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Invaders from Mars
Last night, David saw a spaceship crash in the woods! But no one seems to believe him. The next day, his father investigates the site - and returns, acting very strangely. Next it's his mother, then his teacher, then a classmate - all programmed, zombie-like, with strange scratches on their necks. David's last chance is to get to the Marine base and alert them - before a vital secret mission is sabotaged, before the Martians take over the plant Earth.
224 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1986
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
July 1, 2023
At first David and his father George Gardiner are only watching a meteorite shower. Soon they are confronted with the unspeakable. Something has landed. People in the small town start to change. Who is controlling them? Can the aliens be stopped and his parents be saved? Nerve wracking and extremely intriguing scifi meets horror from the past. You don't want to meet those martian invaders landing in your backyard. Oh, no. Ray Garton wrote the quintessential novel on the subject. This is the cool pulp stuff we couldn't get enough from in the 80s. Highly recommended!
August 25, 2020
This was... pretty interesting. The first half of the book felt perfect and mysterious, but the second half got waaay to wild for me, and the plot twist at the end felt quite basic. Still an enjoyable read, though!
January 13, 2009
perfect classic!!
June 30, 2024
The opening third was a slog. The last fifty or sixty pages were pure action. All in all, okay. As this was an adaptation, I'm guessing the sum of this book was about as good as it could possibly be (and given that Garton was the absolutely perfect fit for this sort of story, that makes sense). It's kind of rare that a story can be expanded to a benefit. Would've been super fun at two-thirds the length. I've seen the movie, but recall little beyond the opening; likely this offering was better.
July 10, 2018
Read many years ago. I recall it being funny. I recall the Mom eating raw hamburger meat with salt after she was "invaded" ?!? ew.
May 30, 2024
I picked up Invaders from Mars when I saw that the ’80 movie was available for streaming. The cover said that the book was based on not one, but two screenplays, so I researched a bit about its history and found out there was another movie, made in the ’50s – based on the same story. I’ve never read a novelization before, and I was very curious to see how it differed from its source material (and to find out if the book was still better than the movies). Seeing that the original movie was available on the Internet Archive, I went all in to get the full experience.
But first – the story.
Invaders from Mars is about David, a young boy, witnessing an alien ship landing behind his house. Soon after, people start acting funny and David, with the help of the school nurse, must save the town.
Not sure how to go about it, I started with the book. I usually read the book before seeing the movie, because I like to imagine what’s going on, not to relive what I’ve seen.
What I got was a pretty straightforward story, with some good characters, a wonderful villain and a couple of truly creepy scenes. Mrs. McKeltch has that one scene with the frog (!), I’m sure I’ve seen it before. It was good, but not memorable.
Then came the ‘80s version of Invaders from Mars. At first, I was confused, then actually shocked, because the movie starts with David watching a meteor shower with his dad, then goes to sleep and is awakened by the aliens landing. And it all snowballs from there.
But, you see, the book starts in the morning of the landing and builds a normal day for David. You get to see how he has a crush on the new school nurse, how he’s interested in his father’s work and scared of his teacher. All the little details help you understand the characters, why they act the way they do and how they relate to each other. The morning after the landing is a lot more terrifying because you know just how different it is for David.
From the moment the aliens land the two stories are pretty much the same, but the missing day made me realize I took all that exposition in the book for granted.
What the movie does excellent is Mrs. McKeltch as the villain (played by Lousie Fletcher aka Nurse Ratched from One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest) and the creature design created by Stan Winston (known for his work on Aliens, Predator and Jurassic Park). In the words of director Tobe Hooper (Poltergeist, Texas Chain Saw Massacre) – Invaders from Mars is a horror movie for kids. Take that as you will. I tried not to take it too seriously and found it entertaining.
As for the last part of this puzzle – the original movie – that was a trip. I can’t describe just how absolutely hilarious the “people dressed in green velvet suits” aliens were. Seriously, look it up, thank me later.
Apart from the lack-luster special effects, I rather liked the mid-modern aesthetic and the science focused storyline. Watching the movie with a ‘50s lens, it’s easy to pick up on common Cold War themes. Not knowing if you can trust your neighbors, secret projects, sabotage, and attempted assassinations were more than a Sci-Fi plot and that brings the story to the next level.
In the end I think it was a successful experience/experiment, and I learned some of the ways a story can change over the decades and mediums.
Bringing together the beginning of the book, the villain and effects from the ’80 version and the depth of story from the original, Invaders from Mars is going to live in my memory as a Frankenstein monster of my own. It’s not just pulp, it’s memorable.
But first – the story.
Invaders from Mars is about David, a young boy, witnessing an alien ship landing behind his house. Soon after, people start acting funny and David, with the help of the school nurse, must save the town.
Not sure how to go about it, I started with the book. I usually read the book before seeing the movie, because I like to imagine what’s going on, not to relive what I’ve seen.
What I got was a pretty straightforward story, with some good characters, a wonderful villain and a couple of truly creepy scenes. Mrs. McKeltch has that one scene with the frog (!), I’m sure I’ve seen it before. It was good, but not memorable.
Then came the ‘80s version of Invaders from Mars. At first, I was confused, then actually shocked, because the movie starts with David watching a meteor shower with his dad, then goes to sleep and is awakened by the aliens landing. And it all snowballs from there.
But, you see, the book starts in the morning of the landing and builds a normal day for David. You get to see how he has a crush on the new school nurse, how he’s interested in his father’s work and scared of his teacher. All the little details help you understand the characters, why they act the way they do and how they relate to each other. The morning after the landing is a lot more terrifying because you know just how different it is for David.
From the moment the aliens land the two stories are pretty much the same, but the missing day made me realize I took all that exposition in the book for granted.
What the movie does excellent is Mrs. McKeltch as the villain (played by Lousie Fletcher aka Nurse Ratched from One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest) and the creature design created by Stan Winston (known for his work on Aliens, Predator and Jurassic Park). In the words of director Tobe Hooper (Poltergeist, Texas Chain Saw Massacre) – Invaders from Mars is a horror movie for kids. Take that as you will. I tried not to take it too seriously and found it entertaining.
As for the last part of this puzzle – the original movie – that was a trip. I can’t describe just how absolutely hilarious the “people dressed in green velvet suits” aliens were. Seriously, look it up, thank me later.
Apart from the lack-luster special effects, I rather liked the mid-modern aesthetic and the science focused storyline. Watching the movie with a ‘50s lens, it’s easy to pick up on common Cold War themes. Not knowing if you can trust your neighbors, secret projects, sabotage, and attempted assassinations were more than a Sci-Fi plot and that brings the story to the next level.
In the end I think it was a successful experience/experiment, and I learned some of the ways a story can change over the decades and mediums.
Bringing together the beginning of the book, the villain and effects from the ’80 version and the depth of story from the original, Invaders from Mars is going to live in my memory as a Frankenstein monster of my own. It’s not just pulp, it’s memorable.
October 27, 2014
Solid pulp sci fi adaptation
April 25, 2013
Great novelization by Ray. I'd like to see what he'd do with THEM!
September 3, 2020
I loved it! But I'm really glad I saw the movie first before I read the book, because.......
spoiler alert...
I'm not sure I would have been happy with the dream ending!
spoiler alert...
I'm not sure I would have been happy with the dream ending!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews