Synopsis

On a quiet fall evening in the small, peaceful town of Mill Valley, California, Dr. Miles Bennell discovered an insidious, horrifying plot. Silently, subtly, almost imperceptibly, alien life-forms were taking over the bodies and minds of his neighbors, his friends, his family, the woman he loved—the world as he knew it. (Source: Goodreads)

Invasion is a Neighbourly Affair!

Sometimes, classic sci-fi can be slow. As it sets up intergalactic empires and complex interconnected worlds, it often forsakes action for interesting moral and metaphysical dilemmas. Brilliant as these may be, every now and then, I find myself in search of a classic title with a little more pep in its step. 

Finney’s The Body Snatchers is a fast-paced sci-fi thrill fest that wouldn’t feel out of place as a modern blockbuster. Set in the Californian town of Mill Valley, the story follows Miles, a general practitioner, and his friends as they bear witness to an invading alien species that aims to take over the Earth by physically replacing the entire population.

What makes this novel immediately engaging is Finney’s writing style: easy to read yet descriptive in all the right places. This results in a plot that moves along with each new revelation from the investigation unencumbered and creates a vivid picture of the events unfolding around the main characters. These scenes are particularly well realised in Finney’s description of the alien duplicates, as the difference between them and their human counterparts is found in the etched-in details and the eyes as they turn from hollow to full of life.

Furthermore, with Finney’s writing style, more than any other author I’ve read thus far, he manages to escape the trappings of feeling like the story comes from a different era. While outdated moments still exist within the novel, they are often completely overshadowed by the author’s down-to-earth characters.

All of the main characters have known each other for years and interact as such. You can tell how comfortable they all are with each other by how they’re able to calm each other down through tense situations and how they litter their conversations with inside jokes.

As the investigation reaches a head and the truth is revealed about an ongoing alien invasion, Finney elevates the story from being a mere thriller. McCarthyism and a sense of loss of community go hand in hand in this novel.

Throughout the novel, we learn that Mill Valley is in a state of flux. Facing an ever-modernising world and the threat of being swallowed up by San Francisco, the city is losing its “small-town spirit.” Family-owned businesses are failing, and new, unfamiliar neighbours have started to move in, creating an environment rife with suspicion. With this growing isolation, it makes sense how the duplicates were able to infiltrate and begin their lifecycle.

The duplicates themselves make for a good analogy for McCarthyism. As they take over Mill Valley, individualism becomes the key to getting caught. They all follow the same instructions for the same goals, and anything else makes you suspicious. It’s only natural then that the key to defeating the duplicates is the same as with any corrupting ideology: to fight it.

Fast-paced and well-executed, The Body Snatchers is more than just an excellent sci-fi thriller. Throughout the novel, Finney masterfully weaves relevant themes alongside his down-to-earth characters, creating an engaging and thought-provoking work that still holds merit to this day.

I Give The Body Snatchers: 10/10