It's really
hard to believe that this science fiction book was written in the 50s. Often in
novels of this genre that are a bit dated you notice the so-called expiration
effect, which affects both the plot, rich of anachronistic elements, but also
and especially the style of author (or translator, in this case, as I've read
it in Italian), in which expressions that do not belong to our everyday
language are evident. In a very surprising way I have not noticed anything like
that in "The Body Snatchers". It is a story set in the time in which
it was written and contains all its features, but it could have been written
yesterday.
Finney
involves us in a plot full of mystery, told from the point of view of a doctor
of a small California
Unique
recognizable aspect of this type of classic science fiction is actually the end
in which the threat disappears in an almost random, fortuitous way. The
protagonists are not the true markers of their victory, but get to it with
amazement. This aspect is perhaps one of my favourites, because I consider it
extremely realistic. Often in contemporary novels, the protagonists are heroes,
people who, prior normal, take control of the situation and save the world
against powerful enemies. A story in which the victory against the villains is
due to a waiver of the latter or an outside fortuitous factor returns to the
protagonists their normality and allows us, normal readers, to identify
ourselves better in their joys and their fears.
Body Snatchers (S.F. Masterworks)
on Amazon.com.
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