John W. Campbell’s novella Who Goes There?
Not as terrifying as expected.
I assumed I would be sleeping in my parent’s bed again after watching the spectacular movie based on this 70 page sci-fi story, The Thing. Possibly one of my favorite movies—but respectfully—I will never be viewing this movie again for fear of never communicating with… people. If you know, you know…
Or I shall explain. That’s probably simple. So, needless to say, this book did not live up to my full expectations as compared to the movie. There were at least 20 more characters that were impossible to keep track of, a hilarious description of the “red-eyed monster”, and poor links to that of the horror genre. However, if anyone is interested in an appetizing read combined with drama and the concept of magnetic fields (or physics), this is the work for you.
I did have a decent time kicking my legs to and fro on the couch while reading about these fools arguing, but I just didn’t get that feeling of being scared out of my mind. The pacing was brilliant, which brought on a particular level of unease as an individual crept around a corner or jolted to a noise, and I was surprised that the story could be so well planned even with the amount of pages. The author does an excellent job at making silence in a room eerie, but my issue was with the actual monster. I felt that its figure or appearance was only to be laughed at, with its three red eyes and blue, feathery exterior. But it was fun comparing this fantasy beast to the likes of the Akira-like monster in the movie.
My favorite character will never not be the strong and capable MacReady. He carried this book for me with his wit and actual intelligence. And although the beginning of several pages involving the works of physics and magnetic attraction was… confusing for an all-unknowing being, speculative fiction is truly extraordinary, how someone could come up with an unbelievable scenario beyond scientific understanding and make it seem somewhat true with the boundaries of science. That kind of creativity is impressive, so I will give John a major pat on the back. Plus, this little snippet of his creative ability formed at least three adaptations directly and inspired others (The Thing is better than Alien, I’m sorry).
Now that I’m done glazing movies, let’s get into the actual setting. No spoilers.
A group of scientists are working together at a research station in Antarctica. The isolated team stumbles upon a spacecraft buried under in the ice—so naturally for scientists in the plot of a scary story—they decide to investigate. As they excavate, they discover an alien lifeform trapped alongside the vehicle, and they transport it back to the camp. Unrelated to the movie, the set of scientists experience disturbing nightmares that seem to connect to the being they uncovered. Basically, the alien has this incredible ability to take the exact form of anyone it consumes, which also has its own category of pages in the book explaining the consumption process. This causes the scientists to turn on each other, brawl, kill, all the good drama stuff. And as the people assimilate… Scientists like MacReady come up with sneaky ways to snuff out the one who does not belong. Look up the famous blood test. That is possibly one of the best examples of analytical creativity.
Overall, without explaining too much, the main characters are tolerable and the plot is beaming with endless inspiration for more stories. Please read, my friends. It’ll keep you hooked, no matter how poorly I describe it. You must trust. Alongside my other favorite sci-fi issues, including The War of the Worlds as one, Who Goes There? will ultimately be put in my list. Okay, bye.