Eight O'Clock in the Morning

by Ray Faraday Nelson

"At the end of the show the hypnotist told his subjects, “Awake.”

Something unusual happened."

In the short story that inspired the classic 1988 movie They Live, George "wakes up" to find that there is a great secret being kept from the world... and he's the only human to have found out the truth.

Ray Faraday Nelson is an American science fiction author and cartoonist. He was born in 1931 in Schenectady, New York (USA). His most famous work is arguably the short story Eight O'Clock in the Morning due to the film that was produced based on it, however he has also written many other critically-acclaimed works, such as Blake's Progress (1975) as well as Then Beggars Could Ride (1976).

Genres: Short Stories, Science Fiction, Fiction, Horror, Dystopia, Classics, Fantasy

5 pages

First published November 1, 1963

About the author

Aka Jeffrey Lord (house pseudonym)

Radell Faraday "Ray" Nelson is an American science fiction author and cartoonist most famous for his 1963 short story "Eight O'Clock in the Morning", which was later used by John Carpenter as the basis for his 1988 film They Live.

Reviews

[Maureen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short story that inspired the 1988 movie ‘They Live’.

“At the end of the show the hypnotist told his subjects, “Awake.”
Only George awoke however, and he’s the only human to discover a secret that’s being kept from the world!
Here’s the link http://www.whale.to/b/eight_o.html

[Bradley · Rating 4 out of 5]

What? What? No, "I've come to chew bubble gum and kick some ass, and I'm all out of bubble gum."?

No, alas, and I thought it was pretty funny how NO ONE caught the typographical errors in this SHORT short story that later became the movie They Live!

And yet... it's simplicity, it's utter paranoia, its bare-bones understanding of the world (with or without the lizardmen) evokes a raw horror take on Plato's Cave.

Simple idea... wide-ranging effect.

Oh, and it's pretty awesome for all you rebels and haters of conformity out there. :)

OBEY ME AND READ THIS. ;)

[Zai Zai · Rating 3 out of 5]

If your craving for a story that is in the 1984 literary family then this underappreciated work from the 80s will  surely satisfy. Discovered Eight o Clock while doing some research on Philip K Dick as he was a frequent collaborator of the author.

Like many works of this tradition, EOCITM celebrates sticking it up to the people in charge. Timeless message really.

[Bill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Here's a very short re-read that I loved yet again. Having always enjoyed John Carpenter's film They Live I checked out the original story it was based on once again & still found it highly entertaining. It might be the shortest short story I've ever read, but in just a few minutes it achieves more than some science fiction novels manage to do in hundreds of pages.

[Ken · Rating 5 out of 5]

George is awoken to the fact that reptilian creatures are living amongst the population, but only he can see them.

This very short story made famous by John Carpenters ‘They Live’ has such a scary concept of infiltration.

A really quick read that is fully of ideas, you can see why it was later adapted.
I’d highly recommend!

[Dustin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Without having seen John Carpenter's 1988 film, They Live, starring the late Rowdy "Roddy" Piper, I have no means of comparing the two. It's best not to. They're completely different mediums and as such, they should stand on their own. Eight O'Clock in the Morning was a very short story (its five pages felt closer to two or three,) so the film presumably added plenty of substance to fill its hour and forty minutes. Now knowing that, I'm curious as to how they filled in the gaps. Was it a fully realized story? Did it add character development and/or worldbuilding? Those are only a few questions lingering. I was, in fact, somewhat surprised that the source material didn't contain Piper's often played line. A line that most film enthusiasts likely know by heart:

"I am here to chew bubblegum and kick ass...and I'm all out of bubblegum."

Ray Faraday Nelson's story was told in an easily digestable style, which I believe was excellent, and his bold intentionality served its black and white mentality very well. You see it in Nada's actions as well as the alien's. This was more than a simplistic science fiction tale. It's social commentary more relevant now than when it was initially published in 1963. Nelson's concepts were many and they were grand.

One of the subjects awoke all the way. This had never happened before. His name was George Nada and he blinked out at the sea of faces in the theatre, at first unaware of anything out of the ordinary. Then he noticed, spotted here and there in the crowd, the non-human faces, the faces of the Fascinators. They had been there all along, of course, but only George was really awake, so only George recognized them for what they were. He understood everything in a flash, including the fact that if he were to give any outward sign, the Fascinators would instantly command him to return to his former state, and he would obey.

Ultimately, it ended abruptly and I closed the link wanting more. A lot more. That can be a good or bad thing. In this instance, it was a good thing. A really profound thing. The finality of it stung, delivering a gut punch that I never expected. And now, on a side note, I hope to see They Live sooner rather than later.



Read it for free HERE:

http://www.whale.to/b/eight_o.html

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

The (very) short story that provided the skeleton of "They Live", John Carpenter's brilliant '80s action movie, starring Roddy Piper in an iconic role. Like the movie, the story sees a man discover the existence of nefarious aliens infiltrating and directing human society, then follows his mad dash to do something about it. It's entertaining stuff even if, at only 5 pages, it lacks much of what made Carpenter's film so unforgettable. Not a bad way to kill five minutes.

[Brian · Rating 5 out of 5]

A man wakes from hypnosis, the only one. He starts seeing reptilian creatures under human flesh. Signs and televisions say subliminal words he can see clearly. He gets a call from someone telling him to repeat: "I will die at eight o clock in the morning." The story falls into short-short classification, but packs novel length ideas on a springboard of imagination.

The movie based on this short-short stars Roddy Piper in the eighties. The Sci-Fi Classic, called "They Live," packs action, humor, and weirdness.

A link to the short-short: http://metadave.wordpress.com/2007/07...

A link to the movie trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T71F1...

[Ajeje Brazov · Rating 5 out of 5]

Il racconto manifesto, per antonomasia, del rimanere sempre svegli ed all'erta, perché l'inganno é sempre dietro l'angolo, purtroppo. Una storia per chi non ha voglia di vivere anestetizzato come uno zombie, immerso nel nauseabondo zuccheroso buonismo di facciata!
Da leggere e rileggere!
Da questo breve racconto Carpenter ne ideò un film: They live (Essi vivono), che é diventato un cult assoluto della cinematografia mondiale.

[Shauny Free Palestine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eight O’Clock in the Morning is about aliens taking over the planet by disguising themselves as humans and using subliminal messages to control the masses.

The book is Sci-fi paranoia at its very best. I never heard of Ray Faraday Nelson but he’s associated with Sartre, Burroughs, Ginsberg and other members of the Beat Era, as well as collaborating with Philip K Dick, which doesn’t surprise at all.

He’s also a legend for helping Henry Miller (one of my favourite writers) smuggle copies of Tropic of Cancer out of France.

A great companion piece to I Have No Mouth And I Must Scream, Eight O’Clock in the Morning is a brief but flawless story about the need to resist conformity, avoid consumerism, and try to be self-aware.

Thank you to Bill for bringing it to my attention

P.s. This story is free on Google for all to read

[Paul Ataua · Rating 4 out of 5]

So happy that I found this 6 page long short story that was the egg from which John Carpenter’s ‘They Live’ was hatched. It is a very bare-boned story that really has no meat on it whatsoever, and kind of feels like it was thrown together in a few minutes. Still and all, it’s such a great idea, I’m not going to knock it.

[Blair Roberts · Rating 4 out of 5]

I recently discovered the film They Live was based on a short story by Ray Nelson in 1963. Just as the film is relevant today, so is Nelson’s story. Well worth the couple of minutes it takes to read.

At intervals along the street, George saw the posters hanging with photographs of the Fascinators’ multiple eyes and various commands printed under them, such as, “Work eight hours, play eight hours, sleep eight hours,” and “Marry and Reproduce.” A TV set in the window of a store caught George’s eye, but he looked away in the nick of time. When he didn’t look at the Fascinator in the screen, he could resist the command, “Stay tuned to this station.”
-Ray Nelson

[Ayushi · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story revolves around a single man waking up to the reality of non-human creatures dwelling among humans and controlling their perceptions, followed by his ensuing efforts to rouse mankind to the truth.
The story is exceedingly short and can serve as a template for other superior works, like it did for the 1988 movie “They Live”. The movie builds on the short story, functioning as an assessment of the apparent democracy we live in and presents a strong message about the power of advertising and manipulative marketing.

[رزی - Woman, Life, Liberty · Rating 4 out of 5]

این داستان منبع الهام فیلم «They Live» اثر جان کارپنتره.
شروع داستان رو دوست دارم، سریع می‌ره سر اصل مطلب:

هیپنوتیزم‌گر در انتهای نمایشش به افراد تحت فرمانش گفت: «بیدار بشید.»
اتفاقی غیرمعمول افتاد.
یکی از افراد کامل کامل بیدار شد.

شخصیت اصلی داستان، جورج نادا، بعد از این «بیداری» می‌تونه ظاهر واقعی بعضی ساکنان زمین رو ببینه؛ یعنی مارمولک‌هایی سبز و چندش‌آور که اینجا اسمشون «افسونگران»ـه. همون تئوری توطئه‌ی معروف رپتایل‌ها که می‌گن یه سری خزنده‌ی فرازمینی با شمایل انسان‌ها بین مردم زندگی می‌کنن و زمین تحت کنترلشونه. البته این تئوری قبل از نوشته شدن داستان وجود داشته و ترندترین دورانش هم چند سال بعد از این داستان بوده.
خلاصه داستان جالبیه و از فیلم بیشتر دوستش دارم، چون جورج نادا بر خلاف این شخصیت‌های احمق سینمایی که صد سال طول می‌کشه تا بفهمن قضیه چیه و این وسط هم کلی سوتی می‌دن، در یک ثانیه می‌فهمه داستان از چه قراره و حواسش جمعه.
فایل پی‌دی‌اف داستان توی چنل تلگرام ترجمه‌هام هست:
https://t.me/TranslationZahra

[Ian D · Rating 2 out of 5]

Επαναλάβατε μετά από μένα: Όταν γράφεις δυστοπικό sci-fi, δώσε του σελίδες να αναπτυχθεί.
Πολύ ενδιαφέρουσα σύλληψη αλλά αν πρέπει οπωσδήποτε να ασχοληθείτε, προτιμήστε την κινηματογραφική μεταφορά "Ζουν ανάμεσά μας" (They Live - 1988) του John Carpenter.

[Belisarius Carstairs · Rating 2 out of 5]

"At the end of the show, the hypnotist told his subjects, 'Awake.'"

Eight O'Clock in the Morning tackles consumerism in an incredibly powerful way, if it’s quite flawed in its execution, but I think that's more down to the fact that the story hasn't aged well, rather than in its quality as a story.

Coming from my understanding of Doctor Who's Silurians, I feel our protagonist, George's assumptions are absolutely absurd, even when those assumptions are confirmed. And, the criminal actions he takes against these reptiles, despite all they did, it's still an awful thing to do to anyone, no matter what they've done. Ultimately, George comes across as a Xenophobic psychopath. He’s a truly awful excuse for a human, and I genuinely can't relate to what he thinks and what he does.

Then there's his behaviour towards women. It's diabolical. Assault and false imprisonment, it’s disgusting to do that to anyone, not to mention it's highly unnatural for people to take it as George’s girlfriend does. The way Ray Faraday Nelson (and any male authors in the sixties) write women is frankly sexist. They're docile, complaisant, and helpless, which is exactly what this story is writing against.

As for Nelson's writing style, he writes quite fast, moving us from one activity to the next. I used to write in a similar style, so I've got a bit of a soft spot for it, but I feel like I'm missing out on details at times, and the whole thing has this “first draft” feel about it, which I can forgive because this lack of detail and snappy actions adds to one of the themes of narrative. Life can go by at a break-neck pace at times, and we've only got so much time to cherish each moment before we pass away into memory.

I love the story's overarching message of consumerism, how corporations can sell you things you don't really need or the way they convince you to do things you don't really have to do - I mean, you and I don't have to use Goodreads, but here we are - just the whole message about corporate marketing, it’s a wake-up call for some or an affirmation for others. Either way, it's an incredibly cathartic message for anyone to receive.

The themes and messages are enjoyable - they’re the highlights of this story - The alien coding, xenophobia, and misogyny, not so much. George’s struggles, fighting off consumerist marketing strategies is intriguing, but that doesn’t mean he’s not a partner-beating psychopath. While I have a soft spot for Nelson’s fast-paced writing style, I don’t think it’s for everyone. Eight O’Clock in the Morning is a poorly executed story with a powerful wake-up call at its heart.

[ms1v · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super short, but it's very good! It's the skeleton for the film They Live, which I think is much better, but you're comparing a five-page story to a 90-minute movie, so of course the details are fleshed out more on screen. Despite the many typos (maybe because the PDF I read was OCR'd?) it is a very easy-to-follow, effective story.

[Rossella Romano · Rating 5 out of 5]

Letto oggi in occasione del 35esimo di "Essi vivono", che conosco quasi parola per parola. Eppure mi era sfuggito il breve, potentissimo racconto da cui è tratto. Prosa asciutta, progressione impeccabile, geniale il modo in cui Nada si sveglia, proprio in principio. Da brava complottista, a questo punto, mi sorge una domanda: Ma perché nel film gli alieni hanno la faccia sheletrobutterosa e non da lucertola, visto che nel racconto si parla espressamente di rettiliani? Non sarà che...

[Kristoph Kosicki · Rating 5 out of 5]

The movie version is perhaps one of my all time favorite films, and somehow this short story went totally under my radar. The movie is the full realization of this concept I feel, and John Carpenter nailed this premise.

As for this short story though, I think we have all looked around a room of people questioning the "awakeness" of those around us. Particularly, as we navigate mundane chores out in public. Anytime you have ever waited in line, or sat in a waiting room. People just seem programmed to go through the motions. To consume and conform. Without our participation, the system that keeps us idle and numb would fall apart.

Yet, we linger on, pacified by our flashing screens and the promise of a life that is just comfortable enough. Fictional stories like these suggest a sinister plot is underneath it all. The lizard people conspiracy theories have been around for a while. But I believe the system, and the status quo maintained by the "elite" is somewhat autonomous. Groups of powerful people with no objective but to maintain their own self interest.

Imagine if the public actually responded to atrocities committed by corporate entities with the sense of justice that was due? Knowing that to do so would disrupt our life of daily comforts. Is it worth it to stand up against them when it pretty much guarantees you won't live to see past 8 in the morning?

[Freddy Cabán · Rating 5 out of 5]

It only took Ray Faraday Nelson 5 pages to resonate with an entire generation.

"Work for 8 hours, Play for 8 hours, Sleep for 8 hours"

Obey your reptilian overlords and live a dutiful life until death comes.

5/5 stars

[Nesellanum · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love the movie and finally decided to read the source material.

Such a great commentary on the fabric of modern society, presented in a way that dissolves certain associations and allows things to be seen with clarity, much like the story itself. Awesome short SF.

[A. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eight O'Clock in the Morning (1963) is a very short science fiction story by Ray Faraday Nelson where the main character, George Nada, is accidentally “woken up” to a new reality of the world ... the reality that has been kept from all humankind.

The question now is: what will he do with that knowledge?

---
This is an original story with an interesting premise: What would happen if there were aliens living among us, controlling every aspect of our lives (even the way we perceive reality), and a hypnotist's command to wake up from the trance unexpectedly broke the aliens' spell, too?

The movie They Live (1988) was based on this story.

[Jake Jeffries · Rating 5 out of 5]

This short story is awesome! It gripped my from the beginning and held tight until the end. The description of the antagonists was definitely different from the movie that the story inspired, but you can tell that this is definitely the starting point for They Live.

There is a comic book available as well published in the anthology comic Alien Encounters #6 called Nada. I was a bit disappointed in the design of the antagonists, having started with They Live. The story of the comic is practically the short story verbatim until the end, which I really enjoyed.

This is a classic example of a potentially perfect short story.

[Stephen Boyle · Rating 5 out of 5]

A basic premise of the story is humans are doing the bidding of an alien power on this planet. The main character George Nada has an awakening and call to action. His goal to show the world the cloaked aliens that have taken human form existing in every facet of society.

[Sean · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best book cover ever

[Z U L F i · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too little to grsb the idea. Looking forward to watch 'They Live'

[Scott Delgado · Rating 4 out of 5]

The very short story that inspired the John Carpenter film "The Live." It's short and to the point and cool.

[Vicho · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lo lees en menos de 3o min, me interesé por él por la película... que por cierto solo vi un fragmento, además que una de las frases que usa el protagonista " i've come to chew bubblegum and kickass" es utilizada por Duke Nukem jaja. Sí me gustó, pero me resultó muy corta. El final es magistral... pero la historia es muy corta XD.

[Anaswar Vinod · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Eight O'Clock in the Morning" by Ray Faraday Nelson is a sci-fi short story. It deserves a solid 7.5 out of 10 stars for its thought-provoking exploration of reality and identity. While the narrative is concise and engaging, some readers may find the pacing a bit rushed. Nevertheless, Nelson's skillful execution of the premise and the unsettling atmosphere created make it a memorable read.

[Jason Cady · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read the Stephen King story, "The Ten O'Clock People" and noticed the similarity to "They Live." King's story is from 1992, I looked up "They Live," it came out in 1988, and was based on Faraday's "Eight O'Clock in the Morning. So, I had to read this story too. Wow! It is so dense, just a few pages but it has all the essential aspects that made the movie into a cult classic.