K-Pax Iv: A New Visitor from the Constellation Lyra

K-Pax #4

by Gene Brewer

A New visitor arrives from K-PAX. Fled is outspoken, belligerent, very promiscuous, and resembles more than anything else a large chimpanzee. When she returns she will be taking 100,000 people with her. Dr. B agrees to “host” the visitor at the Manhattan Psychiatric Institute hoping she will be able to do something for the hospital’s difficult mental patients. Fled soon becomes pregnant, and the father could be anyone-a chimpanzee, a gorilla, or a human, possibly even one of the patient. As the departure date draws near, the reader will find himself gripped by the questions of who will be going wither and will the CIA be able to prevent her from “kidnapping” any American citizens.

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction

166 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 9, 2007

About the author

Gene R. Brewer was born and raised in Muncie, Indiana and educated at DePauw University and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Before becoming a novelist Dr. Brewer studied DNA replication and cell division at several major research institutions, including St. Jude Children's REsearch Hospital (Memphis) and Case Western Reserve University (Cleveland). He is the author of the acclaimed K-PAX trilogy, a memoir (Creating K-PAX), a story for young adults ("Alejandro" in Twice Told), and the stage adaptation of his novel, K-PAX. He lives in New York City and Vermont with his wife and their dog Flower. Hobbies are flying, running, chess, astronomy/cosmology, music, theater, and of course, reading (favorite author: Kurt Vonnegut). Passions include ecology, animal rights*, and his wife, Karen.

Reviews

[Matt Spaulding · Rating 2 out of 5]

I very much enjoyed the first two books in the series and while I haven't read the third, I somehow managed to own this one and the opening page told me that, for the most part, the third book wasn't required reading for this one, so I gave it a go. And, really, I didn't need the third book, but if I had read that one first, I may have been able to avoid this mess.
This book (and, presumably, the one before it) completely undoes a major component of the first two books that made them enjoyable to me. I won't spoil what, but it was really hard to get around.
Also pretty unbearable was Brewer's seeming disinterest in even trying to make this book compelling. It has a STRONG political message that I actually agree with, but the story and even his writing suffers in favor of just beating the reader relentlessly over the head with his message, to the point of having two characters literally be buffoonish caricatures of real human beings.
At the end of it all, I am just so disappointed with this book.

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

Note: Don't read this book until you've read the first 3 in order.

I really enjoyed the original K-PAX trillogy and thought this was a pretty good follow up. I liked how the newest K-PAXian, fled, was more energetic and outspoken as compared to prot's reserved and contemplative nature as he was in the original trillogy. Then again, prot's a dremer and fled's a trod so that might account for the difference in personalities. However, fled was more concerned about political and environmental issues whereas prot's story was more focused on his relationship with Robert Porter. Can't wait to see if there's a K-PAX 5 and if Dartmouth and Wang will return. I couldn't help but laugh a lot of the times they came up in the book. Way to go Gino!

COMING SOON: THE BADGUYS

[Sammy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I came across the K-PAX series this year when I moved home, and spent three weeks in my empty living room with just a lamp and an air mattress. At first, I was merely enjoying the mystery of Brewer's original trilogy, but as his true meaning came out, I found myself enchanted by the knowledge that my own views seemed to cross so nicely with Brewer's own.

On reading K-PAX IV, I at first felt like it emphasised all the lesser elements of Brewer's novels: his slight absurdity is full-blast here with the ludicrously over-the-top agents; the 'pop psychiatry' in which prot recognises ways of curing every patient that we can't figure out, felt just a little pat this time. But on reaching that final chapter, I was blown away. Suddenly, everything makes sense.

I still can't say this book is amazing: the appearance of a genuinely alien creature (as opposed to prot's apparent humanity) doesn't seem to have an effect on Brewer's Earth. But on the other hand, his true point - the failings of humanity, and how horrific the dark side of our species is - needs to be spoken to everyone. There is hope, Brewer says, but we can't keep ignoring the darkness. A beautiful four book saga, all things considered.

[Hertzan Chimera · Rating 5 out of 5]

my review of K-PAX IV is online @ SF-Zone
http://www.zone-sf.com/wordworks/kpax...

:)

Great book, and a lovely continuation of the K-PAX lineage which Brewer says will continue with K-PAX V.

[Rowan Smith · Rating 1 out of 5]

No spoilers in this review, though even as I say that the back cover of the book will tell you in its entirety what happens, read the back cover (which is the same as the Amazon description of the book) nothing will come as a surprise, nothing. If you've read the description already, I'm sorry - that is quite literally the whole book summed up and any would-be surprises are now "ruined".

Being a big fan of the trilogy I was excited to see there was another, "final" instalment. I've always been waiting for the price to come down and wondered why it stayed up so high for so long. The answer is that this is actually a self-published book, printed on demand, as when and needed. As to why the final book was unable to get a full release through a publisher and the author had to resort to printing it through a solo company? Well, if you ever have the misfortune to read it (and I recommend you don't) you will very quickly work out why.
The book opens and talks about what Gene Brewer has been up to, his wife, his family, his other novels. Unlike previous K-PAX books which did well at separating fact from fiction this book features a change "Dr Brewer's" persona. Throughout the book you are left constantly irritated by the fact that you aren't actually sure whether this is fictional "Dr Brewer" talking or "Gene Brewer" the writer talking about what just happen In his actual life. Indeed, in the book there are references to other books "Gene" has written, both directly and indirectly, references to movies sequels in the vain of "If anybody is out there reading this with money, please respond" and also a stab at the forth book being turned down by publishers (at that point in the book the reader is thinking sarcastically "yeah, I wonder why!?"). In short the manner in which it is written comes off as the actual author talking to the reader and not the "Dr Gene Brewer" from the original trilogy.
fled, the new visitor's description is as detailed as "looking like a large chimpanzee", that's it, in its totality. Nothing further than "covered with hair" is ventured upon, leaving the reader wondering just how much of a chimp she looks and so spending the entire book not knowing what the main character looks like brings more frustration.
What happen precedes this is exactly the same as the first K-PAX book. This time it's crammed into about 150 pages and absolutely nothing new happens.

Hilariously the description of the book given on the cover/amazon, after telling you everything that happens in the book goes on to say
"As the departure date draws near, the reader will find himself gripped by the questions of who will be going wither(sit) and will the CIA be able to prevent her from "kidnapping" any American citizens."
There isn't enough time in the book to become fond of the patients to care who is going with her (and with such a high number being taken it's blindly obvious that it's going to be quite a few and obviously the CIA won't be able to do anything. As I started the book I was quite fresh off reading "prots Report" which was also abysmal. I won't review that, but let us say that the author used it as bible, a chance to promote his way of life, a preachy, pretentious bible confirming that the author just uses prot/fled as 3rd party tool to promote his way of life, whilst using Brewer as a human who is approachable on the subject and other people (the human race) who just won't do it. I should say at this point that I have nothing against a "different way of life" indeed, I've been a vegetarian for over 20 years now, but I do have a problem with being pamphletted. prots report isn't sold separately, again unsurprising, but if it had been no doubt it would have been a self-publish thing. Taking that as a cue for what the writer will do when "let of the leash" I had a good idea what K-PAX IV was going to be like, the slight difference this time was that the author clearly had a new environmental chip on his shoulder regarding Chimpanzees.

Gone is the calm and considered "Bridges" Dr Gene Brewer, replaced with a rushed whimsical imitation who seems disinterested and nonchalant about the fact that there is actually a being from another planet in the story with him.

Perhaps a better tagline for the book should have been
"As the departure date draws near, the reader will find himself (himself?) gripped by the questions "would people really act/react this way in real life? Didn't this all happen in the last book? Why am I still reading this? couldn't the author have taken his time over this?"

Clearly the publishers actually took one look at the description and said "Erm...No, especially after how preachy you became when we let you have that chance with 'prots report'"
as a result the writer gave himself a green light to go "whatever". Had an editor been around perhaps they would have put a stop to the slap-stick comedy Thomson and Thompson styled duo CIA agents that show up randomly in odd (bushes, trees, windows) places tripping over and fumbling around like buffoons (again one of the many "it just wouldn't happen that way" moments).

I wholeheartedly suggest you leave this well alone unless you want the trilogy to be tainted by this poor excuse for a book, that quite literally offers nothing more or new than the first three (or "four" if you count "prots Report") books.

I'll finish by saying well done to the author though, I don't think I could write a novel and he did an absolutely cracking job on the first three volumes; but I feel he should have left it at that. They were enough to make people "think" Pushing it further has pushed people away.
I note that Gene is now working on K-PAX V.....I can only imagine that it will probably be set in 2020 and involve a visit from both fled's son/daughter, the bullucks and a surprise appearance from prot.

Pretty easy to see where it's going, hopefully it will be a little more in depth, descriptive and less rushed than this book.

[Bob F · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was coming into this with low expectations given the description, that being said, this was a fun read. I really enjoyed fled as a character and her outlook on humanity and society. This was actually a really fun read and I look forward to K-Pax V

[David Ward · Rating 3 out of 5]

K-PAX IV: A New Visitor From the Constellation Lyra by Gene Brewer (Xlibris Corporation 2007))(Fiction – Science Fiction). In his fourth novel in the K-PAX series, we learn that Prot, after three trips to Earth, has sent a friend in his stead known as “fled.” fled is an ape-like hypersexual female being from Prot's planet. When it is learned that fled is on a mission to save one hundred thousand Earth beings from certain destruction, complications ensue. This was by far the weakest book in the series. My rating: 7/10, finished 2011.

[Lyndon Wright-Huff]

Gene Brewer is getting weirder with each K-Pax book.

[Mark · Rating 1 out of 5]

The tale end of a series of books which was overstretched since the First.

Leave it alone Gene.

[Ross · Rating 1 out of 5]

the k pax books get progressivley worse, at least 1 - 3 were enjoyable, k pax iv is not worth reading even for fans of the original trilogy.