The Invasion of the Body Snatchers

By: Jack Finney

Narrated by: Kristoffer Tabori

Length: 6 hrs and 39 mins

Publisher's summary

On a quiet fall evening in the small, peaceful town of Mill Valley, California, Dr. Miles Bennell discovers an insidious, horrifying plot. Silently, subtly, almost imperceptibly, alien life-forms are taking over the bodies and minds of his neighbors, his friends, his family, the woman he loves, and the world as he knows it.

This classic 1955 thriller of the triumph of the human spirit over an invisible enemy inspired the acclaimed 1956 film, directed by Don Siegel and named one of Time magazine's 100 Best Films. Blackstone's edition is read by Don Siegel's son, actor-director Kristoffer Tabori, an Emmy and Audie Award winner, and concludes with the narrator's insider reminiscences of his father's work on the film.

©1955, 1983 Jack Finney (P)2007 Blackstone Audio Inc.

Critic reviews

• Nominee, 2008 Audie Award, Science Fiction

Interesting to Revisit a Classic

I've always loved the old black-and-white movie and thought it would be fun to read the book. I was not disappointed. A bonus interview at the end of this audio recording proved very interesting, too, as it speaks to both the book and that original movie.

Great Suspense

Would you consider the audio edition of The Invasion of the Body Snatchers to be better than the print version?

Yes and no. I can't read as much as I like and resort to listening to books but either is doable.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Sheer enjoyment

Any additional comments?

This is a great classic and worth the money. The characters are fun and the villain is unique and interesting.

Good novel!

I've seen the first two films based on this book many times and enjoyed them both; especially the 1956 original. I wanted to see how different the book was , especially from the 1956 film, and there are minor differences until the end. I won't spoil it but if you liked the first film, you will enjoy this..and the reader does a great job.

classic good read

tons of fun. I hadn't seen the original movie in decades, and this brought the original feeling right back. I can't recommend it high enough.

What you don't know...

Where does The Invasion of the Body Snatchers rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

One of the best! I really liked learning the differences from the book and the movie. I also like the actor who read it. You think you now how this book will end if you saw the movie but it has a nice twice.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Miles. I like all four of the main characters in the book but he stood out and someone you want on your side.

What about Kristoffer Tabori’s performance did you like?

He was great! Has a great voice that draws you in and really makes each person stand out and take form. You feel what each of them feels. He makes you feel the depth of their fear, hope and pain.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Yes and no, I did not laugh or cry but I did feel the doom and fear. I also felt the anger at the Invaders for not just coming here and taking over but also for the way they are proud of how they have done this to other words and left nothing but a dead wasteland.

Any additional comments?

I was really happy that I finally got to read/hear this book as I always wondered what the difference was from the movie, if any. I love the details the book has that the movies did not and the information the book has that the movies never got into. There is more here then you know if you have only seen the movies.

The original film is ALMOST as good as the book

In the Afterward, the narrator, whose father is Don Siegel, the film’s director, is interviewed … ABOUT THE FILM. I will talk about the book, which I love.

Author Jack Finney wrote the book, which he titled THE BODY SNATCHERS. Hollywood is responsible for “INVASION OF” but I prefer the book’s original title. Mr. Finney wrote, among other novels and short stories, a book that is as much a cult favorite as is Don Siegel’s film: TIME AND AGAIN. In Finney’s book, protagonists Miles and Becky go to a movie, which Miles describes as a good story about a man who travels back in time — this is the beginning of TIME AND AGAIN, which its many fans hope to someday see adapted to either a film or a limited series. I think that, to do it right, it needs to be told in episodic form. Miles’s friend Jack is a writer … Jack Finney, perhaps?

All that aside, the film (and its less worthy remakes) is referred to as an Animal Farm-like allegory against communism, against the Vietnam war, against authoritarian political debacles. Both Finney and Siegel just wanted to make a thriller; they had nothing more in mind than to scare us. The book succeeds admirably.

This is a simple, straightforward tale that starts quite innocuously but rapidly builds to a series of revelations each of which increases the horror of the situation in which Miles and Becky find themselves. I almost didn’t read the book, because I thought that I didn’t need to — I’ve seen the Siegel adaptation so I already knew the story. But I reasoned that film adaptations often DON’T do their source material justice. The Finney book is more detailed, compared to the short and swift film that leaves out pretty much all the interesting speculative thinking, so if you like reading What If contemplations, read the book whether you’ve seen the film or not.

The narrator spoke too slowly for me, so I increased the speed to 1.1 — thanks to Audible. He did a good job of reading, with variations on inflection, communicating emotion and consternation, that were appropriate.

So read the book, it’s worth it.

Hard SF with Small Town charm

Finney does hard sci-fi well well. Following a doctor and others observing odd events in their little town. Their trying to make sense of it, while refusing or retreating from "impossible" conclusions is, I believe, as enjoyable as the original plot of what's happening. The rich dialogues of this town folks lend to well sketched characters that keep the story humming. Tabori, the reader, does wonderfully in keeping the charming dialogues engaging. I particularly enjoyed the convincing voice he gave to psychiatrist Kaufman's monologue.

The Pod People

DIAL PHONES
An excellent Sci-Fi Horror. It is amazing how scary a writer can get without gore, very little violence, no sex and no swearing. I am not a prude, I love sex and violence, just surprised, how much can be accomplished without these old stand-bys. I thought it was funny when the main character complained about the fast new society, with its new fangled inventions like dial phones. This is a masterpiece, don't let the time it was written hold you back. At least three movies have been made from this and they are good, but the book is also good. This has to be one of the more imaginative invasions every written.
Narrator is excellent.

Not what I expected, more sociological than horror

I have seen two of the movie versions of this book, and still there was an element to it that I didn't expect........Even though the author always claimed he had no political message in the book, I definitely heard more of it in the book than I ever saw in the movies.

This version is more psychological horror and suspense than it is about a physical monstrosity - the "pod people" are physical duplicates, not any abhorrent visualized mess. They are not filled with inhuman rage, they don't eat living flesh, they don't make blood sacrifices. Visually it's a creepily calm but otherwise normal-looking situation. But, what Finney seems to mention again and again, the "pod people" (for lack of a better term) seem devoid of the human emotions, including the emotions that make people want to improve and change things. The real fear of changing is that the changed become stagnant emotionally and psychologically, doing only what is necessary but nothing that is desired since - without emotions - nothing is desired.

To me, that's more than a "good read" as Finney said was his goal, that's a small-p political statement about the state of humanity.

Yes, it's a sci fi thriller with good pacing, heroic characters, and a ticking clock of impending doom. But it's more than that, and not really what I'd expected.

Classic

Loved this one! What self-respecting child of the 70's doesn't love IBS! This audio version was just as gripping and scary thanks to Mr. Tabori! Wonderful job!