The Man Who Fell to Earth

Man, I do love me a good character driven story that makes me feel things.

So Newton is an alien, sent to Earth to save his race. He arrives, immediately blends in, and starts laying the groundwork for an epic undertaking to send a ship to his planet and save the rest of them. Only, somewhere along the way, while pretending to be human, the lines blur. And while Newton tries to keep his alien eyes on his goal, even the best men, alien and human alike, can fall.

I really found the idea of a representative from a super advanced alien race falling victim to very human vices both compelling and sad. To be up front, not a lot happens in this book at all. There's criticisms here about all Newton doing is drinking and making money, and all of that is very true, but it's also the point of the story. The writing is sparse but compelling, and I really felt drawn into this story of Newton's rise and fall. The ending, especially, had me feeling things I wasn't expecting when going into a classic sci-fi book.

Just a really good read that will stick with me, I think. There's apparently a movie out there that I plan on watching when I get the chance.