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Into the Out of
Small, dark beings of awesome power are invading our world and only one man sees the danger. It's up to him and two others to defeat the Shetani before it destroys the very fabric of reality. From the bestselling author of the Spellsinger series.
384 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1986
68 people are currently reading
506 people want to read
About the author
Alan Dean Foster
498 books2,033 followersBestselling science fiction writer Alan Dean Foster was born in New York City in 1946, but raised mainly in California. He received a B.A. in Political Science from UCLA in 1968, and a M.F.A. in 1969. Foster lives in Arizona with his wife, but he enjoys traveling because it gives him opportunities to meet new people and explore new places and cultures. This interest is carried over to his writing, but with a twist: the new places encountered in his books are likely to be on another planet, and the people may belong to an alien race.
Foster began his career as an author when a letter he sent to Arkham Collection was purchased by the editor and published in the magazine in 1968. His first novel, The Tar-Aiym Krang, introduced the Humanx Commonwealth, a galactic alliance between humans and an insectlike race called Thranx. Several other novels, including the Icerigger trilogy, are also set in the world of the Commonwealth. The Tar-Aiym Krang also marked the first appearance of Flinx, a young man with paranormal abilities, who reappears in other books, including Orphan Star, For Love of Mother-Not, and Flinx in Flux.
Foster has also written The Damned series and the Spellsinger series, which includes The Hour of the Gate, The Moment of the Magician, The Paths of the Perambulator, and Son of Spellsinger, among others. Other books include novelizations of science fiction movies and television shows such as Star Trek, The Black Hole, Starman, Star Wars, and the Alien movies. Splinter of the Mind's Eye, a bestselling novel based on the Star Wars movies, received the Galaxy Award in 1979. The book Cyber Way won the Southwest Book Award for Fiction in 1990. His novel Our Lady of the Machine won him the UPC Award (Spain) in 1993. He also won the Ignotus Award (Spain) in 1994 and the Stannik Award (Russia) in 2000.
Foster began his career as an author when a letter he sent to Arkham Collection was purchased by the editor and published in the magazine in 1968. His first novel, The Tar-Aiym Krang, introduced the Humanx Commonwealth, a galactic alliance between humans and an insectlike race called Thranx. Several other novels, including the Icerigger trilogy, are also set in the world of the Commonwealth. The Tar-Aiym Krang also marked the first appearance of Flinx, a young man with paranormal abilities, who reappears in other books, including Orphan Star, For Love of Mother-Not, and Flinx in Flux.
Foster has also written The Damned series and the Spellsinger series, which includes The Hour of the Gate, The Moment of the Magician, The Paths of the Perambulator, and Son of Spellsinger, among others. Other books include novelizations of science fiction movies and television shows such as Star Trek, The Black Hole, Starman, Star Wars, and the Alien movies. Splinter of the Mind's Eye, a bestselling novel based on the Star Wars movies, received the Galaxy Award in 1979. The book Cyber Way won the Southwest Book Award for Fiction in 1990. His novel Our Lady of the Machine won him the UPC Award (Spain) in 1993. He also won the Ignotus Award (Spain) in 1994 and the Stannik Award (Russia) in 2000.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 68 reviews
August 31, 2021
This is an excellent page-turner, a fun horror fantasy set primarily in Africa. It follows an FBI agent named Joshua Oak and a shy young woman named Merry Sharrow on a quest through Maasai mythology in order to heal a rift in reality. It's a fascinating romance with excellent descriptions of unusual creatures and settings, very likable characters, and an engaging plot.
July 21, 2024
This is another "classic" 80s novel that Grady Hendrix should consider for a reprint in his Paperbacks from Hell collection...
"Into the Out of" was Alan Dean Foster's rare foray into Stephen King/Dean Koontz-ish horror, and it wasn't bad. Pretty creepy, if I recall, having to do with a race of monsters that exist in a parallel dimension that have somehow found a crack between their world and ours. If I remember correctly, one intensely horrific scene is set in a bathroom on a passenger plane.
I'll be honest: I've liked Foster's original material generally far more than his novelizations of popular science-fi movies, which aren't bad.
"Into the Out of" was Alan Dean Foster's rare foray into Stephen King/Dean Koontz-ish horror, and it wasn't bad. Pretty creepy, if I recall, having to do with a race of monsters that exist in a parallel dimension that have somehow found a crack between their world and ours. If I remember correctly, one intensely horrific scene is set in a bathroom on a passenger plane.
I'll be honest: I've liked Foster's original material generally far more than his novelizations of popular science-fi movies, which aren't bad.
February 15, 2016
This book was one of the first I ever received through the Science Fiction Book Club. That would have been around 1987, and I probably read the book in less than a day. To this day, I still have vivid memories of images from this book, from the first chapter through to the end. I'm surprised that I haven't re-read the book since then, but when I first started using my Nook, I saw it at a good price, and couldn't resist it. I was pleased to see it pop up as my next book to read.
The story centers on three people: Joshua Oak, an FBI agent; Merry Sharrow, a telephone sales rep from Eddie Bauer on vacation in Washington, D.C.; and Mbatian Olkeloki, a Tanzanian elder who recruits them to fight something supernatural. As for the supernatural ... well, you know when you think you see something out of the corner of your eye, and when you look, nothing's there? Foster takes that idea and creates a race of beings called shetani that live in the shadows just out of our field of vision. It's an effective premise, especially if you're into spooky stories.
Foster develops the characters well enough in the beginning to have us sympathize with them, but later in the story their development stagnates. Once we have an idea of who they are, the plot takes over, and they wind up not feeling very realistic to me. Joshua seems somewhat inconsistent, as he's constantly struggling with his disbelief, despite the number of times he confronts the reality of the supernatural. Merry, once confronted with it, never veers from her belief. There was a subtle, sexist overtone to their responses, especially when Joshua would view Merry's belief as some sort of hysteria, which rubbed me the wrong way, and a lot of the notions of the story seemed somewhat sexist. Near the end of the book, Merry, who has been presented as a strong, capable woman (if somewhat shy), becomes a damsel in distress.
Unfortunately, the story shows its age with references to flying on the Concorde, the Ayatollah Khomeini, and the Soviet Premier and the Cold War (to say nothing of the problems the heroes could have escaped with things like cell phones and the Internet). It's unfortunate, but not a deal-breaker, so long as you look at the story as a product of its time. I also had concerns that the portrayals of the Maasai elder might have been stereotypical, but the acknowledgements section suggests that Foster did some traveling and research to capture the authenticity of the culture.
All that being said, I still found myself engaged in the story. I was surprised that I read a quarter of it in just an hour or so, after expecting to read just a chapter or two before going to bed. Foster has the chops to keep readers reading, even in a story that's nearly thirty years old. The middle third of the book is a bit of a drag, as it's following the main characters after they've discovered the shetani but before they enter the final battle, and it features a lot of detail about Africa. I think Foster was trying hard to show the reader that he had been there to do his research. Still, the rest of the book is quite the romp. It's just hard to divide the story from my memories of reading it that first time.
The story is solid, with a handful of surprises to keep readers interested (and there are some clues to those surprised buried in the narrative to reward those who re-read the book), but it's not as good a story as I remember it. I would still recommend it to folks who like the supernatural, and don't mind the story being a little dated, but a lot of what carried the story for me was its nostalgia.
The story centers on three people: Joshua Oak, an FBI agent; Merry Sharrow, a telephone sales rep from Eddie Bauer on vacation in Washington, D.C.; and Mbatian Olkeloki, a Tanzanian elder who recruits them to fight something supernatural. As for the supernatural ... well, you know when you think you see something out of the corner of your eye, and when you look, nothing's there? Foster takes that idea and creates a race of beings called shetani that live in the shadows just out of our field of vision. It's an effective premise, especially if you're into spooky stories.
Foster develops the characters well enough in the beginning to have us sympathize with them, but later in the story their development stagnates. Once we have an idea of who they are, the plot takes over, and they wind up not feeling very realistic to me. Joshua seems somewhat inconsistent, as he's constantly struggling with his disbelief, despite the number of times he confronts the reality of the supernatural. Merry, once confronted with it, never veers from her belief. There was a subtle, sexist overtone to their responses, especially when Joshua would view Merry's belief as some sort of hysteria, which rubbed me the wrong way, and a lot of the notions of the story seemed somewhat sexist. Near the end of the book, Merry, who has been presented as a strong, capable woman (if somewhat shy), becomes a damsel in distress.
Unfortunately, the story shows its age with references to flying on the Concorde, the Ayatollah Khomeini, and the Soviet Premier and the Cold War (to say nothing of the problems the heroes could have escaped with things like cell phones and the Internet). It's unfortunate, but not a deal-breaker, so long as you look at the story as a product of its time. I also had concerns that the portrayals of the Maasai elder might have been stereotypical, but the acknowledgements section suggests that Foster did some traveling and research to capture the authenticity of the culture.
All that being said, I still found myself engaged in the story. I was surprised that I read a quarter of it in just an hour or so, after expecting to read just a chapter or two before going to bed. Foster has the chops to keep readers reading, even in a story that's nearly thirty years old. The middle third of the book is a bit of a drag, as it's following the main characters after they've discovered the shetani but before they enter the final battle, and it features a lot of detail about Africa. I think Foster was trying hard to show the reader that he had been there to do his research. Still, the rest of the book is quite the romp. It's just hard to divide the story from my memories of reading it that first time.
The story is solid, with a handful of surprises to keep readers interested (and there are some clues to those surprised buried in the narrative to reward those who re-read the book), but it's not as good a story as I remember it. I would still recommend it to folks who like the supernatural, and don't mind the story being a little dated, but a lot of what carried the story for me was its nostalgia.
August 16, 2014
An amazing book! It's always been a favorite, but I just did a re-read, and had to make sure and add this to my GoodReads feed. Highly recommended!
This is the type of book that makes you look twice at all the movement you see out of the corner of your eyes. It plays with your mind. Those black pieces of rubber you see along the road...how certain are you that they are REALLY just inanimate rubber?
This is the type of book that makes you look twice at all the movement you see out of the corner of your eyes. It plays with your mind. Those black pieces of rubber you see along the road...how certain are you that they are REALLY just inanimate rubber?
January 22, 2021
An African elder is the only one who can save the world. He will be aided by an African warrior. He will show great endurance and bravery. He has a plan, he has the connections, and he will do what it takes to protect everyone from this grave danger.
For some reason the hero needs a white man to come with him. And ok: never mind that notable African at all, this story is really about the white man from USA who likes guns and can drive a car. Did I mention he works for the FBI? And... that's about all the interesting things I can say about the main character. To be honest I’m not even sure why he’s in this book but anyways he’s there and this book is all about him. I think he must seem relatable for all the people who appear to love this book. But that guy saving the world is just sort of a background for this white man to do amazing stuff like DRIVE A CAR (I know, incredible isn't it?).
Oh yes, and there’s a white woman from USA too. All very interesting but don’t ask yourself why on earth she’s in this story. Mostly it seems to be so that she can scream/cry/love at opportune moments, or demons can try and rape her or whatever. About the least interesting character I recall ever seeing in a book.
The racism and sexism that this book is founded on sort of ruined my memories of reading Alan Dean Foster’s books when I was younger. Were they all this bad?
For some reason the hero needs a white man to come with him. And ok: never mind that notable African at all, this story is really about the white man from USA who likes guns and can drive a car. Did I mention he works for the FBI? And... that's about all the interesting things I can say about the main character. To be honest I’m not even sure why he’s in this book but anyways he’s there and this book is all about him. I think he must seem relatable for all the people who appear to love this book. But that guy saving the world is just sort of a background for this white man to do amazing stuff like DRIVE A CAR (I know, incredible isn't it?).
Oh yes, and there’s a white woman from USA too. All very interesting but don’t ask yourself why on earth she’s in this story. Mostly it seems to be so that she can scream/cry/love at opportune moments, or demons can try and rape her or whatever. About the least interesting character I recall ever seeing in a book.
The racism and sexism that this book is founded on sort of ruined my memories of reading Alan Dean Foster’s books when I was younger. Were they all this bad?
April 27, 2018
I didn't like this as much as I was expecting too. I thought it was well written, with interesting ideas, but it seemed overly long for the subject matter. I felt it could have moved a lot faster. I've generally liked most of Foster's work that I've read better than this one. His novelization of The Thing was extremely good.
September 7, 2024
An impressive tale of supernatural intrigue. Strange how the real-world aspects hold fairly true today despite its age (or regrettably). Definitely a good read.
May 3, 2014
I have now read and reread this book more than three times; I love the characterisation and the descriptions of Africa; and all of my other book club members loved it also.
I just wish there was a sequel.:-)
I just wish there was a sequel.:-)
September 25, 2014
This was the first book to give me nightmares after Stephen King's IT. Highly recommend reading it - even now YEARS after that first chillingly awesome read!!
October 29, 2021
It's got the Foster formula I've noted in some of his other books but it's an enjoyable enough read. As far as I know, it's the only horror novel he wrote outside of the Alien movie series.
January 19, 2020
Everything comes from somewhere, "out of" somewhere. Until recently, the darkest beings have been sealed off from the world, tucked away in the out of; but there's a tear that's occurred and heinous events - horrifying in nature - are happening all over the world.
An elder from an African tribe will travel to America on a mission to find two strangers; people he needs to help seal shut the rift. Not only is this an entertaining read, but you'll learn about a fascinating African tribe.
I really enjoyed this book - twice. And I'm looking forward to a re-read. This is the kind of fresh thinking that would make an excellent film, as long as the screenplay adhered to the book. I still live in hope that, someday, someone will adapt it.
Highly recommended!
An elder from an African tribe will travel to America on a mission to find two strangers; people he needs to help seal shut the rift. Not only is this an entertaining read, but you'll learn about a fascinating African tribe.
I really enjoyed this book - twice. And I'm looking forward to a re-read. This is the kind of fresh thinking that would make an excellent film, as long as the screenplay adhered to the book. I still live in hope that, someday, someone will adapt it.
Highly recommended!
September 16, 2024
WTF!!! This book is very strange but good at the same time. Very slow at first but then extremely hard to put down. I so do not want to got through what the characters went through again. Nope I'm out!!!
March 4, 2025
Read this when it first came out. Wow. All I can say it scared the living daylights out of my younger self
August 23, 2020
This was a book I've been meaning to read for over a decade, and I finally pulled out my old dusty original print and gave it a go. Despite the years of waiting, I was only mildly entertained by this rather tame 1980s horror fantasy.
Alan Dean Foster is known for his work in science fiction, particularly his novelizations of well-known films like "The Force Awakens" and "The Thing." He seems to be the right man for the job, as he clearly has a screenwriters eye for capturing the pacing of action blockbusters onto the page. Not so much with "Into the Out Of," one of his stand-alone original works.
His writing still evokes clear imagery in the mind's eye, and I might even forget I read this book another decade from now and confabulate that I saw a film version of this somewhere. But much of the novel is really a travelogue of East Africa, which is actually pretty interesting in itself, and it prompted me to learn more about the Maasai people, the Tanzanian government, and African folklore. As much as this was a pleasantry, it wasn't what I was expecting out of this book.
There is actually very little plot to speak of. A Maasai elder picks up two Americans in Washington D.C. and takes them to his homeland where a rift in the fabric of reality is letting loose hoards of mischievous shape-shifting demons called shetani. If the shetani continue to invade our world, their sabotage and pranks could create massive chaos and even Armageddon. Unbeknownst to the American couple, they are part of the key to closing the rift and ending the crisis. The main bulk of the narrative is the motley trio trying to get through Tanzania to their journey's end. They meet a couple of annoying shetani on the way, some drunk Italians at a bar, numerous African personalities, and overall have a grand old time. Meaning nothing much of consequence happens.
This is a very tame piece of pop fantasy that would actually make a better film. I could see Wim Wenders directing the road trip portion and Joe Dante the "Gremlins" hijinks of the impish shetani. I also get some strong Dr. Who vibes from this, as the character of the Maasai elder is straight out of William Hartnell's original Doctor era.
This actually is a fun little book, don't get me wrong. The characters are all well-developed and likeable. There's really nothing remotely offensive to be found here, and the violence, what there is of it, is very tame. Overall, I found the whole thing charming and pleasant, just not very stimulating. I highly recommend this if you are in the mood for some light adventure. This is more along the lines of "Romancing the Stone" than "The Thing," so readers who are not fans of horror or scifi will enjoy this entertaining beach read.
Alan Dean Foster is known for his work in science fiction, particularly his novelizations of well-known films like "The Force Awakens" and "The Thing." He seems to be the right man for the job, as he clearly has a screenwriters eye for capturing the pacing of action blockbusters onto the page. Not so much with "Into the Out Of," one of his stand-alone original works.
His writing still evokes clear imagery in the mind's eye, and I might even forget I read this book another decade from now and confabulate that I saw a film version of this somewhere. But much of the novel is really a travelogue of East Africa, which is actually pretty interesting in itself, and it prompted me to learn more about the Maasai people, the Tanzanian government, and African folklore. As much as this was a pleasantry, it wasn't what I was expecting out of this book.
There is actually very little plot to speak of. A Maasai elder picks up two Americans in Washington D.C. and takes them to his homeland where a rift in the fabric of reality is letting loose hoards of mischievous shape-shifting demons called shetani. If the shetani continue to invade our world, their sabotage and pranks could create massive chaos and even Armageddon. Unbeknownst to the American couple, they are part of the key to closing the rift and ending the crisis. The main bulk of the narrative is the motley trio trying to get through Tanzania to their journey's end. They meet a couple of annoying shetani on the way, some drunk Italians at a bar, numerous African personalities, and overall have a grand old time. Meaning nothing much of consequence happens.
This is a very tame piece of pop fantasy that would actually make a better film. I could see Wim Wenders directing the road trip portion and Joe Dante the "Gremlins" hijinks of the impish shetani. I also get some strong Dr. Who vibes from this, as the character of the Maasai elder is straight out of William Hartnell's original Doctor era.
This actually is a fun little book, don't get me wrong. The characters are all well-developed and likeable. There's really nothing remotely offensive to be found here, and the violence, what there is of it, is very tame. Overall, I found the whole thing charming and pleasant, just not very stimulating. I highly recommend this if you are in the mood for some light adventure. This is more along the lines of "Romancing the Stone" than "The Thing," so readers who are not fans of horror or scifi will enjoy this entertaining beach read.
December 24, 2010
Picked this book out randomly from the sci-fi section at the library last week. I've been writing a sci-fi myself, and hey, you read your genre, right? Anyway, for awhile, once I got into the meat of the book, I thought it was quite a find!
Still, there were some things that I just couldn't overlook, though the plot was interesting. An African elder coming to America to look for people to help him "complete the triangle" to keep these evil creatures from coming through some hole in the fabric of existence (called the Out Of). It sounds like the makings for a blockbuster movie, muchless a gripping read. Sign me up, right? Well, not entirely.
Ok, I could deal with the slow beginning and the slow development of Josh Oak from his undercover charactering of a BJ Tree, a know-nothing back woods half wit. I can handle that! It doesn't tie into everything else though, which really makes the first 1/4 of the novel really hard to trudge through. It wasn't until the creatures actually started showing up that I became interested.
The problems I had were these:
1) the way the three are thrown together. A riot outside the White House? Really! And why would a hard boiled guy like Oak just go off with an old man and a woman. I get that later it is 'fate' or something like it, yet--it being fiction--I think Foster could have done something less lame than that.
2) the little chapters about how the creatures were disrupting the rest of the planet. It made sense to explain all of those things; however, the way it felt very movie screenplayish.
3) the alien almost rape bathroom bit. Had a deep from reading that, it was so ridiculous.
4) just the general character development and how the old man knew that they were meant to help him close the Out Of. Glass eyes and a third eye? Please.
5) the whole Merry/Josh romance build-up. Wow, they're going to get married and not narry a kiss? That seems really odd to me. Or maybe it's the glass eye thing.
6) other little things I can't recall.
Still, despite everything, I did like the book. Foster is an amazing author and keeps things interesting, even when they don't make sense, which is a plus I suppose.
Still, there were some things that I just couldn't overlook, though the plot was interesting. An African elder coming to America to look for people to help him "complete the triangle" to keep these evil creatures from coming through some hole in the fabric of existence (called the Out Of). It sounds like the makings for a blockbuster movie, muchless a gripping read. Sign me up, right? Well, not entirely.
Ok, I could deal with the slow beginning and the slow development of Josh Oak from his undercover charactering of a BJ Tree, a know-nothing back woods half wit. I can handle that! It doesn't tie into everything else though, which really makes the first 1/4 of the novel really hard to trudge through. It wasn't until the creatures actually started showing up that I became interested.
The problems I had were these:
1) the way the three are thrown together. A riot outside the White House? Really! And why would a hard boiled guy like Oak just go off with an old man and a woman. I get that later it is 'fate' or something like it, yet--it being fiction--I think Foster could have done something less lame than that.
2) the little chapters about how the creatures were disrupting the rest of the planet. It made sense to explain all of those things; however, the way it felt very movie screenplayish.
3) the alien almost rape bathroom bit. Had a deep from reading that, it was so ridiculous.
4) just the general character development and how the old man knew that they were meant to help him close the Out Of. Glass eyes and a third eye? Please.
5) the whole Merry/Josh romance build-up. Wow, they're going to get married and not narry a kiss? That seems really odd to me. Or maybe it's the glass eye thing.
6) other little things I can't recall.
Still, despite everything, I did like the book. Foster is an amazing author and keeps things interesting, even when they don't make sense, which is a plus I suppose.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 25, 2013
I think I'd probably have liked this better if I'd have read it when it was first published. I'm a real sucker for stories about the old mythology/gods of a culture breaking through into our reality or the ancient gods having to get along in our modern culture. It is the same thing that appealed to me when I was a kid and loved Greek and Roman mythology. Not only do I get a thumping good adventure story but usually I get to learn about other belief systems and cultures.
This story of trying to stop the African shetani (bad, very bad spirits) from breaking through into our world to cause the apocalypse combined four things I like: Alan Dean Foster, a world on the verge of apocalypse, the Masai culture, and African mythology (at least a chance to dip my toes in).
Unfortunately, this story felt like a novella that had been padded out to be novel length. I kept wondering how Joshua Oak managed a successful undercover FBI career since he was such a slow learner ... he repeatedly wandered off from the group, was almost killed by grotesque shetani, and saved, only to rationalize the whole thing and repeat the experience. Etcetera.
The essence of the story was interesting but I'd advise skimming over the padding in the middle. You'll know it when you see it (for the third, fourth, fifth times...)
This story of trying to stop the African shetani (bad, very bad spirits) from breaking through into our world to cause the apocalypse combined four things I like: Alan Dean Foster, a world on the verge of apocalypse, the Masai culture, and African mythology (at least a chance to dip my toes in).
Unfortunately, this story felt like a novella that had been padded out to be novel length. I kept wondering how Joshua Oak managed a successful undercover FBI career since he was such a slow learner ... he repeatedly wandered off from the group, was almost killed by grotesque shetani, and saved, only to rationalize the whole thing and repeat the experience. Etcetera.
The essence of the story was interesting but I'd advise skimming over the padding in the middle. You'll know it when you see it (for the third, fourth, fifth times...)
March 5, 2012
This goes on the tops of my recommendation list for anyone that really digs a good creepy supernatural book. Stuff hides in shadows...stuff that is far creepier than you could imagine. I have an old paperback copy of this book and have read it probably 10 times since it was released.
May 18, 2021
Meh. A "cool" hero and a useless heroine.
Very outdated and vaguely uncomfortable to read.
Also, word of advice, if you're being hunted by shadow demons that can screw around with reality and attack at any time, just swallow your pride and take a piss in view of the guys trying to protect you.
Very outdated and vaguely uncomfortable to read.
Also, word of advice, if you're being hunted by shadow demons that can screw around with reality and attack at any time, just swallow your pride and take a piss in view of the guys trying to protect you.
April 6, 2024
I don't know why this book was never made into a movie! Great adventure! Mr. Foster has already written classics in his long career, and this should be at the top of a long list. There are not enough adjectives - read the book!
March 3, 2012
One of the best books that I have ever read. It is above and beyond one of my faves. So real in a completely unreal world. Make's you never want to kick a tire on the side of the road!
April 30, 2016
Good, easy reading story. Some terrifying aspects, along with some thought provoking concepts, mix together for a suspenseful story.
July 5, 2021
Should be made into a movie!
Excellent read! How about a second book? Would be great if Hollywood made this into a movie.. would love to see the Shatani
Excellent read! How about a second book? Would be great if Hollywood made this into a movie.. would love to see the Shatani
January 7, 2024
It was truly an odd book, but once it sucks you in, you can't put it down.
December 5, 2015
Very good book.
December 29, 2020
Title: Ancient legends return to cause chaos!
Summary:
Mysterious events push nations toward open conflict. Those that could stop or slow down the ever increasing chaos meet suspicious ends. There is no one group or person to blame, but the evidence always seems to point to the obvious conclusion.
This is not the work of some group bent on world domination though, but a more ancient and dangerous enemy. The Shentai: a race of demons that live in a dimension called the “Out Of”. Usually only able to interact with our world in small numbers, something has caused a tear in the barrier between our world and theirs threatening to unleash billions of demons on a world already on the brink of annihilation.
The only hope is to seal the rip in the veil before it becomes permanent.
This is the task of Olkeloki a shaman from an ancient tribe called the Massi. He must seek out allies that can assist him in closing the rip. Finding his allies turns out to be the easy part. Surviving long enough to accomplish their mission is a whole other problem.
My Thoughts:
This is another Alan Dean Foster book that hits the ground running and doesn’t stop till the end. The action is fast and the characters are believable. None of the characters are two dimensional and the beliefs of another culture are not made light of. As one of the characters puts it (paraphrased) “From my view your world is just as backward as you seem to think mine is” or “Yesterdays magic is today's science, today's science is tomorrows magic” in another instance when one of the characters scoffs at the idea of “ancient demons” having anything to do with anything in modern times. Definitively worth a read if you like Alan Dean Foster stories and your looking for a world spanning adventure with plenty of action.
Summary:
Mysterious events push nations toward open conflict. Those that could stop or slow down the ever increasing chaos meet suspicious ends. There is no one group or person to blame, but the evidence always seems to point to the obvious conclusion.
This is not the work of some group bent on world domination though, but a more ancient and dangerous enemy. The Shentai: a race of demons that live in a dimension called the “Out Of”. Usually only able to interact with our world in small numbers, something has caused a tear in the barrier between our world and theirs threatening to unleash billions of demons on a world already on the brink of annihilation.
The only hope is to seal the rip in the veil before it becomes permanent.
This is the task of Olkeloki a shaman from an ancient tribe called the Massi. He must seek out allies that can assist him in closing the rip. Finding his allies turns out to be the easy part. Surviving long enough to accomplish their mission is a whole other problem.
My Thoughts:
This is another Alan Dean Foster book that hits the ground running and doesn’t stop till the end. The action is fast and the characters are believable. None of the characters are two dimensional and the beliefs of another culture are not made light of. As one of the characters puts it (paraphrased) “From my view your world is just as backward as you seem to think mine is” or “Yesterdays magic is today's science, today's science is tomorrows magic” in another instance when one of the characters scoffs at the idea of “ancient demons” having anything to do with anything in modern times. Definitively worth a read if you like Alan Dean Foster stories and your looking for a world spanning adventure with plenty of action.
September 25, 2021
This book started out decently enough. However about half way through it just started dragging on and on and on. Then the annoying things started compounding.
For one, the sexual attack was too much for me. It would be one thing if she just got away, but no, the other woman takes her place and she just runs away to go get the men while these evil creatures rape the poor woman to death, because that’s how they “eat.” Additionally, having the woman get sexually attacked a second time is getting into eye rolling territory. The fact that the woman always seems to get violated while going to the bathroom because she refuses to pee in eyesight of someone is retarded. Why are we always hearing about her needing to go pee btw? That sure as hell wasn’t mentioned for the men. Also through out the book she talks about not being a helpless woman, yet she has to be save numerous times, and the only productive thing she does the entire story is drive a vehicle in the rain, which she ultimately gets stuck in a river and the men have to save the day yet again.
The ending though really tipped me over the edge. Here I am being drug along thinking, I’ve just got to get to good part, and it turns out all that was needed was each of the American’s glass eye. So basically the people didn’t even need to go through any of this ridiculous adventure because the only thing that qualifies these two as “important” in this story is the fact that they’ve both lost an eye.
For one, the sexual attack was too much for me. It would be one thing if she just got away, but no, the other woman takes her place and she just runs away to go get the men while these evil creatures rape the poor woman to death, because that’s how they “eat.” Additionally, having the woman get sexually attacked a second time is getting into eye rolling territory. The fact that the woman always seems to get violated while going to the bathroom because she refuses to pee in eyesight of someone is retarded. Why are we always hearing about her needing to go pee btw? That sure as hell wasn’t mentioned for the men. Also through out the book she talks about not being a helpless woman, yet she has to be save numerous times, and the only productive thing she does the entire story is drive a vehicle in the rain, which she ultimately gets stuck in a river and the men have to save the day yet again.
The ending though really tipped me over the edge. Here I am being drug along thinking, I’ve just got to get to good part, and it turns out all that was needed was each of the American’s glass eye. So basically the people didn’t even need to go through any of this ridiculous adventure because the only thing that qualifies these two as “important” in this story is the fact that they’ve both lost an eye.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 1, 2019
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Another, more famous book of his is ‘Aliens.’ I feel that the powers that be should make a film from this book too!
Into The Out Of is a story about the coming together of three unlikely heroes; a Leader of an African Tribe, a woman who works nights taking telephone calls for a company and a New York undercover officer.
You are more-or-less introduced to the ‘monsters’ straight away, but may not realise it. As the story progresses you come across more of these monsters, or ‘shetani’ who are from the ‘out of.’ They wreak havoc, murdering and killing in the most ‘Alan Dean Foster’ way. (If you’ve seen or read Aliens, you’ll understand.)
The story progresses and the adventure turns into a battle of survival for all three of them. Throughout the story you are wondering why the African Tribal Leader specifically chose these two to help save the world. The more you read the scarier the shetani become. There is a final battle, which I felt was very well written. Included in the battle is the reason why the Tribal Leader chose these two specific people.
I felt that the characters were very well written and I thoroughly enjoyed the story. I am now looking out for evidence of ‘shetani’ who may be among us.
I feel that this story would be best suited to adult readers especially those into sci-fi.
Into The Out Of is a story about the coming together of three unlikely heroes; a Leader of an African Tribe, a woman who works nights taking telephone calls for a company and a New York undercover officer.
You are more-or-less introduced to the ‘monsters’ straight away, but may not realise it. As the story progresses you come across more of these monsters, or ‘shetani’ who are from the ‘out of.’ They wreak havoc, murdering and killing in the most ‘Alan Dean Foster’ way. (If you’ve seen or read Aliens, you’ll understand.)
The story progresses and the adventure turns into a battle of survival for all three of them. Throughout the story you are wondering why the African Tribal Leader specifically chose these two to help save the world. The more you read the scarier the shetani become. There is a final battle, which I felt was very well written. Included in the battle is the reason why the Tribal Leader chose these two specific people.
I felt that the characters were very well written and I thoroughly enjoyed the story. I am now looking out for evidence of ‘shetani’ who may be among us.
I feel that this story would be best suited to adult readers especially those into sci-fi.
January 26, 2020
I first read this book around the time it was published having borrowed it from the local library. Shortly thereafter, I visited Kenya for the first time and the story enriched my time there. Over the years I have been to East Africa many times but the book, its title and author slipped from my mind. It has taken me a long time to find it again and I am so glad I did.
The story is rich and descriptive. Characterisation is very strong, with a clear set of individuals with whom the reader can empathise, whilst not fully appreciating their lives. There is a strong story that weaves a wide variety of themes in a coherent plot. The great strength of the book is the richness of the otherworldly aspects alongside the mundane. This is not a tale about mysticism or fate and yet blends them effectively in a multi-cultural tale.
There are parallel threads to the story, which widen the impact of the actions taken by the lead characters. On reflection, these asides bring to mind the movie Gremlins, but such a thought should be hastily put aside.
The ending was neat and added some nice little twists whilst tying up loose ends. I am very glad to have found it again
The story is rich and descriptive. Characterisation is very strong, with a clear set of individuals with whom the reader can empathise, whilst not fully appreciating their lives. There is a strong story that weaves a wide variety of themes in a coherent plot. The great strength of the book is the richness of the otherworldly aspects alongside the mundane. This is not a tale about mysticism or fate and yet blends them effectively in a multi-cultural tale.
There are parallel threads to the story, which widen the impact of the actions taken by the lead characters. On reflection, these asides bring to mind the movie Gremlins, but such a thought should be hastily put aside.
The ending was neat and added some nice little twists whilst tying up loose ends. I am very glad to have found it again
December 26, 2019
Typical A/D/F, typically excellent. Allow me to present some of the themes and styles that are present here and in other Alan Dean Foster books:
- supernatural/intradimensional leak through and communication
- a warning of the consequences of disrespect
- said disrespect could be of the cultural, environmental, spiritual, or a combination
- the fantastic is made real without eye-rolling jumps
- amusement when a character is nominated for a role he or she isn't ready for
- characters who ARE ready but unlikely
In this case, the plot threads include a night shift worker, a ready-to-retire special agent, and an African tribal chief who may be three times older than you think he is. There's a world to save, an unlikely few who can do it, but perform when called. It's Foster's talent to put those together in a way that keeps you intrigued without sounding too much like magic happening every page.
Here's another I do not have space for, and that is a shame.
- supernatural/intradimensional leak through and communication
- a warning of the consequences of disrespect
- said disrespect could be of the cultural, environmental, spiritual, or a combination
- the fantastic is made real without eye-rolling jumps
- amusement when a character is nominated for a role he or she isn't ready for
- characters who ARE ready but unlikely
In this case, the plot threads include a night shift worker, a ready-to-retire special agent, and an African tribal chief who may be three times older than you think he is. There's a world to save, an unlikely few who can do it, but perform when called. It's Foster's talent to put those together in a way that keeps you intrigued without sounding too much like magic happening every page.
Here's another I do not have space for, and that is a shame.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 3, 2022
This was a very 80's book, complete with a background US/USSR cold war subplot.
The interesting part, of course, was the detail that the author put into showing Massai animism, and these Shentai demons. I didn't try to explore any of that on my own to see how much creative license he was taking but it felt authentic. I've never really had any exposure to this part of African culture, and I found the sheer number of different demons interesting.
The overall story was kind of ho hum. There was a lot of travel scenes showing off perhaps a junket the author took thru Africa for research purposes of course. The end felt a bit rushed.
I wouldn't recommend it, and this was just another book on my shelf of shame that I'm glad can get moved onto a new home after all these years.
The interesting part, of course, was the detail that the author put into showing Massai animism, and these Shentai demons. I didn't try to explore any of that on my own to see how much creative license he was taking but it felt authentic. I've never really had any exposure to this part of African culture, and I found the sheer number of different demons interesting.
The overall story was kind of ho hum. There was a lot of travel scenes showing off perhaps a junket the author took thru Africa for research purposes of course. The end felt a bit rushed.
I wouldn't recommend it, and this was just another book on my shelf of shame that I'm glad can get moved onto a new home after all these years.
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