The Puppet Masters
Reviewed date: 2005 May 26
Rating: 4
175 pages
The Puppet Masters follows secret agent Sam and his fellow patriotic Americans as they battle sinister parasitic aliens from outer space. These slug-like aliens cling to the backs of their victims, plugging into the brains of their host. The slugs operate possessed victims like puppets, controlling their bodies and mind.
It's a great read. How does one combat the enemy when one's own ranks may be riddled with slug-controlled agents? Stopping the aliens at the source, at their space ship's landing point near Des Moines, may be the easiest. But the aliens escape and begin possessing people throughout Iowa and the rest of the United States.
The Puppet Masters was written a few years before The Invasion of the Body Snatchers, which is the more well-known parasitic alien invasion story. Body Snatchers has been made into three movies, of various qualities. The Puppet Masters made it to the big screen once but with less success. The Puppet Masters book is certainly better than the Body Snatchers movies, but by all means avoid The Puppet Masters on film.