The 27th Day
2 journalers for this copy...
Many, many years ago, I saw the film The 27th Day, and found it wonderfully entertaining and moving. [Among the cast was Gene Barry, who passed away in December of 2009.] I stumbled across a copy of the book a few years back, and made a bookray of it, and have been on the watch for more inexpensive release copies. Got this fair-condition '56 hardcover online.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and I think I would have even if I hadn't seen the film - though that's hard to prove at this date. [I should add that I had a powerful crush on the young Russian soldier in the film, so that didn't hurt my opinion of film OR book!] The story was so close to the film that I can't help wondering if it was written specifically as a film-treatment; it was published before the film came out, but only by a year. There are some minor changes here and there, and the book does fill in some background that the movie glossed over, but otherwise they're very close indeed.
The basic story: five people from (as we are informed later) "among the leading nations" - the US, the UK, China, the USSR (this was written in the middle of the Cold War), and Germany - are simultaneously greeted by aliens and whisked aboard a spaceship, where they are each given a box containing three capsules, each of which is capable of eliminating all human life within a 3,000-mile diameter area. The alien explains that his world is dying and his people need a new home, but their ethic does not allow them to simply take over - so, since they've observed how warlike earthlings are already, they're offering the humans the power to destroy themselves, leaving everything else intact. The capsules will remain active for 27 Earth days; if they have not been used by then, or if less than two-thirds of the population has been destroyed, the aliens will leave, doomed.
Well, the humans aren't keen on destroying themselves, no matter how benevolent and wise the aliens seem to be, and they make a pact not to use their capsules at all. But of course the aliens have a trick or two up their sleeve-equivalents, and our heroes soon wind up on the run...
There's a naivete to the story that I rather like, though it might seem overly simplistic to some. The writing's very lively, with some amusing dialog, such as this bit from the alien: "Only the eldest of our race are truly skilled in what you earthlings might call metamorphosis, and the clumsy attempts of my young associates to contact you in human form must, in some instances, have been quite terrifying. The young lady, I believe, found herself confronted by a being about eleven feet tall with green hair and a third eye which, if I am correctly informed, kept drifting around at will."
And there's a bit of a deus ex machina near the end (OK, a huge one!), though the author did play fair with hints and clues. But I thoroughly enjoyed the story, loved all the characters - even the villains were nicely scenery-chewing - and got sniffly here and there as well. (One can certainly debate the morality of the ending, but that's part of the story's charm.) I recommend the book and the film, which are among the more thought-provoking (and potentially hopeful) SF stories of the '50s.
An interesting companion piece to the film would be The Day the Earth Stood Still - the 1951 version; I don't recommend the remake at ALL. Day the Earth Stood Still has some common thematic elements with The 27th Day, but from a different perspective.
[There's a short TV Tropes page on the film and book.]
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and I think I would have even if I hadn't seen the film - though that's hard to prove at this date. [I should add that I had a powerful crush on the young Russian soldier in the film, so that didn't hurt my opinion of film OR book!] The story was so close to the film that I can't help wondering if it was written specifically as a film-treatment; it was published before the film came out, but only by a year. There are some minor changes here and there, and the book does fill in some background that the movie glossed over, but otherwise they're very close indeed.
The basic story: five people from (as we are informed later) "among the leading nations" - the US, the UK, China, the USSR (this was written in the middle of the Cold War), and Germany - are simultaneously greeted by aliens and whisked aboard a spaceship, where they are each given a box containing three capsules, each of which is capable of eliminating all human life within a 3,000-mile diameter area. The alien explains that his world is dying and his people need a new home, but their ethic does not allow them to simply take over - so, since they've observed how warlike earthlings are already, they're offering the humans the power to destroy themselves, leaving everything else intact. The capsules will remain active for 27 Earth days; if they have not been used by then, or if less than two-thirds of the population has been destroyed, the aliens will leave, doomed.
Well, the humans aren't keen on destroying themselves, no matter how benevolent and wise the aliens seem to be, and they make a pact not to use their capsules at all. But of course the aliens have a trick or two up their sleeve-equivalents, and our heroes soon wind up on the run...
There's a naivete to the story that I rather like, though it might seem overly simplistic to some. The writing's very lively, with some amusing dialog, such as this bit from the alien: "Only the eldest of our race are truly skilled in what you earthlings might call metamorphosis, and the clumsy attempts of my young associates to contact you in human form must, in some instances, have been quite terrifying. The young lady, I believe, found herself confronted by a being about eleven feet tall with green hair and a third eye which, if I am correctly informed, kept drifting around at will."
And there's a bit of a deus ex machina near the end (OK, a huge one!), though the author did play fair with hints and clues. But I thoroughly enjoyed the story, loved all the characters - even the villains were nicely scenery-chewing - and got sniffly here and there as well. (One can certainly debate the morality of the ending, but that's part of the story's charm.) I recommend the book and the film, which are among the more thought-provoking (and potentially hopeful) SF stories of the '50s.
An interesting companion piece to the film would be The Day the Earth Stood Still - the 1951 version; I don't recommend the remake at ALL. Day the Earth Stood Still has some common thematic elements with The 27th Day, but from a different perspective.
[There's a short TV Tropes page on the film and book.]
I'm sending this to BCer varykino in Canada to fill a wish. Enjoy!
Thank You! The book arrived yesterday. My computer is ill and in the shop...I'll check in again in a few days.
I love the book mark!
I love the book mark!
