Firstly, I couldnt even find the picture of the cover of this book online. And there was only one page that came out of all my searches that mentioned this book. So I am guessing not many would have read this. And I had to take the picture of the cover myself. I bought this book from the second hand book market in Daryaganj, mainly cos the words of the back seemed like my friend Avi was saying them aloud - "She had seen them...Thet were here, all around us. Their Plan was simple, but nobody would believe it." So I decided to find out what it was about. Plus it was only 220 pages.
So what is this book about. It's a strange book really. I have mixed feelings about it. The first chapter is pretty good, and you sense like some really amazing plot is headed your way. But then, it seems to fall away and you feel you are watching some B-Grade sci-fi movie about aliens. So the plot goes like this - old woman with a grand daughter, who is hearing weird noises and seeing weird things at night. Some kind of strange activity going on "ACROSS THE STREET". Grand daughter wont believe, thinks her Gramps has lost it. Drives over to boyfriend's house at night to tell him this. And oh yeah, in between all this, the world is seemingly heading towards anarchy. And fighting going on and possible nuclear war looming large. All this makes Ramona (grand-daughter) sad!! Awwww. So she goes over to bf's and they have a strange talk!! They talk about where the world is heading too!! Girl!! Your Granny is sick at home. Finally she leaves, but they encounters a mob attacking a cop, and she tries to save the cop. And then more police arrives, and some of the dialogue here is just outta this world. Anyhow, so finally she reaches home, and what happens after that is just outta this world too.
Lets see, I am still a bit confused but, it like this - Stairs Open!! And then she goes beneath her home, and then finds herself in corridors made by aliens, and finally in a Alien Conference Room!!! And all the aliens are in human bodies, so she gets a seat too. Their names are simple like U-1972, and the Y-X leader, and U-1037 and so on. And they are making PLANS to destroy all of mankind and that too without any weapons (some treaty). So she somehow escapes, and then returns back with her bf to show him all this. I Knew from the start that that scum was an alien!!! Anyhow, you folks wont discover that till late. So that is where the fun starts, they start telling the whole world that there are aliens amongst us. OOOOOOOOOO. What wud you say - Lady Go Home!! Exactly, so the next many pages, they are doing this publicity by various ways involving A.Distributing Pamphlets at red lights, B.Taking over a radio station, which seemingly is easily accessible, and so on. Finally the cops take them in. And guess what!! The Cops are aliens too!! And then comes the final shock!! Her best friend, her boy friend - Bernand, is an alien too. And in the end she dies after a scuffle with some aliens. And oh yeah, there is a mexican reporter in whose ARMS she dies. Dont look at me, I didnt write that. I am still confused too!! Was the reporter an alien too?? Beats me, if I could only get the email of this author. But its a book published in 1980.
So this is a book for the collection!! It had promise. I think the story I saw after the first chapter had lots of potential. But the whole aliens everywhere mess, got to me too. Its a simple story nevertheless, and could happen to anyone really. People wouldnt believe you too, if you saw aliens talking about destruction of planet earth. The funny part is, in the first chapter, there are atleast 3 characters who are named which have no further role - Jimmy, a football player who gets injured, Mary & Madge, discussing about bad cable reception. What was that all about, wasnt Jimmy suppose to do alien bashing??
Anyhow, part of this book can be seen in movies or other literature. THEY LIVE! a 1988 movie, is on somewhat the similar premise, and I am sure there are many more other movies which deal with this complicated subject in detail about how the aliens are taking over our jobs. And in the last words of Ramona - "To hate.... is...n.. not....to....love". Hey considering I am a crappy writer too, I think this is exactly the kind of stuff I am capable of producing too. So I give it 2 out of 5, for simply the laughs it provided.
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