Title: The Puppet Masters
Author: Robert Heinlein
Pages: 340
Publisher: Del Rey / Ballentine Books (New York), 1951
The Puppet Masters marks a great moment in Robert Heinlein's career as writer as it is his first novel that was a) not a reprint of a serialization and b) not a juvenile novel. Even though it was an adult novel, it had some edits in 1951 which toned down the sex and nudity, but in 1990 after Heinlein's death the book was republished with the edits restored.
Alien invasion is a popular theme in science fiction and in this case it is a combination of science fiction and horror as the puppet masters are a parasite that uses human hosts to do so. The 'slugs' become an insidious enemy that take over secretly by riding on their hosts and controlling their actions. They creep into society and only a botched space craft gets them noticed in the first place.
The plot centers around secret agent Sam Cavanaugh who follows the invasion from its earliest beginnings to the final days when all seems lost. In the end, Sam becomes the key to organizing and finally defeating the 'slugs'. The adventure takes him from being possessed by a parasite to learning everything he can so he can fight them.
Technologically speaking the book presented some interesting options for 1951 including the ideas of implant technology, advanced medical technology including burn grafts, and transportation that involves cars that could both fly and ride roads. For the aliens the issue is not technology by the idea of parasite control and borrowing the technology of all the interplanetary races they had encountered.
Sociologically, Heinlein is at his best even in the edited version. Because the parasites can attach themselves any part of the human body, the best defense is for people to be naked so they can be seen to be 'slug free'. At the beginning of the war, the chief antagonists are not the slugs, but the social mores of human beings. This changes very quickly when people become aware of the truth of the invasion. Heinlein was an avid nudist in life so this is an interesting take on it. What happens when nudity is your only defense against being completely robbed of life and humanity? Would the human race get over its own moral taboos or cease to exist?
Stylistically, this is pure Heinlein, his characters a real and the situations equally so. The plot has a lot of interesting twists and turns and the ending soul searching. The man makes you think in this one.
Rating: 4 and one quarter stars. This is truly classic Heinlein. He is still rough around the edges but not very much so. It is a long story, but it still entertains throughout the entire story. It is a combination of science fiction and horror so it has some rough and morally challenging spots but definitely worth the read.
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