Timeless, As Always; Especially Timely Today, In Light Of The Presidential Campaign, In That Who Can Tell The Real From The Unreal???????????

                                   The distinction has always been at the heart of "Invasion Of The Body Snatchers," but its brilliance stems from its ability to fit the socio-political zeitgeist of any given moment.

                                     It took me years--I saw the 1956 film on TV long before I knew it was a literary source--to realize that Jack Finney, the same man who wrote "Time And Again", which so many, save myself, revere, wrote this alien classic.  And it is interesting how similar and different from the movie the novel is.

                                      The writing style echoes the original film's (the Gold Standard!!!!) black and white tones.  The principles are pretty much the same, as is the dehumanization of a town in California--and possibly the world--by a group of pods floating in space, whose existence and arrival are explained in ways comprehensive and scientific, yet fitting into the fictional confines of the story being told.

                                        This I did not expect. Nor did I expect the hopeful ending, given the novel, which I will not reveal here, but insist you read.  It satisfies on the printed page, though the image of a paranoid Kevin McCarthy banging on car doors is more indelible, cinematically speaking.

                                           Who knows why it took me so long to read "Invasion Of The Body Snatchers?"  But I am glad I did. Those who only know any of the films, should read the story. A few surprises are still in store.

                                      But this shot, with Kevin McCarthy and Dana Wynter, will always define the story for me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!