Fi of the time and although not one of his best. ( I leave that place for " The Moon is a Harsh Mistress") it is easy the say that it should be palced near the top. I have been collecting his works for years and can be safe in saying that if you want to really know the mans motivations, and some of his background. You must read REQUEIM.

At first I didn't like the archaic prose style of this book. It wasn't that the pacing was slow, it was the language-ing and approach to scenes. I've read a bit of Heinlein and really love some of his work. So I persevered and soon found the somewhat shallow, fairly archaic prose, the antiquated male-female dynamics, and the entire story to be satisfying. It really was a page-turner. My heart wasn't pounding, it wasn't at all frightening, or intense, yet I cared so much about the story and characters that I started and finished the book in one sitting. Happy reading~* Think #alieninvasion #possession #scifi!

When I read this novel back in the 1960s, I was struck how it played on the anti-communist paranoia of the 1950s. Written in 1951, it tells of the story of aliens who take over human bodies, and there is no way to tell friend from foe--except by looking at a person's bare back. The only defense is to shoot anyone wearing a shirt (man or woman).

Highly recommended, and it's a story that will stick in your mind.
If you haven't read Heinlein, you are in for a treat.

At first, the story of aliens parasites invading earth and seizing power by controlling human hosts may sound trite, with movies such as the 1956 classic "invasion of the body snatchers" up to the more recent "the faculty", but Heinlein a visionary as always did it first, and without a doubt did it best.
As with many of Heinlein's books this was a bit slow getting started. But within the first 60 pages I found I could not put it down (not that I could if I wanted too, because I only had 48 hours to read the book and do a report on it). Once the story gets started the excitement doesn't slow down until the very end. The ending, for that matter is very un-characteristically upbeat, not that Heinlein is notorious for sad endings, but many of his books just sort of end and the characters move on.
Now, a few reasons why I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars. When compared to books by any other author I would without hesitation give this book 5 stars, but when compared to Heinlein's own works, by which I mean the classics, "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress", "stranger in a strange land", "Starship Troopers", etc., in some aspects it just doesn't match up. If you haven't read any other novels by Heinlein, I strongly suggest that you do not start with this one. at first the concept of "future history" can be a bit hard to grasp. The story is written 1951 looking back on a war that happened in the early 21st century. This concept is made all the more confusing by the fact that it is no longer future history, but more present history. Its just kind of hard to wrap your mind around, and it would be a pity to waste such a great story trying to understand when everything is going on.
All in all I thought this book was an excellent read. Thought I know all the others copiers followed Heinlein's example, I was exposed to their versions first, and thus the story does seem a bit tired by the time you read the original. "Imitated, but never copied" I believe is how the saying goes, and this more than holds true for this book, any imitators could never have copied Heinlein's quick wit, and subtle socio-political preaching's, all Heinlein fans have come to know and love.

I'm a big fan of old Sci-Fi, and of Heinlein, and this one doesn't disappoint. Still relevant today, Heinlein does a very good job covering themes that still resonate today - personal liberty, government oversight, sleeper cells.

Not too dated for 60+ years old, in fact some of the personal telephone business seems just this side of psychic. The rockets never came to pass, as such, but it isn't hard to sub them for planes and call it a day. The only other thing I can see some folks would have trouble with is the use of real dates, that have since come and gone without the stated things happening.

The Puppet Masters is the Body Snatchers, with more imagination, fewer inconsistencies, oh, and 4 years earlier on the release...

Puppet masters is another strong Heinlein novel that continues to hold up today just so long as you imagine it as "future history" in an America that never happened. Most of the social mores seem laughable by today's standards, but all of Heinlein's strengths are there. First you have the rugged everyman hero. Next there's the lovely and also capable love interest. Last we have the wise old general who's still pretty darned rugged himself. But the main thing is Puppet masters is also based on a fabulously inventive idea, this one particularly sinister, which built upon and then furthered two generations of alien monster movies and books. There are great action sequences. I also enjoyed the speculative nature of the book as the heroes struggle to understand their strange and implacable enemy. The societies constructed by the puppet masters are disturbing indeed.

Heinlein once again proves his complete mastery of the science-fiction genre in Puppet Masters. Alien invasion, intrigue, suspense, even nepotism combine into a compelling story; so compelling, in fact, that Hollywood has tried several times to put it on film. I have not seen any of the movies based on this book, nor will I, as they could never live up to Heinlein's prose.
While it is true that this book does not have as much philosophy and political science in the storyline as does The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, the story packs a moral punch nonetheless. Puppet Masters is an excellent read in its own right, and would serve well as an introduction to Heinlein for those few unfortunate enough never to have read his work.

This book has stood up amazingly well over time. It is still probably the very best alien invasion story of all time with the possible exception of the The Body Snatchers. The story is relatively well crafted and it shows much of the breeziness typical of Heinlein's most popular books. I would not place this at the top of the list of Heinlein's very best novels however.

I mostly enjoyed the book though it's obviously dated by some of its content or absence of content. As a non-American, I found it too gung-ho on individual freedom. I really want to comment on the story, though, as I thought much misdirection dictated half of it.

The sleight of hand is that the story wants a method that kills the parasite but not people. There is a method described indirectly in the book but ignored. First, blanket an area with a gas that puts people to sleep. Then use the guns to slowly burn off the parasite. More convincing and probably safer than the 9-day fever method.

A much shorter book. But the writing itself controls the reader not to think laterally.

After the gritty realism (relatively speaking) of Robert Heinlein's "Starship Troupers," "The Puppet Masters" was something of a disappointment. The story is not nearly as memorable, and the hero seems to have stepped out of a James Bond film. The old chauvanist James Bond, that is. Overall, I found the tone of the novel entirely too lighthearted to take seriously. And it is not remotely scary, which perhaps explains why the horror film of the same name was such a flop. Unlike the classic "Starship Troupers," this is science fiction that has not aged well.

This was the first Heinlein novel I read. It made such an impression on me that since then I have collected all of his books, short stories, etc. Actually, the last one is on the way - Thanks the store.
The characters are interesting, and the storyline is vastly entertaining. If you've read "Gulf" or Friday, then you'll be happy to know that Kettle Belly Baldwin makes another appearance.
Definitely read the book. Also try your luck at seeing the movie (it's out of print) starring Donald Sutherland. It was pretty good. Not as good as the book, but when is a movie ever as good as the book?

THIS BOOK SHOULD BE JUDGED AGAINST THE TIME IN WHICH IT WAS WRITTEN. THE IDEA THAT OUR ENEMIES COULD BE AMONG US, LOOK LIKE US, ETC. AS OPPOSED TO THE SEN. MCCARTHY HEARINGS CAN GIVE US A KEEN INSIGHT INTO THE TIMES THAT ACTUALLY EXISTED AND HOW PEOPLE ACTUALLY FELT AT THE TIME THAT THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNIST CONSPIRACY WAS A REAL THREAT TO OUR WAY OF LIFE

I bought this book as an act of nostalgia. I remember reading it as a kid, and looking at people's shoulders to see whether they have a master lurking.
Well, Reading it 30 years later, the story is still there, and also some of the fear, but being much more sophisticated makes me much better equipped to handle it.

Puppet Masters tells of the human race under attack from aliens, who control their minds and actions, That has to be one of the deepest fears, losing your identity and control completely, having someone take control over your body and impersonate you.
So the idea is great.
Unfortunately, the story isn't glued together well enough for me, as a reader of 21st century scifi who is used to real and convincing characters, and logical plots.
So its a good book, and I enjoyed it, but definitely not a fiver.

I read this book, the first time,when I was twelve. I even liked the movie version (Donald Sutherland). I loved it then, and I would buy it now, for Kindle, it it were available. The problem is, this is an "audible" book. I can read. I am too old to want someone to read it to me. Bring it out in Kindle and I will buy it.

UPDATE: 9/2/2013
My previous complaint against this book was that it was not in Kindle format. "O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!. Now it is in Kindle, and I DID buy it. It is every bit as good as I remembered it to be. If you like a good plot , in a Heinlein invented culture buy this book.

If you've read some older science fiction lately, you may have come across stories set in dates which have already happened in the early 21st Century. (Funny how you don't remember those things happening in those years; perhaps they took place in parallel universes with different histories and different physical laws.) Heinlein does this in this novel, where the events start in July of 2007.

So how well has this story worn? Hmm, not very. Heinlein got the part about the cell phones right, and he foresaw the social acceptance of pre- and extramarital sex. The security measures needed to control the spread of the alien parasites also bear some resemblance to the "security theater" against terrorism the U.S. has adopted over the past decade.

But then look at what he got wrong: Flying cars; the conditions on Venus, Mars and Saturn's moon Titan; a nuclear war; the endurance of the Soviet Union; the pervasiveness of smoking; and the survival of other aspects of American culture in the early 1950's which he projects into the 21st Century. Did Americans call gay men "harem keepers" circa 1950, for example?

This novel does fit into the pattern of Heinlein's overall story-telling habits, however. Some observations:

Heinlein's view of love and marriage:

At least here Heinlein didn't indulge his creepy fascination with the adult man who forms a "romantic" relationship with an underage girl and waits for her to mature before he beds her, which you can see in Time for the Stars,Have Space Suit, Will Travel,The Door into Summer and Time Enough for Love. Yet I don't recall if Heinlein ever portrays a bad marriage from the man's perspective in any of his stories. The female protagonist in To Sail Beyond the Sunset seeks a divorce from her husband, but they both participate in the Howard Families' breeding experiment, so perhaps that accounts for the difference. No, in Heinlein's universe, just about every marriage works out wonderfully for the man, despite the preponderance of evidence against that outcome in the real world.

The hero as a reverse Winston Smith:

Inner Party Member O'Brien in Nineteen Eighty-Four could learn a thing or two about torture from the Old Man.

Heinlein the stoner?

I've read claims that Heinlein had a bohemian personal life, but I never came across anything to indicate the he smoked pot. Heinlein hints that he had that experience in his hero's description of the hashish-derived "tempus fugit" pills which leave him with the munchies when they wear off.

Lying to adolescent boys about adult sexuality:

Heinlein and other science fiction writers knew that adolescent boys read their works in the pulp magazines, and that boys who started with Heinlein's "juvenile" novels would probably also read the ones he had intended more for mature readers. Yet in this novel Heinlein portrays hookups in the 21st Century as part of normal adult behavior. By setting this liberal sexual ethic in "the future," he implies that the boys who read this novel may expect to live in that sort of world themselves as they grow up. For example, the spy hero wakes up in bed with a blonde whose name he can't remember, rather like in Ian Fleming's James Bond stories. His love interest tells him, "You can have me with or without a contract, anywhere, anywhen, anyway." The hero makes sexual references throughout the novel as well. Pretty heady stuff, and very misleading, for generations of boys who had to learn the hard way that most of them can't get sex from their girlfriends that easily, apart from a minority of natural alpha males whom women find sexually irresistible.

The warrior woman myth:

Heinlein's ass-kicking and concealed carrying spy heroine anticipated the warrior woman fad in 1990's popular culture, but by nearly 40 years, when this sort of character represented feminist fantasies about "empowerment." I noticed that the fad went away after September 11, 2001, when women confronted with a real enemy decided that they would rather let the men do the fighting for them after all. The experiences of women in action careers like the military don't inspire much confidence as they require lower performance standards, conveniently get pregnant to avoid dangerous assignments, file complaints about sexual harassment and suffer sexual assaults from their own servicemen. But then, when Heinlein created his counterfactual heroines, we know he called the exercise "science fiction" for a reason.

Despite these deficiencies, Heinlein's novels, this one included, still work for brains-on-vacation reading to pass the time at the airport after practically stripping down naked to get past airport security, rather like how the characters in the novel have to go naked to show that they don't have the alien parasites riding on their bodies. Don't expect any deep insights into the human condition, however, because science fiction writers don't have privileged information in that area other than what they can shrewdly guess about it.

What a great tale on so many levels! This novel works as a straight science-fiction alien invasion story, but there are also the philosophical questions to consider. How much freedom is a person willing to surrender for peace of mind? How do you know what is true when you cannot see events yourself? When does a war end?

I picked this book to re-read (I read it first decades ago) after another novel mentioned it in passing. I am glad I did as the more experienced me saw the multi-layered novel with fresh eyes. Heinlein fans have no doubt already read the novel, but I think it is worth reading again.

At first I didn't like the archaic prose style of this book. It wasn't that the pacing was slow, it was the language-ing and approach to scenes. I've read a bit of Heinlein and really love some of his work. So I persevered and soon found the somewhat shallow, fairly archaic prose, the antiquated male-female dynamics, and the entire story to be satisfying. It really was a page-turner. My heart wasn't pounding, it wasn't at all frightening, or intense, yet I cared so much about the story and characters that I started and finished the book in one sitting. Happy reading~* Think #alieninvasion #possession #scifi!

I had a girlfriend who loved this book and recommended I read everything by Robert A. Heinlein. I detested this book, and I recommend you avoid anything written by Heinlein.

The premise, supposedly, is that aliens have invaded Earth and are taking over our brains with little parasites. Our heroes work for a super-secret security agency whose job is to defend America -- and by extension the world -- by virtually any means necessary. So far so good: the Fifties was the age of paranoia and the Cold War, and alien invasion stories were hot stuff. Heinlein is a well-regarded writer and this novel is sure to be worthy of its classic status.

Not so. There is a lot of paranoia on display in the book, but precious little of it is translated to the reader. Heinlein, as per his usual idiom, spends most of his time with speeches and diatribes that purport to explain why it's necessary for a nation to maintain a security network that answers to no one. The common people of Heinlein's world are sheep, and it's up to their moral and intellectual superiors to protect them and make all their decisions.

What makes this novel really collapse on itself is how Heinlein's philosophizing so completely outweighs any sense of action, character, or plot. His narrator, Sam, is a typically brainless hero of the Golden Age of sf: supposedly whip-smart, he's being groomed to take over the agency, but he never bothers to prove to the reader that he actually has brains. Alongside him is Mary, who is amazingly well-armed and lethal, except she's not. She is introduced as a deadly secret agent, but quickly wilts in the face of danger and is carried off in her truelove's arms. Pulling all the strings -- the real Puppet Master -- is the Old Man, that old stalwart of Heinlein novels. The Old Man knows everything and is never wrong; he's the godlike voice of the author, telling the other characters and the audience exactly what to think and why. The tawdry relationships among these three waste at least a third of the book's length.

Heinlein's narrative voice is, as usual, patronizing and more than a little dull. He is in love with his own half-baked political ideas, and uses the book as a showcase for them. Instead of a fast-paced, paranoid thriller of alien invasion -- a premise that could have been plumbed for serious political and philosophical depth in the hands of a superior craftsman -- we get another condescending Heinlein rant. For a contrast, try "The Space Merchants" by Pohl and Kornbluth. Published only two years after "Puppet Masters", it's a light-footed satire of capitalism and the modern world; it's breezy and fun without sacrificing its satirical teeth.