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Hybrids
For years, people have feared that sexual material removed from victims of alien abductions might lead to the creation of something that modern science considers hybrids of the alien and the human.They would think like aliens, but appear human, and be able to do something that full-blooded aliens can't--walk the earth freely.In Hybrids, Whitley Strieber unleashes his unparalleled skills as a thriller writer and his unique knowledge of the abduction phenomenon to explore, what might happen if hybrids invaded the earth--not from the stars, but from exactly where the aliens told him they would emerge, when one of them said, "We will come from within you."At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
337 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 31, 2011
43 people are currently reading
464 people want to read
About the author
Whitley Strieber
152 books1,258 followersAmerican writer best known for his novels The Wolfen,The Hunger and Warday and for Communion, a non-fiction description of his experiences with apparent alien contact. He has recently made significant advances in understanding this phenomenon, and has published his new discoveries in Solving the Communion Enigma.
Strieber also co-authored The Coming Global Superstorm with Art Bell, which inspired the blockbuster film about sudden climate change, The Day After Tomorrow.
His book The Afterlife Revolution written with his deceased wife Anne, is a record of what is considered to be one of the most powerful instances of afterlife communication ever recorded.
Strieber also co-authored The Coming Global Superstorm with Art Bell, which inspired the blockbuster film about sudden climate change, The Day After Tomorrow.
His book The Afterlife Revolution written with his deceased wife Anne, is a record of what is considered to be one of the most powerful instances of afterlife communication ever recorded.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 58 reviews
July 3, 2024
Hybrids
By Whitley Strieber
It's been a while since I've read a Striber book and realized I needed one. This book didn't disappoint! Great characters, plot, unique take on the subject, and loved the ending. Very satisfying novel! Loved it from beginning to end!
By Whitley Strieber
It's been a while since I've read a Striber book and realized I needed one. This book didn't disappoint! Great characters, plot, unique take on the subject, and loved the ending. Very satisfying novel! Loved it from beginning to end!
November 27, 2011
Like other Strieber books this one had a terrific premise poorly executed. The plot could have been excellent in better hands like Preston/Childs, Rollins, or Stephen King. Instead it was repetitive (how many times do we need to hear the gen 1 hybrids licking their chops when humans were killed, or the deep but mysterious feelings the shared.)
Some characters popped in and got a lot of detail only to be killed senselessly, there was a huge hole between the deep sixing & the resurgence, and it never made sense to me what the newer hybrids were trying to accomplish.
I would not recommend it against other better entries on the genre like Morrell's "The Shimmering" or Koontzs "The Taking", but if you have nothing else, it can be entertaining.
Some characters popped in and got a lot of detail only to be killed senselessly, there was a huge hole between the deep sixing & the resurgence, and it never made sense to me what the newer hybrids were trying to accomplish.
I would not recommend it against other better entries on the genre like Morrell's "The Shimmering" or Koontzs "The Taking", but if you have nothing else, it can be entertaining.
April 3, 2018
Just crap. I knew the writing was bad by about page 10, the plot was predictable by about page 20 and the 'love story' between man and alien hybrid became predictable by about page 50. I slogged it out to page 102 before I gave up in despair and had to put it down (a serious rarity for me- you can count the number of books I have been unwilling to finish once started on your ten fingers). Please, do not waste your time on this one- it gives science fiction a bad name and I believe it was written with a future horror movie in mind.
August 23, 2011
A fast-paced, horrific thriller. Whitley Strieber is a wonderful writer, but I like his nonfiction ("Communion," "The Key") more than his fiction. One scene in "Hybrids" that bugged me is when a character throws a combat knife "like a boomerang." The knife lops off the head of a worm-like creature, then turns around so the thrower can catch it. I contend that this is impossible, regardless of the user's skill. If you have thrown a knife like a boomerang and caught it, feel free to correct me.
June 25, 2011
Whitley Strieber does aliens, and hybrids like no one else. His touch is deft. The creatures in this novel will haunt you and entrance you. The heroes are like us, but unlike. This story is well written and keeps the interest throughout.
I definitely enjoyed this book and give it a high recommendation.
I definitely enjoyed this book and give it a high recommendation.
May 8, 2011
Hybrids Book Review by Jessica Nelson
Title: Hybrids
Author: Whitley Strieber
Publisher: Tor Books, Tom Doherty Associates, LLC, April, 2011
Length: 336 pages
Price: $24.99 US/$28.99 CAN
ISBN: 978-0-7653-2376-7 (hardcover)
Hybrids is a book that looks at the claims of alien abductions and UFO sightings, and asks, “what if … ?” What if we’re visited regularly by alien races? What if they’re still here? What if they’re actually working with our government(s)? What if the highest levels of those governments don’t even know about it? What if the work being done, is being done on actual human beings? What if that work gets loose in society?
In Hybrids, New York Times bestselling author Whitley Strieber tells a story of two people deeply in love, who discover they are the first fruits of just such experimentations when subsequent generations run amok. Generations that were perfected only after the aliens themselves gave up and left. Generations that were thought, even by their own creator, to have been destroyed.
Stronger, more cunning, and exponentially faster than humans, the hybrids are tired of hiding. They want to come out and play. And mankind looks like a mighty fun toy. The best games of all include harvesting our biological material to further their own race, and taking over this world for their own. The only people capable of stopping them are those who came before them, and those two people are torn between the humanity they thought they were, and the biomechanical programming they never knew they were living their lives by.
Hybrids draws on the countless and always-growing stories of alien contact with humans. It also tackles some of the many theories regarding what our government does or does not know about alien life and technology; then, it combines all of this with the base essentials of artificial intelligence. Taking from so many areas that humans generally find unnerving, the author plays on our uncertainties about the reality of such things, and what consequences they could have. As human beings, we are acutely aware that our curiosity often gets us in trouble, and scientists may be the most curious of us all. One thing science needs to survive, is progress. Progress that often fills some with wonder, and others with dread.
The story has fabulous potential. Unfortunately, it doesn’t live up to it. The flow of the story is somewhat halting; just as you find a comfortable rhythm, it stumbles and stutters, and you have to find it all over again. It has an unexpected but understandable military perspective due to the fact that the protagonists are both highly trained … er, programmed … military personnel. However, even as we know we are being encouraged to connect with them on a personal level for their humanity, the deepest, most human feelings of our fair couple feel forced and unbelievable. Other characters feel equally, if not even more hollow, such as when the president of the United States refuses to deal with the fact that an alien intelligence has just killed hundreds of thousands of people and destroyed a very large city, because he’s busy wondering about damage reports from a hurricane, despite the fact that FEMA has obviously identified the alien situation as much more damaging, ongoing, and in need of immediate attention to keep it from worsening.
Author Whitley Strieber’s many works include over twenty-five other books, one of which formed the basis of the movie The Day After Tomorrow. Despite the flaws pointed out above, I still think the basis of this story is a good one that a lot of people could really get into, and that perhaps film would better showcase its potential. If Mr. Strieber should have the opportunity to write an adaptation of Hybrids for the big screen, I will most certainly watch it.
I won this book through the Goodreads.com First Reads program. I would like to thank Goodreads for hosting the program, and Tor Books for selecting me as a winner. They put out some really fantastic books. You should check them out!
Title: Hybrids
Author: Whitley Strieber
Publisher: Tor Books, Tom Doherty Associates, LLC, April, 2011
Length: 336 pages
Price: $24.99 US/$28.99 CAN
ISBN: 978-0-7653-2376-7 (hardcover)
Hybrids is a book that looks at the claims of alien abductions and UFO sightings, and asks, “what if … ?” What if we’re visited regularly by alien races? What if they’re still here? What if they’re actually working with our government(s)? What if the highest levels of those governments don’t even know about it? What if the work being done, is being done on actual human beings? What if that work gets loose in society?
In Hybrids, New York Times bestselling author Whitley Strieber tells a story of two people deeply in love, who discover they are the first fruits of just such experimentations when subsequent generations run amok. Generations that were perfected only after the aliens themselves gave up and left. Generations that were thought, even by their own creator, to have been destroyed.
Stronger, more cunning, and exponentially faster than humans, the hybrids are tired of hiding. They want to come out and play. And mankind looks like a mighty fun toy. The best games of all include harvesting our biological material to further their own race, and taking over this world for their own. The only people capable of stopping them are those who came before them, and those two people are torn between the humanity they thought they were, and the biomechanical programming they never knew they were living their lives by.
Hybrids draws on the countless and always-growing stories of alien contact with humans. It also tackles some of the many theories regarding what our government does or does not know about alien life and technology; then, it combines all of this with the base essentials of artificial intelligence. Taking from so many areas that humans generally find unnerving, the author plays on our uncertainties about the reality of such things, and what consequences they could have. As human beings, we are acutely aware that our curiosity often gets us in trouble, and scientists may be the most curious of us all. One thing science needs to survive, is progress. Progress that often fills some with wonder, and others with dread.
The story has fabulous potential. Unfortunately, it doesn’t live up to it. The flow of the story is somewhat halting; just as you find a comfortable rhythm, it stumbles and stutters, and you have to find it all over again. It has an unexpected but understandable military perspective due to the fact that the protagonists are both highly trained … er, programmed … military personnel. However, even as we know we are being encouraged to connect with them on a personal level for their humanity, the deepest, most human feelings of our fair couple feel forced and unbelievable. Other characters feel equally, if not even more hollow, such as when the president of the United States refuses to deal with the fact that an alien intelligence has just killed hundreds of thousands of people and destroyed a very large city, because he’s busy wondering about damage reports from a hurricane, despite the fact that FEMA has obviously identified the alien situation as much more damaging, ongoing, and in need of immediate attention to keep it from worsening.
Author Whitley Strieber’s many works include over twenty-five other books, one of which formed the basis of the movie The Day After Tomorrow. Despite the flaws pointed out above, I still think the basis of this story is a good one that a lot of people could really get into, and that perhaps film would better showcase its potential. If Mr. Strieber should have the opportunity to write an adaptation of Hybrids for the big screen, I will most certainly watch it.
I won this book through the Goodreads.com First Reads program. I would like to thank Goodreads for hosting the program, and Tor Books for selecting me as a winner. They put out some really fantastic books. You should check them out!
March 18, 2012
Dear Whitley:
I have to tell you; this book creeped me out any number of times. Over the last few years, I've been reading fewer and fewer books likely to induce fear, not by design, necessarily; it's just that I've been focusing less on genre. It's not that I had to sleep with the lights on, but Whitley, you unnerved me with this one. I cannot even tell you why. I may have to read it again to gain insight as to why it got under my skin.
Other readers have pointed out a few instances where willingness to suspend disbelief is sorely tested, and I agree, but I went along because by then, I cared about the protagonists, and the fate of humanity.
I appreciate Strieber on so many levels, but I knew him first as a novelist, and to my mind, his fiction is entertaining enough for me to pledge to read every one of his novels, and his nonfiction is often even more thought provoking and disturbing. How many honest intellectuals do we have the pleasure of knowing in this humdrum world? Not enough, whatever the number. And Whitley is a prime example, a proponent of humanism at its best. Any disappointment I have known at his hands has been minor and inconsequential. He is sometimes motivated by the divine, inspired by soaring spirit, and touched by the profound, although detractors think him profane, or worse. He is blessed and cursed to stir up the best and the worse in us. What do we ask of a writer?
Hybrids is worthy of more than three stars, but to be fair, fewer than four, I think, and to my mind, three-plus stars is an accomplishment. When I have something that merits even two stars, I'll let you know. In the meantime: Keep 'em comin, Whit. Summer is uncomfortably close, and I may need a chill to survive the tropical heat we have these days in the temperate mid-Atlantic.
All the best to you and Anne.
I have to tell you; this book creeped me out any number of times. Over the last few years, I've been reading fewer and fewer books likely to induce fear, not by design, necessarily; it's just that I've been focusing less on genre. It's not that I had to sleep with the lights on, but Whitley, you unnerved me with this one. I cannot even tell you why. I may have to read it again to gain insight as to why it got under my skin.
Other readers have pointed out a few instances where willingness to suspend disbelief is sorely tested, and I agree, but I went along because by then, I cared about the protagonists, and the fate of humanity.
I appreciate Strieber on so many levels, but I knew him first as a novelist, and to my mind, his fiction is entertaining enough for me to pledge to read every one of his novels, and his nonfiction is often even more thought provoking and disturbing. How many honest intellectuals do we have the pleasure of knowing in this humdrum world? Not enough, whatever the number. And Whitley is a prime example, a proponent of humanism at its best. Any disappointment I have known at his hands has been minor and inconsequential. He is sometimes motivated by the divine, inspired by soaring spirit, and touched by the profound, although detractors think him profane, or worse. He is blessed and cursed to stir up the best and the worse in us. What do we ask of a writer?
Hybrids is worthy of more than three stars, but to be fair, fewer than four, I think, and to my mind, three-plus stars is an accomplishment. When I have something that merits even two stars, I'll let you know. In the meantime: Keep 'em comin, Whit. Summer is uncomfortably close, and I may need a chill to survive the tropical heat we have these days in the temperate mid-Atlantic.
All the best to you and Anne.
April 23, 2011
I won this book from Goodread's First Reads Giveaway.
This book for me was 3.5 stars but not quite 4, so I rated it a 3. I loved the storyline and the ending was just as I wanted for Mark & Gina. I found myself not wanting to put this down for most of the book, but towards the end, I just wanted to be finished as it started to drag on. It was an overall good read and I liked it!
Thanks for giving me the opportunity to read this book!
This book for me was 3.5 stars but not quite 4, so I rated it a 3. I loved the storyline and the ending was just as I wanted for Mark & Gina. I found myself not wanting to put this down for most of the book, but towards the end, I just wanted to be finished as it started to drag on. It was an overall good read and I liked it!
Thanks for giving me the opportunity to read this book!
July 28, 2011
Thank you to Goodreads and Tor for sending me an advanced copy of this book. Hybrids is a pretty interesting sci-fi read which primarily revolves around two hybrids, Mark and Gina who are human in appearance yet possess extraordinary physical skills. Throughout the book, they struggle with their own identities as well as fighting other generations of hybrids who are not as human as they are. I'd recommend it to fans of sci-fi or readers who enjoy Whitley Strieber.
January 26, 2012
Whitley Strieber did his usual decent job in writing this novel. It is full of action, tightly plotted, and has enough twists and turns to keep the reader turning the pages. Still and yet, I could not help feeling that Strieber exhibited less of the artist and more of the workman in crafting this work. If he had taken the time to write an additional fifty pages, and had used those pages to work on character development, this would have been a much better book.
March 16, 2012
I would not say it is unreadable because it did read it to the end. If someone makes the time available to write a book, it's a matter of respect that a reader takes the time to finish it. That said, this is an incoherent narrative and promoting a conspiracy theorist's belief in the reality of alien abduction and the resulting technology to produce alien-human hybrids.
http://opionator.wordpress.com/2012/0...
http://opionator.wordpress.com/2012/0...
September 23, 2012
Not a bad story. It just could have been so much better. The attempts to have the hybrids question their sense of self didn't work; I didn't feel their angst. The focus should have been on the action and suspense, but then the reader would be more aware of the repetitiveness. Also the hybrids were supposed to be so smart and all, but they kept getting defeated.
August 12, 2019
Picked this up at the thrift store today knowing that I enjoy Whitley Strieber's nonfiction alien stories. Got 10 pages in and decided to drain my bathwater and call it a night. The plot is cool, but the writing is really, truly, distractingly bad. Back in the donation bin--the sci-fi cycle of life.
April 28, 2011
This was a first-read from Goodreads giveaways.
A quick paced, thought provoking read. I found myself cheering for a side that is only part human, but had the most important part, heart. Where can our brilliant minds take us? I recommend this for a great adventure.
A quick paced, thought provoking read. I found myself cheering for a side that is only part human, but had the most important part, heart. Where can our brilliant minds take us? I recommend this for a great adventure.
July 3, 2012
DNF...Didn't like this at all, very jumbled and confusing- human/machine hybrids or alien/human hybrids which is it? Are there both? Make up your mind Strieber! Plus no character development so could care less what happens to them.
June 22, 2011
Totally creepy sci-fi thriller about an alien/robot/human hybrids gone wild. A bit graphic at times for my taste but I guess with all the vampire and zombie action going these days I shouldn't be surprised.
March 9, 2012
I believe I read it as fast as Whitley wrote it. I like his concepts, but I
found the off-the-cuff story telling in this one just lacked caring.
Sloppy contruction and over-the-top, repetitive action.
found the off-the-cuff story telling in this one just lacked caring.
Sloppy contruction and over-the-top, repetitive action.
December 31, 2012
I don't have the energy for a full review of this. It was alright in some places and awful in others. I was thoroughly confused by the book and the parts I did understand didn't really hold my interest.
Read
March 24, 2011Of course, I haven't read this one yet, but Whitley never fails to provide a good story, but it is always very well written. The man is a master!
Alan Meyer
Alan Meyer
Want to read
April 6, 2011It is an extremely intellectual read. Many ideas in the book were very provoking and enticed me to say that this one will stick, with a hook, line and sinker.
August 27, 2012
I enjoyed this book greatly. I now have another author to watch for. I received this book free through Goodreads First Reads.
Read
May 3, 2011Scary!!!
July 26, 2011
When he's good he's very good but when he's bad.....
October 10, 2012
The last page is DYNAMITE! Purple prose at its absolute best.
April 21, 2019
I'm a fan of Whitley Strieber. However, I don't care for military fiction and I'm easily bored with too many action scenes. Although there are exceptions, I'm not interested in robots. So what's to like you might ask? I was expecting more about genetically engineered human creatures using alien technology and how they may even be living among us now. That might be what the story is about, but I just couldn't wade through the other stuff to get to what might interest me. It started off well, but perhaps it was just not a good choice for me.
As I listened, the story was familiar. I think I read this before. I'm not sure if I finished it then or gave up as I did this time. As I said, I'm a fan or Strieber's work and I'm always excited to try another one. Who know? Maybe in a few years I'll see this book and try again!
As I listened, the story was familiar. I think I read this before. I'm not sure if I finished it then or gave up as I did this time. As I said, I'm a fan or Strieber's work and I'm always excited to try another one. Who know? Maybe in a few years I'll see this book and try again!
January 19, 2022
I really wanted to like this book. Streiber is usually someone I consider a "safe bet" but.....
This book was a train wreck, nonsensical plot holes, massive information dumps, cliche characters, it has it all.
Are we sure Whitley actually wrote this? Because it seems like this author just has a cool idea he wants to talk about forever, and then occasionally reminds himself that is supposed to be a novel and tosses in half a scene populated by the most ridiculous characters he could come up with with only a half a second to think about it.
I feel bad saying it, I actually do, because he's usually so good, but this....this, is not.
This book was a train wreck, nonsensical plot holes, massive information dumps, cliche characters, it has it all.
Are we sure Whitley actually wrote this? Because it seems like this author just has a cool idea he wants to talk about forever, and then occasionally reminds himself that is supposed to be a novel and tosses in half a scene populated by the most ridiculous characters he could come up with with only a half a second to think about it.
I feel bad saying it, I actually do, because he's usually so good, but this....this, is not.
April 26, 2025
Not what I expected...
Wasn't prepared for the horrific parts but couldn't stop turning the pages. I have mixed feelings in my heart about AI technologies that are increasing at an alarming rate and it gave this book a deeper level of horror. I will try other books by this author.
Wasn't prepared for the horrific parts but couldn't stop turning the pages. I have mixed feelings in my heart about AI technologies that are increasing at an alarming rate and it gave this book a deeper level of horror. I will try other books by this author.
April 25, 2019
I fell asleep reading it
June 7, 2022
Love it!
This book has a great story that was suprising, intriguing, and exciting. Just like his others books a read the whole book through in a few days.
This book has a great story that was suprising, intriguing, and exciting. Just like his others books a read the whole book through in a few days.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 58 reviews