What do you think?
Rate this book
Radiomen
There are two themes to Radiomen. First, if there are aliens interacting with our world they are likely just as confused about who or what God is as human beings are; and second, whoever they are, they’re probably just as fond of dogs as we are.
Laurie works at a bar at Kennedy airport and doesn't remember that when she was a child, she met an alien on the fire escape of a building where her uncle kept a shortwave radio. The radio is part of a universal network of repeaters that is maintained by an unknown alien race; they use the network to broadcast prayers into the universe.
She meets a psychic, who is actually part of a Scientology-like cult called the "Blue Awareness," as well as a late-night radio host. All have their own reasons for unraveling the mystery of the lost radio network.
Laurie is given a strange dog by her neighbor, an immigrant and a member of the Dogon tribe—people who believe they were visited by aliens long ago and repeat a myth about how the aliens brought a dog-like animal with them. All Dogon dogs are supposedly descended from that animal.
As conflict develops between the Blue Awareness leader and the other characters, the Dogon acts as an intermediary between the humans, who want to understand why the aliens need the radio network, and the aliens, who need the humans to help them find a lost element of the universal network.
Laurie works at a bar at Kennedy airport and doesn't remember that when she was a child, she met an alien on the fire escape of a building where her uncle kept a shortwave radio. The radio is part of a universal network of repeaters that is maintained by an unknown alien race; they use the network to broadcast prayers into the universe.
She meets a psychic, who is actually part of a Scientology-like cult called the "Blue Awareness," as well as a late-night radio host. All have their own reasons for unraveling the mystery of the lost radio network.
Laurie is given a strange dog by her neighbor, an immigrant and a member of the Dogon tribe—people who believe they were visited by aliens long ago and repeat a myth about how the aliens brought a dog-like animal with them. All Dogon dogs are supposedly descended from that animal.
As conflict develops between the Blue Awareness leader and the other characters, the Dogon acts as an intermediary between the humans, who want to understand why the aliens need the radio network, and the aliens, who need the humans to help them find a lost element of the universal network.
288 pages, Hardcover
First published January 31, 2015
3 people are currently reading
370 people want to read
About the author
Eleanor Lerman
25 books34 followersEleanor Lerman is a writer who lives in New York. Her first book of poetry, Armed Love (Wesleyan University Press, 1973), published when she was twenty-one, was nominated for a National Book Award. She has since published four other award-winning collections of poetry—Come the Sweet By and By (University of Massachusetts Press, 1975); The Mystery of Meteors (Sarabande Books, 2001); Our Post-Soviet History Unfolds (Sarabande Books, 2005); and The Sensual World Re-Emerges (Sarabande Books, 2010), along with The Blonde on the Train (Mayapple Press, 2009) a collection of short stories. She was awarded the 2006 Lenore Marshall Poetry Prize from the Academy of American Poets and the Nation magazine for the year's most outstanding book of poetry for Our Post-Soviet History Unfolds and received a 2007 Poetry Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts. In 2011 she received a Guggenheim Fellowship. Her first novel, Janet Planet, based on the life of Carlos Castaneda, was published by Mayapple Press in 2011. Her latest collection of poetry, Strange Life,was published by Mayapple in 2015. Since then, her novel, Radiomen (The Permanent Press, 2016) was awarded the John W. Campbell Prize for the Best Book of Science Fiction. Her next novel, The Stargazer's Embassy, was released in July 2017. Her most recent novel, Satellite Street, will be released in October 2019.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews
February 12, 2015
Radiomen might be the builders of crystal sets, listening for radio echoes from foreign lands. Perhaps they’re engineers, running wires above the waves. Or maybe they’ve captured the sounds of alien transmissions. In Eleanor Lerman’s Radiomen they could be all of these. But forty-year-old Laurie just finds comfort in the sounds of her uncle’s radio after working the night shift mixing drinks. Then, one night, Laurie calls into a late-night talk-show and everything changes.
Author Eleanor Lerman tells this story in the totally convincing, casual, and mildly confused and amusing voice of her protagonist, giving the story an immediacy that soon has readers believing there’s a Blue Awareness cult out to get her. If they can’t get her, they might be after her uncle’s memory, her new dog, or even the guy who runs the radio show. From the far side of Queens to the pride of the rich and famous, from the wrong side of Rockaway to hints of African legends and the Dogon tribe, from now back into a history of uncles and fathers sailing the wild blue yonder with shortwave radios at their side, Radiomen captivates with casually evocative descriptions, cool commentary, wonderful dogs, and a cast of convincingly three (or more, or less) dimensional characters.
Do engrams hiss? Do memories hide? Do dogs believe in people, and do aliens pray? By the end of this wonderfully enticing tale, the biggest question is how on earth will it ever come to a close. But the author brings it to a captivating conclusion, with great good humor, passionate determination, and even a touch of curious reverence. Because, in the end, the real question is something entirely different. And without our questions, we’re adrift on a sea of radio waves.
Disclosure: I was given a free preview edition by the publisher and I offer my honest review
November 18, 2016
This book is part science fiction, part attack on Scientology (complete with the movie star smile of a Tom Cruise-like character), and all fun to read. The main character is a strong female role, a single woman working as a bartender at Kennedy Airport in New York. Dialing in to a late night radio program on a whim, she starts a series of events that showcase her own past, her radio enthusiast uncle, aliens and dogs.
This is the first book I have read by Eleanor Lerman, and I will definitely read more. While not overtly sci-fi, the story explores human relationships and religious beliefs, using the atheist "Blue Awareness" cult as the antagonist in many ways. Ironically, this novel won the 2016 Campbell award - John W. Campbell was one of the strongest early supporters of Dianetics. 4½ stars - recommended!
This is the first book I have read by Eleanor Lerman, and I will definitely read more. While not overtly sci-fi, the story explores human relationships and religious beliefs, using the atheist "Blue Awareness" cult as the antagonist in many ways. Ironically, this novel won the 2016 Campbell award - John W. Campbell was one of the strongest early supporters of Dianetics. 4½ stars - recommended!
October 9, 2016
A deserving Campbell Memorial Award winner, which seemed to come out of nowhere, but definitely deserves its spot among the other critical darlings on that list. Can be read as a pleasurable modern ET tale, with plenty of creep and scifi built in, but refreshing for its urban NYC outer burrough landscape and early midlife female blue collar protagonist (who has no husband or kids!). For a deeper read, the little inconsistencies related to how each character characterizes the alien is informative and informs the rest of the narrative's dealing with peripheral immigrant characters-- moments of characters projecting themselves and their needs and insecurities onto the alien and peripheral characters make this otherwise hard-to-put-down read absolutely brilliant.
September 3, 2018
I first put this on my list at the Campbell/Sturgeon award ceremony, where the description and the author's acceptance note won me over. Finally got a chance to listen to it this week. The prose is gorgeous, the narrator's voice distinctive, and it's that interesting kind of speculative, philosophical SF/lit fic that often falls into my sweet spot. It incorporates aliens, a very familiar mega cult, Dogon astronomy, a world-weary middle-aged bi woman as a protagonist, a friendship that was allowed to remain a friendship, and some awesome dogs.
February 18, 2020
2.5, rounded up. The component parts of this story were so enticing - aliens, alien-adjacent dogs, and a Scientology send-up - and written by a poet to boot. Unfortunately, the book did not make the most of these parts, and overall felt pretty flat to me. I kept reading, thinking that NOW the story was about to take flight, but it never did. It's not like I was wanting Indiana Jones-style action, or a detailed dive into an alien culture, but a bit more of both would have helped. The protagonist (Laurie) was someone who was purposely living a dull, quotidian adult life as a reaction to her wild youth, so her flat affect tended to tie the story down. On the other hand, I wasn't bored by Laurie or the repetitive minutiae of her life - she was an interesting person despite her chosen lifestyle. I think my sights were set so high by the plot description that I was extra disappointed by the execution. Maybe that was the fault of the publisher description and the blurbs on the back cover. Speaking of the back cover, the author's photo is a perfect picture of Laurie in my imagination.
March 29, 2015
Laurie puts her head down and works as a bartender at the airport. It is a lonely, marginal existence, until she calls a late night radio psychic and strange things start happening to her. Is her memory of a strange, gray, flat man fiddling with her uncle's ham radio set-up true? What did/does he want? I liked that she still had to go to work every day, riding the bus in all weather as the seasons change, yet now there is more: somehow she has also become the enemy of a Scientology-like cult, and the grey man seems to want something from her by sending messages through dogs.
April 8, 2015
Fantastic page turner that couples late night shortwave listening with God, Dogs, and bartenders.....The best I've read this year.
June 18, 2018
I finished reading Radiomen two days ago. It was a mountaintop experience, and I didn't want to come down. Lerman exploits the virtues of speculative fiction to raise questions about meaning, truth, and what is real. Events happen, and we disagree about their significance and meaning. In Radiomen, interactions with non-Earth creatures occur, but what to these events mean? There's ache and desire in the characters, and the narrator does not pursue easy answers. The themes present a good balance of competing moral and scientific systems of thought, plus there's a dandy analysis of the attraction of pseudoscientific beliefs. Is there a critique of a certain religion that invented treatments for engram related problems? Possibly. The narrator's laissez faire approach to other characters and their views gives the reader space to enter the river of philosophy at any point where she or he identifies good material for reflection. NYC has a vivid presence, as a place open to whatever realities might brush up against each other. This is a beautiful book. I'm going to give copies as presents.
Before I finished this novel I checked out The Stargazer's Embassy so that I'd still get to be in one of Lerman's story worlds for awhile.
Before I finished this novel I checked out The Stargazer's Embassy so that I'd still get to be in one of Lerman's story worlds for awhile.
July 22, 2017
This is a review of the audiobook:
Radiomen takes a number of elements that will be familiar to anyone who listened to Art Bell's old Coast to Coast AM shows and blends them into an interesting, unusual listen. There's even an Art Bell analog in the story, not mention a "religion" called the Blue Awareness that's clearly a stand-in for Scientology. The book also touches on psychic ability, extraterrestrial contact, shadow people and even the Dogon tribe of Western Africa. However, it's primarily a character study and a good one at that. The central character, Laurie, finds her life unexpectedly disrupted and changed when she calls into a talk show and a strange incident from her childhood takes on new significance. The novel builds nicely and leads to a satisfying finish. I found it reminiscent of some older science fiction, particularly the often moving work of Clifford Simak.
The narration by Dawn Harvey is quite good, although I felt she went a little overboard on the dialect of the main characters. Nevertheless, her reading is engaging.
Radiomen takes a number of elements that will be familiar to anyone who listened to Art Bell's old Coast to Coast AM shows and blends them into an interesting, unusual listen. There's even an Art Bell analog in the story, not mention a "religion" called the Blue Awareness that's clearly a stand-in for Scientology. The book also touches on psychic ability, extraterrestrial contact, shadow people and even the Dogon tribe of Western Africa. However, it's primarily a character study and a good one at that. The central character, Laurie, finds her life unexpectedly disrupted and changed when she calls into a talk show and a strange incident from her childhood takes on new significance. The novel builds nicely and leads to a satisfying finish. I found it reminiscent of some older science fiction, particularly the often moving work of Clifford Simak.
The narration by Dawn Harvey is quite good, although I felt she went a little overboard on the dialect of the main characters. Nevertheless, her reading is engaging.
March 8, 2017
This novel won the John W. Campbell Memorial Award for Best Science Fiction Novel of 2016, which is why I bought the audio book to listen to while running. I remember that name—John W. Campbell Award—emblazoned on some of the best science fiction I read in my teens. This makes sense. The award is 44 years old. I have a nostalgic connection to the John W. Campbell Award, although I expected, frankly, to be disappointed. Because nostalgia can disappoint…
But not this time. Radiomen is a wonderful example of literary science fiction, somewhat like Station Eleven, with as much attention to style and language as to plot. I also liked the relative quietness of the plot, the ordinary and underachieving protagonist, the way the characters developed and grew so realistically, the ambiance of New York City. And the magical appearance and appreciation of dogs. This was a really good book.
But not this time. Radiomen is a wonderful example of literary science fiction, somewhat like Station Eleven, with as much attention to style and language as to plot. I also liked the relative quietness of the plot, the ordinary and underachieving protagonist, the way the characters developed and grew so realistically, the ambiance of New York City. And the magical appearance and appreciation of dogs. This was a really good book.
April 24, 2015
From SixthDimension Audiobook Reviews
I ‘siriusly’ loved “Radiomen” for many reasons. I thought the story was expertly written and professionally read, sounding more non-fiction than fiction at times. I’d say it was equal parts story and narration that made it a great listen for me. It had me wondering if I have any old radios packed away in the garage somewhere. Eleanor Lerman is a new author for me and I love her work.
The protagonist Laurie, a cynical, rugged loner, works nights as a bartender at ‘The Endless Weekend’ and comes home to listen to a late night radio show called “Up All Night” that discusses topics such as UFO’s, ghosts, and other strange phenomena. The fictitious show is syndicated by the Coast to Coast Network. This particular night she decides to call in and speak to a psychic named Ravenette who tells her something only Laurie could know. She could see a figure sitting on a cot with its finger to its mouth as if to hush her and pointing at the fire escape outside the window. Laurie lied and told the psychic she didn’t know what she meant. But she did know. She had seen the figure when she was a child and called it the radioman.
Ravenette was a member of the group “Blue Awareness”, a cult like group with strange beliefs and increasing costs as members ascend the levels. They were even known to become aggressive with members who left the group.
Laurie’s uncle Avi, now deceased, had been an amateur radio operator and a member of a distance listening club. He listened to telemetry signals broadcast by satellites on a Haver radio he’d built himself with old parts and a conical antennae. He was able to pick up Sputnik 10 which was the fifth and final unmanned spacecraft carrying a dummy and a dog named Little Star. Laurie still had the radio but not the antennae.
Laurie’s neighbor, Sasuma and her family and extended family were from the Dogon Tribe in Africa with a rich history of having extraterrestrial connections. She has an odd-looking thin grey dog with an odd-shaped head called a Dogon dog and she gives Laurie a Dogon dog as well. Laurie names her new dog Digitaria after the small companion star to Sirius. He’s her companion and orbits her just as the star of the same name orbits Sirius, the Great Star.
There’s a terrific tie-in that makes this a multi-themed story. I thought it was extremely clever and the ending was perfect. I found this audiobook fascinating and one I would highly recommend. I wish I could add more stars to this one.
About the narrator: DAWN HARVEY! She was fabulous. She is also a new narrator for me and she did an awesome job with this audiobook. She really brought out the character of Laurie. She made the story entirely believable and her accents were superb. This was a perfect pairing of author/narrator and gosh I didn’t want this audiobook to end.
Review copy of this audiobook received from: http://audiobookjukebox.squarespace.c...
I ‘siriusly’ loved “Radiomen” for many reasons. I thought the story was expertly written and professionally read, sounding more non-fiction than fiction at times. I’d say it was equal parts story and narration that made it a great listen for me. It had me wondering if I have any old radios packed away in the garage somewhere. Eleanor Lerman is a new author for me and I love her work.
The protagonist Laurie, a cynical, rugged loner, works nights as a bartender at ‘The Endless Weekend’ and comes home to listen to a late night radio show called “Up All Night” that discusses topics such as UFO’s, ghosts, and other strange phenomena. The fictitious show is syndicated by the Coast to Coast Network. This particular night she decides to call in and speak to a psychic named Ravenette who tells her something only Laurie could know. She could see a figure sitting on a cot with its finger to its mouth as if to hush her and pointing at the fire escape outside the window. Laurie lied and told the psychic she didn’t know what she meant. But she did know. She had seen the figure when she was a child and called it the radioman.
Ravenette was a member of the group “Blue Awareness”, a cult like group with strange beliefs and increasing costs as members ascend the levels. They were even known to become aggressive with members who left the group.
Laurie’s uncle Avi, now deceased, had been an amateur radio operator and a member of a distance listening club. He listened to telemetry signals broadcast by satellites on a Haver radio he’d built himself with old parts and a conical antennae. He was able to pick up Sputnik 10 which was the fifth and final unmanned spacecraft carrying a dummy and a dog named Little Star. Laurie still had the radio but not the antennae.
Laurie’s neighbor, Sasuma and her family and extended family were from the Dogon Tribe in Africa with a rich history of having extraterrestrial connections. She has an odd-looking thin grey dog with an odd-shaped head called a Dogon dog and she gives Laurie a Dogon dog as well. Laurie names her new dog Digitaria after the small companion star to Sirius. He’s her companion and orbits her just as the star of the same name orbits Sirius, the Great Star.
There’s a terrific tie-in that makes this a multi-themed story. I thought it was extremely clever and the ending was perfect. I found this audiobook fascinating and one I would highly recommend. I wish I could add more stars to this one.
About the narrator: DAWN HARVEY! She was fabulous. She is also a new narrator for me and she did an awesome job with this audiobook. She really brought out the character of Laurie. She made the story entirely believable and her accents were superb. This was a perfect pairing of author/narrator and gosh I didn’t want this audiobook to end.
Review copy of this audiobook received from: http://audiobookjukebox.squarespace.c...
December 26, 2018
Great book, really enjoyed it. Only available in hardback, so I initially balked at the price for such a short novel but I do like to read all the major award winners (John W Campbell Memorial Award 2016 in this case) but I'm really glad that I splashed out. Learned a bit about the Dogon and New York City too!
August 10, 2015
An entirely original book; rare that I run across one of those any longer, and as beautifully written as one would expect from an author whose poetry won her a Guggenheim.
Radiomen connects a barely remembered event from a woman's childhood with her present life as a bartender at Kennedy Airport in New York. A former hippy / wanderer, she recalls meeting a shadowy figure while at a Rockaway apartment with her uncle, an amateur radio enthusiast. Fast forward to today, where a Scientology parody called Blue Awareness are trying to track down the aliens, if that's what they are, along with a late-night radio host who deals in paranormal subjects.
And what about the dogs? There's lots of them, and they play an active role.
Lively, thoughtful, with just enough red herrings to keep things interesting.
It's sci-fi, sort of, because of the aliens; but it's also a book about people, belief, relationships, the Meaning of Life, and dogs. I will be thinking about it when I take Maisie for her last-of-the-night pee break and stargaze for a long, long time.
Highly recommended.
Radiomen connects a barely remembered event from a woman's childhood with her present life as a bartender at Kennedy Airport in New York. A former hippy / wanderer, she recalls meeting a shadowy figure while at a Rockaway apartment with her uncle, an amateur radio enthusiast. Fast forward to today, where a Scientology parody called Blue Awareness are trying to track down the aliens, if that's what they are, along with a late-night radio host who deals in paranormal subjects.
And what about the dogs? There's lots of them, and they play an active role.
Lively, thoughtful, with just enough red herrings to keep things interesting.
It's sci-fi, sort of, because of the aliens; but it's also a book about people, belief, relationships, the Meaning of Life, and dogs. I will be thinking about it when I take Maisie for her last-of-the-night pee break and stargaze for a long, long time.
Highly recommended.
June 3, 2015
Is Anyone Out There?
Charming and a bit like a modern fairy tale or fable, Radioman floats questions into the air waves that have no simple answers and weaves a story around them. Entertaining and poignant, the tale brings our protagonist as well as the reader out of the boredom of daily life into relationship with the subtle, the Divine, with other strangers in this strange land - and also with a heavenly dog who becomes her guide to adventure. For anyone who wants to believe in larger questions and Larger Life - even against their better judgement. Eleanor Lerman's dreamy and poetic story works on all levels and deposits the reader at the door to the heavens, wanting more.
Charming and a bit like a modern fairy tale or fable, Radioman floats questions into the air waves that have no simple answers and weaves a story around them. Entertaining and poignant, the tale brings our protagonist as well as the reader out of the boredom of daily life into relationship with the subtle, the Divine, with other strangers in this strange land - and also with a heavenly dog who becomes her guide to adventure. For anyone who wants to believe in larger questions and Larger Life - even against their better judgement. Eleanor Lerman's dreamy and poetic story works on all levels and deposits the reader at the door to the heavens, wanting more.
February 8, 2016
Top notch! I've been looking (as our protagonist has been looking) for something a little mindful, a little more intelligent, new, different in fiction and this one is a home run. Ms. Lerman can tell a tale as smooth as any author and keep the sensible part of the story woven with the search for fate and God and science fiction without a hitch in the work. I was telling a friend that this is sci-fi but that I couldn't sometimes tell the sci-fi from the regular-fi and that was its best feature. And I'm not sure that I'd categorize this as sci-fi, even. But, her imagination is broad and active and I like that in a book. It intrigues me, keeps me interested, and in this particular story keeps me thinking about her message. She simply asks the question. You have to supply the answer.
April 29, 2015
***I got my copy of the book for free through Goodreads First Reads.***
I enjoyed this book very much. While in reality I don't subscribe to all of the conspiracy theories, I love a good one in print. Lerman drew very heavily on what the general public knows about Scientology to create The Blue Awareness. This was a very different take on alien contact than I've ever read before and I loved the way it ended. I don't really have a lot to say without spoiling the book, but I really recommend it for anyone who loves a conspiracy, aliens, weird religious things or just wants something different than what they're used to reading.
I enjoyed this book very much. While in reality I don't subscribe to all of the conspiracy theories, I love a good one in print. Lerman drew very heavily on what the general public knows about Scientology to create The Blue Awareness. This was a very different take on alien contact than I've ever read before and I loved the way it ended. I don't really have a lot to say without spoiling the book, but I really recommend it for anyone who loves a conspiracy, aliens, weird religious things or just wants something different than what they're used to reading.
June 13, 2015
A quirky story, maybe SF, about a young woman and her memory of a radioman on her uncle's rooftop in her youth. Was he real--or a real ET? Why does a psychic, part of a Scientology-esque group, want to know more? What was her uncle involved in with his radios and signal tracking? And why is her life in danger now? Off-beat characters, a cinematic and imaginative story line, smart and colorful prose, and a haunting, unsettling tone make up this story which builds in intensity. One reviewer called it a "sharp send-up of Scientology and an intriguing aliens-among-us take." That works for me.
April 4, 2015
This book was mild science fiction, a sideways first contact book. It was mostly about the main character's depression though. I thought it was pretty interesting and well-written. the social isolation of the characters was so extreme that it felt like they were the only people in the world, which was strange. However it was a somewhat complicated world, so it was odd that only 3-5 people occupied it. Anyway, it was a good book! I enjoyed it, though it isn't a page-turner.
November 20, 2016
great read!
Radiomen is a compelling read full of suspense and excellent imagery. I love how it captures a real human quality through description and dialogue with each character that makes it believable. There's a humbleness and compassion in the writing that roots the reader in the very realistic blue collar world of the main character, which is a great contrast to the fantastical storyline. Can't wait to read more from Lerman.
Radiomen is a compelling read full of suspense and excellent imagery. I love how it captures a real human quality through description and dialogue with each character that makes it believable. There's a humbleness and compassion in the writing that roots the reader in the very realistic blue collar world of the main character, which is a great contrast to the fantastical storyline. Can't wait to read more from Lerman.
March 12, 2019
At the beginning this book gave me such a depressing and desperate feeling, it felt sad (my interpretation of it, that maybe says more about my state), but the way things turned out to be, the ending is such a feel-good moment... loved the main character. such a cool sci-fi story.
May 28, 2015
I enjoyed this book. The characters are completely believable. Aliens, dogs, human interaction, where are we from and do aliens really have an interest in us or do they just need to get a job done?
August 13, 2016
Well written engaging alien story. Original.
July 25, 2017
This is my favorite book of 2017 so far. It might not be everyone's favorite, but it hit me just right on almost every note.
July 11, 2017
This is not a book for fans of science fiction. Fans of science fiction would find the book's premise intriguing enough, and the claustrophobic feel gives the book a level of creep that sci-fi readers may enjoy. But it's fitting that the alien characters only appear in 2-dimensions, because there is little depth to their story.
The protagonist is very much a novel character, unseen and unheard in nearly the entirety of the genre, and I suspect that's why the book has garnered so much praise. And I enjoyed that the character was different: a single, middle-aged woman, wondering through life, seemingly goalless and uncaring. A remnant from the 60s, living out her days, disillusioned, in the big city working right at the edge of so much life and movement yet her own life is still and inert.
The book started to lose me when Lerman wouldn't identify Scientology by name. Scientology is the big bad in this book in everything but name. Lerman invokes the concept of "engrams," a word that only exists in conjunction with Scientology, but then ascribes it to some fictitious cult that is superficially dissimilar from Scientology to offer plausible deniability but really... just call it Scientology. There's even a visit from a movie star character that is unmistakably some version of Tom Cruise that was NOT in the Color of Money.
Science fiction fans will also find the end wholly dissatisfying. To the uninitiated, the idea of discovering space aliens that seem to live in some kind of parallel dimension, and are seemingly well advanced of humanity, yet also dwell on the same questions that dominate much of humanity's effort, namely the attempt to connect in some real way to a God that routinely strains credulity, is a mind expanding notion. To sci-fi fans, this is pretty underwhelming stuff.
In the book's final pages, as the protagonist walks home, having discovered that, indeed aliens are real, and they just saved her from being kidnapped and brainwashed by Scientologists, we tear at the pages wanting some kind of greater revelation; some kind of catharsis or confrontation between these people whose lives have just changed forever. In the case of the erstwhile not-Scientologists, their plot is foiled and their entire belief structure has just imploded before their eyes. Do we hear what they have to say? Nope. Do we hear what anyone thinks about this dramatic new development? Nope.
There's a scene in Caddyshack where Bill Murray's character takes a priest out for a round of golf as a massive thunderstorm rolls in. They continue the round through an intense deluge, culminating in the priest's greatest round of golf ever ending with his being struck by lightning on the 18th green. After the thunderbolt torches the old priest, Bill Murray's character, Carl, gently lays the flagstick and the priest's clubs on the ground and slinks off like a Gollum. That's how this book ends.
...setting up the sequel, I suppose. I have no plans to read any continuation of this tale.
The protagonist is very much a novel character, unseen and unheard in nearly the entirety of the genre, and I suspect that's why the book has garnered so much praise. And I enjoyed that the character was different: a single, middle-aged woman, wondering through life, seemingly goalless and uncaring. A remnant from the 60s, living out her days, disillusioned, in the big city working right at the edge of so much life and movement yet her own life is still and inert.
The book started to lose me when Lerman wouldn't identify Scientology by name. Scientology is the big bad in this book in everything but name. Lerman invokes the concept of "engrams," a word that only exists in conjunction with Scientology, but then ascribes it to some fictitious cult that is superficially dissimilar from Scientology to offer plausible deniability but really... just call it Scientology. There's even a visit from a movie star character that is unmistakably some version of Tom Cruise that was NOT in the Color of Money.
Science fiction fans will also find the end wholly dissatisfying. To the uninitiated, the idea of discovering space aliens that seem to live in some kind of parallel dimension, and are seemingly well advanced of humanity, yet also dwell on the same questions that dominate much of humanity's effort, namely the attempt to connect in some real way to a God that routinely strains credulity, is a mind expanding notion. To sci-fi fans, this is pretty underwhelming stuff.
In the book's final pages, as the protagonist walks home, having discovered that, indeed aliens are real, and they just saved her from being kidnapped and brainwashed by Scientologists, we tear at the pages wanting some kind of greater revelation; some kind of catharsis or confrontation between these people whose lives have just changed forever. In the case of the erstwhile not-Scientologists, their plot is foiled and their entire belief structure has just imploded before their eyes. Do we hear what they have to say? Nope. Do we hear what anyone thinks about this dramatic new development? Nope.
There's a scene in Caddyshack where Bill Murray's character takes a priest out for a round of golf as a massive thunderstorm rolls in. They continue the round through an intense deluge, culminating in the priest's greatest round of golf ever ending with his being struck by lightning on the 18th green. After the thunderbolt torches the old priest, Bill Murray's character, Carl, gently lays the flagstick and the priest's clubs on the ground and slinks off like a Gollum. That's how this book ends.
...setting up the sequel, I suppose. I have no plans to read any continuation of this tale.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 15, 2024
This book isn't quite what I thought it would be. I thought it would be about aliens covertly here amoung us, somehow using dogs as their intermediaries with humans.
Well, it kinda IS about that. That's in there. But it's also about religion (with painfully obvious swipes at Scientology and its adherents, including Tom Cruise under different names), communication and reaching out, wistful, hopeful faith, and just Doing Your Job.
I didn't get the book I was expecting, but I quite liked the book I got. I also appreciated the hat tips to radio kits (Heathkit under another name) and QSL cards, and DX hams in general.
Good solid 3.5 stars. The Audible version's narrator was good, and only let her New York accent slip a couple of times, in a not-distracting way.
Well, it kinda IS about that. That's in there. But it's also about religion (with painfully obvious swipes at Scientology and its adherents, including Tom Cruise under different names), communication and reaching out, wistful, hopeful faith, and just Doing Your Job.
I didn't get the book I was expecting, but I quite liked the book I got. I also appreciated the hat tips to radio kits (Heathkit under another name) and QSL cards, and DX hams in general.
Good solid 3.5 stars. The Audible version's narrator was good, and only let her New York accent slip a couple of times, in a not-distracting way.
March 19, 2017
Radiomen is an "aliens among us" story but a lot more too. It's a (nostalgic) nod to ham radio and early satellite launches, to night shift workers, it explores the cult phenomenon (especially Scientology types), human relationships, and the symbiotic relationship between man and dog.
It's well written, a real page-turner from the start, but the subject matter is very much on the subtle, slow reveal side of things, which works really well. The protagonist Laurie is a complete character who has many idiosyncrasies we can relate to, and the Dogon dog is also pretty special. The ending was satisfactory (though fairly expected), but overall it's been one of the better reads so far this year.
It's well written, a real page-turner from the start, but the subject matter is very much on the subtle, slow reveal side of things, which works really well. The protagonist Laurie is a complete character who has many idiosyncrasies we can relate to, and the Dogon dog is also pretty special. The ending was satisfactory (though fairly expected), but overall it's been one of the better reads so far this year.
September 23, 2023
The dialogue and storytelling is really compelling. Wish there was a little less infodumping, but liked the book overall. Almost had a Philip K Dick feel with the secret societies and the radio signals.
There were a few nicely poignant moments, like where the main character complains to the city about her apartment not having heat because her neighbors are undocumented and can’t. So even though they’re poor, they’re still aware they have more power than their neighbors.
Loved the narrator on this audiobook. Their accent is so uncommon in audiobooks, but it added real character.
There were a few nicely poignant moments, like where the main character complains to the city about her apartment not having heat because her neighbors are undocumented and can’t. So even though they’re poor, they’re still aware they have more power than their neighbors.
Loved the narrator on this audiobook. Their accent is so uncommon in audiobooks, but it added real character.
March 18, 2017
"Radiomen" is a very unusual but delightful story. It is about a lot of things: family history, ancient aliens, radio enthusiasts, the love of dogs, faith, the boroughs of New York, and a cult that seems a lot like Scientology.
The protagonist, Laurie, has sort of drifted through life. She never really felt connected, although she got by. Now a middle-aged bartender, she has a quiet and unassuming existence. She calls into a midnight radio show on a whim, and a psychic reminds her of a childhood dream about a dim figure that she called the Radioman. Little did she know that this memory from her childhood would propel her into conflict with a dangerous cult. But in her struggles to resolve the disturbances in her life, she will have the assistance of friends, neighbors, strangers, and most especially dogs.
This was a very refreshing story! It was very unexpected narrative in many ways. The settings and characters were very vivid, and you seemed to become part of their world in the first few sentences.
The protagonist, Laurie, has sort of drifted through life. She never really felt connected, although she got by. Now a middle-aged bartender, she has a quiet and unassuming existence. She calls into a midnight radio show on a whim, and a psychic reminds her of a childhood dream about a dim figure that she called the Radioman. Little did she know that this memory from her childhood would propel her into conflict with a dangerous cult. But in her struggles to resolve the disturbances in her life, she will have the assistance of friends, neighbors, strangers, and most especially dogs.
This was a very refreshing story! It was very unexpected narrative in many ways. The settings and characters were very vivid, and you seemed to become part of their world in the first few sentences.
October 8, 2017
I'm not sure how I feel about this book. It did it's job by entertaining me. The story premise of aliens among us, well I guess I've been watching too much Isaac Arthur on Youtube to believe that.
The story is well told and the narrator sounds to be a native of Queens as is the main character.
I would rate it a feel good read.
The story is well told and the narrator sounds to be a native of Queens as is the main character.
I would rate it a feel good read.
July 15, 2024
Yeah. Lark of a good read.
Good MC, a doubting Tomasita. I was kept in suspense waiting for the return of the alien Shadow. The supporting, cast.is developed well. I want one of the dogs. And when it was done, I was satisfied. Great distraction in summer ....
Good MC, a doubting Tomasita. I was kept in suspense waiting for the return of the alien Shadow. The supporting, cast.is developed well. I want one of the dogs. And when it was done, I was satisfied. Great distraction in summer ....
Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews